: R C V THE ANCIENT AND MODEM HISTORY MAPJTIME PORTS OF IRELAND. BY ANTHONY MAEMION. WHEN A NATION, LONG OPPRESSED BT PENAL LAWS AND BAD GOVERNMENT, HAS BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY IMPOVERISHED, LIKE IRELAND, IT IS NOT TO BE EXPECTED THAT PROSPERITY AND INDEPENDENCE CAN BE EASILY OR SUDDENLY ACQUIRED. NATIONS, LIKE MEN, REQUIRE TIME AND VIGOROUS EXERTION TO MATURE THEIR STRENGTH. AN EXTENSION OF COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURES IN IRELAND, AND THE CONSEQUENT REMUNERATIVE EM FLO YMENT OF ITS POPULATION, ARE WELL CALCULATED TO ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTS, AND PLACE IT IN THAT ELEVATED BANK OF NATIONS, TO WHICH IT IS SO EMINENTLY ENTITLED FROM ITS COMMANDING POSITION ON THE GLOBE AND ITS GREAT NATURAL RESOURCES. THE AUTHOR. FOURTH EDITION. PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY W. H. COX, 5, GT. QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS. 1860. BOSTON COLLFQV LIBRARY CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. CONTENTS. Introduction — Contains a Geographical Sketch of the Island — Its discovery — Its great fertility and sacred character from time immemorial — The Phoeni- cians, their early nautical experience and commercial pursuits — The origin of the first Colonists — The ancient names of Ireland, whence derived — Partholanus — The Nemeclians— Firbolgs or Belgse — Danaans and Milesians — Their civil, military, and religious observances — The Liagh Fail, or Stone of Destiny — Sun or Fire "Worship— Round Towers, their origin — Cromleachs and Cairns — The Military Rath— Moats and Rath Caves— The Picts— The Albanian Scots descended from the Irish Scots — Ossian's Poems, translated from the effusions of the ancient Irish Bards — Irish Music, the harp, &c. — Knighthood, its Irish origin — The Crusades— Military Games at Tailton — The Fine Birion, or ancient Irish Militia, their bravery, discipline, and annihilation in the Battle of Gabrah —p. 1 to 61. Statistics: —Population and Emigration, 52 and 617; Commerce and Manufactures,^ and 647 ; Society for promoting the cultivation and improve- ment of Flax, 78 and 649 : Income and Expenditure, 97 and 644 ; Banking, 104 and 625 ; the People's Bank, 626; Savings Banks and Loan Societies, 116; Inland Navigation, 117; Railways, 127 and 642 ; Fisheries, 141 and 630; Mines and Minerals, 144 and 629 ; Incumbered Estates Court, 147 and 635 ; Agriculture, Tenure of Land, and Tenant Right, 149 ; Poor Laws, 159 and 635 ; Poor Rates, 161 and 635; County Infirmaries, 163; Board of Public Works, 164 ; Religion and Education, 172 and 639 ; Educational Institutions, 177 and 639 ; Representation of Ireland, 189. History of the Maritime Ports : — Dublin, 193; Dublin Bay and Harbour, 246 ; Kingstown, 247 ; Hill of Howth, 248 ; Lambay, Rush, Balbriggan, and Skerries, 249 ; Drogheda, 250; Battle of the Boyne, 257; Clogherhead, 268; Dundalk,269; Carlingford,298 ; Newry,303; Mourne Coast, Ardglass, Killough, 316 ; Strangford, 317 ; Lough of Belfast, 319 ; Carrickfergus, 320; Bangor, 322 ; Belfast, 323 ; North Coast, from Belfast, Coleraine, Lame, Glenarm, Cushen- den and Cushendall, Benmore or Fairhead, Giant's Causeway, Island of Rathlin, iv CONTENTS. Ballycastle, and Portrush, 366 ; Coleraine, 369 ; Londonderry, 390 ; The Siege thereof, 395; The Atlantic from Lough Foyle to Sligo Bay, Lough Swilly, Rath- mullin, Kathmelton, Letterkenny, Malinhead, Tory Island, The Rosses, Splendid Fishing Ground, Killybegs, Donegal!, Ballyshannon, Lough Erne, 421 ; Sligo, 425; Killala, 433; Ballina, occupied by Humbert and a French force, his subsequent operations, 434 ; Broadhaven and Blacksod Harbours, 439 ; Clew Bay, 441; Newport, 441; Westport, 443; Killery Bay, Connemara Coast, Ballinakill, and Claggin Bays, and Innisboffin Island, their great advantages for fishing purposes, Clifden Harbour, Roundstone, Birterbuy, Kilkerrin, and Costello Bays, 447 ; Galway Bay, 448 ; Galway, 450 ; Coast from Galway Bay to the River Shannon, 467 ; The River Shannon, Foynes Harbour, &c, 468 ; Limerick, 479 ; Siege and Treaty of Limerick, and its violation, 484; Tralee, 501 ; Smerwick Harbour, Dingle Bay, the Blaskets, 505 ; Valentia Harbour, The Skellig Islands, St. Finans, Ballyskelligs and Ballydonogan Bays, Kenmare River, 506 ; Bantry Bay, Berehaven, The French expedition under Hoche, 508 ; Dunmanus Bay, Mizenliead, Crookhaven, Cape Clear, the Fasnetrock, Long Island Sound, Baltimore, 512 ; Skibbereen, 514 ; Clonakilty and Court Mack- sherry Bays, 517 ; Kinsale, 517 ; Cork Harbour, Queenstown, Passage, &c, 519 ; Cork, 524 ; Ballycotton Bay and Island, 546 ; Youghal, 547 ; Dungarvan, 548 ; Waterford Harbour, Dunmore Pier, Duncannon Fort, the Suir, the Barrow, and the Nore, 548; Waterford, 550; New Ross, 567; Battle of New Ross, 569 ; Ballyteigue Bay, Bannow, the Irish Herculaneum, the Saltee Islands, Tuskar Light House, 577 ; Wexford, 579 ; the Rebellion of 1798, its origin, pro- gress, and suppression, 585; Arklow, 605; Wicklow, 606; Transatlantic Packet Station Commission, 607 ; Harbours of Refuge, Parliamentary Committee of Enquiry thereon, 612; "Waterford and Carlingford, their great capabilities for Harbours of Refuge, 614 ; Great waste of Public Money at Holyhead, 615; Skerry Islands, near Portrush, splendidly circumstanced for a Naval Station, 618 ; Revenue of Ireland for the four years ending 31st December, 1856, p. 645 ; Customs duties of the ports respectively to the same period, 646 ; Flax spinning, great increase in the export of Linen and Linen Yarn, 648 ; Beet-root Sugar, 649 ; Solidified Peat, incalculable value of the Irish Bogs, 651 ; Foreign and Channel trade of the Irish Ports, and the number and tonnage of the vessels registered therein for the years 1854, 1855, 1856, p. 655, 656, 657; Vessels registered and built in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, and British Colonies, 660; Exports of the United Kingdom, 660; and of Ireland, 661 ; Comparative trade of Liverpool and Belfast, 662 ; the Submarine Atlantic Cable, 663 ; Great advantage of a direct trade with the United States to both Countries, 663. TO THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED' STATES, PARTICULARLY THAT PORTION OF THEM COMPRISING THE NATIVE IRISH AND THE DESCENDANTS OF IRISHMEN RESIDING THEREIN. When Columbus, inspired by the Deity with the idea that the western hemisphere of our globe must contain a continent of vast magnitude, as a counterpoise to that which was known from time immemorial in the east, he was filled with the importance of the object to mankind, and of the fame and fortune that was to be acquired by himself as the discoverer of a new world. Under circum- stances the most embarrassing, he persevered in endeavouring to excite the ambition and sympathy of the rulers of England, France, and other European nations, but in vain; his calculations and opinions were treated as erroneous and visionary, and, while almost despairing of success, a noble-hearted and magnanimous woman, Isabella of Spain, adopted his views, and even proposed pawning her jewels to furnish him with the means of realizing them. While the equipment which was to waft him over the vast Atlantic was jn preparation, he must have entertained some extraordinary impres- sions as to how this undiscovered continent he was about to visit was circumstanced. Whether it was inhabited by man, and if so was he in a civilised or in a savage state, did animals exist on it unknown to the Old World, or was it in a state of rude nature, uncultivated or unimproved ? did he anticipate to find it rich in the precious metals, which subsequently in such abundance flowed into b vi DEDICATION. Europe, or that it would furnish such innumerable sources of commerce to employ the skill and industry of future generations ? Whatever his calculations or reflections might have been on these points, it is more than probable it never entered into the mind of this great benefactor of mankind, that the land he was in search of was destined to be the refuge and the home of those who were driven by regal and aristocratic tyranny from their native land, and that it was to give birth to a republic more important and conducive to the liberties of mankind than those of either ancient Greece or Rome. Columbus sailed from Palos, in Spain, in 1492, in pursuit of what was considered by most persons a chimera, and after encounter- ing the perils of an unexplored ocean, and innumerable other obsta- cles, the least of which was not the difficulty of maintaining order among his incredulous and all but mutinous attendants, the promised land was at length attained, and San Salvador appeared in view to his astonished and now obsequious companions. Columbus was of opinion that this land was the western part of the vast regions of India in Asia, and therefore called it the West Indies, not having even the honour of his name associated with so large a portion of our globe originally discovered by him, and which was so unjustly attributed to Amerigo Vespucci, a native of Florence, who had not even seen it until 1499, when he sailed with Alonzo Adjedo along a portion of the coast of that vast continent which was to bear his name through succeeding ages. The Cabots, Venetians by birth, but in the service of Henry VII., claim the merit of discovering Newfoundland and a portion of the coast of the American conti- nent, in 1497, two years previous to Vespucci, but there was no set- tlement attempted in either by the English until 1584, when Sir Henry Gilbert, brother-in-law to Sir Walter Raleigh, took formal pos- session of St. John's, Newfoundland, in right of this discovery, as be- longing to the British Crown. The following year, Virginia, so named by Elizabeth, was discovered by Amadas and Barlow. Raleigh, who had obtained a grant of it from the Queen, made ineffectual attempts to colonise it, and ultimately disposed of his patent to Thomas DEDICATION. vii Smith, who was more successful. There was no permanent planta- tion however before 1606, when James I. granted a charter to the Virginia Company, when the first English settlement under it or on the continent of America was effected on the banks of the Powhatan, and was called Jamestown, The planters, who expected to find the precious metals in the same abundance here as in those parts invaded by the Spaniards, after sending a cargo of a glittering substance to England, which they supposed to be gold but wa3 found to be dross, they applied themselves to the cultivation of grain and tobacco and of fishing on the coast, which was long prosecuted with considerable success. The discovery of the New World caused an extraordinary revo- lution in the temporal affairs of the inhabitants of the Old, and the Reformation commenced by Luther soon after disturbed and unsettled those spiritual and ecclesiastical doctrines which had been for ages esteemed the bulwarks of Christianity. It was therefore to be expected that the ancient Church, irritated and alarmed at those innovations directed against its belief and discipline, would denounce and persecute those schismatists who had espoused the new tenets, which were pronounced heretical and dangerous by its Councils ; but it could not be supposed that those who had clamoured so loudly for liberty of conscience for themselves, would in turn, when their own dogmas were in the ascendant, become more despotic and intolerant than they represented those to be from whom they had so recently seceded. The Protestant religion, however, was no sooner firmly established by law in England, than the Catholics and all other non-conformists were persecuted with the greatest rigour. The hoiv rors of the reigns of Henry VIII., Mary, and Elizabeth, for religious convictions, did not cease on the ascension to the English throne of that mean, pedantic, and superstitious monarch, the first of the Stuarts. James was particularly hostile to the Puritans, who had early separated from the Church of England, and several clergymen of that persuasion, with their hearers, were obliged, in 1607, to leave the kingdom and seek safety in Amsterdam, from whence they b 2 DEDICATION. removed to Leyden in 1609. Arbitrary and intolerant measures still continuing in force in England, they resolved, in 1617, to emigrate to America, and, although James was solicited to grant them freedom of worship in Virginia, he refused to tolerate it even in that remote region. They, however, obtained a patent from the Virginia Company, and embarked at Plymouth with the intention of joining the first planters, but having made Cape Cod, and finding the land in that district fruitful, and the climate agree- able, they determined on settling there. They were the first plantation in New England, and were called the Plymouth Colony. Although the Puritans of which this colony was composed built churches, and instituted and adhered to numerous religious rites and observances, principally founded on the texts of the Old Testament, yet were they as much opposed to tolerate any other sect as the Church of England, which had persecuted them at home. James, in 1624, with his accustomed rapacity to extort money from all and everything he was connected with, sent commis- sioners to Virginia with charges against the colonists, calculated to restrain the free exercise of their trade and privileges, but they met and drew up an answer, and made a declaration thus early, which was considered equal to a bill of rights. Notwithstanding, the King's Bench issued a quo-warranto and dissolved the Virginia Company, although it had expended £100,000 in planting the colony, and sent out 9,000 persons to settle in it. James, however took the whole authority and right of property into his own hands, appointing the Governors and Council, and exercising other arbitrary powers, which were followed up in the same spirit by his successor. An erroneous impression has existed that Irish emigration to America is of modern date ; but as early as 1629 a mixed colony of English and Irish permanently settled in Guiana. Two years after, Calvert, Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, who derived his title from the seaport of that name, in the south of Ireland, emigrated from England with his family, that he might enjoy in America that religious freedom which was denied him at home, and colonised DEDICATION. it the state of Maryland with English and Irish Catholics. This colony is spoken of in terms of the highest praise, even by Protes- tant clerical writers, for its justice, moderation, respect for property, political independence, and religious toleration. Although Lord Baltimore might have taken possession of the country, under his patent from Charles L, by force, he treated with the Indians for it, to whom he made presents, and became so popular with them, that they allowed his colonists to occupy half the town of Pescataway, until they had collected their harvest, when, agreeable to contract, they amicably gave possession of the remainder. To each emigrant he allotted 50 acres of land, freedom of religious worship to all, and pre-eminence to none. A House of Assembly was soon after established, composed of two chambers, one sum- moned by special writ, the other elected by the colonists at large ; and all bills passed by them, and assented to by the Governor, were imperative on all. This body drew up a code of laws? made provision for the poor, instituted punishments for crime, and encouraged agriculture and commerce, under which the state rapidly increased in population and prosperity. The patriotic John Hampden, famous for his legal resistance to the payment of ship money, attempted to be exacted by the crown without the consent of parliament, visited the New England settlement in 1624, and subsequently, when Charles I., obstinately bent on an arbitrary system of government, had incensed the colonies and inflamed the English nation against his rule, Hampden, in 1638, resolved on again proceeding to A merica to settle there permanently^ * in which design he was joined by Oliver Cromwell, Sir Arthur Hazelrig, Pym, and other distinguished Roundheads. The vessel, however, on which they had embarked in the Thames, with several others bound for America, were put under embargo by order of the King and Council ; and these men, forced to reland and remain in the country, soon after became the most formidable opponents to the court party, and were principally instrumental in bringing Charles to the block, and overthrowing both the monarchy and X DEDICATION. church establishment. Cromwell, who was a puritan in religion and who misinterpreted the obsolete texts of the old law to justify his most sanguinary and ferocious acts, was even less disposed to toleration than the law Church of England, which had so rigorously persecuted that sect since its separation from it, and although he did not confiscate the church property during the protectorate, yet both Protestant Episcopalians and Catholics were alike the victims of the most wholesale vindictive and fanatical oppression. It is therefore quite evident, that when religion is incorporated with the state, no matter under what name, guise, or form, it almost invariably becomes intolerant and hostile to all other sects. The christian religion has so much purity, meekness, and beneficence in its composition, that a connexion with worldly pomp and power, founded on state policy and intrigue, is abhorrent to its nature ; and it is never so sublime and effective as when, unconnected with temporal associations, it exercises its spiritual functions with humility and benevolence in the attainment of those sacred and benign objects for which it was originally instituted by its Divine Founder, and when, like him and his apostles, it confidently relies on the voluntary principle for support. The ballot was first adopted in the election of assistants to the General Court of Massachusetts in 1643, the freemen using beans and Indian corn on the occasion, the former to elect, and the latter to reject the candidate. Trial by jury had been early introduced J but, notwithstanding, quakers were convicted and executed as late as ICaO, and numerous persons ♦ for witchcraft still later in 1692. Ana-baptists were also persecuted for their opinions, and Catholic clergymen prohibited on pain of death to enter within its jurisdiction, which shows that religious toleration was not one of the cardinal virtues practised in Massachu- setts. In 1660, three quarters of a century having elapsed since the first English settlement had been made in America, only three colonies were planted in it during that period, — Virginia, New England, and Maryland ; containing then about 80,000 inhabitants. But soon after the restoration of Charles II., which occurred in DEDICATION. xi this year, grants of territory were made to his brother James, then Duke of York and Albany, to Lord Clarendon, and others, and colonies settled in New Jersey and Carolina under charters from the crown, which provided liberally for the civil and religious rights of the planters. A war having occurred between Great Britain and Holland, and the Dutch insisting on their prior right to a considerable portion of this part of America, where they had established a plantation, which they called the New Netherlands, and its chief town New Amsterdam, an expedition was sent out from England in 1664, which reduced it, and the English having taken possession of the town, called it New York, in honour of the Duke of York, afterwards James II., and subsequently, by the treaty of Breda, which secured Surinam to Holland, the possession of New York was confirmed to Great Britain. These countries, however, being involved in a new war, the Dutch took possession of it in 1673, but it was ceded by the treaty of Westminster the following year to the English, in whose hands it remained until the war of independence ; and is now the most flourishing city in the United States. A most important act was passed in 1666, by the Catholic State of Maryland, for the naturalization of aliens, and it was probably owing to the example shown by it, and followed soon after by other states, that the political exile in after times was enabled with such facility to place himself in the ranks of American citizenship, which effectually protected him from regal and aristocratic persecution. In 1681, a grant was made by Charles II., of the tract of land between the Delaware River and Maryland to William Penn, son of the Admiral of that name, who wrested Jamaica from the Spaniards during the protectorate, and which he called Pennsylvania. Penn had previously joined the Society of Quakers at Cork, and many of the new colonists were of that persuasion, and here they were effectually protected from that shameful persecution instituted against them in Massachusetts. The religious toleration espoused by this colony was only second to that so early established in xii DEDICATION. Maryland, and it proceeded to prosper rapidly in accordance with its mild and sagacious system of government. In 1700, the English settlements on the American continent had increased to ten distinct states, Massachusetts and Connecticut representing the original Plymouth colony of New England ; there were also Virginia, Maryland, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, North and South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, containing an aggregate population of 252,000. South Carolina, which had been placed in the hands of greedy proprietors by the original patentee, so incensed the Yamasee Indians by their aggressions, that in 1715 they attacked this settlement, and committed frightful excesses on the planters, but were ultimately defeated, and took refuge in Florida. The proprietors, to strengthen their frontiers against renewed attacks, offered the vacated Indian lands to British subjects who would reside on them, which induced 500 Irish families to transport themselves to this state ; but, soon after their arrival, the proprietors most shamefully broke their engagements, and took possession of the promised lands themselves. Many of the Irish emigrants perished, and the remainder removed into the Northern Colonies. The proprietors, however, were soon after justly punished for their treachery; the planters, in 1710, having taken up arms against their authority, the English Privy Council declared that they had forfeited their Charter, and a scire facias was issued against them. Ultimately the Crown purchased their rights in the province for £17,500, and divided it into two distinct governments, as North and South Carolina. In 1719, Londonderry in New Hampshire was colonized by 100 Irish families from the province of Ulster, who introduced the spinning-wheel, and the culture of flax and potatoes. In 1720, out of 6,-08 emigrants who arrived in Pennsylvania, 5,655 were Irish. In 1732, a new colony was formed by James Oglethorpe, and a grant of land obtained from George II. for the avowed purpose of giving an asylum to oppressed debtors, the laws in England relating to them being then of a most arbitrary character, and this province, DEDICATION. xiii in honour of the monarch, was called Georgia. Oglethorpe purchased the rights of the Creek Indians to this territory also. A conference which occurred between him and Tamochechis, their chief, strongly illustrates the lofty character of those eloquent and warlike aborigines. The chief having presented Oglethorpe with a buffalo's skin, on the inside of which was painted an eagle's head and feathers, which he represented as emblematic of the English settlers : " The eagle," said he, " signifies speed, and the buffalo strength : your countrymen are as swift as the bird, and as strong as the beast — for like the one they fly over vast seas, and like the other nothing can withstand them : the feathers," continued he, "are soft, and signify love, and the skin is warm, and signifies protection." In 1739, the landlords of Ireland, armed with despotic power under acts framed and passed by themselves, now rigorously exercised it against their defenceless tenantry, which compelled them in thousands to leave their native land, and seek an asylum in America. An Irish colony was planted this year in Carolina, and extensive tracts of land assigned it, which was called the Williamsbury Township. There had been from an early period a gradual emigration from Ireland into the English settlements in America, and the operation of the penal laws against the great majority of the Irish people would have rendered it still more considerable, but after the violation of the treaty of Limerick by William III. and his successors, the Catholic youth of Ireland emigrated to continental Europe, and sought in the service of France, Austria, and Spain, that fame and distinction denied them at home. The Irish brigade, which originally accom- panied Sarsfield to France, had its ranks subsequently filled up from Ireland with the bravest and most enterprising of its population until these infamous laws were in some degree relaxed. It was this brigade which at Fontenoy cut the veteran British army to pieces, and secured the victory to France, that extorted from George II. the exclamation, " Curse on those laws which have deprived me of such subjects." The Stuarts had early designed xiv DEDICATION. to make the American Colonies a source of revenue to themselves and of advantage to the parent country, with little or no con- sideration for the interests of the planters ; and those arbitrary powers then vested in the crown were exercised in annulling some of the original charters, in misconstruing the intent and meaning of others, and in curtailing generally the rights and privileges granted the colonists under them. The English parliament almost invariably sanctioned these measures, and insisted that acts passed by it should bind the colonies both internally and externally, notwithstanding the dissent and decrees of the Colonial Legislatures to the contrary. The 22nd & 23rd of Charles II. aimed alike at suppressing free trade in the colonies as well as in Ireland) and prohibited both countries from trading direct with each other, or with any foreign nation, except through the medium of an English port ; and William the Deliverer still further confirmed those oppressive acts by another, which had the effect of destroying the ancient and prosperous woollen manufacture of Ireland, as well as that established in the colonies, which, although only in its infancy, was making such progress as to excite the jealousy of England. These and other arbitrary measures, which demonstrated that the colonies were only to consume and not produce any manufactured article, were continued even to the reign of George II. The Colonial Legislatures, and particularly the Massachusetts Court of Assembly, protested against them as an invasion of their rights, and detrimental to the general welfare, without even the semblance of representation to justify them. The English parliament treated these remonstrances with contempt, and the discontent of the American people was suspended for a time by the war of 1755, in which England wrested from France the whole of the Canadas principally by means of the powerful assistance afforded it by the colonies. No sooner, however, was this war, so glorious to the British arms, concluded, than England, in the assumption of its pride and power, attempted to coerce the colonies still more rigorously than before. Independent of the Navigation Act, which DEDICATION. XV was submitted to with reluctance, the parliament, in 1765, laid a tax on sugar, and restricted the American colonies from trading direct with the West Indies : petitions were forwarded to the parliament against these grievances ; but, instead of redressing them, it passed the Stamp Act, and to enforce its provisions resolved on stationing in the colonies an imposing British force, which was to be supported out of this obnoxious tax. This created general alarm, and combinations were formed to resist both physically and morally the operation of this act. Massachusetts was foremost in pronouncing it as unconstitutional, and opposed to the first principles of liberty, and proposed that a congress should be held and deputies sent from all the colonies to deliberate on the course they should pursue in defence of their common interests. To this Congress, which was held soon after, all the colonies sent delegates, with the exception of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, and these were prevented from doing so by the interference of their respective governors. The first act of the Congress was a declaration of rights, and a remonstrance against the wrongs imposed by Great Britain on the colonists. They claimed, as British subjects, two essential rights — the privilege to tax themselves, and trial by jury, and that imposing stamp or other taxes, and establishing Courts of Admiralty, without the consent of the colonists, had a direct tendency to subvert their rights and liberties. In Boston the people hung in effigy on a tree, long known as "liberty tree," the appointed distributor of stamps, and rased to the ground the house intended for their dis- tribution ; those of the Collector of Customs, and the Register of the Court of Admiralty shared the same fate. The 1st of November, the day the Act was to come into operation, was ushered in by the solemn tolling of bells, and the Act was carried contemptu- ously through the streets, and torn to pieces by the populace. In New York, the stamps were taken from the distributor and com- mitted to the flames ; and in Philadelphia and the other cities and towns similar demonstrations of popular resentment were exhibited. xvi DEDICATION. The consequence of these proceedings was the repeal of the Stamp Act the following year. But scarcely had the colonists expressed their satisfaction at this event, when the English parliament imposed a duty on paper, glass, paints, and tea, and enacted that English custom-house officers should be appointed in each port to levy the same, and authorised the crown to establish a civil list, with patron- age to an indefinite extent, in and at the expense of every colony in North America. These new impositions met with similar opposition to the Stamp Act, and the Massachusetts Court of Assembly passed resolutions strongly condemning them, which gave such offence to the British cabinet, that the governor (Bernard) was ordered, in the event of their not being rescinded, to dissolve the Assembly and call a new one, which, however, confirmed them by a majority of 75 out of 92 votes. While the Court of Assembly was thus resisting those arbitrary measures of the British government, a circumstance occurred which still further widened the breach between the contending parties. A vessel called the Liberty, belonging to John Hancock, a respectable merchant of Boston, was seized for an alleged breach of the Navigation Act, which so enraged the people, that they attacked the officers of customs, who narrowly escaped with their lives on board the Rodney ship of war. The governor having dissolved the Court of Assembly, and refused to convene a new one, a convention met in Boston, which, after expressing its loyalty to the crown, pro- tested against a standing army being quartered in the colonies, as detrimental to their liberties. Notwithstanding, the day after it separated, two British regiments, escorted by seven ships of war, arrived from Halifax, and entered Boston with hostile intent. Co- temporary with the Stamp Act, another had been passed, which was still in force, requiring the Colonial Assemblies to provide accommo- dation and necessaries for the British troops to be quartered in America. New York had already refused to comply with this Act, and Boston now followed its example. The governor lodged the troops in the state house" and every military demonstration was made, as if they were in the presence of the enemy. In the session DEDICATION. xvii of 1769, the English parliament addressed the king, approving of the measures taken against the Colonies by government, and re- quiring that those who had been most active in opposing them should be arrested and sent to England, to be tried by a special commission, agreeable to the 35th of Henry VIII. This threat, in particular, gave great offence, and the Colonial Assemblies remon- strated in strong language against such arbitrary proceedings, and were dissolved by the respective governors. The Court of Massa- chusetts, however, met, and required the governor to remove the military from Boston, while he demanded that the Assembly should make provision for their maintenance. Both parties refused to comply with the other's request ; but a circumstance soon after occurred, which had the effect of removing the troops. The people had been indignant for some time at the state-house being turned into a bar- rack, and a quarrel which had occurred between a private soldier and an inhabitant became general ; the military fired on the people? killing and wounding several of them ; the streets were soon filled with armed men, who resolved to attack them in their quarters, and a collision was only prevented by the officer in command consenting to withdraw the troops from the town. The English government and parliament, alarmed at the firmness and union of the Colonists, in 1770 repealed the duty on glass, paper, and paint, but retained that on tea, more to demonstrate their assumed right to impose taxes on the Colonies, than as a source of revenue ; but the opposi- tion of the Americans was directed against it for the same reason, and it was universally resolved to drink no tea that paid duty. The indignation of the people was also directed against other mea- sures of the government ; at Rhode Island, the Gasper, an English armed schooner, stationed there to enforce obedience to the Navi- gation Act, was boarded by a number of men, who, after landing the commander and crew, burnt the vessel; and, although .£500 reward was offered to prosecute any of the persons concerned therein, no information was ever made. In 1772, the inhabitants of Boston selected twenty-one of their number to correspond with xviii DEDICATION. the other Colonies, and to publish to the world the arbitrary and unconstitutional acts of Great Britain. In 1773, the English government determined on enforcing the duty on tea, made arrange- ments with the East India Company, that the impost should be levied so as to render it almost imperceptible to the consumer, but the Colonies were resolved not to submit to the tax on any terms. New York and Philadelphia refused to receive the tea, and the vessels returned to London without unloading it. At Charleston and other ports it was stored in damp cellars, where it soon decayed ; and in Boston, every exertion being ineffectually made to induce the masters of the ships to return with the tea, a number of men disguised as Indians went on board and threw 342 chests of it into the sea. In 1774 a message from the throne communicated this circumstance to both Houses of Parliament and acts were passed in accordance there- with to shut up the port of Boston, to render the Massachusetts charter a nullity, and to empower the governor to transmit any person violating their provisions to another Colony or to Great Britain to be tried for the offence. These acts were denounced by the Colonists as most arbitrary, unjust, and cruel. General Gage, Commander-in- Chief of the Royal forces in North America, was appointed governor of Massachusetts, and the day after his arrival the inhabitants of Boston passed resolutions, calling on the other colonies to unite in suspending all trade with Great Britain and the West Indies until those acts which were founded on injustice, inhumanity, and cruelty were repealed, and they appealed to God and the world for the justice of their cause, and to the assistance of the sister colonies in its support. When these acts were promulgated at New York and Philadelphia, they excited univereal indignation and subscriptions were instantly made to support those who would be thrown out of employment at Boston by their operation. The Virginia House of Burgesses and others resolved that the day they came in force should be observed as one of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, after which they were very generally dissolved by the respective governors. On the 1st of June the port of Boston was closed, but contributions flowed in DEDICATION. xix from the other Colonies, and the Bostonians were encouraged to persevere in their opposition. The necessity of establishing a per- manent body as a focus for Colonial union and co-operation, was now but too apparent, and on the 4th of September delegates from eleven colonies formed themselves into a Congress, and elected Peyton Randolph, late speaker of the Virginia assembly, president ; and it was agreed that each Colony should have but one vote in their decisions, no matter what number of deputies were appointed. The first Act of Congress was a declaration of rights, in which the aggressive acts were denounced, and their repeal insisted on as absolutely necessary to restore harmony between Great Britain and the Colonies ; addresses to the king, and to the people of England and America, were also adopted ; and, after sitting two months, sepa- rated, but with a resolution to meet in May, unless their grievances were redressed in the interim. Soon after General Gage's arrival in Masachusetts, two British regiments of infantry and a detachment of artillery were landed at Boston, and were reinforced by several regiments from Ireland, New York, and Canada ; he took possession of the powder in the Charlestown arsenal, and removed the sittings of the late Massachusetts assembly from Boston to Salem, and now issued writs for holding a new one there on the 5th of October ; but subsequently by proclamation suspended its meeting, the legality of which was questioned, and on the appointed day ninety members attended. The governor not appearing, they resolved themselves into a provincial congress and adjourned to Concord, where they elected John Hancock, who had early distinguished himself in the cause of independence, their president. A committee was appointed to wait on the governor with a remonstrance against the fortifica- tions he was then erecting at Boston, and another to take measures for the immediate defence of the province, which recommended that 12,000 men should be enlisted, to act on any emergency j and requested the co-operation of New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, to assist in making the number 20,000. Great Britain, from the commencement of this quarrel, had recourse to every species of XX DEDICATION. annoyance against the colonists, and among other restrictions they were prohibited from fishing on the banks of Newfoundland, and now it was determined to compel them to submit by force of arms. A proclamation was issued against the importation of military stores, and wherever found they were to be seized to the use of his majesty. General Gage had sent out several divisions of troops with this intent ; but on every occasion the people showed a determined disposition to resist them. Early in 1775, a new provincial Congress assembled in Massachusetts and warned the people that the large reinforcements of troops pouring into the country left no doubt as to the intention of the British government to crush their liberties by military force, and recommended the colonists to prepare for the approaching struggle. General Gage, having resolved on destroying some military stores, collected at Concord, about 18 miles from Boston, despatched on the night of the 19 th April 800 British Infantry, under Colonel Smith, for the purpose. This force arrived at Lexington early the following morning, when 70 of the Minute Company were on parade. Major Pitcairn, who led the van, called out to them, " Disperse, you rebels, down with your arms, and disperse ! " This not being complied with, he ordered his men to fire, which was obeyed, with a loud cheer, killing 8 of the Americans, and wounding several others. The troops then proceeded to Concord, where the in- habitants had armed at their approach, but, observing their numbers, retired from the town to wait reinforcements ; these were soon obtained, but in the interim the British had carried their intentions into effect, and destroyed the stores. Major Buttrick, of Concord, took the command of the Americans, but not being aware of the blood shed in the morning by the British at Lexington, ordered them not to be the first to fire ; however, on approaching the town they received a volley, and Captain Acton and another fell. A contest then ensued, and the troops were forced to commence their retreat to Boston, but the country had risen, and they were attacked by armed men on all sides, who made frightful havoc in their ranks, and the whole force would have been DEDICATION. xix annihilated, had it not been joined by Lord Piercy with 900 men and 2 pieces of cannon, sent to its aid. The retreat, however, was continued, and the British troops, worn down with exhaustion, reached Bunker's hill at sunset, glad to place themselves under the protection of the guns of the Somerset ship of war for the night. In this affair the British had 245 men killed and wounded, and the Americans 84. It was the opening of hostilities between Great Britain and the American Colonies — in which a cowardly act of cold-blooded murder was perpetrated by the former. The Massa- chusetts Provincial Congress sent depositions to England to show that the British authorities were the aggressors; it again addressed the people of Great Britain, expressing the loyalty of the American Colonists to the king, but their determination not to submit to the tyranny of his evil ministers ; and, appealing to heaven for the justice of their cause, they were resolved to be "free or die." It also declared that General Gage by his conduct had utterly disqualified himself to be governor of the colony, that obedience was due to him no longer, and that in future he must be considered as the most deadly and inveterate enemy of the country. The tocsin of war had now sounded, and the forts, magazines, and arsenals were taken possession of by the Americans: among the most important of these were Crownpoint and Ticonderigo, which gave them the command of Lakes Champlain and George, and which were taken by Colonels Allen and Arnold without the loss of a man, Forces were also raised, and money obtained for their support, and the American army now amounted to 20,000 men, who took up a position in the neighbourhood of Boston. Towards the end of May, large rein- forcements of British troops, under Generals Howe, Clinton, and Burgoyne, arrived in Boston, and Gage determined to act on the offensive, but first issued a proclamation, offering in the king's name pardon to all who should lay down their arms and return to their duties as peaceable subjects, with the exception of Samuel Adams and John Hancock, and declared Massachusetts to be under martial law. This proclamation was received with scorn by the Americans, c DEDICATION, and tended to unite them still more firmly in their resistance. As the British army was now expected to take the field, it was resolved by Congress to place Dorchester point in a state of defence, and occupy Bunker's Hill, and Colonel Prescott was ordered to take possession of the latter with 1,000 men. Prescott either mistook the order, or, acting on his own judgment, took possession of Breed's Hill, which commanded the town, and performed his operations so silently through the night, although surrounded by the shipping in the harbour, that a considerable redoubt wa3 thrown up by morning, which as soon as discovered by the garrison, a heavy cannonade from the battery, as well as the ships of war in the harbour, was directed against it. The works, however, still proceeded, and Gage, deeming it necessary to dislodge the Americans from this eminence, dispatched Generals Howe and Pigott with 2,000 British infantry and a park of artillery to effect that object. In their march they fired the village of Charlestown, and were then formed into two divisions to storm the redoubt both in front and rear. The attack was commenced by a heavy discharge of artillery, and the troops then proceeded to carry the works, and were allowed by the Americans to spproach within 80 yards of them, when a well- directed and deadly fire of musketry was opened on the approaching column, which threw it into confusion, and a precipitate retreat was the consequence. Again they resumed the attack, and again were repulsed with great slaughter. The Americans had received reinforcements under Generals Warren and Pomcroy, and the British were joined by General Clinton with an additional force. The artillery had now made a breach in the works, which being attacked on all sides, and the Americans' ammunition expended, it was deemed advisable to retreat across Charlestown Creek ; and, although under the fire of the Glasgow ship of war and two floating batteries, it was effected with inconsiderable loss. The Continental Congress now assembled at Philadelphia, and John Hancock laid before it proofs of the King's troops being the aggressors at Lexington, and that the people of Massachusetts were forced to arm in defence of DEDICATION. xxi their lives and liberties, and it was now necessary that the other colonies should declare their intention to support them in the struggle or submit to the despotism of the English government and parliament. The delegates unanimously declared their union invio- lable ; and as large reinforcements were expected by the British, they resolved that the colonies should be immediately put in a state of defence ; but as they were still open to a reconciliation, they again adopted addresses to the King, the people of Great Britain, and the Canadas, which were ably and temperately drawn up, and gained the colonists many friends. Bills to the amount of three millions of dollars were issued by Congress towards the expenses of the war, for the redemption of which the twelve confederated colonies were pledged, and articles of war for the government of the army, and a manifesto setting forth the necessity that existed for their appeal to arms, were promulgated. Congress also ordered several ships of war to be built, and fitted out a few armed vessels under the com- mand of Commodore Hopkins : to one of them, the Alfred, that enterprising and intrepid seaman, John Paul Jones, who may be well styled the father of the United States Navy, was appointed lieutenant, and was the first to hoist, with his own hands, the American flag of independence. On the 2nd July, 1775, George Washington, who had been unanimously chosen by Congress commander-in-chief of the army of the United Colonies, arrived in Cambridge and took the command. This great man, to whom posterity owes an eternal debt of gratitude, was born in Bridge Creek, Virginia, and was engaged early in life in some arduous undertakings in the Canadian wars ; he accompanied Braddock in his disastrous campaign of 1775 for the reduction of Fort du Quesne, and after that general was carried off the field mortally wounded, Washington rallied the provincial troops and covered the retreat of the British into Philadelphia. The main body of the British army, under General Howe, was now strongly entrenching itself on Bunker's Hill, while another division had taken a fortified position on Boston Neck. The American army lay on both sides of Charlestown river, and had thrown up works at Rox- c 2 xxii DEDICATION. borough and Winter's Hill. Washington's first act was to recon- noitre the position of the enemy, and then to ascertain the condition of his own army. The men who composed it were enthusiastic in the cause of liberty, but it was miserably deficient in the material of war. There was no commissariat, no engineers, no tents, or other camp equipage — scarcely any powder or bayonets, and the term for which the men were enlisted would expire in a few months. To- any other mind but that of Washington, these would have proved in- superable difficulties ; but his superlative ability, diligence, and zeal soon overcame them, and he not only held his position for six months, but disbanded and reconstructed his army within musket-shot of twenty British regiments, a circumstance, as he stated to Congress, unprecedented in military warfare. To this newly organized army of independence, the Irish immigants who had been driven from their native homes by landlord oppression flocked in great numbers, rightly concluding that by the overthrow of the British forces in Ame- rica, they were indirectly revenging themselves on their late odious and relentless taskmasters, nor were there any in the American ranks more enthusiastic in the cause, brave in the highest degree, and abiding by the general, until the cause of American independence was finally triumphant. Washington had no sooner prepared his army to act on the offensive than he determined on expelling the British from Boston. His plan was with a portion of his force to take possession of Dorchester heights, from which he could annoy the shipping in the harbour and the garrison in the town, and that this would lead to a general engagement, during which he purposed with a reserve of 4000 men to pass from the Cambridge side and attack Boston. However, after the heights were occupied by the Americans early in March, General Howe made some demonstrations towards dislodging them, but he ultimately evacuated the town, which Washington entered amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants, who hailed him as their deliverer. The winter campaign in Canada, however, had not terminated so triumphantly as was anticipated from the early success of the American forces under General Montgomery, who, DEDICATION. Xxiii afer reducing St. John's and Montreal, proceeded to besiege Quebec. Colonel Arnold, who had been dispatched by Washington with 1,000 men and some artillery by another route, to co-operate with Montgo- mery, after enduring innumerable hardships in the woods, formed a junction with him and scaled the heights of Abraham, where Wolfe, in the previous war with the French, had fallen in the arms of vic- tory. After ineffectual attempts to make a breach with cannon unsuited to the purpose, Montgomery determined to take it by esca- lade, and at the dawn of the last day of 1775, two storming parties were formed, one of which was led by him in person, and the other by Arnold. Although both succeeded in entering the town, Mont- gomery was killed by a random shot, and Arnold dangerously wounded, which proved fatal to the enterprise. Richard Montgo- mery, whose loss, at thirty-eight years of age, was universally deplored, was an Irishman by birth, and attached to the military profession ; disgusted with the misgovernment and oppression that existed in Ireland, he early emigrated to America, and purchased a property in the state of New York. He was one of the first to join the army of independence, and Congress reposed implicit confidence in his cou- rage and devotion to the cause, and directed a suitable monument to be erected to his memory. Arnold, although labouring under his wound, continued to invest Quebec until the May following, when, the garrison being strongly reinforced, he was not only obliged to raise the siege, but retire from Canada altogether. The British government and parliament now declared the American colonists out of the Royal protection, and employed 16,000 German mercena- ries to overrun the country, and force the people into subjection. This led to the consideration of a most important question, the pro- priety of separating from Great Britain altogether, which was not in contemplation when the struggle commenced, and it was argued, and with good reason too, that allegiance could not be expected where protection was denied, and as that power had recourse to foreign aid, the colonists were justified in adopting a similar course, but, as subjects at war with their sovereign, it was not likely to xxiv DEDICATION. be obtained, and therefore, it was absolutely necessary for their own protection that they should throw off the yoke and declare their in- dependence. The genius and address of Franklin had been early embarked in the cause, and at this critical moment the powerful and persuasive writings of Payne in favour of independence, embracing arguments and solutions, it may be said, so mathematically drawn as to render them unanswerable, diffused a talismanic influence over the colonists, which was irresistible. His pamphlet, "Common Sense," exposing to ridicule the absurdity and extravagance of monarchial institutions and hereditary legislation, and the advantages and economy of republican government, was read with avidity, and his " Crisis," published as a periodical during the war, the first number of which commenced with the thrilling words, " These are the times to try men's souls," effected such a change iu three millions of people, recently so loyal, that they became the most inveterate foes to monarchy ; and it may be fairly inferred that American independ- ence is as much indebted to the effusions of this great writer's pen, as even to the triumphs accomplished by Washington's sword. On the 7th June, 1776, a motion was made in Congress by R. H. Lee, of Virginia, for declaring the colonies free and independent, which was ably and eloquently supported by John Adams, and opposed by John Dickenson ; but all opposition was vain — the Goddess of Liberty, long degraded and oppressed, and refused a resting-place among the nations of the Old World, had taken her flight across the Atlantic, and erected her temple in the woods and wilds of America, and the film that had obscured the vision of the American people being removed, they were determined to taste of those blessings the goddess had in store for them. On the 4th July the motion was carried by the almost unanimous vote of Congress, and a declaration of independence adopted which set forth the rights and liberties to which, as men, they were entitled ; the wrongs and injustice in- flicted on the colonists by the King of Great Britain and his govern- ment ; their repeated applications and petitions for redress, which were only answered by additional oppression and contumely ; and DEDICATION. XXV concluded by declaring that they, the representatives of the United States of America in general Congress assembled, appealed to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of their intentions, and in the name and by the authority of the people of the United Colonies, they solemnly published and declared that they ought of right to be free and independent States ; that they were absolved from their allegiance to the British crown ; that all political connexion between them and Great Britain was and ought to be totally dis- solved, and that as free and independent States they had full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and do all other acts and things that independent States are entitled to do; and in support of this declaration they pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honour. In July, a squadron under Admiral Parker, with General Clinton and 2,800 British troops on board, failed in an attempt to take Charlestown, and subsequently joined General Howe, who, after evacuating Boston, sailed with his troops and some Boston royalists to Halifax, where he expected the arrival of his brother Lord Howe with considerable naval and military reinforcements, destined for the reduction of New York, which Washington now occupied with the principal part of the American army. General Howe was joined by the admiral near Staten Island, off New York, and previous to commencing military operations, they, as commissioners appointed for the purpose, made propositions to Congress for a reunion of the colonies with Great Britain, but these in their nature were so objectionable as to cause their immediate rejection. It was late in August before the whole of the reinforcements destined against New York arrived, but when assembled they amounted to 24,000 men, well appointed with artil- lery and every other material of war. The American army, sta- tioned at Long Island and Brooklyn, was only 15,000 strong, and after some sharp encounters with the invading force, was obliged to retreat with considerable loss, and New York being considered untenable, was evacuated by the American, and occupied by the British forces. Washington, whose army had suffered seriously, was DEDICATION. obliged to retreat before the enemy until he reached the White plains, where another action took place with considerable loss on both sides : he now, however, took a position at North Castle, so strong that Howe declined attacking him, and proceeded to reduce Forts Washington and Lee, in which he succeeded, after an obstinate resistance by the garrisons. These successive losses, which had so thinned the ranks of the American army, induced Howe to pursue with celerity the remnant, under Washington, in expectation of annihilating it, and then move on Philadelphia, and dictate his own terms to the Congress. Washington, who had taken a position at Newark, was obliged to retreat to Brunswick, and from thence to Princeton, with an imposing force, under Lord Cornwallis, hanging on his rear. Rhode Island was taken possession of by the British, and as they drew near Philadelphia, Congress adjourned its sittings to Baltimore. Washington's army was now reduced to 3,000 men, whose term of service was on the eve of expiring, enlistment had ceased, and the most gloomy apprehensions pervaded the public mind. To hazard an engagement with the enemy at such fearful odds, was to court destruction, and yet something more than ordi- nary must be attempted to restore confidence ; he therefore crossed the Delaware on Christmas night, during the prevalence of a snow- storm, and attacked a considerable division of the British army, composed of Hessians, stationed at Trenton, and having surrounded them on all sides they surrendered prisoners of war. This bold and successful manoeuvre revived the drooping spirits of the Colonists ; recruiting was successfully resumed, and 1,500 embodied men soon after joined his army. Loan offices were established, and articles of confederation and perpetual union were signed by all the delegates in Congress, representing the 13 original states, viz., Virginia, Massa- chusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Providence, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, which, under the title of the United States of America, laid the foundation of that great Republic which now comprises 32 States. Georgia, peculiarly circumstanced, DEDICATION. xxvii was only recently enabled to join the union, but it soon gave ample testimony of its sincerity in the cause. Washington, having removed his Hessian prisoners to the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, re- crossed it and took possession of Trenton, where he was joined by a large body of militia; but his army was still under 6,000 men. Lord Cornwallis, with an imposing British force, marched on the same point, and took up a position there also ; the Assumpick, a small river, only separating the two armies. Washington, who ex- pected to be attacked, with a certainty of his little army being defeated, which would place the Jerseys and Philadelphia in the hands of General Howe, silently abandoned his position in the night, and by a circuitous route, marched on Princeton. His van, however, unexpectedly fell in with several British regiments, com- manded by Colonel Mawhood, on their way to join the rear of the enemy at Maidenhead ; an obstinate engagement ensued, which resulted in the defeat of the British, and Washington pressed for- ward to Princeton, where he took a number of the enemy prisoners. Cornwallis finding that Washington had eluded his vigilance, broke up his camp at Trenton, and pursued him to Princeton, the Americans retiring to Morristown. Washington, by this desultory warfare, harassed and exhausted the resources of the enemy, and probably saved the country from early subjugation. In these opera- tions his soldiers were often without shoes and other necessaries for campaigning in the depth of winter, and no other but men fighting in the cause of liberty would have willingly endured such hardships. Paul Jones, who had been appointed Commander of the Providence sloop of war in October, after destroying the English fisheries at Isle Royal, had returned with six prizes, one of these containing ] 0,000 suits of uniform, intended for the British forces, a most wel- come gift to Washington's famishing soldiers. The army had been also deficient in powder since the commencement of hostilities, but two vessels now arrived from France with 1,000 barrels, and 20,000 stand of arms, and Howe, despairing of bringing Washington to a general engagement, abandoned the Jerseys, and retired to Staten XXviii DEDICATION. Island. In the month of August he embarked 16.000 men on board the British fleet, which he landed at the head of Elk river, Chesapeak bay, where he was joined by Grant and Knyphauson's divisions, and the whole moved in two columns on Philadelphia. Washington was posted with the main body of the American army behind Red Clay creek, on the road between the enemy's camp and that city ; but, apprehending that Howe's object was to turn his right, then cross the Brandywine, and cut off his communication with Philadelphia, he passed his army over that river on the night of the 8th of September, and took a position on the heights near Chadsford, where he was attacked by Howe's entire force, and obliged to retreat, with serious loss, to Chester, and thence to Philadelphia. On the 19th he crossed the Schuylkill, and encamped at Shippack creek, on its eastern bank ; but Howe, having removed all obstacles, passed over with his whole army, and took possession of Germanstown and Philadelphia without further opposition. Washington, now reinforced, resolved, on the 3rd of October, to attack the British at Germanstown, where their chief force was encamped ; his measures were skilful and judicious, and would have proved successful, had not an extraordinary darkness occurred, which deranged his operations, and he was obliged, after an obstinate con- flict, to retire to his camp, from whence, however, he soon after advanced on Whitemarsh, and the British army at Germanstown marched into Philadelphia. Howe now directed his attention to reducing the forts on the Delaware, and opening a communication with the fleet, without which he would be soon obliged to evacuate Philadelphia ; in this he succeeded, but not without an obstinate resistance from the several garrisons. While the royal arms were thus successful in the south, an event occurred in the north that tended to raise the drooping spirits of the Americans, and had a serious influence on the character and pro- gress of the war. A prominent feature in the British plan of operations was to open a communication between New York and Canada, and cut off' New England, which was considered the life DEDICATION. xxix and soul of the confederacy, from the Southern States, and then coerce it into subjection. With this intent a British army, 7,000 strong, assembled at Quebec, under General Burgoyne, who, having increased it by Canadians and Indians to 9,000 men, proceeded to Lake Champlain, and reduced Ticonderigo and Fort Edward; but in an attempt to join General St. Leger at Bennington, who had marched from Montreal with a considerable British force to favour the enterprise, he was defeated at Walloon Creek, and, deserted by his Indian auxiliaries, he was obliged to entrench himself at Saratoga, where he was surrounded by General Gates, who so admirably conducted his operations, that Burgoyne's army now re- duced to 5,752 men, unable to retreat in any direction, surrendered themselves prisoners of war. Congress had deputed Commissioners to the French Court, in December, 1776, to negotiate a treaty of alliance with that power, who were privately encouraged, although publicly discountenanced for a whole year ; but their mission to Paris had the effect of interesting the Marquis de la Fayette, a young nobleman destined to act a prominent part in the subsequent revolution of France, and who was now so filled with enthusiasm in the cause of American independence, that he raised a regiment at his own expense, with which he joined the ranks of Washington. The surrender, however, of Burgoyne's army had a sensible effect on the decision of the French government; and in February, 1778, Louis XVI. entered into a treaty of alliance and commerce with the United States, which conditioned that neither of the contracting parties should lay down their arms without the consent of the other, nor until the independence of the United States was fully recognised and admitted by Great Britain. As soon as this treaty was made public, the royal army was ordered to withdraw from Philadelphia, and concentrate itself in and about New York ; with this intention Howe crossed the Delaware, and commenced his march. Washington, who expected this movement, resolved on attacking him before he could reach the heights of Middleton, which would afford him a strong position, but his plan was nearly XXX DEDICATION. frustrated by a false step on the part of General Lee, who commanded the van of his army. This led to the battle of Monmouth on the 28th June, 1778, a day so unexampled, even in America, for heat, that many men in both armies fell down dead in the ranks from its influence. Night only put an end to the combat, and Washington remained on the field of battle intent on renewing it the following morning ; but the enemy decamped in the interim so silently, that the most advanced posts were not aware of it. Washington declined further pursuit, and the British made good their retreat to Sandyhook, and thence to New York. The day after their arrival, Count d'Estaing, with a French fleet and some land forces on board to aid the Americans, entered the Delaware, expecting to capture the British fleet, which had, however, sailed for New York; he went in pursuit, but his large ships were unable to get over the bar, and the English Admiral feeling no disposition to venture out, he proceeded, under Washington's advice, to Newport, to aid General Sullivan in taking Rhode Island, then in possession of a British force, under Sir Robert Pigott. D'Estaing entered the harbour, and arrangements Avere made for an attack by the French and Americans on both sides of the Island ; but the delay on the part of a division of militia that was to co-operate, enabled Lord Howe with the British fleet to leave New York with the intention of relieving it. D'Estaing, anxious for a naval engagement, left the harbour with that intent ; but the English Admiral put to sea, followed by D'Estaing, and after manoeuvring for two days without coming to action, were separated by a violent storm, which seriously injured both fleets. The French Admiral proceeded to Boston to refit— which obliged Sullivan, who had commenced the siege of Newport with some success, to raise it, and subsequently, after some hard fighting, to evacuate the Island. The British government, now in a more subdued tone, offered, through the Earl of Carlisle and other Commissioners, to treat with Congress on advantageous terms, but that body refused all com- munications until the independence of the United States was DEDICATION. xxxi acknowledged. The Commissioners therefore issued their final manifesto to the Americans, which Congress replied to by a cautionary address to them. Towards the close of the year, General Gray, with a large British force, proceeded up the north river, burning unprotected towns and villages, and committing other excesses of the most savage warfare, which rendered any return to English rule still more odious to the American people. General Howe having retired from the command of the royal army ? Sir Henry Clinton was appointed thereto, and he determined on carrying the war into the southern states. Colonel Campbell, with 1,000 men, was dispatched against the town and fort of Savannah; and although the American garrison made a brave resistance, both were taken possession of by the British. General Prevost, who had reduced Fort Sedbury, arrived in Savannah, and took the command of the royal army, and, with the intention of entering South Carolina, attacked Porte Royale, but was repulsed. Congress now appointed General Lincoln to the command of the American army in the same quarter. The rival armies were posted on the south and north banks of the Savannah river, and much strategetic skill was displayed by both generals in the early part of the campaign of 1779. Lincoln's attempt on Fort Augusta was frustrated by Prevost's march on Charlestown, from which he was obliged to retreat on the approach of Lincoln to relieve it, and having proceeded to Savannah with a portion of his forces, Lincoln attacked those that remained intrenched at Steno, under Colonel Maitland, but was obliged to retreat with considerable loss. Count d'Estaing, who, after repairing his fleet at Boston, proceeded to the West Indies, and took possession of St. Vincent and Grenada, was now induced to return to the American Continent to co-operate with Lincoln in the reduction of Savannah. His fleet consisted of twenty- two ships of the line and thirteen frigates; and previous to the arrival of the American forces, he demanded the surrender of the town, but incautiously granted Prevost more than ordinary time to consider the terms, who, being reinforced by Colonel xxxii DEDICATION. Maitland with 800 yeteran troops, determined to defend it to the last extremity. On the 4th October the siege was commenced with every prospect of the place being taken in the regular way, but D'Estaing, apprehensive for the safety of his fleet from the storms that prevail on the coast of Georgia at that advanced period of the year, determined on taking it by assault. Two storming columns were formed, consisting of 3,500 French and 1,000 Americans, commanded by D'Estaing and Lincoln, who gallantly entered the lines, and even placed on the walls tbe colours of France and America, but the fire of the garrison was irresistible, and the assailants were obliged to retreat with the loss of upwards of 800 men killed and wounded. Immediately after this disastrous as- sault, the American militia returned to their homes, and D'Estaing embarked his troops, and sailed from the continent. That barbarous and destructive system of warfare which General Gray had recourse to the preceding year, was, in 1780, prosecuted by the British Commanders on a more extensive scale. General Mathews and Admiral Collier, after plundering, burnt the towns of Portsmouth. Norfolk, and Gosport, and returned to New York with their booty. Newhaven, Fairfield, and Newark shared the same fate at the hands of Governor Tyron, and wherever their Indian auxiliaries appeared, plunder, massacre, and devastation followed in their train. If these frightful excesses had been perpetrated by any other nation, England would have been the first to denounce them as savage and atrocious ; but Englishmen consider themselves a privileged race, and entitled exclusively to commit, in the furtherance of their objects, the most outrageous acts with impunity. Thus, when Paul Jones, under the American flag, at- tempted to retaliate these excesses, he wes denounced by the English as an incendiary, and his unparalleled brilliant naval exploits represented as no better than acts of piracy. Jones, who took the command of the Ranger in June, 1777, arrived in Nantz in Novem- ber, and displayed to the admiring gaze of the French, for the first time, the stars and stripes — the American flag of liberty. In Feb- DEDICATION. xxxiii ruary, 1778, he sailed from that port with the intention of giving the British at home a specimen of the frightful system of warfare the commanders of their armies were perpetrating in America, and to convince them that their own coasts were not invulnerable. Having entered St. George's channel and the Irish sea, he sunk and captured numerous vessels, and hearing that the Drake ship of war, of 20 guns, was at anchor in Belfast Lough, he determined to attack her, but the severity of the weather compelled him to take shelter under the Scotch land, from whence he proceeded to Whitehaven, and burnt the shipping in the harbour, and had his operations been earlier in the night the town would have shared the same fate. After landing at St. Mary's isle, he returned to Belfast Lough, and met the Drake coming out in pursuit of him ; an action ensued, in which her commander and first lieutenant were killed, and she was obliged to strike her colours to the stars and stripes, and Jones brought her, with other prizes, into Brest on the 9 th of March, being less than a month on his cruise, and the weather so unpro- pitious that those daring acts which made England stand aghast with apprehension, were performed during the lulls of the storms he encountered. He was subsequently placed by the French govern- ment in command of the Duras, a 40 gun ship, the name of which, at his desire and in compliment to his friend, Benjamin Franklin, was changed to Le Bon Homme Richard. The Pallas, of 32. the Cerf, 18, and the Vengeance, of 12 guns, were also placed under his orders, and composed a small squadron, bearing the flag of the United States; with these he put to sea in August, 1779, and after dis- patching the Cerf to the Irish coast he proceeded in search of the homeward bound Baltic fleet, under convoy of the Serapis, ship of war, and the Countess of Salisbury, of 20 guns, which he descried on the evening of the 23rd of September, when one of the most obstinate and sanguinary naval engagements on record took place, Jones attacked, in Le Bon Homme Richard, the Serapis, which was her superior in point of metal, while the Pallas engaged the Countess of Salisbury. It was expected that Captain Lanais, in the Ven- xxxiv DEDICATION. geance, would capture or destroy the merchant fleet, or aid in the contest, but Lanais was jealous of the commodore's fame and naval superiority, and he remained inactive until Jones was warmly en- gaged with the enemy, when he poured two broadsides into his ship, killing and wounding several of his best men. For upwards of three hours did this deadly contest continue ; the sun had gone down, and the pale moon helped to light the combatants to death or glory ; side by side, bound to each other by a hauser, the muzzles of their guns nearly touching each other, and both ships in a sink- ing state, the fight was still maintained ; but at length Jones's indomitable courage and perseverance prevailed, and the Serapis hauled down her colours and struck to the American flag, as the Couutess of Salisbury had previously done, and Europe and America rung with the applause of the victor. The only events of impor- tance that took place in the Northern States this year, were the storming of Stoney point, on the North River, strongly fortified and garrisoned by the British, which was successfully conducted under the eye of the Commander-in-Chief. On the other hand, an attempt by General Lovett to dislodge a British force from Nova Scotia, which had taken up a strong position at Penobscot, Massachusetts, was signally unsuccessful. Sir Henry Clinton had no sooner ascer- tained that D'Estaing had departed from the American coast, than he embarked with a large force on board Admiral Arburthnot's fleet, and laid siege to Charlestown. The garrison, commanded by General Lincoln, consisted of 7,000 men of all denominations, and the works had been strengthened and extended, and were considered capable of sustaining a lengthened siege ; Lincoln therefore resisted until the be- siegers had completed their last parallel, and were in a position to reduce the town to ashes, when, at the earnest solicitation of the in- habitants, he reluctantly surrendered it on the 12th May. Clinton, after taking possession, and appointing Lord Cornwallis to the com- mand of the royal army in the south, returned to New York. Georgia and South Carolina were now overrun by the British, and the subjection of both states appeared to be imminent, when Colonel DEDICATION. XXXV Sumter, with a small but intrepid band of freemen, gained several advantages over detached parties of the royal army, and he soon found himself at the head of a considerable force, with which he joined the Baron d'Kalb, and, subsequently, General Gates, who took the chief command. Their united force amounted to 3,600 men, with which he proceeded towards Camden, where Lord Rawdon was posted with a British division. Cornwallis, aware of his intention, made a rapid movement, and, after joining Rawdon with a considerable reinforcement, went in pursuit of Gates towards Clermont. Both armies met unexpectedly and a battle became in- evitable. Cornwallis had the advantage of the ground, Gates was superior in point of numbers, but they were principally militia, and on the British charging them they fled with precipitation from the field, which led to the defeat of the Americans, who were pursued with great loss to Hanging Rock, twenty- two miles from the scene of action. Major Ferguson, a distinguished officer in the English service, was appointed to embody as an auxiliary force the loyalists, or, as they were then called, the tories of South Carolina, and to enter North Carolina for the same purpose ; he therefore marched to Charlotteville with 1,500 men, and, hearing that Colonel Clarke had failed in his attempt on Fort Augusta, he set out to cut him off on his retreat. The hardy mountaineers of Virginia and North Carolina, however, having collected to stop his progress, and being aware of their approach, he attempted by rapid marches to regain Charlotteville, but 1,600 riflemen on fleet horses were sent in pursuit, and attacked him in a strong position on King's Mountain ; and, although repulsed at the point of the bayonet several times, they succeeded in forcing his ranks, and being killed himself, with many others, in the last assault, the survivors were obliged to surrender. The British in New York, unable to dislodge Wash- ington from the position he had taken in the strongholds of the highlands on both sides of the North River, continued their predatory system of warfare. In June, Knyphausen, with 5,000 men, entered the Jerseys, and burnt the Connecticut farms ; and, d xxxvi DEDICATION although repulsed in his first attempt on Springfield, after receiving reinforcements, and fighting a severe battle with General Greene's division, he succeeded in burning that town also, and returned to New York. It is melancholy to reflect that such turpitude should exist in the mind of man, that there is scarcely on historical record a cause having for its object the extension of freedom to the human race that had not, some traitor associated with it, who, to gratify his personal ambition, or some baser passion, was ever ready to desert or betray it. Even the cause of American independence, so sacred to liberty, formed no exception, although it must be admitted, considering the long and doubtful character of the war, that the instances were few, whereas those of patriotism, devotion, and fidelity were innumerable. Circumstances' now fortunately revealed a plot, which, had it been successful, might have proved fatal to American independence ; but the Genius of Liberty hovered over the American lines, and frustrated this traitorous design. General Arnold, who had distinguished himself by his courage, zeal, and ability during the war, was no sooner appointed to the command of West Point than he entered into a negotiation with Sir Henry Clinton to deliver it into his hands. This fortress, which was considered the Gibraltar of America, commanded the North River, and was the principal protection of Washington's army against the attacks of the enemy. To facilitate their plans, Major Andre, adjutant-in-chief of the British army, went on board the Vulture sloop of war, stationed on the river not far from the American lines, and, having joined Arnold, they spent the night of 23rd September together, and Andre, having noted everything necessary to render the attack complete, was about to return on board ; but the morning was too far advanced, and Arnold was obliged to conceal him until night. In the course of the day, however, the Vulture had changed her position, and Andre was obliged to set out by land for New York, disguised with a passport in the name of John Anderson, but was stopped by three militiamen on duty, who, doubting his authen- ticity, searched him, and found in his boots a description of the DEDICATION. XXXvii fortress, the disposition of the forces, and other papers, which re- vealed his true cheracter. The name3 of these humble but patriotic men, Paulding, Williams, and Van Vert, deserve to be recorded with particular honour in the page of American history. Andre's offer of a purse of gold, and still more considerable inducements should they accompany him to New York, were disdainfully refused, and they delivered him a prisoner to Colonel Jameson, their com- mander, who incautiously allowed him to dispatch a letter to Arnold apprising him of his detention, who, immediately on receiving it, went over to the enemy, and thus defrauded justice and his indignant country of that vengeance due to the enormity of his crime. Washington referred the case of Andre to a board of fourteen officers, who were unanimous in their report, that in accordance with the laws of belligerent nations he should be executed as a spy. The British commanders, who now abjectly solicited that his life might be spared, had early in the war signed his death warrant, by establishing a precedent themselves in the case of Captain Nathaniel Hale, who volunteered to enter the English camp on Long Island in disguise, and collect some information that Washington required ; being discovered, Howe ordered his immediate execution, which was carried into effect with brutal rigour, refusing him the consolations of religion, and destroying his farewell letter to his mother ; but nothing could shake his courage and patriotism, and his last words should immor- talize him : " I only lament," said he, " that I have but one life to offer up for my country." Andre's fate was therefore inevitable, and he was hung as a spy on the 2nd of October. Traitors and renegades are invariably cruel as well as criminal. Arnold, who was appointed for his treachery a general in the British service, with 1,500 men ravaged the coast of Virginia, and after the surrender of Fort Griswold put the garrison to the sword. The Americans, to their honour, when numerous forts were subsequently reduced by them, scorned to retaliate or follow the example of a man they looked on with detestation. The army of the south, under Gates, d 2 xxxviii DEDICATION. after its disastrous defeat, rendezvoused at Hillsborough, and ad- vanced to Charlotteville, where General Greene took the command. It only consisted of 2,000 men, principally militia, with which he had to contend with a veteran army that had successfully marched two hundred miles into the interior. With one portion of it he dispatched General Morgan to the Western extremity of South Carolina, and with the other marched to Hick's Creek himself. Cornwallis, who was preparing to invade North Carolina, finding that Morgan was getting in his rear, sent Colonel Tarleton with 1,100 men to repulse him. Morgan was posted in the Cowpens, near Pacolot river, where he was attacked by Tarleton, and, although the militia fought bravely, their ranks were broken ; but a vigorous charge of cavalry, made by Colonel Washington, turned the fortune of the day, and the infantry having rallied, the British, who considered the victory all but won, were in turn charged with the bayonet, and driven from the field with great slaughter. Cornwallis, dis- appointed and chagrined at this defeat, put his army in motion, determined to obliterate the disgrace and rescue the prisoners Morgan had taken, and who, by rapid marches, was endeavouring to gain the Virginia frontier. These movements induced Greene to retire from Hick's Creek, and having placed his division under General Hager, he proceeded in person and joined Morgan. After passing the Catawba and Yadkee, and forming a junction with Hager at Guilford, it was deemed advisable not to hazard an engagement with superior forces, but retire beyond the Dan and wait reinforce- ments, which was effected with some difficulty from the hot pursuit of the British. Cornwallis, having thus driven the American army out of North Carolina, proceeded to Hillsborough, where he dis- played the royal banner in proof of his success. Greene, to counteract its influence on the inhabitants, recrossed the Dan, and after manoeuvring with great ability, was reinforced, and, being now superior in numbers to the enemy, he resolved on no longer avoiding an engagement. The American army consisted of 4,400 men, principally militia, the British of 2,400 veteran troops. A DEDICATION. xxxix false alarm threw the Americans early into confusion, which led to their defeat ; but the victory was dearly bought by the British, who lost a great number of men and some of their best officers. Cornwallis proceeded to Wilmington, and from thence to Peters- burg, in Virginia ; while Greene, who had retreated to the Deep river, now boldly entered South Carolina, and having reduced Fort Watson, he marched on Camden, where Lord Rawdon with 900 British were posted ; Greene had about a similar number of regulars and a few militia ; on his approach, Rawdon marched out to meet him, and an action ensued, in which Greene was defeated, but he retreated in good order, and Rawdon, apprehensive of remaining in Camden longer, evacuated it, after firing the buildings and his own baggage, and retreated to the Santee. Forts Orangeburg, Granby, Georgetown, Field Bluff, and Corn- wallis, were now taken in succession by the Americans, and Greene, collecting the different divisions of his army, crossed the Santee and Congaree rivers, and attacked the British forces concentrated at Eutaw Springs under Colonel Stewart, on the 8th of September, and obtained a decisive victory over them, which extinguished their pretensions on South Carolina. The fate of the war, however, was to be determined in another quarter. Lord Cornwallis, on the 20th of May, formed a junction with General Phillips at Petersburg, which placed him at the head of a powerful army. The Marquis de La Fayette commanded the small American force which could be spared to oppose him ; with it he advanced to Richmond, but the superiority in number of the enemy obliged him to retire and watch at some distance the movements of his formidable adversary. After a variety of military operations, in which the young La Fayette proved himself a consummate tactician, and the usual destruction of property by the British, Cornwallis quartered his army in Portsmouth, where he received instructions from Sir Henry Clinton to secure an eligible naval station in the Chesapeak for the reception of an extensive British fleet, to co-operate with the army on shore. Cornwallis, having selected York roads xl DEDICATION. for that purpose, removed with his army, 7,000 strong, to Yorktown, in Virginia, which he assiduously applied himself to strengthen. Early in the year, General Washington and the Count de Rocham- beau, with other French and American officers, met to determine on the plan of the ensuing campaign, and it was agreed, that the allied army, in concert with a French fleet, to arrive in August, should lay siege to New York, the head quarters of the British army. In accordance therewith, the Northern States were called on to furnish their respective quotas of men, and early in July the French troops marched from Rhode Island, and joined Washington's army at King's Bridge. General Lincoln's division also took possession of the ground on which fort Independence once stood, and the British, perceiving these movements, retired to York Island. While Wash- ington was using unwearied diligence in preparing for the siege, and Cornwallis expecting a considerable naval reinforcement from the West Indies to join that already in York roads, a French fleet of twenty-eight sail of the line, under Count de Grasse, entered the Chesapeak, and having blocked up York river with a portion of it, he moored the remainder in Lynnhaven bay, and landed 3,200 French troops, under the Marquis de St. Simon, which formed a junction with the division of the American army under La Fayette, at Williamsburgh. Admiral Greaves, with twenty ships of the line, now appeared off the Chesapeak with the intention of raising the blockade, but De Grasse sailed out to meet him, and an undecided action took place on the 5th of September. While the admirals were cautiously observing each other's motions, Count de Barras, with eight French ships of war from Rhode Island, joined De Grasse, which gave the French such a decided superiority over the English fleet, that Admiral Greaves took his departure, and the French fleet re-entered the Chesapeak. These naval operations and other cir- cumstances induced Washington to change the plan of the campaign, and direct the main force of the allied army against Cornwallis, so peculiarly circumstanced in Virginia. He, therefore, placed a por- tion of his own army under General Heath to defend the posts on DEDICATION. the Hudson river, and to keep up an appearance of the attack on New York being still intended, and, taking the command of the combined forces, about 12,000 strong, he crossed the North river, and by way of Philadelphia arrived before Yorktown on the 14th of September. Having arranged with the French naval and military commanders the plan of attack on the British army intrenched there, the siege was commenced in form on the 30th September. During its progress La Fayette distinguished himself at the head of an American division in storming one of the enemy's strongest redoubts, and Colonel Abercrombie, by a sortie, in which he spiked several of the American guns. The works of the besiegers, however, had by the 17th October reduced the defences to a heap of ruins, and Cornwallis, despairing of succour either by land or sea, and hemmed in on all sides, was obliged, from dire necessity, to capitu- late and surrender his army prisoners of war ; and General Lincoln was appointed to receive his submission, in a similar manner to that which he had himself given to the British commander on the sur- render of Charlestown. The fleet in York roads was also included in the capitulation, and was taken possession of by the Count de Grasse. The capture of a second British army, lately so formidable, spread universal joy over the United States ; and on the intelligence reaching England, caused a depression in the opposite extreme. That portion of the English people and the parliament who were opposed originally to a war with the colonists, were now outrageous against the King and his ministers for its long protracted and ruinous consequences ; and the House of Commons, although it was then composed principally of the nominees of the aristocracy, passed a resolution on the 4th March, 17 82, that it would consider as enemies to his Majesty and the country, all those who should advise or attempt the further prosecution of offensive warfare on the continent of America." Thus was this insane and sanguinary king, in whose person was exemplified the absolute absurdity of hereditary monarchy, and who was never so happy as when signing the death warrants of his subjects, no matter for what offence convicted, and Xlii DEDICATION. who despotically engendered the war, and obstinately and wickedly persevered in it when his cause was all but hopeless, was now re- luctantly obliged to consent to a peace which dimmed the lustre of the British crown, but fully recognised the Independence of the United States. The war, however, still continued in the south, and a portion of Washington's army, after Cornwallis had capitulated? joined General Greene, who despatched a division under General Wayne to invest Savannah. Colonel Brown, having marched out in force to meet him, was totally defeated, and the British were com- pelled to evacuate Savannah in July ; and General Leslie, with 5,000 men, on the approach of the American army, retired from Charles- town soon after, and its name was changed by the State Legislature to the City of Charleston, which it now bears. The Independence of the United States was now acknowledged by Spain, Holland, Den- mark, Sweden, and Russia, and Sir Guy Carleton, recently appointed to the command of the British army in North America, was in- structed by his government to negotiate for peace with the United States. Commissioners were therefore appointed by his Britannic Majesty and by Congress, who agreed on the 30th November to provisional articles of peace between Great Britain and the United States, to be fully concluded and ratified when peace should take place between Great Britain and France. By these articles the Independence of the United States, in all its integrity, was fully acknowledged by Great Britain, and they were now, indeed, Great, Glorious, and Free. Congress, well aware that a standing army was incompatible with civil liberty, wisely and deliberately determined to dissolve the American army, and rely in any future emergency on the militia, who had through the late war served their country well, and were its natural defenders ; and in conformity therewith on the 22nd March, 1783. it passed a resolution, giving the thanks of the country to the army for its prolonged, arduous, and faithful services, and declaring, as a glorious peace had crowned its efforts, that after the 3rd of November following it would be no longer required. The day preceding its dissolution Washington issued DEDICATION. xliii his farewell address, which was replete with affectionate solici- tude for the future welfare and happiness of the men who had so nobly served under him. On the 25th November the last remnant of the British army embarked at New York, and left the shores of that country it had ravaged so long with savage ferocity j and Washington, a few days after, repaired to Annapolis, where Congress was sitting, and with unaffected dignity and undeviating patriotism, delivered to the president his military commission of commander-in- chief, and sheathing that sword which had won independence for his country, like Cincinnatus of old, when the Roman Republic was still incorruptible, retired into private life. His country however again re- quired his services, as the first President of the United States, to which he was unanimously elected 30th April, 1789, and re-elected in 1793, and after dispensing for eight years the benefits conferred by the federal constitution of the great Republic, and refusing to be re- elected a third time, he resigned the reins of government to John Adams, who was the second president elected by the United States. Washington, who was exceedingly popular with the people, and almost idolized by the army, after defeating and humbling the greatest nation of modern times, and that, too, in the plenitude of its power, might have aspired to or seized on the sovereignty of that country which he had rescued from its iron grasp, by those uncon- stitutional means that victorious generals have so frequently resorted to. But this great man was superior to personal considerations ; his ambition was to set his country free, and to leave on record, as a noble example to the oppressed nations of the universe, that a brave and united people, if true to themselves, have only to will their Independence, and no power on earth can prevent its accomplish- ment. The laurels that Washington has won by his personal dis- interestedness, and as the benefactor of mankind, are much dearer to liberty than even those that graced his brow by his most brilliant military triumphs. Caesar, Cromwell, and Napoleon, who acquired their fame by the valour of republican armies, and whose ambition for imperial or absolute power induced them to forfeit the trust xliv DEDICATION. reposed in them, sink into perfect insignificance when compared with the virtuous forbearance and disinterested patriotism for which "Washington was so pre-eminently distinguished. The condition of the United States, previous to their throwing off the despotic yoke of Great Britain, so strongly resembled that of Ireland, which still remains a neglected and oppressed province, that I have been induced in this dedication to give a sketch of American history, and particularly of the most remarkable events connected with the War of Independence, which terminated so gloriously for American freedom, and omened well for universal liberty to the human race. Ireland, whose history for seven centuries is a series of accumulated wrong perpetrated by England against its political existence, has never tamely submitted to the conqueror. Force and fraud were originally exerted in wresting from the native Irish their properties, and bestowing them on the Anglo-Norman barons who aided Henry II. and his successors in reducing a portion of the country to English dominion ; but these and their descendants in time became more Irish than the original Irish themselves, and were considered equally dangerous to English rule. Henry VIII. struck the first blow against the Lords of the Pale, and Elizabeth, intent on providing for her favourites of the reformation, selected Ireland as a field of spoil, and the immense estates of Desmond, and other lords of English descent, were divided amongst these needy and sleeky adventurers. The possessions of the O'Neills and O'Donnells were also intended for confiscation, but they defended their rights in many a well-fought field, and the blow was averted during her reign. But what the whole force of England could not accomplish was effected by that base, heartless, and superlative hypocrite, her successor James I., and his infamous and voracious satellites in the Irish government, who concocted as foul a plot as ever disgraced the page of history against the last of the Irish chieftains, who were thus forced into honourable exile. James now confiscated nearly the whole province of Ulster to the Crown, and the inhabitants were driven from their homes, and those of their ancestors, to the woods DEDICATION. xlv and wilds to make way for a new colony of English and Scotch undertakers, and to enrich a church establishment forced on the country at the point of the bayonet, and under the deceitful pretence of introducing English civility among a barbarous people. It was Madame Roland who, on her way to execution, exclaimed, " Oh ! Liberty, what dreadful ^crimes are committed in your name !" and the same may well be said of English civilization, wherever it has been introduced from interested motives. In the cause of the Stuarts, the first of whom had thus basely plundered and oppressed the native Irish, they, notwithstanding, confederated with the descendants of the Lords of the Pale against Cromwell and the English parliament, and were defeated after a long and sanguinary civil war, and on the restoration of that ungrateful family to power, the Irish, who had suffered so much for their attachment to it, were again betrayed and sacrificed to English interests, which did not, however, prevent them from espousing the cause of James II., the legitimate monarch, and by whose pusillanimity they were doomed to defeat, and their properties again confiscated. William III. who broke the conditions of Limerick almost as soon as they were signed, commenced that frightful code of laws against the civil and religious rights of the Irish Catholics, which for atrocity and Satanic subtlety stand unequalled since the creation, and in the succeeding reign every victory that Marlborough gained over Louis XIV. added a link to the chain of Irish degradation. A long and dark pause naturally occurred in the history of a country so awfully and systematically plundered and oppressed, but at length the gloom was in some degree dissipated by a refulgent ray of light from the opposite shores of the Atlantic. The American colonists who had long remonstrated in vain against the despotic acts of Great Britain, had now raised the standard of independence, and Ireland hailed the auspicious dawn of freedom with every demonstration of joy. The example of America roused the dormant energies of the Irish people equally deprived of free trade and parliamentary independence, and in 1778, when France and the United States coalesced against Great Britain, xlvi DEDICATION. and that there was scarcely a soldier left even in the garrison towns that was not dispatched to the theatre of war, the Irish volunteers were formed under the pretence of defending the country from inva- sion, but in reality that free trade and the independence of the Irish parliament might be obtained. But although the volunteers in arms accomplished these objects, they were too slow in demanding other measures of reform of still more importance, and the opportunity was lost when England was in difficulties, embarrassed and exhausted in the unequal contest with France and the United States of follow- ing the example of the American colonies, and declaring Ireland independent. The men who composed these corps were enthusiastic in the cause of liberty, but their aristocratic leaders were content with moderate measures of reform which would naturally increase their own power and popularity without endangering the connexion with England ; and they saw with dismay the growing spirit of democracy which was diffusing itself rapidly in their ranks, and they were not displeased when the British government, after concluding a peace with the United States and France, refused not only all further concessions to Ireland, but took measures to disarm the volunteers as a body dangerous to British supremacy, which was carried into effect early in 1793. With such leaders as Lord Charle- mont, who was not then disposed to extend civil and religious liberty to the great majority of his countrymen, the Catholics of Ireland, it is not surprising that the volunteers made such little progress during so many years in the cause of independence. Young and ardent spirits now, however, entered the arena, on whom the example of the United States, and more recently that of France, which had prostrated the despotism of ages, had made a powerful impression, and they resolved to follow in the path and strike for Irish freedom. The society of United Irishmen was now formed, and Theobald W olfe Tone, whose patriotism, splendid talents, and perseverance in his country's cause endears his memory to every true-hearted Irish- man, saw clearly that, without the support of the great body of the Irish people, all attempts at successful insurrection would be vain. DEDICATION. xlvii He, therefore, applied himself assiduously to cement a union between the Presbyterians and Catholics, in which he was eminently suc- cessful, and the consequence was, that although the claims of the Catholics for the restoration of their civil and religious rights had been invariably rejected by the Irish parliament up to 1793, it now passed an act, giving them power to possess lands and the elective franchise, arising from a trifling interest in them, which was an approximation to universal suffrage. This was the true Emancipation Act which gave substantial, political, and social rights to the Irish people, and it was repealed that the fictitious Bill of 1829 might be carried to enable Catholic aristocrats and trading lawyers to enter parliament and tender their venal votes to the corrupt minister of the day, and thus gratify their selfish and inordinate appetite for place and pension, although it led to the gradual extinction of the agricultural population of Ireland. Through the indefatigable exer- tions of Tone in particular, the Society of United Irishmen continued to increase in number, men of all religious persuasions were to be found in its ranks, and the time was approaching when the country was to rise, and with irresistible force assert its independence. But there were Irish Arnolds among them — indeed, Ireland has been always cursed with more than an ordinary share of traitors and informers, which may probably proceed more from the temptations that its rulers invariably hold out to betray, than from any natural depravity or deceit in the Irish character. Tone, however, by their means was proscribed, and obliged to fly the country, and take refuge in the United States, from whence he proceeded to France, and was indebted to James Munroe, the American Ambassador at Paris, for an introduction to Hoche and Carnot, and those extensive but unfortunate expeditions destined for the conquest of Ireland were fitted out at his instance — the disastrous details of which will be found in this work, as well as the progress and suppression of the Irish insurrection of 1798. In contrasting the glorious success that attended the efforts of the American colonists in their struggle to throw off the yoke of Great Britain, with the disastrous defeat that xlviii DEDICATION. Ireland sustained in attempting to follow their example, and which rendered the chains that bound her to her supercilious and unnatural step-sister still more galling ; it must be considered the different positions and circumstances under which these countries were placed, and which led to such contrary results. Although Ireland and the United States were both dependencies of Great Britain, and that her oppressive sway was equally obnoxious to them, yet the grievances of Ireland were of much longer standing, and proceeded from a greater variety of causes than those of which the colonies complained. Ireland, for nearly seven centuries, was either wholly or in part subjected to England, but although colony after colony were sent to sustain her dominion in the island, every succeeding generation of these colonists sighed as ardently for independence as the descend- ants of the ancient Irish, who, with a constancy unparalleled in the annals of history, resisted through that long period the overwhelming power of the invader. The American colonists, although there were some faint-hearted royalists among them, were in a great degree united in the cause of independence, and their states or colonial courts of assembly were all in favour of the movement, and the authority of Congress was not only fully recognised, but its decrees were obeyed with the greatest alacrity by the people. The country, from its great extent and uncleared condition, was particularly adapted for desultory warfare, and Washington and many of the other officers in command of the American army had seen good service in the previous war between France and England, and the people were not only accustomed to the use of firearms, but from their experience in hunting were expert marksmen. Congress had also an exchequer, was enabled to levy taxes and raise forces publicly, and obtained loans and contributions from continental Europe in support of the war. The fleets and armies dispatched by France in aid arrived safely and co-operated with the Americans, sustaining their efforts at the most critical junctures, both by sea and land, and were principally instrumental in capturing the British army under Cornwallis, which compelled haughty England to sue for peace, and DEDICATION. xlix declare the United States free and independent. Ireland had no provincial courts of assembly, and although it had a parliament which was styled independent, it was probably when the United Irish Association was formed the most corrupt assembly in existence. It was composed of the nominees of the English and Irish aristocracy, who countenanced and encouraged the British government in the most frightful excesses against an unarmed people. The United Irish Association had a Directory, but the members were obliged to confer in secret, and, as it has been said, with ropes round their necks, as some of the most infamous informers attended their coun- cils, and the government was consequently aware of their intentions, and took the necessary precautions to frustrate them. They had scarcely any funds, and loans were out of the question. The people were undisciplined, and military training, or the possession of arms, or contributing towards the funds of the society, were deemed trea- sonable ; and, independent of the numbers who were tortured, the lives of many were forfeited, merely from being charged with such acts. The only military weapon the people were possessed of was the pike, which the local forges fabricated by stealth, but it was used with powerful effect by the Wexfordians. There was a con- siderable Royalist party in Ireland principally composed of the aris- tocracy and members of the Orange Association, and the latter were armed and paid by the government under the title of Yeomanry Corps. Every city and county furnished a regiment of militia, which, unlike those of the United States, fought against and not with the people, the majority of the men certainly against their political convictions. The country was also of limited extent, and particularly adapted to the operations of a disciplined army. Active operations were too long delayed, and when the people ultimately took the field, treachery had deranged all the plans of the Directory, and the members who composed it were either in prison, put to death, or had fled the country. The expedition fitted out by the French Republic, at the instance of Tone, to co-operate with the national movement, were either dispersed or captured, and the very 1 DEDICATION, elements conspired against Irish Independence. The United States, which were only slowly recovering from the effects of the severe contest in which they had been so recently engaged, could do little more than sympathize with the Irish people in their struggle for liberty ; and when the cause was lost, and that Emmett, Sampson, M'Nevin, and other members of the Directory were forced into honourable exile, and adopted the United States as their future country, they were received with open arms by the Republic, their misfortunes respected, and every encouragement given them in their professional or other avocations, and many of them, like Emmett, rose to the most distinguished situations in the States they settled in. Again, when the young Ireland party of 1 848, which was neither afraid nor ashamed to talk of " '98," and to venerate the men who had suffered in the cause of Irish independence, was crushed, and its leaders convicted and transmitted like felons to a penal settlement where those official indignities and cruelties were exercised against them, which brought to an untimely grave, O'Donoghue, of whom it may be truly said, " that spirit was broken which never would bend while Magher, Mitchell, and McManus, to avoid a like fate, accepted the proffered assistance sent them from the United States, which sympathized in their sufferings, and escaped from captivity. Their arrival was hailed with every demonstration of joy, and an ovation marked their progress through the States, which, although highly nattering to them as individuals, was still more important to the cause for which they suffered, proving undeniably the deep interest the American people take in everything con- nected with Irish independence. But, above all, Ireland owes an everlasting debt of gratitude to the United States for the asylum and employment afforded her oppressed and famishing people, whom those callous and inhuman proprietors of the soil, the Irish landlords, have, since the true Catholic Relief Bill of 1793 was repealed, been gradually expelling from the homes of their dearest affections, and from those lands made fruitful by their own and the labour of their forefathers, and which are now turned into extensive pastures, and DEDICATION. li their places occupied by herds of cattle distilled to feed their more opulent neighbours. Nor were they forgotten who were perishing* at home for want of food ; and while the British ships of war, which should have gratuitously conveyed it from foreign parts, were idly laid up in dock, when millions were starving ; the United States navy was placed at the disposal of its benevolent citizens for the purpose, and its flag could not be more honoured than in the cause of suffering humanity. No emigration since the creation equalled or resembled that which landlord despotism, in conjunction with the famine of 1847, produced. It was properly called the Irish exodus, although it differed in some degree from that of the Israelites, whom Egyptian taskmasters persevered so obstinately to keep in bondage, and who, with arms in their hands, conquered the nations whose territories were assigned them by Providence. But the migration of the Irish people to the land of their adoption was of a peaceful character, and their taskmasters, instead of detain- ing them when they found, them no longer politically or socially profitable, forced them, by subtle legislation, to leave the country, and seek refuge in the United States, where they soon acquired, by their labour and industry, independence for themselves, and contributed to promote the strength and importance of a country that is probably destined to redress the wrongs inflicted on them and their forefathers, through so many ages of dire oppression. It is remarkable, however, that American enterprise should have so long neglected to take advantage of the great capabilities of the west and south-west coast of Ireland for commerce. Cuba and Central America are sought after with avidity by the United States for the purpose, while Ireland, which should be the great entrepot, the half-way station for their trade with the continental nations of Europe, has been passed by with indifference, and an English port preferred more remote and difficult of approach, and which derives its principal importance from its American trade. Had not Ireland been systematically impoverished and oppressed when cotton spinning became such an extensive branch e lii DEDICATION. of industry, it is in the country connected with this coast it should have taken the deepest root. It possessed — and still possesses — advantages in every respect for the purpose superior to Lancashire ; but capital and enterprise were wanting, and it is not surprising that they should be so, circumstanced as Ireland had been. In this work will be found much information in respect to the great natural resources of the country, and the attention of American capitalists is particularly directed to it. It is from a union of Irish and United States enterprise that these are to be developed, which would prove mutually beneficial to both. A commencement has at length been made in steam communication direct between the two countries by a spirited individual, Mr. J. O. Lever, and the Indian Empire, the first of a line of powerful first-class steam packets, has been dispatched from Galway to New York, touching at Halifax to land the British mails, which is to be succeeded by the American Empire, and continued monthly, or more frequently should the traffic increase. Every exertion should be made by the Irish nation, and by the United States also, to support Mr. Lever in this laudable undertaking, and, as no doubt the experiment will show that the mails between London and America by this route will reach their respective destinations in twenty-four to thirty hours less time than by Liverpool, the Government will be forced to adopt the west coast of Ireland for their dispatch and reception. The moderate charge and superior accommodation afforded steerage passengers in particular, should direct the current of emigration to America through this channel ; and this com- mencement, if properly managed, may lead to the most important commercial results, and cement still closer the reciprocal good feeling that exists between both countries. It has been already shown that there was an early and extensive emigration from Ireland to the United States, and that none were more faithful, zealous, or valiant in the War of Independence than the native Irish who had then landed on their shores, as well as the descend' ants of those early colonists ; and that while Montgomery, Sullivan, DEDICATION. liii Sharkey, and many others distinguished themselves in the field, Patrick Henry's superhuman eloquence in the cause of freedom shone forth in the senate with unrivalled splendour, throwing into the shade even the brilliant oratorical effusions of his countrymen Burke and Sheridan in the British parliament. In the succeeding generation the descendants of Irishmen, such as Jackson, Calhoun, M'Keon. Stewart, the present President Buchanan, and several others, rendered the States good service, and were among the most distin- guished members of this Great Republic. These men did not forget the wrong3 of Ireland, and Jackson in particular, both in his military and civil capacity, made England feel that he was sensible of her injustice. No senseless differences should therefore exist between the native Americans and the Irish settlers. The former should make great allowances for a people newly arrived among them, whose social and religious opinions may not be exactly in unison with their own, but whose attachment to free institutions, and particularly to the American republic, cannot be doubted ; and the latter should feel grateful to the people of the United States for the asylum and employment afforded them in their dire neces- sity, and should be cautious of giving offence, or dictating to them politically or otherwise. It is necessary for the liberty of mankind, and particularly for the sake of poor old Ireland, that a good under- standing should exist between them. To the native Irish now residing in the States, it is almost superfluous to remind them of the centuries of oppression their native country has endured, and the grievous unredressed wrongs it is still subject to ; nothing can wean their affections from Father-land ; but they should impress on the minds of their descendants that Ireland was once an independent nation, famed for its learning, piety, and valour throughout the known world, and that, by fraud, treachery, and force, it was subdued and kept in a state of dependance and degradation, which the United States may see, as in a mirror, would have been their own lot if they had not conquered their freedom. Ireland possesses all the distinguishing marks of an independent nation : placed in its ocean iiv DEDICATION. bed, remote from continental Europe, with a fertile soil and salu- brious climate, calculated to sustain an immense population — its mag- nificent rivers and harbours capable of accommodating mighty fleets to protect it from invasion, or facilitate an extensive commerce — its unexplored mineral treasures, and other vast natural resources — and its brave, intelligent, and industrious people, if they had only fair play — all constitute elements of national independence. The times are pregnant with momentous events; the present diseased state of monarchical and aristocratical institutions in Europe, cannot much longer resist the spread of education and the inarch of intellect. Wars will arise, and the propitious moment may come when the wrongs of Ireland shall be redressed, and that she will again take that elevated position among the nations of the earth, to which, in the olden time, she was considered so eminently entitled — a con- summation to be devoutly wished by none more sincerely than THE AUTHOR. INTRODUCTION. As Natural History takes precedence of those events in which man has acted so prominent a part, no matter how ancient the date or how important the results may have been, it may not be uninteresting, in the first instance, to give some idea of the geographical situation and advantages of the country itself. Ireland is one of the largest and the most westerly island in Europe ; it is delightfully situated on the bosom of the Atlantic Ocean, " an emerald set in the ring of the sea," and lies between fifty and fifty-five degrees north latitude, and eight and twelve degrees west longitude. It is separated from Great Britain on the east and north-east by St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea ; and on the west and south-west its commodious harbours stretch out wide into the Atlantic, as if to invite the new world, which lies directly opposite, to consummate an alliance with the old. From Missen- head in the south to Fairhead in the north it is 241 Irish or 306th: statute miles in length, and its greatest breadth is about 200 miles. Its surface contains 20,808,271 statute acres: of which 630,825 are under water, 374,482 covered with plantations ; 13,464,300 are cul- tivated, 42,929 under houses in towns; and 6,295,735 are waste. The longest day in the northern extremity is 17 hours and 12 minutes, and in the southern 16 hours and 25 minutes. Although situated in so high a degree of north latitude, the air is mild and agree- able, caused in some degree, no doubt, by its lying in the path of the Gulf Stream, or those warm ocean currents that beat and circulate around its shores ; still the climate is more variable than in any other country in Europe, the natural consequence of the island being exposed to the prevailing winds from the continent of America, which imbibe the humid yet genial atmosphere of B 2 INTRODUCTION. the vast Atlantic, unbroken in their course by the interposition of any other land. Notwithstanding, diseases incidental to a moist climate are seldom felt by the natives ; and in some of the southern localities the air is esteemed more conducive to health than in those favoured spots recommended to invalids by the faculty in France and Italy. The number of lakes and rivers with which the country is beautifully diversified may also con- tribute to that salubrity and freshness of the air which not only invigorates the physical but also the mental faculties, producing that lively and cheerful disposition for which the Irish are so much esteemed. They may also be instrumental in maintaining that perennial spring or unfading verdure over the face of the country from which it has not been inappropriately styled "The Green Isle.'' The most considerable of the lakes are Lough Neagh, one of the largest in Europe, comprising about 154 square miles, its greatest depth in the centre being 45 feet ; Lough Erne, spangled with its innumerable islands ; Lough Foyle and Lough S willy, in Ulster ; Lough Corrib, Lough Mask, Lough Con, Lough llee, and Lough Allen, in Connaught ; Lough Ogram, Lough Culan, Lough Carra, Lough Lene, and Lough Derg, in Munster ; Lough Ennel, Lough Hoyle, and Lough Derrevcrragh, in Leinster. The petrifying quality of the waters of Lough Neagh is one of those natural phenomena which gives ample exercise to the reflection and speculation of the experimental philosopher. Wood deposited for a certain period in this lake becomes stone by the total change of its internal configuration. Circumstances connected with this lake would lead to the conclusion that it had its origin in a volcanic irruption, but whether it occurred in the time of Partho- lanus, or in the sixth century, according to the Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Dcrry, who states, that in a monastery on the continent a manuscript exists giving an account of a fearful earthquake which then threw up the rock of Toome, and impeded the course of several rivers, which uniting, formed both Lough Neagh and Lough Erne. There is also a legend connected with a holy well which overflowed its bounds in a mysterious manner, and inun- dated that tract of land which now forms the Lough. Towns, IXTBODUCTION'. 3 palaces, and temples were swallowed up, and the subject is thus beautifully alluded to by Moore : — " On Lough Neagh's banks as the fisherman strays, When the cold clear eve's declining, He sees the round towers of other days In the waves beneath him shining." Lough Lene (the name in the Irish language for the Lake of Learning), but now better known as the Lakes of Killarney, being distinguished by the upper, the middle or Tore Lake, and the lower, which is the most extensive ; the three being connected by a narrow channel. They are situated in the county Kerry, and are commanded on the east and south by the mountains of Mangerton and Tore ; on the west by that of Glena (beautiful Olena) ; and on the north the country is level, stretching towards the town of Killarney, which lies north-east. It is beyond the power of the artist's pencil, or the poet's imagination, to give even an idea of these charming lakes ; they were celebrated ages ago for their romantic beauty and soft-bewitching scenery, and were styled the tenth wonder of Ireland. The surrounding moun- tains are covered from their apex to their base with oaks, yew trees, evergreens, and the arbutus, which, although only a shrub in other countries, becomes here a tree, and grows to the height of twenty feet. It bears leaves evergreen like those of the laureL, but towards the extremity they are purple ; its flowers hang in clusters like grapes, are white and of an agreeable flavour. These present in their different stages of vegetation a delightful variety of colours, and form an amphitheatre which revives all the charms of spring in the depth of winter. The report of cascades falling from these mountains to mingle with the waters of the lake below are repeated by a thousand echoes, and con- tribute considerably to the charms of this delightful retreat. The Giants Causeway, which is situated on the north coast of the island, is another curiosity which probably has no parallel in the works of nature or of art. Its form is nearly triangular, and extends from the foot of an adjacent mountain into the sea, 600 feet of which is discernible at low water. It consists of innumerable pentagonal, hexagonal, and heptagonal pillars, but b 2 4 INTRODUCTION. irregular, as there are few of them whose sides are of equal breadth. In thickness they are not more uniform, varying from 15 to 26 inches in diameter ; they all touch by equal sides, and are so contiguous that it is difficult to perceive the jointures. Neither are they uniform in height, as some form a smooth and others an uneven surface. They consist of many unequal pieces, from 12 to 24 inches in length ; these pieces are jointed into each other by concave and convex surfaces highly polished, as are all the sides of the pillars which come in contact. This colonnade is in some parts 32 and in others 36 feet above the level of the sea, but its foundation has never been ascertained. One of the pillars had been broken to the depth of eight feet in the earth, and its figure was found to be the same as above the surface. A difference of opinion has long existed among the learned as to whether this causeway is the work of nature or of art. Those who support the former view contend that, according to Euclid, a united and continued surface can only be formed by six equilateral triangles, four squares, and three hexagons, and that these rules of art are not observed in this causeway, which is composed of polygons of unequal sides, although they exactly adapt themselves to the opposite side of the adjoining pillars, which can only be attributed to the workings of nature directed by a superior intelligence. They also contend that the junction of the pieces which form the pillars cannot be the work of art, for in all other pillars, ancient or modern, the jointures are made by plain surfaces, and it cannot be conceived how the articulation of the stones which compose these pillars could have bcon effected without a number of utensils at present unknown to art. On the other hand, it has been supposed that the causeway had been formed by man, that the ancients possessed superior knowledge and ingenuity in many branches of art to which the moderns arc strangers, and that it is not at all improbable that they were acquainted with such implements as enabled them to form these pillars in their present original and fantastic shapes. There are some also of opinion that the causeway at one time extended across the Channel even to the coast of Scotland, where, it is said, some traces of it are to be found. If such a continued INTRODUCTION". raised way ever did exist, it must have been antecedent to the Flood, and may have taken its name from the circumstance of there being then, according to the sixth book of Genesis, " Giants on the earth." But since the waters created by that great event have settled in their natural channels, it is very improbable that it could either be formed or exist in such a sea. The principal rivers are the Shannon, the Suir, and its tribu- taries, the Nore and the Barrow, the Blackwater, the Lee, the Boyne, the Liffey, the Bann, and the Lagan. The Shannon is the most extensive river in the United Kingdom, having its source in Lough Allen, and passing through the centre of the kingdom disembogues itself into the Atlantic Ocean. The Suir is also a noble river. But these and the other rivers will be more fully described in the history of the respective ports where they form a junction with the sea. The island abounds with lofty mountains, promontories, and capes. Of the mountains, the most considerable are — the Mac Gillicuddy Reeks, Mangerton, and the Galtees, in Munster ; Slieve-gullion and the Muurne-range, on the north-east coast of Ulster ; the Carlingford, Cooley, Slieve Bloeme, and the Wicklow Mountains, in Leinster ; and Knock Patrick, in Connaught. Pre- vious to the Ordnance Surveys Mangerton was considered the highest mountain in Kerry, but by these it has been ascertained that Carran-Tuel, one of the Reeks, is not only 717 feet higher, but that it is the loftiest mountain in Ireland, being 3410 feet above the level of the sea; while Slieve Donard, the largest of the Mourne-range, is only 2796 feet, being 614 feet less than Carran-Tuel, but 97 feet higher than Mangerton. The latter mountain, however, possesses attractions of a very peculiar character. On the summit is a lake, the depth of which is unfathomable. It is called in the Irish Poulle Iferon, the hole or opening to hell; but it is more generally known as the Devil's Punch-bowl. Its waters appear nearly as black as ink, caused, no doubt, by the peat soil and the shade of the perpendicular rocks that surround it. The water even in summer is intensely cold, and still it has never been known to freeze in winter. It is sup- plied from springs in the mountain, and when it overflows, which 6 INTRODUCTION. often happens, it forms a cascade that is precipitated with great force into the lake below. The most important promontories are Missenhead, Sheepshead, and Crowhead, on the south coast ; Brandonhead on the west ; and Fairhead on the north : these are seen at an immense distance out to sea, and are good landmarks for vessels coming from the various points of the compass. Cape Clear, the Fasnet Rock, and the Blasket Islands are well calcu- lated for similar purposes. A great proportion of what is termed the waste land consists of marsh and bog, as well as mountain, which is, however, valu- able in supplying a majority of the inhabitants with fuel, even in that part of the country where traces of coal in abundance have been discovered, but are left unexplored. The soil is fertile in the extreme, producing all kinds of cereal and vegetable crops ; but combined with the mild and humid atmosphere, and a lengthened spring, it is peculiarly adapted for the cultivation of flax, a product so necessary for the support of « its extensive linen manufacture. The pasturage is considered the best in Europe for grazing purposes, and Irish beef is held in high estimation, and some few years ago the English war navy was exclusively supplied with it : the butter also that it produces, for quantity and quality, cannot be excelled. Ancient Bede calls it "a land teeming with milk and honey and that even in his time the vine was extensively cultivated in Ireland with success. This fertility was so esteemed throughout Europe in the seventh and eighth centuries, that Donatus, then Bishop of Fesula, near Florence, describes Ireland in such glowing terms that it must then have enjoyed superior advantages over all other countries. His composition is thus translated by Dr. Dunkin : — " Far westward lies an isle of ancient fame, By Nature blest, and Scotia is her name ; Enrolled in books, exhaustless is her store Of veiny silver and of golden ore. Her fruitful soil for ever teems with wealth, With gems her waters, and her air with health ; Her verdant fields with milk and honey flow, Her woolly fleeces vie with virgin snow; Her waving furrows float with bearded corn. And arms and arts her envied sons adorn INTRODUCTION. 7 No savage bear with lawless fury roves, Nor ravenous lion, through her peaceful groves ; No poison there infects, no scaly snake Creeps through the grass, nor frog annoys the lake: An island worthy of its pious race, In war triumphant, and unmatched in peace," Frogs, it is said, were unknown in Ireland before the reign of William III. Nature has so ordained it, that the soil will not endure any venomous creature. It is true that snakes and lizards are partially found in Ireland, and that serpents will live in it, but they no longer retain their venomous properties, which appear inseparable from their nature in all other countries except the Island of Crete. This exemption from noxious reptiles is by some attributed to a blessing conferred by Moses on Goadhal Glas, the progenitor of Milesius, at the time he conducted the Israelites through the Red Sea, which was to descend to his posterity and the country they were destined to govern ; but this is inadmissible, as Moses and Goadhal Glas were not cotempo- raries. The popular opinion is, that Ireland obtained this privilege through the intercession of St. Patrick ; but it is more than pro- bable, that, from the nature of the climate or the soil, or both combined, the country was always free from poisonous reptiles, as St. Patrick never was in Crete, and yet that island is equally exempt from them. And long before the arrival of the Saint in Ireland, it was called the Sacred Isle, most likely from the circumstance of its enduring no venomous creature. Having given, briefly, a sketch of the position and some of the natural advantages that the country enjoys, it will now be necessary to describe the physical and mental endowments of its inhabitants. -The Irish, according to Lombard, are "large and well-built ;" that they should be so is only natural, considering that those manly and vigorous exercises which tend to strengthen the nerves and invigorate the body were always practised by them. Hunting, horse and foot racing, wrestling, hurling, football, and other similar exercises, are still their accustomed amusements. The ancient military exercises of Tailton are attributed to Lugha Laimhfheada (the long-handed), one of the Danaan kings, who instituted them in honour of Tailte, the queen of Eochaidh, the last 8 INTRODUCTION. monarch of the Belgse, who, after his death, married a Danaan chief, and, from her many accomplishments, was selected to in- struct the youthful prince Lugha. The games were proclaimed fifteen days before the 1st of August, the anniversary of her death, and continued fifteen days after. From them the month of Au- gust is still called Lughnas, or The commemoration of Lugha. These exercises were similar to those said to he introduced some centuries later by Romulus, at Rome, in honour of Mars, by the name of Equiria. They were adopted by the Milesians, and con- tinued until after the Anglo-Norman invasion. Camden represents " the Irish as warlike, and remarkable for the just proportion of their limbs, and so pliant are their muscles, that their agility is incredible." Goode, an English priest, who studied in Ireland, and wrote in the sixth century, says, " the natives are distinguished by strength and agility of body ; by a greatness and elevation of mind ; possessed of acute genius ; warlike, and prodigal of life ; patient of labour, cold, and poverty ; amorous in disposition ; hospitable to strangers, constant in their attachment, implacable in their hatred ; light of belief, greedy of glory ; impatient of con- tempt and injury, and ardent in all their actions." " Of all men," says Stanihurst, " the Irish are the most hospitable in their nature, and the most beneficent ; the most patient of labour ; the most warlike ; and are seldom found to bend under the weight of mis- fortune and distress." These are flattering testimonials, derived from sources not over-partial to the Irish ; but the character of no people stood higher than theirs in general estimation previous to the subjugation of the country by the Anglo-Normans — and, consi- dering the ages of oppression and political degradation that they have since endured, it is gratifying to find, that the present race have degenerated so little from the fame of their ancestors. Had they been fortunate enough to have preserved their independence, there is little doubt, that at the present day Ireland would have held an elevated rank in the scale of nations. The learned of all ages have been in some degree divided in opinion as to when and by whom the island was first discovered, colonized, or inhabited ; and to resolve this question, reference must be had to the earliest period of authentic history subsequent IXTE0D1*CII0>'. 9 to the Flood. In the tenth chapter of Genesis it is recorded, that Japhet, the son of Xoah, had seven sons, Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Thyras. After the dispersion of Noah's sons and their progeny on the plain of Shinar, and that a confusion of languages was ordained, the posterity of Japhet not only peopled Europe, but a considerable part of Asia also. That of Gomer inhabited Gaul and Germany ; the descendants of Magog occupied Scythia ; Madai and Javan settled in Greece ; Tubal pos- sessed Spain ; Meshech, Italy ; and Thyras, Thrace. The children of Magog, the progenitor of the great Scythian nations, are not recorded by the sacred penman ; but all those chronicles that are deemed most authentic, — as, the Book of Invasions, the "White Book, and the Book of Conquests, — agree in giving him three sons, Baath, Jobhath, and Fathochta. Jobhath was the ancestor of the Bactrians, Parthians, and Amazons. Fathochta was the progenitor of Partholanus, and consequently of the Nemedians, Firbolgs or Belgae, and Tuatha de Danaans ; but Baath was the father of Phce- nius, the founder of the Milesian race. From this it would appear, that the first settlers in Ireland, as well as those who succeeded them and contended for supremacy in the island, were all descended in a direct line from Magog ; while Britain derived its aborigines from Gaul, and were, consequently, descended from Gomer. But these, and all the other circumstances of ancient history, either written or oral, sacred or profane, tending to give Ireland an early colonization from the East, or that repre- sented its inhabitants as renowned for learning, piety or valour, through so many ages of its history — have been all denounced as mere chimera or monkish imposition by three sceptical pedagogues who have appeared within the last century, with pretensions to enlighten the world as to ancient history. These great men in their own estimation were — John Macpherson,a Scotch doctor of medicine, who published a work in 1757 " On the Origin, Antiquities, &c, of the Picts, British and Irish Scots;" James Macpherson, his relative, the author of " Ossian's Poems;" and Dr. Ledwich, a reverend LL.D., member of several learned societies, and author of " The Antiquities of Ireland," as the title-page to that book denotes. The first of these, Dr. Macpherson, presuming on the circumstance 10 INTRODUCTION. of North Britain being called Scotland even to the present day, contends that it was the far-famed Scotia of the ancients ; and that as the other quarters of the globe were peopled from Asia, the Caledonians must have first settled in North Britain, and from thence colonized Ireland : although there is no portion of Irish history clearer than that several migrations of Irish Scots took place, who settled in Albany, from which the country obtained the name of Scotia Minor. These Albanian Scots, however, were invariably opposed by the Picts, until Feargus, in the reign of Murtogh, grandson to Niall the Great, united a portion of the Picts with the Albanian Scots under his sway, and Murtogh, to add greater solemnity to the coronation of Feargus, and to impress his new subjects with the conviction that the monarchy was to exist permanently in his family, sent him the famous Liagh Fail, or Stone of Destiny, on which he and his successors were subsequently crowned ; and they extended from time to time the frontiers of their kingdom, until Kenneth, the son of Alpin, subverted the Pictish monarchy, and was styled King of the Albanies ; that is, King of the Picts and Scots, which was subsequently changed to that of Scotland. The Liagh Fail, or Stone of Destiny, was origi- nally brought into Ireland by the Damnonii, and fell into the hands of the Milesians after the conquest of the country. Their monarchs, from that time to its being sent to Feargus, comprising a term of fifteen hundred years, were invariably crowned on it, it being a received opinion, that a monarch of the Scythian race would govern wherever this stone was preserved. Hector Bcetius notices this prophecy, which, translated from the Irish, runs thus : — ** Unless the fixed decrees of fate give way, The Scots shall govern and the sccptve sway, Where'er this stone they find, and its dread sound obey." Previous to the Christian era, it is said that this stone emitted sounds resembling thunder when any of the line of Milesius was crowned on it ; but the coming of the Messiah, which destroyed all pagan superstition, deprived it also of its soniferous virtues. These sounds, however, were, no doubt, caused by the arts of the Druids, and were, therefore, likely to be continued until the estab- lishment of Christianity in the Island, when the Catholic hierarchy INTRODUCTION. 11 superseded them in all their sacred functions. This stone was carefully preserved by the descendants of Feargus in the Abbey of Scone ; where, up to the time of Robert Bruce, the kings of Scot- land were invariably crowned on it. Edward L, who had previously destroyed all records and monuments that were likely to inspire the Scots with the spirit of national independence, aware of the great veneration this stone was held in by them, had it removed to Westminster Abbey, and placed under the inauguration chair, where it still remains, and is known by the name of Jacob's Stone, from a supposition that it is part of the patriarch's pillar. Queen Victoria, and all the monarchs of England since the reign of Ed- ward I., have been crowned over it. It is, of course, inconsistent with common sense to attribute any superstitious power to this stone ; but popular opinion has powerful influence over the destinies of a nation. " The Romans were invincible as long as they believed their city to be eternal. Mahomet commenced by persuading a few Arabian enthusiasts that their swords were to subject the world to the Alcoran, and in less than a century the Turkish empire was established from the banks of the Euphrates to those of the Nile." It is also curious to observe, that after the transmission of this stone to Scotland the glories of the Milesian monarchy in Ireland gradually declined ; and the Stuarts, after being deprived of it, held but an uncertain tenure of the Scottish crown until it was united with that of England in the person of James I. Swift must have had such casuists as the Macphersons and Dr. Ledwich in his mind's eye, when he wrote his inimitable verses on St. Patrick's Well in Trinity College becoming dry in 1726. He personifies the Saint thus — " Thee, happy Island, Fallas call'd her own, When haughty Britain was a land unknown ; From thee with pride the Caledonians trace The glorious founder of their kingly race. Thy martial sons, whom now they dare despise, Did once their land subdue and civilize. Their dress, their language, and the Scottish name, Confess the soil from whence the victors came. Well may they boast that ancient blood which runs Within their veins, who are thy younger sons. 12 INTRODUCTION. A conquest and a colony from thee, The mother country left her children free : ♦ From thee no mark of slavery they felt. Not so with thee the base invader dealt: Invited here to vengeful Murrough's aid, Those whom they could not conquer they betrayed. Britain, by thee We fell, ungrateful Isle, Not by thy valour, but superior guile. Britain, confess with shame this land of mine, First taught thee human knowledge and divine ; My prelates and my students sent from hence, Made your sons converts both to God and sense. Not like the pastors of thy ravenous breed, Who come to fleece the flock and not to feed. Oh ! had I been apostle to the Swiss, Or hardy Scot, or any land but this, Combined in arms they had their foes defied, And kept their liberty, or bravely died. Thou still with tyrants in succession curst, The last invader trampling on the first, Nor fondly hope for some reverse of fate, Virtue herself would now return too late. Not half thy course of misery is run, The greatest evils yet are scarce begun : Soon shall thy sons, the time is just at hand, Be all made captive in their native land, When for the use of no Hibernian born Shall rise one blade of grass or ear of corn. Base mongrels ! to yon Isle your treasures bear, And waste in luxury thy harvest there ; For pride and ignorance a proverb grown, The jests of wits, and to the Court unknown — I scorn thee ! spurious and degenerate line, And from this hour my patronage resign." James Macphcrson, in his Introduction to the " History of Great Britain and Ireland," confirms the Doctor's presumptions, and attempts to palm on the public poems which he asserts were translated by him from the original of Ossian, a Caledonian bard, son to Fingal, King of Scotland, neither of whom ever had exist- ence except in the fertile imagination of the author ; it being made manifest, that he surreptitiously extracted and translated the greater part of them from the poetical effusions of the ancient Irish bards, and with consummate audacity metamorphosed many of their Irish into Caledonian heroes. Dr. Lcdwich, not content with supporting INTRODUCTION. 18 the scepticism and cajolery of the Macphersons in rejecting the authenticity of ancient Irish history, actually devotes a whole chapter of his book on Irish Antiquities to show, that no such per- son as the Irish apostle Saint Patrick ever existed. These three worthies, being unable to produce any authority or data, attempt to support their speculative conjectures by a sophism, "that the authority of a thousand learned men is not equal to one solid argu- ment ; nor the belief of several great nations more, in many instances, than popular error." The Macphersons, who, to court the favour of English patronage, and fan the flame of English prejudice, with true Scotch sycophancy, concocted this futile and disingenuous attempt to undermine that ancient historical structure, that had stood the test of so many ages, and which the Irish, although goaded by domestic broils, and struggling beneath the pressure of foreign domination, had clung to, in the fulness of their pride, with un deviating attachment. Whi]e Dr. Ledwich, by his fulsome compliment to the Irish Catholics, terming them " a liberal and enlightened people, not likely much longer to be amused with fictitious legends, or pay their adoration to ideal personages, and that a scriptural, rational, and manly religion is alone calculated for their present improvement in science and manners," shows the cloven foot, and clearly demonstrates the object he had in view in his assiduity to prove St. Patrick an ideal character. The learned Dr. Milner, in his thirteenth letter of inquiry into the Antiquities of Ireland, extinguishes Dr. Ledwich and the whole brood of scep- tics who adopted his opinion. " It is" said he, " for the sake of depriving the Irish Catholics of their original faith that Dr. Led- wich takes so much pains to deprive them of their great apostle who preached it to them. The fact, however is, the Irish Catholics are really too much ' enlightened' to become the dupes of such wretched artifices. After having baffled the machinations, and withstood the persecutions of almost three centuries in support of the religion once for all delivered to them by the Saints — namely, by St. Patrick and his disciples, in one of the golden ages of Christianity, they are not likely to make a compliment of it now to the cajolery, the declamation, or the sophistry of Dr. Ledwich." 14 INTRODUCTION. But to return to those ancient learned authorities on which alone reliance can be placed for the first discovery of Ireland, as well as the name or names by which it wa3 by them designated. It has been already stated, that Ireland owed its early colonization to the descendants of Magog, and that Phcenius, the son of Baath, was ancestor of the Milesians. He was called Farsa, or the Sage, from his having acquired a knowledge of the different languages that prevailed consequent on the confusion of tongues that origi- nated at Babel. He selected for his territory that country situated on the east coast of the Mediterranean, which derived its name from him, and was called Phoenicia. The Phoenicians, as well as the descendants of Fothochta, who had settled in the maritime parts of Greece, and along the African coasts of the Mediterranean, early devoted themselves to seafaring purposes. The form and construction of the ark which had so signally saved their progeni- tors must have made a strong impression on their retentive faculties, and have taught them the utility of naval structures. But if they had not the recollection of the ark as a model, the buoyancy of timber would have convinced them of the facility of removing from one place to another by water, and the doubling of capes and headlands required but little experience. It is recorded, that when new countries were discovered, even at the earliest period, the inhabitants on the coasts used wicker baskets covered with hides, in which they rode in the most tempestuous seas. Those, therefore, who contend that Ireland could not have been peopled at so early a period of history, from regions so remote, and with means so inadequate for so long a voyage by sea, and that, consequently, it must have received its primeval inhabitants from Gaul, or the more contiguous shores of Britain, — do not reflect, that the transmigra- tion of man from one country to another by land was more difficult and dangerous than by water. Impenetrable woods, precarious subsistence, savage beasts, and still more savage men — incessant labour and fatigue were to be encountered by land, which ren- dered the perils by sea far preferable. Josephus, who must have had better means of information than what modern times afford, in describing the colonization of the world by the posterity of Noah, states, that " they passed by sea to many places :" and Tacitus INTRODUCTION. 15 asserts, that the first colonizing expeditions were performed by water and not by land. The ancients, too, at a very remote period, had a much greater knowledge of navigation than they generally get credit for in modern times. Sesostris, King of Egypt, who, according to Du Fresne's Chronology, reigned 626 years after the Flood, and about three centuries after the arrival of the first colony in Ireland, fitted out fleets of such magnitude, that they sailed through the Straits of Babelmandel, from the Arabian Gulf to India ; that they doubled the Cape of Good Hope, and returned through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenicians also had early devoted themselves to nautical and commercial pursuits. Their ships were to be seen in the Me- diterranean, the Baltic, and the Atlantic ; and the Scriptures even record the long voyages that the ships of Hiram, King of Tyre, and those he equipped for Solomon, were accustomed to perform, and the wealth they brought back in return for those products they carried to foreign, parts. It is, therefore, more than probable, that these enterprising navigators at an early date discovered Ireland ; and that through their means alone, from its secluded position in the Atlantic, was it made known to the rest of the world. The Phoenicians were jealous of their trade, and slow in communicating its secrets to other nations, and, consequently, the sources from which it was derived. It is very likely, that the island was long known to them before the time of Alexander the Great, when Aris- totle wrote ; and mention is first made of the two western isles under the names of Albion and Ierne. The Phoenicians certainly kept their trade in tin, which they derived from the (Estrimunidas, or Tin Isles, now the Scilly Islands, secret from the rest of the world for a considerable time. As Ireland, or, as it was then termed, the Sacred Isle, inhabited by the Hibernii, was described as only two days' sail from these islands, they no doubt visited it also ; but whether they obtained tin or gold, which were subsequently found in the island, with other precious metals, there is now no means of ascertaining ; — traces, however, remain of mines being worked there at very remote periods, as, for instance, the coal mines of Ballycastle unquestionably were. 16 INTRODUCTION. About one thousand years before Christ, according to the most learned authorities, Hanno and Himilco, the celebrated Phoenician navigators, undertook their first voyage of discovery, and after passing the Straits of Gibraltar, while Hanno proceeded to the south, Himilco steered his course along the north-west coast of Spain, in the old track of the Phoenician voyagers, between Gades and Galicia, and then sailing across the ocean to the Scilly Isles, and thence to Hibernia, which he found thickly inhabited, and its seas crowded with hide-covered boats or currahs. He also de- scribes the turfy nature of the soil and the mildness of the climate. Ireland was then, and has been from time immemorial, designated the Sacred Island. On his return to Carthage, Himilco deposited a record or journal of his voyage in one of the temples there, written in the Phoenician language, and which Avicnus says he examined in the fourth century. It would appear, from this record, that Ireland was a populous country when Himilco visited it, which was seven or eight hundred years before Britain was known to the Ilomans. It is absurd, therefore, to suppose that it could have been colonized by that island, which centuries afterwards was but slowly peopling itself. And no stronger proof can be adduced that the Irish did not con- sider themselves to be of Gallic extraction either, than that they used the term Gaul to designate a foreigner, while Gael signifies *an Irishman, and (according to the learned antiquarian, Charles O'Connor) should be spelled Gadhel, the dh being quiescent. That there exists a strong resemblance at the present clay in the manners and customs of the people, and even in the features and costume of the women in particular, inhabiting the east coast of Ireland and those of Normandy and Picardy, is unquestionably the fact ; and that some words corrupted from the Irish language in sound and meaning are similar to those of the French ; but then it must be considered that the Anglo-Normans of the pale had settled in that part of Ireland, and were originally from those pro- vinces of France, and therefore these circumstances cannot affect in any degree the origin of the ancient Irish. From their relative positions on the map, it is highly probable, that, while Britain derived its population from the opposite coast of INTEODUCTION. 17 Gaul, Ireland was indebted to Celtic Spain for its aborigines. The general and compulsory migrations of the Celtic tribes from the time of Joshua were towards the west, and there can be no doubt that a portion of these people took refuge on the western coasts of Spain, and that in after times Phoenician colonies established themselves there also as an intermediate point admirably situated to promote that extensive commerce which they then almost exclu- sively enjoyed. The Irish themselves contend that Galicia, on the western coast of Spain, was the quarter from which their progenitors sailed and colonized Ireland. Certainly, relations of affinity and commerce were very early established between the two colonies, and their proximity to each other would lead to such a conclusion. The distance from Port Ortegal on the Spanish, to Cape Clear on the Irish coast, which lie opposite, being north and south of their respective countries, is only one hundred and fifty leagues, two- thirds of which, as far as the island of Ushant, may be seen in clear weather from either side of the land. But no doubt that opinion has reference to the expedition from that coast under Heber and Heremon, sons of Gollamh, surnamed Mile Espaine, or the hero of Spain, from which they derived the name of Milesians, or Clana- Mtle, the posterity of the hero, whose descendants in an uninter- rupted line governed Ireland to the invasion of the Anglo-Normans. As the object of the Milesians, however, was the conquest of the country, and that they found an immense resisting force to oppose them, the inference is, that it had been colonized some centuries previous to that event. And when it is considered that a monarchy existed in Egypt in the fourth, and that Sesostris in the sixth century after the Flood, had acquired the art of equipping vessels capable of performing such distant voyages, it is not at all improbable that Partholanus might have arrived from Greece in the island at the early period insisted on by the Irish historiographers. That great discrepancies in dates have occurred as regards Irish history, as well as that of every other nation, is indisputable ; but that is not surprising, when it has been ascertained, that there have been no less than one hundred and forty learned opinions on the distance of time between the creation of the world and the c 18 INTRODUCTION. birth of our Saviour: some making it only 3,616 years, and others extending it to 6,484, while the chronology in the Bible places it in the 4,004th year after that event. The descendants of Japhet took possession of the European isles as early as the days of Phaleg, who was born one hundred and one years after the Flood, and descended in the fourth generation from Shem, as recorded by Moses, who says, — " By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands ; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations." Now the Grecian were some of the most considerable of the isles of the Gentiles ; and, when navi- gation was so well known two hundred years later, why should not Ireland have then received her first settlers from thence ? In the absence of all data or other information from any authentic source, is it just, is it rational, on mere surmise or conjecture, to treat those authorities as fabulous which describe so minutely and chronolo- gically the first colonization of the island by Partholanus and his posterity, and subsequently by the Nemedians, Belgae, and Danaans, previous to the arrival of the Milesians ? Divested of a portion of that poetical and romantic imagery with which early Irish history is clothed — the Egyptians, the Greeks, or the Romans, do not furnish materials so genuine for their own. It has been already shown that Ireland was known to the Phoenicians at a very remote period indeed, and it must have been also to the Greeks, although they were not so commercially disposed as their neighbours ; as Orpheus of Crotona, who lived in the time of Cyrus the Great, and wrote his poem of the Argonauts five hundred and forty-three years before Christ, and Aristotle, in his Treatise on the World, make mention of it by the name of Jerna. Juvenal, Pomponius Mela, and Solinus, call it Iuverna. Ptolemy, luernia, and Diodorus Siculus, Iris. Gildas Badonicus, who visited Ireland to consult the doctors of philosophy and theology, called it Iren — hence by the words Irenses and Iri are understood the Milesians and Irish. It was called Ierne by Claudian, Strabo, and Stephen of Bizance ; and the Insula-Sacra, or Sacred Island, by Rufus and Festus Avienus. Plutarch calls it Ogygia : it was usual for the poets to give the name of Ogygium to whatever was very ancient. Caesar, Pliny, Tacitus, Orosius, and all the Latin INTRODUCTION. 19 writers call it Hibemia. The etymology of this name is doubtful. Some think it is derived from the Iberians, a people of Spain ; or from Iberus, a river there; or Iberia, the ancient name of Spain. But others derive it from Heber or Heremon, the sons of Miletus. The island was known to the English for six or seven centuries previous to the conquest by the name of Ireland. Keating says, that from its first colonization it was called Inis Alga, or the Noble Island, and Inis Fail from the stone of destiny, Liagh Fail, on which the Milesian monarchs were crowned. It was also known by the name of Eire, Fodla. and Banba, from three queens who married the three Danaan brothers. monarchs of Ireland. The name Eire was. and still is most in use, the inhabitants being even to this day known by the name Eirinachfs, or natives of Eire, in Latin Erigena. Hence John Scot, an Irishman, and a writer of the ninth century, took the name of Scotus Erigena. Camden and the Abbe MacGeohagan, think Eirin is the same as Eire, from which the etymology of the words Ierna, Iuverna, Iris, Hibemia, and Ireland are derived. Ireland has also been called Scotia, and the Irish Scots, which some suppose have been derived from Scota, the relict of Milesius, who accompanied her sons in their invasion of Ireland, and lost her life in the first engagement between them and the Danaans. It is more probable, however, that not only the island, but the lady herself, who is said to have been a daughter of the king of Egypt, took the appellation from Einca-Scuit, derived from her husband's Scythian origin, as it appears that another daughter of the Pharaohs married Xiul, the son of Phoenius, their great ancestor, whose name was Scota also. Some writers suppose the name, from it3 coincidence, is applicable to the present kingdom of Scotland, but nothing can be more inconsistent with fact : even Dr. Macpherson is obliged to admit that the Scotch themselves in the sixth and seventh centuries acknowledged their descent from the Scots of Ireland. Eumenes, Ammianus. and Claudian, represent the Scots as the inhabitants of that country called Ierne. In the fifth age, Paul of Orosius, in his description of Ireland, says it is inhabited by Scots. In the sixth century Giidas, a British author, says, that Britain was ravaged by two savage nations, the Scots who came c 2 20 INTRODUCTION. from the west, and the Picts from the north. In the seventh century Isidorus Hispalensis represents Scotia and Ireland to be the same. Jonas Abbe and Adamnanus, Abbot of Hy, who wrote the life of St. Columba, affirm that he was born in Ireland, and that the island was inhabited by a nation of Scots. Eginhard, secre- tary to Charlemagne, in his annals, brought down to 812, says, that the Norman fleet and army having attacked Ireland, the island of the Scots, a great number of the Normans were slain in battle, and the rest shamefully fled and returned home. This century produced innumerable testimonies of Scotia and Ireland being the same country. According to Fabius Ethelwerdus, and the Anglo-Saxon annals, Alfred the Great, in 891, invited three learned Scots of Ireland to his court for the purpose of diffusing learning in his dominions, at that period in a wretched state of ignorance. Their names were Dufslanus, Macbothus, and Magilmumenus ; the latter of whom, says the writer, was highly versed in literature and the arts, and a celebrated doctor among the Scots. An ancient author of the life of St. Kilian describes Scotia, which is also named Ireland, as an island in the ocean possessing a fertile soil, but still more celebrated for the great saints it has produced : among whom are enumerated St. Columba, possessed by Italy ; St. Gal, by Germany ; and St. Kilian, by whom teutonic France has been rendered illustrious. Humfredus, a Welch writer, says, that the Scotch themselves, and others, well know that the Scots are the offspring of the Irish, and that the Welch call them both by the name of Guidhil or Gadelians. Capgravius writes that the kingdom of Ireland was anciently called Scotland, whence came the Scots who inhabit Albany, which joins a part of the greater Britain, and is now called Scotland. The learned Usher says, that before the Scots and Albanians became one people in the ninth century, no author can be produced who designates Albany by the name of Scotia. And MacGeohagan observes, that when the English commenced calling the Scots of Ireland by the name of Irish, (in Latin Ire or Irenses,) and the island by the name of Ireland, (and both were adopted by the Germans, French, Spaniards, and other continental nations,) — the name Scotland was insensibly appropriated to Albany, which, how- INTRODUCTION. 21 ever, was for sometime called Scotia Minor, to distinguish it from Ireland, or Scotia Major. In addition to this long list of authorities who bear testimony to Ireland being formerly known by name of Scotia, is that of a celebrated Scotch writer, Buchanan, who, in the second volume of his History of Scotland, affirms, M that all the inhabitants of Ireland were originally called Scots — as Orosius testifies, and our annals relate — that the Scots of Ireland removed more than once into Scotland, and were denominated Albanian Scots : and when they called themselves Alhini, their neighbours gave them the name of Scots, which clearly proves their origin from the Hibernians." The first notice taken of religious worship in the island is con- nected with the names of the three Danaan princes who reigned in Ireland when the Milesians arrived there, Eathoir, Teathoir, and Ceathoir, better known as MacCuill, MacCeaght. and MacGreine. The first took his name from worshipping a log of wood : the second from reverencing a plough- share ; and the third from his adoration of the sun. History is silent as to what portion of their subjects embraced those respective rites, or whether these names were not acquired from the circumstance of MacCuill having exten- sively cleared the country of forests for the purpose of agriculture, and appropriated the wood to building purposes ; while MacCeaght introduced the plough-share, an implement of husbandly- so neces- sary for the cultivation of the land so cleared. MacGreine, probably a pious prince, devoted himself more especially to the worship of the sun. from which the name was derived, as that luminary was deified in the island not only then, but in every succeeding age up to the introduction of Christianity. The Milesians even brought with them from the east certain religious rites connected with fire, or sun worship : and a regular succession of Druids or priests, .descended in a right line from Niul, the son of Phcenius, who appointed him high-priest, and they were entrusted with extra- ordinary powers, and held in great veneration by the people. When their ancestors, the Gadelians, under Aghnion, were driven out of Phoenicia by the adherents of Refneoir, Heber, his brother, their high-priest, died in the island of Carenia, and was suc- ceeded in the pontificate by his son Caicer, who being consulted 2'1 INTRODUCTION. respecting their future destiny, after offering up sacrifices, he foretold that the most western island in the world was reserved for the dominion of their posterity, but that some generations would intervene before they got possession of the destined land. At the period of their arrival in Ireland, their chief priest, or arch-bard, as he was subsequently designated, was Amerghen, brother to Heber and Heremon, their leaders. He presided over the respec- tive departments of law, poetry, and philosophy, as well as religion. He was the Brehon of the colony, and the origin of that metrical and chronological legislation which took so prominent a part in public affairs under all the Scotic princes. There is every reason to believe that the primitive Celtic religion was originally patri- archal, and that it afterwards became corrupted by an admixture of pagan superstitions. That it was similar in many particulars to the Jewish is undoubted. A few instances will suffice to demon- strate it. The Celts had a sovereign pontiff, or head of the Druids, to whom that order and the whole nation paid the highest respect. The Jews had the same, and Abraham, in the fourteenth book of Genesis, recognised the principle, by paying tithes to Melchisedech out of the spoil taken from the four kings. The Druids had such extraordinary power and sway, that whoever refused to submit to their decisions, not only in religious, but civil matters, were inter- dicted from assisting in their solemnities, which was considered the most grievous punishment. The Jewish high-priest at the head of the Sanhedrim was the tribunal to which the dernier appeal was made in all causes ; and excommunication was the lot of those who refused to abide their decision. The Druids wore white garments — the Jewish priests did the same. The Druids lived in woods and groves — so did the patriarchs, the sons of the prophets, and the Essenians, a kind of monks among the Jews. The Celts had their female Druids, prophetesses, and aurispices. The Jews had Miriam, Deborah, Huldab, and other prophetesses. The Celts vowed to Mars, or some other heathen deity, a portion of the spoils taken in war — so did Moses, Joshua, and David ordain what portion should be offered to God, to the priests, and to the victors. In public calamities the Druids offered up human victims, on which they threw all the evils that threatened them. The Jews INTRODUCTION". 23 did the same by their scapegoat. The Celts began their day from the evening, the same as the patriarchs and Jews ; and, like them, divided the year into three seasons — spring, summer, (or harvest,) and winter — the autumn was so unknown to both that they had no name for it. These coincidences sufficiently evince whence the Celtic, or ancient religion of Ireland was derived. It came directly from the east, and, before its corruption by idolatry, was the religion taught by Xoah and his sons to their posterity. It was the worship of one God, offered up not in temples, but in groves, which they deemed more acceptable to a deity embracing all nature. ' They honoured liim with victims, observed religious fasts and festivals, and be- lieved in a future state of rewards and punishments. Many of those ancient altars dedicated to this worship are to be seen to the present day in various parts of the island. They are formed of rude unhewn stones, and from the manner in which they are placed, demonstrate to a certainty that they were used for sacrifice, agreeable to the practice of the ancient patriarchs. There is a passage in the book of Exodus which confirms this opinion : " If thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone, for if thou lift thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." These altars, therefore, must be considered substantial proofs of the origin and antiquity of the first inhabitants of Ireland, notwith- standing the scepticism of English and Scotch writers. They were called in the vernacular language Cromlechs, or Cromleachs : according to some antiquaries derived from Crom, God, and leac, a flat stone ; and by others from the Punic Crom, which means bowing the body reverentially, and leacht, the bed of death. These altars are also to be found in France and Britain, where they retain the same name, a proof that Ireland was the fountain of Druidic worship, which, like learning, flowed from thence into both countries. The stones of which these altars are composed, are in most instances of such weight and magnitude, that it is incredible to suppose that they had been placed in their present position by the hands of man ; and the machines by which they were moved from their mountain beds, like the lever and burning glasses of Archimedes, are unknown to modern times. Near these are 24 INTRODUCTION. generally found other stones from six to nine feet high, and about ten feet in circumference, which are supposed, like those mentioned in Scripture, to have been erected in memory of some great event, or used as places of private worship. There are also heaps of coped stones irregularly placed, some small and others large ; the former it is presumed are placed over the graves of ordinary men, and the latter over some great lawgiver or commander. These were called Cairns, and appear to have been formed by the hands of man at a very early period. It was the custom of all nations and ages that honoured their dead, to heap stones together to perpetuate the place of their interment. It is an extraordinary coincidence, that in more modern times, when sepulture in consecrated ground was denied the self-murderer, and those who had been excommunicated, and were buried on the highway, or where murder had been committed, — in many parts of the country, even to this day, persons passing by invariably deposit a stone to mark the spot, and in many instances they amount to a considerable heap. Although the Celtic religion in some particulars so essentially resembled the patriarchal, still it differed materially from it in other respects, the consequence of that longing after idolatry which the Jews themselves had so early and so often indulged in, notwith- standing the chastisement that God invariably inflicted on them for the offence. But the Celts and other heathens who had not this salutary check to restrain their mythological aspirations, and who exercised to the full extent their idolatrous propensities, in course of time introduced such innovations as rendered their religion a compound of patriarchal worship and ethnic superstition and idolatry. They adored the sun, moon, and stars. The sun was more generally worshiped by the name of Bel, but sometimes by its Celtic appellation, Grian. The moon was deified by the name of Samhuin on every first of November. The Druids had also their mountain and river gods, and deities that presided over the hills and the valleys. They belived in the transmigration of souls, and consequently in the immortality of spiritual essences. The Milesians unquestionably brought with them into the island a religion which had its origin in the east, but as Druidism was first planted in the west, it could not have been introduced by INTRODUCTION. 25 them. It is, therefore, more probable that it was connected with sun or fire worship, which even to the present day has numerous votaries in Asiatic climes. This would elucidate in some degree the long disputed point as to the origin of the Round Towers of Ireland, and the uses to which they had been appropriated. It has been supposed by many, that they are religious temples of great antiquity, or monuments erected over departed royalty, or some benefactor of the human race ; by some, that they are of Danish construction, and used by these marauders as watch-towers : while others contend that they were used as church-belfries, and occa- sionally places of retreat, and safes for the sacred utensils of the altar, and had their origin after the introduction of Christianity into the island. Of the latter opinion was Mr. George Petrie, R.H.A., V.P., R.A., who wrote a work a few years ago on eccle- siastical architecture, comprising an essay on " The Origin and Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland," which, strange to say, was rewarded with the gold medal and prize of the Royal Irish Academy. Notwithstanding, his arguments and conjectures were most fallacious, and he failed most signally to substantiate their Christian origin. " The Round Towers," he says, " are only to be found in the vicinity of churches ; they are of the same architecture as the elder ecclesiastical architecture of the country ; the door- ways are in most cases arched, and frequently ornamented with religious and Christian emblems, such as the cross, the representa- tion of the crucifixion, &c." He also preposterously assumes that he found the items of the expense of building one. The arch, which Mr. Petrie takes for granted as a proof of their being of Christian origin, and the cross, as emblematical thereof, were known in architecture more than a thousand years before the Christian era. Traces, no doubt, of the Christian religion having been celebrated in many of these places may still be visible, as the first missionaries almost invariably consecrated the pagan places of worship to the service of God. This they no doubt found agreeable to their new con- verts, who from long habit had become attached to their localities. Sites, probably, could not be found more suitable or convenient to the surrounding population for the erection of Christian churches than these afforded, and this accounts for the Round Towers being 26 INTRODUCTION. found either connected with them, or in their immediate neigh- bourhood. In no other country in Europe are towers of this description found, either as appendages to churches or otherwise, with the exception of two in Scotland and one in the Isle of Man. The former were, no doubt, erected by the first Irish colony that settled in Albany, and the latter had its origin from the same source, the Isle of Man being occasionally a place of refuge for the Irish even as early as the time of the Belgae. But although Europe furnishes no instances of the kind, towers identically similar have been discovered by Lord Valentia, at Bhaugalpore, in the East Indies ; and what is still more conclusive of their pagan origin, he found strangers to the place coming from some distance to worship at them. In the Himalaya and Persia, specimens of them have been also found. That the Irish Round Towers were not erected by the Danes, or connected in any way with their numerous descents on the island, is demonstrative from the fact, that in the county of Wexford, which might be called for a considerable time a Danish settlement, no traces of them are to be seen, no more than in England or Normandy, where they had also settled, or even in Scandinavia itself. It is, therefore, only rational to conclude that these towers are of very ancient date, and that they were originally appropriated to sun or fire worship, which at one time unques- tionably existed in the country. Not long since they amounted to upwards of one hundred, but are now reduced to about thirty. While on this subject it may not be amiss to notice the gross error into which many English historians have fallen, who insist that at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion, and it is to be inferred previous thereto, that there were no stone buildings in Ireland, and that the natives were ignorant of the art of erecting them. These writers take for their text Sir William Petty's " Political Anatomy of Ireland," a work replete with prejudice and falsehood as regards the people and antiquities of Ireland. But it was well suited to the disposition of a man then employed in confirming and parti- cipating in the spoliation that had been perpetrated against the posterity of those ancient inhabitants, whose memory he had so grossly libelled. It is true that at that period Ireland had no INTRODUCTION. 27 dwelling-houses built of stone, and it is equally true that there were none in England up to the reign of Henry VII., castles and religious houses being the only stone buildings then in it. But Sir William Petty could not be ignorant that although the Irish had no castles, extensive churches and monasteries built of stone existed in the country from a very remote period, and no better proof can be adduced that a knowledge of architecture and stone masonry prevailed, not only long before the English, but also the Danish incursions, than that those beautiful models of the art, the Round Towers, then existed and do exist. Sir William could not claim them as being of Xorman or English origin, they being unquestionably introduced by the Milesians or Phoenicians, and connected with sun or fire worship by these colonists. The dwelling-houses in England previous to the fifteenth century were composed of wood, and finished with lath and plaster ; the Irish only differed in using wattles or hurdles, which were preferable to the laths in retaining the plaster : and it is yet a matter of doubt that dwelling-houses so composed are not more comfortable and convenient in many respects than those built of stone. The ruins of many of the ancient Irish churches built of stone are still to be seen, and the composition is so superior, that it has stood the test of ages, and has not been excelled by the best modern specimens. It has been already observed, that the 1st of November was dedicated to Samhuin, or the moon; and it is an extraordinary coincidence, in keeping with the consecration of the pagan places of worship, that the Catholic church has one of its greatest festivals, the feast of All Saints, on the same day. It was usual on the eve to light the great fire of Samhuin, and give it out by the Samnothci, or priests, to kindle the domestic fires which had been previously extinguished. For this fire the head of each family paid an annual tax. The great temple of Samhuin was Tlacta, in Meath. The same rites were observed on the eve of May, the first of that month being dedicated to Bel, or the sun. The culinary fires were all extinguished, and rekindled from the great fire kept burning in the temple of Uisneach. St. Patrick, about two years after his arrival in Ireland, and at the time when the great council of the nation '2H INTRODUCTION. was assembled at Tara, proceeded there also. On the eve of the festival, and previous to the fire of Uisneach appearing, he kindled a large fire convenient to the temple, which was deemed a crime of the greatest magnitude, and for which the Druids impeached him before Loghaire, the reigning monarch. But the saint, fired with holy zeal to accomplish his divine mission, and at the hazard of his life, preached the doctrine of Christ, and proved the fallacy of that religious superstition by which the Druids had so long imposed on mankind. But although the ancient Irish worshipped Bel, and Samhuin, their great deity was Crom or Cruim. It is doubtful, however, whether he was not Bel, under another name, or the Supreme Being ; for it does not follow that their adoration of the sun, moon, and stars, prevented their believing in the existence of a superior deity. It is probable, from the name, that the Druids worshipped thunder ; as Crum is the most ancient Irish for it. He was called Crom-Cruadh, or Cean-Croithi, head of all the gods ; as Jupiter in the heathen mythology was called king of gods, and also the Thunderer. The most ancient name in the Irish language for a priest is Cruinthear, or the servant of Crom. The Moat or Rath is even more general in Ireland than the Cromleach or Cairn ; in some districts they are very numerous indeed, and are frequently called by the natives Danish forths, meaning, no doubt, forts. They are mounds of earth of circular form, and of all sizes ; but whether they were originally appro- priated to religion or war, it is now difficult to determine. The name, and the ravines and passes by which they were guarded, and are still discernible in some of the most perfect of them, would induce to the latter opinion ; while on the other hand, some of them being found in conjunction with the Cairn, the Round Tower, and the Christian church, would indicate that they were originally de- dicated to pagan worship, and, from their construction, most likely to the sun or moon. In after times, when Christianity was established, the Danes, in their incursions, may have fortified or encamped them- selves on these mounds, which were well calculated for the purpose ; and from this circumstance have derived the name of Danish forts, which they still bear. The Military Rath was a place of great strength, fortified INTRODUCTION. 29 with some art, and must have cost considerable labour in the erection. There is a model of one of these (the Staig fort in Kerry) to be seen at the Institution of the Dublin Society. Ano- ther, and the most important, is called the Grianan of Aileach ; it is situated on the summit of a mountain eight hundred feet high, on the eastern shore of Lough Swilly. It is described in a memoir of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland thus : — " There is a gradual ascent of about a mile from the base to the apex, which is circular and precipitate, and commands an extensive and imposing view. The summit is approached by a road formed between two ledges of rock, and defining in its course three concentric ramparts, crowned by the cashel or keep, which forms an area of 77 \ feet in diameter, enclosed by a circular stone wall sloping inwards, which is from 1 1 to 13 feet in breadth, and about 6 feet high, but conjectured to have been, in its original state, twice or thrice that height. The remains of a well-formed gateway, and the lintels of doorways, though displaced, are to be seen in front. In the inner face of the keep two hollow galleries have been formed in the thick wall, about five feet high, covered with flat stone uncemented, and are entered from the area.. In one of these is a recess with a seat ; to reach these doors you pass on the inside face of the wall two nights of steps which lead to a terrace. This building is of uncemented stone, similar to that found in other cashels or fortress-keeps, and affords satisfactory proof that the stones, which average two feet in length, had been regularly squared with the hammer, though not chiselled. The Rath Caves which have been discovered in various parts of the country, particularly those at New Grange, in the neigh- bourhood of Drogheda, by Mr. Campbell, and at Garranes, about nine miles from Cork, by Mr. Crofton Croker, are highly interesting. At the entrance of the former, the gallery is 3 feet wide and 2 feet high, a few yards from thence it is only 2 feet 2 inches wide : its length from the mouth to the entrance of the dome is 62 feet, and from thence to the upper part 1 1 feet 6 inches ; the whole length being 71 J feet. The dome within the long gallery is in the exact form of a cross, the space between the arms being 20 feet : it forms an octagon 20 feet high, with an area of about 17 feet. It 30 INTRODUCTION. is composed of long flat stones, closed in and capped with a flat flag. There are two oval rock basins, one in each arm of the cross. On entering the dome, not far from the centre, was a pillar, on each side of which was found a human skeleton. In the recesses were three hollow stone basins, 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The Garranes Caves are situated within a circular entrenchment, the diameter of which is 120 feet. On the south side appeared a circular pit 7 feet in depth and b\ feet in diameter. From this pit two holes, resem- bling the entrances to fox-earths, descended at an angle of about 20 degrees into chambers of a depressed bee-hive-like shape, which respectively led to a chamber 7 to 8 feet in diameter,* without any masonry ; from each of these a like communication led to a third and a fourth chamber. Here the passage into a fifth was blocked up with large stones, the difficulty of removing which terminated the exploration. The information obtained on this occasion tends to show that, numerous as the discoveries of these subterraneous cham- bers have been, there are, in all probability, a still greater number unexplored. Within a circle of five miles round Garranes, there are no less than fourteen similar entrenchments to be seen. Mr. Croker supposes the rath or fort to have been thrown up by the native Irish round their wig-wam settlements, to protect them from the sudden attack of an enemy, or the incursions of wolves, and that the subterraneous caves or chambers were formed for granaries, or secure depositaries in time of danger for their rude property. But this is mere conjecture, and inconsistent with probability. No doubt the caves were used as places of refuge in the exterminating progress of Cromwell in Ireland, and during the operation of the merciless penal code. But not only these caves, but also what is called the Military Rath, as well as the Danes Fort and Round Tower, were all originally connected with sun worship. The name of the rath at Lough Swilly, already described, would indicate this, notwithstanding Mr. Petrie's chapter on Antiquities in the Ord- nance Memoir to the contrary, who interprets Grianan as synoni- mous with Duna, fortress or palace, and calls Grianan Aileach a royal palace ; but its more correct translation is Grianan, the sun, and Aileach, a stone building — Grianan Aileach would therefore be, the Stone Temple of the Sun : and caves similar to that at INTRODUCTION. 31 New Grange have been discovered in Hindostan, which, no doubt, as well as the Round Towers, were connected with sun or fire worship. Such was the religion of the ancient Irish, and such the places where its worship was celebrated previous to the arrival of St. Patrick. Antecedent to the arrival of the Milesians in the country, its annals present few or no traces of legislative government. After clearing the country of woods and morasses, and appropriating the land to cultivation, their next care was to form a wise and perma- nent legislation. For that purpose they divided the people into different classes, so that the sept or family should know the station they were to fill. The remains of the Firbolgs and other ancient inhabitants being confined to Connaught, the rest of the kingdom was in possession of the followers of Milesius, and governed by his sons and their posterity only. To each of these was assigned his particular district or principality ; and to prevent those wars which princes on an equality might be drawn into, a supreme monarch was chosen from the royal line, to whom, and to the great council composed of the various orders of the nation, assembled every third year at Tara, and more frequently, if necessary, all differences and appeals from the provincial councils were submitted. If any prince proved contumacious, he was first admonished, then interdicted, and, if necessary, compelled to submit to its decrees. Next in degree to the monarch and the provincial kings ranked the literati, among whom the Druids originally held the first place, as well on account of their high birth as the veneration in which they were held by the people. After the reception of Christianity, the archbishops and bishops succeeded them in their elevated station. The nobility and military knights formed the third order. The fourth were the Beatachs, whose duty was to keep open houses for strangers and the poor. Some historians say, that the Betagh was a sort of slav e -villein ; notwithstanding, it is notorious, that considerable tracts of land had been granted to the Beatachs, to support with proper munificence their station, and that even to the present day, the names of these lands, and many villages, declare their original appropriation. The inferior military officers held the fifth place ; and private soldiers, artizans and husbandmen the sixth. Sump- 32 INTRODUCTION. tuary laws were also passed, by which the dress and number of colours in their garments denoted the rank and station of the wearer. Some historians, however, place the number of colours worn by the monarchs arid princes of the blood, and the literati, as similar, while others give the former seven and the latter six. Both wore a birede or honorary cap on the head, and a gold ring on the finger. The third order wore five colours, with a chain round the neck, and a breast-plate, both of pure gold. The Beatachs were allowed four ; captains or commanders of battalions three ; inferior military officers two ; and soldiers and plebeians one colour. These ordinances afford another proof of the eastern origin of the Milesians, from the close affinity they bear to those observed by the patriarchs and kings of Israel, whose sons and daughters were distinguished by their garments of many colours. Gjemshead, one of the most learned of the ancient Persians, directed that the people should be divided into classes and distinguished by appropriate dresses. And from those party-coloured garments formerly worn by the Irish, is derived the national costume of the plaid, retained by their descendants, the Scotch, to which they are so much attached to this day. As posts of honour and profit were hereditary in septs and families, purity of blood of course became a national object; and as the monarch and provincial kings could only be elected from the royal line of Milesius, great care was taken to record their ge- nealogy and descent. Every candidate for the imperial or provincial sovereignties was obliged to give proof of his purity of blood ; of his having been knighted according to the peculiar usage observed towards princes of Milesian descent ; and that he had no remarkable deformity, so that his person might command respect, as well as his birth and accomplishments. The qualification of being knighted was so indispensable, that even the election of a candidate to the sovereignty who did not possess it was declared void. And there are some remarkable instances where personal deformity, such as loss of sight, disqualified the reigning monarch from longer ruling over the nation. Although the monarchy was elective, and seldom went in lineal descent, yet, from the conquest of the country by the sons of Mi- lesius to the coming of St. Patrick, comprising a space of about INTRODUCTION. 33 1500 years, and from thence to the Anglo-Norman invasion, being 640 more — none filled the throne of Ireland who did not derive their pedigree from the three sons of Milesius, except three mon- aichs of the line of Ith, uncle to these princes, and the short usurpation of Cairbre Cincait, in the first century : a circumstance which has no parallel in the history of any other nation, and shows how well instructed the people must have been as to the consti- tution, and their reverence for the laws under which they lived ; so much so, that it extorted the praise and admiration even of Elizabeth's attorney-general, Sir John Davis, with all his prejudice against everything Irish, and subsequently of that great law autho- rity, Lord Coke. To prevent, however, as much as possible, the inconvenience that might arise from a number of candidates con- tending for the monarchy, the successor to the sovereign was appointed previous to the demise of the Crown, who was called High Damna. The most celebrated of the Ollamhs and Doctors had also their Adhbhars, or successors, declared in the same man- ner. And those who held places of honour or trust, had their Tanaiste appointed to succeed them in office. The provincial kings were in miniature what the monarch was at large. Each had his order of knighthood, of which he was the chief ; his Ard-droithe, or high priest, to superintend religion ; his Brehon, or chief judge, to expound the laws ; physicians, antiquarians, treasurer, marshal, generals of horse and foot, standard-bearer, &c. : all hereditary honours in families, and to which the most distinguished in each were elected ; and these customs continued in some until very recently. When the monarch or provincial king was nominated, and before his title was acknowledged by the people, it was usual for the chief Brehon to declare the legality of his pretensions. The chief Senachie of the kingdom or province then stepped forth, and after making his obeisance to the prince, recited aloud his pedigree throughout all its various stages up to Gollamh or Milesius, when the agharm riogh, or royal shout, proclaimed him the elected of the people. This accounts for the ancestry of the Irish princes in the annals of the country being traced back, which, although tedious, and apparently fulsome, shows the precision and care observed by D 34 INTRODUCTION. their antiquarians in the discharge of the high trust reposed in them. The same principle was adopted by their descendants, the kings of Scotland. At the crowning of Alexander II. in 1249, Major relates, that a venerable old man stepped forth, and bending his knee to the prince, addressed him in the Irish language to this effect : " God preserve you, O King of Albany, Alexander, the son of Alexander, the son of William, &c, &c." And this ceremony, MacKenzie says, was observed at the coronation of Charles I. To the Senachies, or literati, were entrusted the charge of pre- serving the genealogies of the Milesian race ; and to secure them from the temptation of abusing so important an office, ample provi- sion was made for them by the state. Their rank, it was supposed, placed them beyond corruption ; and the laws rendered their persons and property inviolable. They had also other important duties to perform, which tended to promote the love of justice and virtue, and check immorality and vice. They were expected to watch carefully over the actions and j^assions of their princes and other great men ; and not only after their decease, as virtue or vice predominated, to transmit their memories to posterity with honour or infamy, but also while living to applaud their merits, or publicly upbraid them with their intemperance or folly. This had a most salutary effect, for in no country did a love of letters, nobility of sentiment, or generous hospitality more universally prevail. They also cultivated various and distinct branches of science, and were poets and historiographers, as well as genealogists. They were greatly reverenced by the people ; indeed, it is not recorded of any body of men, possessed of such immense powers for such a length of time, that have abused them less. The Irish people appear to have been much attached to many of their ancient institutions and customs, notwithstanding the hereditary principle that placed cer- tain professions and offices exclusively in the hands of particular families, and which will not stand the test of reason, and must be rejected as inconsistent with the enlightenment of the human mind, or the aspirations of genius. Hereditary legislators, judges, doc- tors, &c, are perfect absurdities. And although, under the Milesian Code, the most distinguished and fitting members of each family IXIEODUCTIO". 3-5 were appointed to fill those various offices and professions ; and that the law did not absolutely prevent men from embracing others different from those of their progenitors, of which there have been many instances on record : and also, that personal property always descended lineally — still the practice was most objectionable, re- straining not only that fair competition for honorary distinction, but also neutralizing the spirit of improvement in every branch of art, science, and industry, and must have led to many of those evil consequences which in Irish history is so much to be deplored. The Brehons, or judges, to whom the administration of the law was confided, were chosen, as has been already shown, from particular families. They sat in stone chairs, and dispensed justice in the open air. Their decisions in general were tinctured with a degree of mildness, by inflicting fines for crimes that should have been punished more rigorously. There appears, however, to have been an indisposition to sacrifice human life even under conviction for any offence — a feeling that every day gains ground in modern times, and which appears to great advantage when compared with the sanguinary and ferocious code that had so long disgraced the English tribunals, and which superseded these Brehon laws : laws which were repected and obeyed with alacrity by the people — very different, indeed, to the estimation in which the Anglo-Xorman invaders and their descendants held their own, which were violated by them with impunity ; and in some instances the lives of the judges dispensing them were not secure from the vengeance of these ireful chiefs, should their decisions run counter to their in- terests or designs. With all the logic, subtlety, and legal learning infused into our law and equity institutions, it 13 very doubtful, notwithstanding the immense expense it costs a suitor, whether their decrees are more just or satisfactory than the decisions of these ancient Brehons, who relied on facts, and rudely adhered to truth. The literati, including the Druids, who used the sacred character, which, previous to the introduction of Christianity, it was penal in others to study, the Brehons or judges, the physicians and surgeons, the bards, crotaries or harpers, had all a language pecu- liar to their different professions. In the few remains left of these different sciences, the technical terms are radical Irish ; a strong d 2 36 INTRODUCTION. proof that they borrowed but little from, whatever they may have lent to, other nations. By these means the language became refined and highly expressive, and is now generally admitted to be the most pure and original of any in Europe ; although it has been attempted by Bollandus, who wrote in ignorance of the subject, to prove that Ireland was destitute of the use of letters previous to the arrival of St. Patrick, who, being versed in Roman literature, was the first to introduce the abjectoria, or Roman alphabet, in which the Saint naturally instructed his converts, to enable them to read the Holy Scriptures, then written in the Latin tongue, as well as to perform the service of the mass, which even to this day is celebrated in all countries, and by all nations, in that language ; and from which circumstance the religion taught by him and the other Romish missionaries, was called Catholic or universal. The writers who inadvertantly led Bollandus into error, Colgan and Ware, admit — the former that St. Patrick gave Fiech, one of his disciples, the Roman alphabet, written with his own hand, who previous thereto had been sent into Connaught by Dubtach, the chief Druid, to present some poems in the Scottish language to the princes of that province ; and the latter, that Benignus, another disciple, and his successor in the see of Armagh, wrote a work, partly in Latin and partly in Irish, on the virtues of St. Patrick, and the miracles performed by him. That the Gaelic or Scotic language was known in Ireland for many centuries previous to the coming of St. Patrick cannot admit of a doubt, as the evidence is incontestible, that the Scots had the use of letters from the time of their arrival in the island ; and as they claimed their descent from Phcenius, the founder of letters, they made the study and purity of language a prominent feature in the education of their youth. By this means, and their remoteness from the Continent, and sccu- curity from foreign subjection, the language through ages was preserved from corruption. The Irish has all the features and characteristics of an original or mother tongue : its alphabet, or Beth-Lais-Nion, differing not only in the figure and shape, but also in the order or disposition of its letters from all the other alphabets of European languages. It consists of eighteen letters, (13 conso- nants and five vowels) ; it commences with the consonants, which INTRODUCTION. 37 follow each other, and are succeeded by the vowels in the same order. But this is not the only difference that exists in their ar- rangement : some of the consonants which are placed at the beginning of the Irish are found towards the end of the Greek, Latin, and English alphabets. The most ancient of the Irish alphabets was called Baboloth. derived, according to some writers, from certain masters who formed the Japhetian language. This, however, was materially changed by the Druids, who, from their association with woods and forests, gave all the letters the names of trees, with the exception of two, whose derivations are not known. Such was the reverence in which they held the oak, that Pliny says m they esteemed it a tree especially chosen by the Deity," and that the misletoe was a sovereign remedy for all disorders. It was cut with a golden sickle by the high priest dressed in white, at the proper season, at which ceremony all the Druids assembled. Their very name in the Irish language is derived from " duir,'* an oak, from which they were always called Draithe ; and that they there- fore should name their letters from trees is not surprising. These coincidences, however, not only show the antiquity and originality of the alphabet they invented, but that Druidism itself had its origin in Ireland. Xor were the laws administered by the Brehons merely tradi- tional or oral ; written codes in the Irish language were compiled from time to time by men learned in the jurisprudence of the ancients. Among those of remote antiquity was S e anus-Modain Mac Failbain, a Brehon in the time of Con, of the Hundred Battles, who made a compilation of the laws called Meillbreatha. Fithil, of Teamor, in the reign of Cormac Ulfada, wrote a treatise on them called Fiondfuith-Forchern ; and Xeid-mac-Aidna. in conjunction with Aitherne. chief bard to Concovar, king of Ulster, who reigned a short time before the Christian era, wrote those famous axioms of the law, the Breatha Ximvhe, or Celestial Judgments. The mo- narch Fearadach and his chief-justice Moran, renowned for their equity, wrote commentaries on the laws. These, and many other productions on the laws were compiled and digested into one body in the eighth century, by the three brothers. Faranan, Boethgal, and Moeltul. This code was called Brathaneimhadh, or Divine 38 INTRODUCTION. Judgments : they teach the various duties of the ruler, the church- man, the mechanic, and husbandman. Gratianus Lucius says, that he had seen many large volumes of Irish laws, written on parch- ment. Between the lines, which were at some distance from each other, there were words written in a small character, to explain whatever might appear obscure in the text, with marginal notes, as in books of the Canon and Civil Law. These, and many other works on the Brehon laws, were depo- sited in the universities and monasteries, and were committed to the flames by the illiterate and barbarous Danes. If any escaped their ravages, they were destroyed by the Anglo-Normans, who were quite as intent on depriving the native Irish of all records of their ancient fame and learning as their barbarous predecessors. And it may in truth be said, not like the foul charge brought against the monks of suppressing ancient literature — that the English finished what the Danes began. Music was cultivated almost to a degree of extravagance by the ancient Irish. The harp was at all times an instrument in such general use and estimation with them that it became a national emblem. It was customary in every house of any note to keep a harp for the use of the family, or for strange musicians who might visit them. It was called in Irish " Clarsech." They also played on the tiompan, crotalin, and chrotal, a kind of bell instrument applicable to church music, and the cruith, probably the same as the Welsh crwth. They had also a great variety of wind instru- ments. Poetry and music were deemed of Divine origin, and ignorance of them incapaciated a man from filling any important office in the state. Their national history, their legislative decrees, and all their systems, — metaphysical, philosophical, and theolo- gical, — were conveyed in poetry, and harmonised to song, which formed the chief diversion of their entertainments and festivities. They were sung by the bards and crotaries with instrumental accompaniments, and were well adapted to fire the soul to noble and heroic achievements. The Scotic poetry was harmonious in cadence and measure : it was of three kinds, the martial, the sorrowful, and the reposing : the first displayed the glory of true valour, and celebrated the INTRODUCTION. 39 victorious deeds of the hero, and the wisdom of the legislator; this contributed to instil courage and excite in the audience feelings of heroic pride and emulation. It occasionally diverged to the comic or hilarious strain, in which no people could indulge with lighter hearts or more cheerful dispositions. The sorrowful, sung of departed heroes who were bewailed, and the soul was affected with inconceivable distress, in the midst of which consolation was administered,— rage or revenge were seldom excited, tender feelings having more generally the preponderance. No custom could con- tribute more effectually to harmonize the manners of a secluded and martial people. The reposing portion generally closed their festal and convivial entertainments : it was a species of soft music, to which were sung the loves of their heroes, and the virtues of their heroines. These customs were invariably adhered to during the existence of the monarchy, but underwent some alterations as the nation de- clined. They remained, however, in considerable force to the end of Elizabeth's reign. Spenser, who had then some of the poems translated, had to admit that they " savoured of sweet wit and good invention, but skilled not of the goodly ornaments of poetry ; yet were they sprinkled with some pretty flowers of their natural device, which gave good grace and comeliness unto them." His description of the Irish bards, when he says, " they seldom choose unto themselves the doings of good men for the arguments of their poems," must be viewed with great suspicion, coming from a source so interested and hostile to Irish independence. The author of the " Faerie Queene" was himself an undertaker, and engaged in despoiling the people of their lands and other property; a pursuit no doubt unpopular with the native bards, who praised and glorified those who evinced most courage in resisting those in- truders : he consequently calls these men, for not tamely submitting to be plundered, " licentious of life, bold and lawless in their doings, dangerous and desperate in disobedience and rebellious daring." Instead of contumely, the bards deserve to be honoured for their national and spirited conduct, a disposition that they con- tinued to persevere in, until the power and importance of the old Irish families were totally extinguished. Manuscripts which are 40 I^TEODTJCTION. still extant, pass high encomiums on the bards and crotaries who conducted the festal solemnities of the ancient Irish. Atharne of Ben-Hedar, son of Concovar Mac Nessa, king of Ulster, was cele- brated for his poetical effusions; and his cotemporary, Craptine, favourite bard to Cormac Colangais, was justly esteemed for his great proficiency in music, both vocal and instrumental. These favourites of the muses flourished about fifty years before the Christian era. Princes who had musical talents were greatly revered in their own time, and their memories celebrated in after ages. Those who were less efficient in the science, were always attended, whether at court or in the camp, by their fileas, bards or crotaries, which tended both to their instruction and amusement. The renowned monarch, Brian Boru, was one of those princes skilled in music, and the harp he used is preserved in Trinity College, Dublin. Even in their hunting excursions — a kind of military discipline — music and verse were inseparable. In hunting they used wind instruments called the stuic, and Adharcaidh Ciuil, as well as in war. These hunting matches, in some seasons, continued several months : at night they encamped in the woods, in tents covered with the skins of the wild animals they had hunted down. On these occasions they exercised themselves in military dances, under the instruction of a master called Cu-rinky, or dancing hero, who, with great ability and expertness, directed their military evolutions to the sound of music. Mr. Beauford has ingeniously illustrated this branch of national science in his Treatise on the Music of Ireland, as cultivated by its Bards. " The clarsech or harp, the principal musical instrument of the Hibernian bards, docs not appear to be of Irish origin, or indigenous to any of the British islands. The Britons undoubtedly were not acquainted with it in the time of the Romans, as on all their coins on which musical instruments are represented, we only sec the Boman lyra, and not the British tcylen or harp. Neither can the Welsh trace their bards or music higher than the time of Cadwallador, who died in 688. Both the Greek and Romans were unacquainted with it, as it is not found on their coins or sculptures until towards the decline of the empire of the latter. The Greeks have it not. The musical instruments of the modern Greeks INTRODUCTION. 41 consist of the ancient lyre, which they play with their fingers and a bow : they have also the guitar, but no harp. The harp, in old Irish, Oirpeam, is certainly of Teutonic or Scythic origin ; for Venantius Fortunatus, speaking of the several European musical instruments in the sixth century, ascribes the lyra to the Romans ; the achilliaca to the Greeks ; the crotta to the Britons ; and the harp to the Germans. And the author of the life of St. Dunstan, in the tenth century, says, that the cythara of this saint was called in their native tongue hearpe. The Irish bards, on receiving the Gothic or Scythic harp, or, as they denominated it in their native tongue, oirpeam, would naturally consider of the most proper means of adapting it to their vocal music, and render it capable of supporting the voice and performing their symphonic airs, for which in subsequent periods they became so celebrated. This they effected by filling up the intervals of the fifths and thirds in each scale, by which, and the assistance of their church music, they were enabled to complete their scale, and increase the number of strings from eighteen to twenty-eight, in which the original chromatic tones were retained, and the whole formed on the oral improved system. Under these improvements, though the instrument had increased in the number of its strings, it was somewhat reduced in capacity ; for instead of beginning in the lower E in the bass, it commenced in C, a sixth above, and terminated in G in the octave below ; and, in consequence, became much more melodious, and capable of accompanying the voice. These improvements were probably further enlarged on the intro- duction of the Latin church music by Malachy O'Morgair, Arch- bishop of Armagh, about the year 1134 : from which period the Irish poetry and music are said to have separated, and vocal and instrumental music became distinct. The bardic harp, derived from the Gothic, was a large instrument with deep bass tones, generally used in concerts or large companies, and distinguished by the name of cream crutin or creamtin, cruit, that is, the noisy or festive harp. This, from twenty-eight strings, was, in the later ages, augmented to thirty-three, beginning in C in the tenor, and extending to D in alto, which seems to be the last improvement of the Irish harp, and in which state it still remains. A harp of this kind, five feet high, 42 INTRODUCTION. was made in 1 726. In respect to the technical terms of the com- ponent parts of the harp in the Irish language, the wooden frame was denominated clair, or the board ; the strings, tead or teadach ; the arm or head, in which the pins were placed, cionar ; the front or stay, orfead ; and the pins on which the strings were tuned, urnaidhem ceangal. Under these relative denominations the Irish gave their harp various names : as, from its sounding-board, clairsech, or musical-board ; from its strings, teadhloin, whence the Welsh teylin ; from its arm, cionar, and from the trembling of the strings, cruit : among which derivatives, the original name oirpeam, from the Gothic hearpe, was nearly lost. During the middle ages the harp appears to have been an universal instru- ment among the inhabitants of this isle ; in consequence, their musicians became expert performers and superior in instrumental to their brethren in Britain ; and in a great measure merited the high character given them by Cambrensis, who observes, that 1 the attention of these people to musical instruments is worthy of praise ; in which their skill is beyond comparison — superior to any other nation ; for in these the modulation is not slow and solemn, as in the instruments of Britain, but the sounds are rapid and precipitate, yet sweet and pleasing. It is extraordinary in such rapidity of the fingers, how the musical proportions arc preserved, and the art every where unhurt, among their complicated modula- tions and the multitude of intricate notes, so sweetly swift, so irregular in their composition, so disorderly in their concords, yet returning to unison, and completing the melody. Whether the chords of the diatesseron or diapente be struck together, they always begin in dulce, and end in the same, that all may be perfect in completing the delightful sonorous melody. They commence and quit their modulations with so much subtlety, and the tinkling of the small strings sport with such freedom under the deep notes of the bass ; delight with so much delicacy, and sooth so softly, that the excellency of their art lies in con- cealing it.' This eminence of the Irish harpers is not ex- aggerated, nor is it a compliment paid to the nation, as some have imagined. Cambrensis was one of the most accomplished scholars of his time, and perfectly understood both the theory and practice INTRODUCTION. 43 of music at that period cultivated in Briton, where the English minstrels and Welsh bards principally applied their instruments in supporting the voice in plain song, and were in a great measure unacquainted with symphonic airs, to which, indeed, their lan- guages were little adapted ; on the contrary, the varied cadence of the Irish tongue, and the brilliant symphonies which naturally arose from it, must have greatly delighted and astonished an ear unaccustomed thereto. Besides, it was not in the full choir or crowded theatre that the Irish musicians were trained in practice ; but in the lonely desert, the deep valley, and the rugged mountain, where, familiar with the sighing gale, softening echo, and pealing thunder, they became acquainted with those natural graces which give so much elegance to modern music ; and the forte, piano, termente, &c, constantly adorned their melodious performances. In accompanying the vocal music with the harp, they sometimes imitated the modulations of the voice, then quitting it, the bass notes only sounded ; again, whilst the voice moved slowly and gravely along, the treble strings delightfully tinkled above, as it were re-echoing the song from the surrounding objects. They seem in every part of their performances to have studied nature, and to have paid little regard to art, thereby forming a style strong and expressive, but wild and irregular. This wildness, however, though destitute of the truth of composition, was not so of the power of producing pleasing and extraordinary effects on the minds of the hearers." The most extraordinary part of this extract is the tribute of admiration paid to Irish music by Geraldus Cambrensis, a Welsh priest, afterwards Bishop of St. David's, a relation of Maurice Fitz- gerald, one of the leaders in the first Anglo-Norman invasion, and the avowed enemy of the Irish nation. He little reflected that a people so instructed in a science calculated to harmonize the soul, could possibly be the barbarians he represented them otherwise to be. Some modern authors contend, that previous to and at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion " the Irish ranked as a military peo- ple behind the rest of Europe, that their arms were few, and their defences simple, and that they had no chivalry." It is true, that the sword and spear were their principal arms, and that they were • 44 INTRODUCTION". not cased in mail to protect themselves from the attack of an enemy. They may probably have considered it cowardice to have had re- course to such a defence, or that the weight of armour was likely to impede the free exercise of those military evolutions to which they were trained. It cannot be denied that they fought to great disadvantage against opponents so formidably protected — but to assert that they were destitute of chivalry because " they took no part in the Crusades," shows that those writers have not well con- sidered the subject on which they hazarded such an erroneous opinion. The Crusades were projected by Peter the Hermit, a native of Amiens, in Picardy, who, having made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, was roused to indignation by the cruelties practised on the Christians by the infidels then in possession of that city. By the Pope's permission he preached the Crusades over the Continent of Europe, and by his superhuman eloquence and enthusiasm roused all ranks to arms to rescue the holy sepulchre from the un- hallowed grasp of the Saracens. But this extraordinary man did not visit Ireland, and could not, therefore, excite the Irish people to espouse the Crusades. William II., surnamed Rufus, in whose reign the first Crusade was undertaken, did not join it. He appears to have taken a rational view of that wild and uncertain enterprize. Having amassed considerable treasure, he made it instrumental in promoting his ambition, which was of a more tangible character, and he was soon enabled to satisfy it nearer home. His eldest brother Robert, Duke of Normandy, who had laid claim to the throne, and was diverted from his intention of invading England by the expectation of acquiring, in the luxurious regions of Asia, not only fame, but a more splendid settlement than either England or Normandy could afford, mortgaged the latter to Rufus for 10,000 marks, who took possession of it, as well as Poicticrs and Guienne ; the Earl of these states, following the example of Robert, having mortgaged them also. Rufus, and the English nation, then, might have been taxed more fairly than the Irish with a want of chivalry in not having joined the first Crusade. When the second was determined on, in which Richard Cceur de Lion so signally distinguished himself, and subsequently Edward L, the Irish were contending against the Anglo-Norman invader at home in a cause INTEODUCTION. 4-5 that could not be more holy, the defence of their national inde- pendence, and their inheritance in the soil, so unwarrantably and treacherously assailed and usurped by a portion of these " chivalrous men" who joined so heartily in the Crusades. But although religion was made the pretext of those enterprises, as it was of every other undertaken about that period, and even now Russia puts forth the same pretext for her designs on Turkey, the real object was then, as it is now, conquest and plunder. The most profligate and dissolute, — men of desperate character and broken fortune — the dissipated, the scum and outcasts of Continental Europe were to be found in the ranks of the Crusaders. So far from the Irish being destitute of chivalry, it is more than probable that the order itself has origi- nated with them. The knights who first distinguished themselves in Greece were called Curetes, which is to this day the name of a knight in Irish. The Gadelians may have brought it with them from Egypt to Crete, Phoenicia, and Spain ; but certain it is, that from the foundation of the Milesian monarchy in Ireland this order of men existed, and their rank, dress, and qualifications were all defined. There were five equestrian orders : — the first of these were the Neagh Nase, or Knights of the Golden Collar, instituted by Muinheamhoin, one of the ancient Milesian kings, who derived his name from the gold chain worn round the neck, like the golden collar of the Roman knights. This order was peculiar to the blood royal, and none could be a candidate for the monarchy without being admitted to it. He who aspired to the honour was obliged to give proofs of his dexterity. A buckler was attached to a post in an open plain, and, according to the number of lances that he broke in running against it, he was more or less honoured; and admitted into the order if the number was deemed sufficient, but otherwise, refused. Princes were admitted at a very early age, and were furnished with lances proportioned to their strength. The Craobh-ruadh, or Knights of Ulster, for number, prowess, and dis- cipline, were most distinguished in Irish history. Why they have been called the Knights of the Red Branch has not been ascer- tained ; Crobh-ruadh, or the Bloody Hand, (Luna, a hand sinister, couped at the wrist, Mars,) being the arms of Ulster, was more likely their real title. The Clana Deagha, or Munster Knights, 46 INTRODUCTION. were most valiant and intrepid. They derived their name from Deagha, who was expelled Ulster, and who re-organized this order about the year a.m. 3920. Daire, the son of Deagha, succeeded his father in the command of these knights, and from him they were called Righ-Daire, or heroes formed by the arm of Daire. They bore for their ensign the arms of Munster — (Saturn, a king enthroned in majesty). The Leinster Knights were called Clana- Baoisgne, from an ancestor of the celebrated Fion, who reformed them and gave them new laws. Their ensign was the arms of the province — (Jupiter, a harp, Sol, stringed Luna). But both the Munster and Leinster Knights were originally formed at a much earlier period. The Knights of Connaught were of the Danaan race, and yielded not the palm to any heroes in Europe. Their arms were — (Jupiter, a cavalier completely armed). Great care was taken of their education ; academies, at the national expense, were established at Tara, Emania, Cashel, Cruachan, Naas, &.c, where candidates entered at seven years old. They were instructed in letters and military discipline until they attained the age of four- teen, when they took their first vows. They were then exercised every day in casting a javelin at a mark, at which they were most expert. They were also trained in slinging the Cran-Tubal, from which they ejected balls with great force and precision. In sword- exercise they were well skilled, and they were taught to fight on foot, on horseback, and in chariots. At eighteen they took their last vows, to which they rigidly adhered through a long military career replete with heroism and glory. Chivalry was carried to such a pitch in Ireland, that in front of every military school a coat of mail and a shield was suspended under a handsome arch, to de- note that the inmates were always ready for combat. At public festivals, and particularly when the young knights took their last vows, numbers repaired to witness the ceremony. Such foreign knights as chose to enter the lists, struck the shield three times with their lances, exclaiming, " I strike the shield and demand the fight." Their names, quality, and proofs of knighthood were then demanded, and the terms of the tournament adjusted. It is now generally admitted, that the European orders of chivalry did not originate with the Romans ; and as the equestrian order existed in IXIRODUCTIOX. 47 Gaul and Germany in the time of Caesar and Pausanias, it is not unlikely that it was introduced into these countries, as well as into Britain, from Ireland. The Trimarkisian of Pausanias is radical Irish, denoting three horses. Caesar says the Equites in Gaul ranked next the literati — the same as in Ireland. The Germans call a knight Patter ; the Irish, Ridaire. The emperors of Germany and the kings of France, in the ninth and tenth centuries, previous to their coronation, had the order of knighthood conferred on them. This was clearly derived from the Irish : an instance of which oc- curred in the fourth century, when several princes were competing for the monarchy. Eochaidh, King of Leinster, seized on the palace of Tara during the election, hoping thereby to strengthen his claim : but on the Druids and Brehons of his own court repre- senting to him how criminal his conduct must appear to the nation in taking forcible possession of the royal palace, much less in be- coming a candidate for the monarchy without being admitted to the order of knighthood, he relinquished his claim, and surrendered the palace to the elected monarch. Niall the Grand. Chivalry, no doubt, was first introduced on the continent by Connall, the great Ulster Captain, and other Irish knights, who so frequently assisted the Gauls against the Romans, and who were called, by way of pre-eminence, u the Heroes of the Western Isle." The Fine Eirion, or military order in Ireland, was as ancient as the Danaans, and laws and regulations were established to govern it soon after the arrival of the Milesians in the island. It is an error to suppose that these militia were called Fine, from Fion-mac- Cumhal, the word Fine in Irish strictly implying a military corps. On the partition of the country by Heber and Heremon, provi- sion was made for the different orders of persons who attended them from Spain. Lands were assigned to the military leaders, on condition of maintaining a stipulated number of troops to support the prince when required. The land thus disposed of was called Fearan-an-Cloidheamh, or Sword-land, in which originated, in all probability, the military tenures of Europe. These troops were divided into legions of 3000 men. called Catha, and the commander Taoiseach-an-Catha. Every 1000 of these was commanded by a colonel, called Fear-Comhlan-Mile, or the Commander of a Thou- 48 INTRODUCTION. sand, who had under him 10 captains and 20 lieutenants. The captain was called Fear-Comhlan-Cead, or the Commander of a Hundred; the lieutenant Fear-Comhlan-Caoquid, or the Com- mander of Fifty. To each Catha or legion was appointed a number of the most eminent physicians and surgeons, whose skill was held in such high estimation, that it was a common expression — " the physicians of the army could not raise him." It had also a band of music, and a number of poets, to recite their deeds, and excite them to feats of valour. None were admitted to these legions who were not of large stature, without defect in their limbs, and who had not a scholastic education. They required also to be perfect in the use of arms, particularly the sword, the javelin, and the sling ; to clear any wall of their own height, and run under the branches of a tree not higher than their knees. These militia were the children of the State, and it required considerable interest to get admitted therein. At the time of enrolment the candidate's parents and friends were obliged to swear, in the event of his being slain, not to revenge his death, but leave it to the discretion of the general : while the candidate himself subscribed to conditions, such as — if he was ever disposed to marry that it should be without regard to fortune, and that he would choose a woman for her virtue, courtesy, and other accomplishments ; — that he would never offer violence to a woman ; — that he would be charitable, and relieve the poor to the best of his ability ; — and that he would not turn his back even on nine men were they to set on him or assault him. While these terms were insisted upon and observed, the Irish militia was invincible. Some antiquarians de- termine these legions in time of peace at three Catha, or 9000 men ; but in case of foreign war or invasion, they were increased to seven legions, or 21,000 men : while others contend that each of the four provinces had that number, and that the Meath or Tara contribution would at least swell the army to 100,000 fighting men. They were composed of infantry and cavalry : the infantry were of two descriptions — Galoglasscs, who wore helmets and a tioat of mail that partially covered the body ; they were armed with the pike, the sabre, and the axe. The Kearns were light troops, armed with javelins, lances, cutlasses, and the sling. The cavalry INTRODUCTION. 4!< rode without saddles, like the ancient Gauls, Romans, and Numi- dians. They were armed with spears and darts : — the heavy cavalry were attended by footmen called Daltines, whose duty was to attend to the horses. Their Hobellarii, or light horse, were well calculated to pursue a retreating foe with effect. They also used war chariots, of which Irish history affords many examples. Their arms were made of brass, after the manner of the ancient Greeks ; the handles of their swords were formed from the teeth of marine animals, which they rendered by some mechanical process equal to ivory in whiteness. Their osier bucklers, their bows and arrows, demonstrated their Scythian origin, and they made use of the same martial cry, " Fara, Fara," that is, watch or look close, which they redoubled on the nearer approach of an enemy. The Greeks similarly used the word eleleu, and the Romans burritus, when going to battle. The Irish, like the Lacedemonians, were led to combat to the sound of the flute and bagpipe, In times of profound peace they preserved order by tjuelling riots and insurrections, and were obliged to appear in arms when any emergency of the State required it. They had no subsistence-money from the monarch, but during the win- ter half-year they were dispersed through the country, and billeted on the inhabitants. From May to November they were encamped in the woods and fields, and obliged to fish and hunt for their support. This was not only a great saving to the country, but it inured the troops to fatigue, preserved them in health and vigour, and accustomed them to campaigning. In a country abounding with venison, fish, and fowl, it was no great hardship for a soldier to derive his subsistence from them in the summer season. They made but one meal in the twenty-four hours, which they partook of in the evening, but it was a substantial one. Traces of the huge fires which they used on these occasions are still to be seen in many parts of the country. They invariably encamped in the neighbourhood of water; their tents were conveniently pitched, and their beds constructed with ingenuity and exactness. Next the ground were small branches of trees, on them was strewed a large quantity of moss, and over both were placed bundles of rushes, which, in the old manuscripts, are called "the three beds of the Irish militia/' They were under as much discipline when thus encamped E 50 INTRODUCTION. as when in quarters, and were obliged, at stated periods, to attend to their military exercise. Such are the particulars recorded of these renowned bands, whose fame has been extolled so much by the an- cient Irish annalists. But whether they were deserving the high eulogium lavished on them or not, they were totally annihilated in the battle of Gabhra, which took place a.d. 29G. The result of this battle, which led to such a serious change in the military affairs of the kingdom requires more than ordinary consideration in the detail. Carbre was monarch of Ireland, and Moghcorb, a valiant and popular prince, was King of Leinster. The Boroime Leaghan, which the monarchs of Ireland since the reign of Tuathal, claimed a right to exact from the province of Leinster, and v\hich was the fruitful source of so many civil wars, was now made a pretext by Carbre for commencing hostilities against Moghcorb, whose fame he envied, and who indignantly refused to pay the tribute. The levies on this occa- sion were more extensive than in any former war. The Clana Morni, or Knights of Connaught, fought under the standard of the monarch, who was also supported by nine legions from Ulster, and the troops stationed in Britain and Gaul were withdrawn for the same pur- pose. On the side of Moghcorb was Oscur, the son of Oisin, the bard who commanded the Fine Eirion, or Leinster militia, reorgan- ised by his famed grand sire Fion-mac -Cumhal, and from that period deemed invincible. These, supported by the Clana Deagha, or Munster militia, presented a formidable appearance. The entire force of the kingdom was never marshalled in one engagement before, and this so inflamed the courage of the respective chiefs, and their no less ardent soldiers, that an universal carnage ensued. Oscur fell by the hand of the monarch, who was himself slain by Moghcorb, and although he obtained the victory, he and a few followers only survived the combat, among whom was Oisin, the bard, spared, as it would seem, to record the fall of so many heroes, and the total destruction of these once-famed Irish militia. These bands, after this event, were never afterwards rcorgainsed; and although the military glory of Ireland did not immediately set, it led in future times, to the country being made so frequently a prey to the incessant ravages of the Danes, and ultimately to its subjugation by their successors, the Anglo-Normans. Had such a INTRODUCTION". 51 disposable force been kept top, disciplined as it was in arms, and inured to hardship, is it possible to suppose, that the Danes could have made those predatory incursions into the heart of the country, and seize on and hold, for such a length of time, the most important places in the kingdom ? or, that a handful of Anglo- Norman soldiers, no matter how brave, and even aided by the traitor Mac Morrogh, could have overrun the greater part of the kingdom, and defeated it with the same ease that they did the raw and undisciplined hordes that were brought against them ? From the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion to a recent period of Irish history, the policy of the English government, no matter whether Catholic or Protestant, may be denned by the motto "divide et impera."' The Lords of the Pale, who, by force and fraud, had possessed themselves of the greater part of the kingdom, and who in time had become li Ipses Hibernis HibernioresJ' were obliged in turn to surrender their possessions to other adventurers and under- takers, on whose fealty the respective English monarchs could more confidently rely. The wily Henry VII. laid the foundation of undermining the power of these feudal chiefs. Henry VIII. , so familiar with blood, commenced the operation by ignominously hanging, at Tyburn, Thomas, Earl of Kildare, and his five uncles, and confiscating their estates. Mary, Elizabeth, and James I., con- fiscated 5,675,809 acres, including the whole of the King and Queens counties, the princely possessions of Desmond and O'Neill, the latter of whom had been driven into exile by a foul conspiracy. Cromwell still further extended these confiscations, and on the restoration of Charles II.. there stood for adjustment 7,800,000 acres of forfeited property. The estates of those who had opposed "William III. in 1689, comprising 1,060.792 acres, were sold under an English Act of Parliament, and thus more than two-thirds of the whole landed property of the country had been confiscated within a century. The most remarkable events connected with the country since it came under the dominion of England, will be found in the subse- quent pages of the History of the Maritime Ports of Ireland, to which this work is more particularly devoted. 52 STATISTICS. Population and Emigration. — Ireland, it appears, was densely populated at an early period of history. Soon after its conquest by the Milesians,, the Picts, who had arrived in a peace- ful manner on the east coast, were anxious to be allowed to settle in the country ; but it was even then so thickly inhabited, or at least that portion of it which had been cleared from woods, that their application to that effect could not be complied with. The con- tinued civil wars and sanguinary contests, however, attendant on the ambitious designs of the rival princes, descended from Milesius, for the chief sovereignty ; and those awful ravages of the Danes in the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries, must have materially checked the growth of population — nor could it be expected to increase after the Anglo-Norman invasion ; the incessant wars waged by the Lords of the Pale against the native Irish ; Bruce's, Cromwell's, and William's desolating campaigns, and the barbarous penal code, even more exterminating than the sword. The introduction and general cultivation of that prolific esculent, the potatoe, and the extension of the elective franchise to occupants of small tenures in 1793, contributed more than any other circumstances to increase it. In the reign of Elizabeth the population was only estimated at 700,000, which it is said increased to 1,456,000 persons before the civil war of 1641 ; but it is probable there were no correct returns until long after. The population for the last two centuries w as a s follows : — Years. Persons. Years. Fersons. Years. Persons. 1672. .1,320,000 1754 . .2,372,634 1805 . .5,395,456 1695. .1,034,102 1767.-2,544,276 181 1 .. 5,937,856 1702. .1,320,008 1777. .2,690,565 1821 .. 6,801,827 1712.. 2,099,094 1 785 . . 2,845,932 1831 . . 7,967,401 1725. .2,317,374 1792 .. 4,088,226 In 1834 it increased to 7,943,140 persons — comprising 6,427,712 Catholics, 752,064 Protestants, 642,356 Presbyterians, and 121,808 other Protestant Dissenters. It further increased, and was in 1841 8,175,124 persons, but in 1851 it had declined to 6,551,970 persons, being a decrease on the ten years of 1,623,154 persons. The provincial population of 1851 was: — Leinster 1,672,591, Munster 1,857,412, Ulster 2,011,756, Connaught 1,010,211. STATISTICS. ,53 HQ . i2 •J Z t^- 2 © *Q t_ fi *^ OS DC to © CO • 22 i-i o »o »o CO CO CS r-l T—l • 00 . OS • • CO © • CO • CO • CM O sj ocih CO H 00 Q00 H OS o to © • CM . CO © • H w tO CO 00 oc CO CM O CO r>. ON 1— 1 Cm CM CM CM £j iys CS CO |2 *"*! •J* eft cc or o ■-H "O CO CO CO CO lO — 1 - • © • © • CO B rH CO lO •— < r— i— «o t - CO © 5 CO • CC i—i © CO © r-H © CO © ■ CM oo »o CO lO CM CM OO to to © o • © • CM • • © CO • IC N ^ © r-l lO CO CO o SO • CO • © • • © © • NtN ° o © © t- CO CM r-H <* 5 • 1-1 ■ 00 co • i—i © CO r-l © CO 1—1 to oo o M.S (3 • r— CM O • • o • CM CM © • • »>. • >o 1 • rt< CO • • CM • CM rH « a bn o g Q CO £ W co be co © o tJ< CO H O CO 00 © © © co -3. CO CM CO CO co •O ^ CM r+ OC © 00 • CM • • >o • CM s * CM CO CO CM CM CO CP O ll (NOOO i-i CM CO l-t O © J>- • 00 CM • © • • -*l CO ^ OC CM o CO CM i— 1 CO to CS • CM • • oo 1,2 r-l ~ 2 CM <— 1 CM « . O "M C i— i © o © co to CM © © Tt< tO 5fl CD CO CO c o OO CO CM M O ^ OS CS 00 o CO "if 11 © 00 i— ' © oo 00 C CO X i—i CM to © • to • CO CO CM © IC oo 00 O r— I O CO © CM CM • • CM • CO ■S 3 ■*f © i— I CO CM CO CO -firs cB io 55 co CM CO CO © CO • CM = — cm CO i-H -* CO CO i-l to CM O 1— t .s s r-l CO O OS o CM cm 00 CM tO © MOM 00 *i 1— o © OS CO CM CM « c co 3 to d CO ci • "fi :« TJ ' 05 g TS - S f3 w ci d n3 to CD fi /- 1 C - ' S .rH O ■33 © p| ^ r5 fi fi fi fi fd o © 3 o § ® S » g o -- 2 50 3 M 3 1*8 1 i ® m & S w j cS S cS « ci ® %, P 2 9> pj xJ ^ k) fi fi fi o 3 o s g s cs a cs TJ to fi fi .2 g> CP nO 1 fi S ° HP 54 STATISTICS. The preceding Tables show that there was an increase in 1851 over that of 1841, in England and Wales, of 334,100 inhabited houses, and of 2,015,852 persons in the population, or 12^ per cent., and that the uninhabited houses had decreased in number 19,740 ; that Scotland had increased in its population 2G8,55S persons, or 10^ per cent., and had decreased in its inhabited houses 132,544, and in those uninhabited 11,880 ; that the increase of Ireland consisted only of uninhabited houses to the extent of 12,970, while it decreased in population 1,623,154 persons, or 19i & per cent; that the total increase of the United Kingdom only amounted to 680,342 persons, or 2iVo per cent, for the last ten years, and that it decreased in the number of inhabited houses 78,334, in uninhabited 18,424, and in houses building 2569. These statistics are everything but flattering to the pride, the power, and the wealth of England : — even taking hapless and deserted Ireland out of the calculation, there is nothing to boast of in the increase on its own population, considering the prosperous state of the com- mercial and manufacturing interests during the whole of that period, and strengthened as it was by numbers taking refuge in England from the calamities that pervaded Ireland during the four years previous to 1851. Scotland presents an increased population of more than a quarter million, but with a vast deficiency of all the social comforts and accommodation necessary to render that popu- lation as independent and as easy in its circumstances as it was in 1841. The decrease of 132,554 houses, or considerably more than one-fourth of all the houses that country possessed in 1841 , tells its own tale, and shows that the ruthless hand of the spoiler has been there as well as in Ireland among the rural population. Ireland ! what sad and awful reminiscences do these statistics recal to the philanthropic mind — famine, pestilence, oppression, and emigration of such a wholesale character that it has not been inappropriately termed the Exodus of the Irish Celt. Fully one-fifth of the popu- lation of 1841 has been swept away by these accumulated evils. There can be no doubt, that for more than six years of the inter- mediate time Ireland had increased in a ratio equal to that of England and Wales, and had it proceeded uninterruptedly for the ten years, taking that as a standard, the population would have STATISTICS. 55 amounted to 9,210,826, but as it was checked by the famine at the end of six years, it would only have amounted to 8,796,545 persons, from which if 6,551,970, the population of 1851, is deducted, would still leave 2,244,575 persons to be accounted for. The decrease in the population of 1851 proceeded, in the first instance, from the total failure of the potatoe crop in 1846, the only food on which a great majority of the Irish people were accustomed to rely for existence, and which, in fact, constituted their only sustenance. Famine, and its concomitant disease, set in most frightfully ; mortality of the most awful and horrifying description ensued, and swept off, prematurely, at least a million of the inhabi- tants. The English Government, which should have taken early precautionary measures to guard against such fatal consequences, was criminally apathetic, and hesitated to interfere until outraged humanity could no longer bear even the horrifying recital of my- riads of people literally dying of starvation, and many of them buried more like dogs than Christians, for want of coffins in which to place their remains. It is now upon record, that the people perished in great numbers before public relief, or indeed sympathy, came to their aid. What a fearful responsibility on this head have the rulers of Ireland to answer for both to God and man. A wise and politic Government, and a humane people, would have risked everything to have prevented such an awful sacrifice of human life. Although the potatoe crop had failed, the earth was teeming with plenty otherwise. The English people were rich, and the coffers of the Treasury were full, and yet a million of the Irish people died of want, and another million were driven by the iron hand of oppression to seek refuge in foreign lands. What were the means taken by the British Government to meet or palliate this dread calamity, caused as much by that vicious system that regulated the connexion between the countries, as the failure of the potatoe crop, which was only one of the effects produced by it : After delays innumerable, and that the finger of shame had been pointed at the English Minister, Lord John Russell came forward and contracted a loan of eight millions, which was to have been expended in relieving the Irish people. The great majority of the English Metropolitan press unfeelingly and inconsiderately inveighed against the raising of money for such purposes, and of thus taxing " the 56 STATISTICS. industrious hard-working English tradesman to support in idleness a lazy people." Every one who read these articles would have supposed that this was to" have been a free gift to Ireland in the. hour of her calamity ; but what was the fact ? Although that country contributed to the expense of raising it as well as England, it was expended principally on the retainers of the Government, and the starving people got but a small proportion of it — that it was not granted as a gift, but as a loan, and that Ireland was made solely liable for its liquidation ? A portion of the repayment was actually levied ; and when the residue was remitted, it was on con- dition that the country should tamely submit to the infliction of the income-tax. As to the imputation that the Irish were a lazy people, and wanted to live in idleness on the industry of the English tradesman, facts and circumstances have amply shown the foulness of the assertion. The Irishman, without a coat to his back, or a penny in his pocket, when landed in the United States, a country that afforded him employment and remuneration for his labour, which he could not obtain at home, although living under a Government so long called " the envy of surrounding nations, and the admiration of the world," not only sustained himself, but saved money sufficient, in a most incredible short space of time, to take out his friends and relatives (whom, unlike the selfish Englishman, he never forgets) to this favoured land of his adoption. For the last seven years six millions sterling have been transmitted through public channels to this country, independent of private remittances, by these idle vagabonds to carry their intentions into effect. But as to the Irish having ever lived on the industry of the English people, the reverse is actually the fact. The English tradesman, and par- ticularly those living in the west end of London, many of whom have clamoured against the Irish people receiving relief by means of this loan, have been living and accumulating fortunes for more than half a century on the labour of the Irish peasant, who had toiled incessantly on the land at home, and produced the means that enabled the absentee landlord to spend his income in the English metropolis in pleasures, and often in profligacies, to cater to which many of these industrious English tradesmen did not hesitate. On this occasion individual benevolence was of course exerted in England as well as at Constantinople, and all over th< STATISTICS. 57 globe, in behalf of Ireland. And, shame on the wealthiest nation in Europe to countenance, nay, tacitly solicit, eleemosynary contri- butions from foreign nations to sustain an integral part of its own population ! And still how that nation must have winced to have witnessed a ship of war, with the star-spangled banner flying at her mast-head, entering the harbour of the second city of the United Kingdom, filled with food furnished by the people and Government of the United States, to sustain its starving population. How fallen must proud England have been, and how sunk in the estima- tion of foreign nations, when, with abject and grovelling servility, Lord John Russell proposed, and the British House of Commons passed, a vote of thanks to the United States' Government, for having gratuitously fed a portion of that population which they should have provided for themselves ! Not eight, but twenty mil- lions of the public money of the United Kingdom should have been originally voted to the purpose, not as a loan, but as a free gift, which would have prevented the calamitous consequences so much to be deplored. Had such a sum been granted and properly administered, there would have been no occasion for foreign assistance, or a rate in aid, which Leinster and Ulster had no more right to be taxed with than Yorkshire or Lancashire, and far less than Westminster. The Census returns have already shown that there is a positive decrease in the population of 1851 of 1.623,154 persons, and that it is also more than probable, that between the years 1841 and 1847 the population had so increased, that the number to be ac- counted for amounted to 2,244,575 persons. The Emigration re- turns for the four years ending some few months previous to the Census being taken, accounts for 873,048 of that number having emigrated to America. The number of persons born in Ireland, and residing in England, Scotland, and islands in the British seas, on the 31st March, 1851, was 195,538 persons under twenty years, and 538,328 over that age; total 733,866 persons — from which deduct 419,256 born in Ireland and returned in 1841 in the Census of Great Britain, gives 314,610 persons, who probably may have taken refuge in England and Scotland between the years 1847 and 1851, which being also deducted from the gross number, would leave 1,056,917 persons unaccounted for, and whom there can be scarcely a doubt, perished by famine and pestilence. One of the •58 STATISTICS. most operative and successful means of carrying this exterminating process into effect was the power of ejectment vested in the hands of the landlords, which they exercised during this period with un- relenting severity. It appears by a Parliamentary paper, moved for by Mr. T. M'Cullagh in 1851, that there were 44,494 ejectments entered in the Superior Courts and at Quarter Sessions, on which judgments were given in favour of the plaintiffs to the extent of 35,416, for three years ending 1849, independent of the County Dublin, from which there was no return : — Number of Ejectments Total Number of Judgments Total entered. entered. for the Plaintiffs. Judgmts. Courts. 1847. 1848. 1849. 1847. 1848. 1849. Queen's Bench ... 207G 2790 3555 8421 1555 2284 2810 6649 Exchequer 1032 1137 1064 3233 843 1015 889 2747 Common Pleas ... 116 100 93 309 112 86 83 281 Quarter Sessions .. 7942 12322 12267 32531 6026 9657 10056 25739 11166 16349 16979 44494 8536 13042 13838 35416 Large as this amount is, the number otherwise expelled by com- promise, by force and fraud, exceed it. Those who have inveighed against the surplus population of Ireland, and devised so many schemes to get rid of it, must now be gratified ; — the preceding Census returns have shown that it has increased in nothing but uninhabited houses. The Emigration Tables here given for the four years ending 1850, clearly show, that if the tide of emigration continues on the same extensive scale for the next ten years, (and three of them have already passed producing the same results,) the population of the country wil be so reduced, that if it becomes prosperous under such circumstances, it will be the first instance of the kind recorded in history. Had the Government, the landlords and capitalists of Ireland taken advantage of the increased population with which Providence had blessed the country for more than half a century, it would be now prosperous indeed. But, in neglecting to direct its energies, or interest themselves in the welfare of the people, (to say nothing of the oppressions resorted to,) they forgot that their interests were inseparable ; and they have already tasted of that bitter draught prescribed by their own apathy and folly, which, notwithstanding the unexpected high prices of agricultural produce in 1853-4, they are yet destined to drink to the very dregs. STATISTICS. 50 .iai[jo piiK j Bip'Jjsny I 2 CO CM CM Ci CM 1 *— CO J Ci 1 Ci o Ci Ci 32630 101676 ■J. < 3 g ^ 2 o h H qs'pug 1 § 1 CM lO Ci o CO o o ■«* CM CO CM o CO o Ci CO CO Ci iC Ci o CM CO Ci X- CM CO Ci CO x>. CO «o CM CN IQ C3 rH 1 ° 'O 1 CO 1 2 iO o »o iO IQ CO CM CO CO CO CM CO x^ o o CM CM X- CM CM o Ci CM o CM CM CO CO x^ CO CO [G9G086 o co X-- CO CO 1 1 Ci 1 C3 1 © *o CO M -S3'0H{fl .191(10 pUT? CO 1^ 00 CM CM OS CO n< CO lO x^ »o CO CO Ci CO CO o o •o J— 1 «3 CO X- r- o CM CO CC CO CO >o ex <* Ci CO CO x>- *0 CM X— O0 o I— 1 CO o .— < CO CO CO x^ O) Ci o I— i CO CO I— t 00 CO CO HQ lO CO CO CM CO — CM © CO CO r~ co X- Ci o o CO CO OO CO o CM 00 co "3 o o CM CO CM CO CM •saoxqcl .TOT[)0 pUTJ CM «3 Ci •o CI CO Ci "* CM o ■<* CM CO •f ■* o lO CO CO EAR 18^ •uouatuy o co o # Cj CO CO o 00 CM CM CO lO CM Ci CO 00 Ci CM X— o CO Ci X- CM o «a CO CO CM CM o CO X — CM Ci CM CM CO CM CO paiiu^i X- r— CO CO CO o 00 »o t— CO 1— 1 00 I- »o CM CO CO CO CO X- 1— t CM lO CO CO >o Ci CO lO Ci CM CM o CM X- Ci o oc •saoBpI .ioi|;o pUT3 sipM^sny CO •o OS CO CO CO o Ci CO CM Ci ~. o CO >o CO OO CM •:ar 18! •B3T.l3Uiy o CO o CM lO CM co o CO Ci f— 1 CM o co CM CO CO 00 CO CO CM CM CO co CM x^ CO CM CM Ci 1— ( CO Ci Ci o Ci "* CM Jh CO ci X- CM o CM X- CO CO co I— o o oo CO o o CO so x~ x^ X— CM CO CO CO CM o tr— t— CO co CO CO CO I - co CM © CO !>. O CO x- •S33\JpI .laqio puB Btpuisny o co m< co CO «o - CO o Ci CO o IQ co co CO o CO CM Ci CO CO CO "* CM CO CO CI CO o x^. CM ■<* CO 00 o CM 1 - CM X- CO CM co o co CO CO CO Ci CO CO S s to m ■+J O -3 K c c O bp on m M 60 STATISTICS. The Tables for the four years ending 31 st December, 1850, show that there emigrated from Liverpool, Glasgow, and eight of the principal Irish ports, to trie United States, 696,086 persons ; to British America 176,962 persons ; and to Australia and other destinations 9,137 persons. From London and Plymouth there emigrated to the United States 48,011 persons; to British America 9,608 persons ; and to Australia and other places 92,539 persons ; making the total emigration from these ports 1,032,243. There are no official returns for Newry, Dundalk, Drogheda, Wexford, Skibbereen, Coleraine, and other secondary Irish ports, no emigra- tion officers being stationed in them by Government ; but, notwith- standing, there must have been emigration to some extent from all these ports. These returns commence immediately after the first failure of the potatoe crop in 1846, and show that the Irish people have been deserting the country since then to an awful extent. The emigrants who took shipping at Liverpool, Glasgow, and the eight Irish ports were almost exclusively Irish ; and many of those also, who embarked for the United States and British America at the ports of London and Plymouth. From Bristol, too, (for which there has been no return,) there must have been a considerable Irish emigration, from the constant communication between that port and the south and south-east part of Ireland. A very remarkable circumstance connected w T ith these returns is, that the tide of emi- gration from Ireland which flowed towards British America in 1847, and previous thereto, has since then diminished considerably, while that to the United States has gone on, year after year, increasing. In 1847 there proceeded from the first ten ports (in the Tables) 128,471 persons to the United States, and to British America 98,120, making a total of 226,591. In 1848 the number to the United States was 168,387, being an increase on the preceding year of 39,916, while the whole of those persons shipped for British America only amounted to 23,375, being a decrease of no less than 75,745 persons, or 420 per cent, on the previous year's emigration there. In 1849 it increased to the United States to 195,395, and to British America to 27,333, (being a small increase on the year before). In 1850 it still further increased to the United States to 203,833, while it again receded to 25,743 to British America. STATISTICS 61 Comparing the year 1847 with 1850, it appears that the emigration to the United States had increased 63 per cent., while that to Bri- tish America had decreased 381 per cent: the emigration from these ports in 1850 to both parts of America exceeding that of 1847 (a year of famine in Ireland' by 2,985 persons. Since the conclusion of the general war, thirty-eight years have elapsed, in which time 3,463,292 persons have emigrated from the United Kingdom, of whom 1,791,444 emigrated within the six years commencing in 1847 and ending 1853. being an average of 298.574 persons per annum. The Commissioners, in their return, remark, that the great bulk of the emigrants for many years have been Irish, and that within the last six years in particular, it is estimated that they amounted to 1.313.226 persons. The year 1851 exceeds 1850 by 69,469 emigrants; the United States being still the favoured destination of the Irish Celt, there being an increase of 52,729 persons thence over 1850. Although on the following year there was a diminution of 23.096 emigrants com- pared with the previous year, still they amounted to three times the number of those who proceeded to Australia, with all its golden charms. The following are the particulars for the two years, as well as the amount of money remitted by the Irish Imigrants in America to take out their friends since 1848 : — Amount remitted through. Banks and Public Companies. 1848 £460.000 . 540,000 . 957.000 . 990,000 1,404,000 1851. 1852. Persons. Persons. United States . , .267,357 244.261 British America 42.605 32.873 Australia .... 21.532 87.881 Other places . . 4.472 3,749 335,966 368,764 1849. . 1850.. 1851.. 1852 . . For 5 years £4,351,000 This speaks volumes in favour of the United States compared with British America. The free form of Government of the States, to which the Irish emigrant is fondly attached — the reward of in- dustry in the realization of landed property which he can safelv there call his own estate ; and the reflection that sweetens labour — that if he toils it is for the benefit of himself or family, and not for an 02 STATISTICS. oppressive or an alien landlord, and his apprehension of again coming under English rule, as a provincial in a foreign land. These are some of the considerations that induce the Irish emigrant to give the United States a preference. He has also a shrewd idea that the country of his adoption, now in the ascendant, is likely to become the greatest nation of which there is record in ancient or modern history. Two events are calculated to hasten that consum- mation, the discovery of gold in California and Australia, and the immense Irish emigration that has set in all at once with such force on its shores. Look at its present prosperous and elevated position ; its population increased two -fold within the last twenty years, and in 1874 will in all probability amount to upwards of 50 millions of inhabitants ; its territory sufficiently fruitful and extensive to sus- tain five times that number — the valley of the Mississippi alone being capable of producing food for 100 millions of people ; its naval superiority increasing even with more rapidity than its popu- lation, its commercial tonnage now exceeding that of Great Britain, long the greatest maritime power in the world : its exports every year consist of new commodities, and its imports comprise all the luxuries and necessaries of the nations of the earth with which it trades. Every tide brings it an increase of the precious metals direct ♦ from California and Australia, in return for its products, or by pas- sengers ; and among the rest, those from Ireland are now of an im- proved class that do not arrive altogether empty-handed. Manufac- tures, too, are progressing rapidly; population and capital, which she is fast acquiring, will soon enable her to rival England in that branch of industry also. Mr. James Kennedy, of Belfast, in his com- prehensive communications to Lord Granville, Chainrfan of the Transatlantic Packet Commission, has shown that, in the cotton- growing districts of the United States, there were in June, 1850, works established driving 175,000 spindles, and consuming 100,000 bales of cotton annually, on which there was a saving of 25 per cent. ; and that it was impossible for the English manufacturer longer to meet the American in the United States market with coarse or heavy cotton goods : and he might have added, that in less than twenty years it would be closed against him for the finer fabrics also. STATISTICS. 63 The ways of Providence are inscrutable ! and, although sometimes slow, they are invariably just. The foul system of government practised in Ireland, the oppressions of the Irish landlords, and the expatriation of the Irish peasant, will have the effect of producing such changes, as those who anticipated such pleasing and pros- perous results from the depopulating system, will have sub- stantial reasons long to deplore. The Irish Celt, obliged by dire necessity to take shelter on the other side of the Atlantic, looks anxiously across its bounding billows towards 'the land of his fathers and the home of his earliest affection. Although he has now the proud prerogative of being a citizen of the great American republic, which his labour and his devotion to its institutions are so well calculated to sustain, yet the wrongs he has endured, and the fate of that country he loved so well, still hold the upper- most place in his thoughts, and he will anxiously watch the march of events, in the hope that some fortunate circumstance mav occur to render it what God and Nature intended it to be — " Great, glorious, and free." Commerce and Manufactures. — If credit can be attached to the writings of Tacitus, Agricolas historiographer, Ireland was a commercial nation of early date, and its ports better known for trade, and more resorted to by foreigners, than those of Britain ; and Ptolemy, who published his geographical tables a.d. 140, accurately describes its harbours, rivers, and the numerous tribes inhabiting o the country : information which he could have scarcely obtained, except through the medium of commercial intercourse. Naviga- tion, as well as letters, were assuredly first taught in Europe by the Phoenicians ; and the Milesians, or Iberian Spaniards, from the close affinity and intercourse that existed between them, must have derived a knowledge of both from them, previous to their descent upon Ireland. It is evident that the Milesians had consi- derable experience in nautical affairs during their occupation of the Western Coast of Spain, as Breogan, the grandsire of Milesius. built the City of Brigantium, at the entrance of which was nlaced a pharos, or light-house, called Tor Breogan, or Breogan"s Tower. Ninnius says, that the Flavium Brigantium of the ancients was 64 STATISTICS. erected by Hercules, as well as a tower, on the top of which, by wonderful art, a reflecting glass was placed, in which vessels at a great distance to sea might easily be seen. Ninnius, who was unacquainted with the Irish annals, confirms them on this point, as well as Sir Isaac Newton, who, in his " Chronology," states, that the Hercules, or Conqueror of Spain, was the son of Belus, whom the Irish historians claim as the father of Gollamh, or Mile- sius. That the ancients made use of such glasses is a fact well authenticated. The ships that sailed to and from Rhodes were easily described by means of a mirror placed on the top of the Colossus. The destruction of the Roman fleet by the burning- glasses of Archimedes, is matter of history ; and one of the Ptolemies erected a tower at Alexandria, in which a glass was placed, when exposed to the rays of the sun, burned ships- at a considerable distance. There is no doubt that the first colonics w r hich settled in Ireland, and particularly the Milesians, arrived there in navigable ships ; but deeming it to be the Island decreed for them by fate, over which they were to rule with such power and glory, and finding the soil and climate so fertile and salubrious, they determined on settling there permanently. Concluding their w r anderings at an end, and, intent on preserving exclusively what they had acquired by their superior valour, they may have either destroyed their shipping to prevent a possibility of their followers returning, a course not unusual with commanders of more modern date, when intent on accomplishing an object; or they may have allowed any science or knowledge that they had of ship building or nautical affairs to fall into disuse. For many centuries after they had taken possession of the island, their princes appear to have been more anxious to avoid than hold communication with foreign nations, They seem to have looked on commerce as derogatory to their pride of ancestry ; and the science of arms and the sovereignty of Ireland as the perfection of human attainment. Some writers contend that currahs, or hide-covered boats, were the only naval structures with which the ancient Irish were acquainted up to the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion. Such boats were undoubtedly much used both by the Scots and Picts, and might answer the purpose of short voyages, such as those between the Northern parts of Ireland STATISTICS. 65 and Scotland. But those expeditions, fitted out by Crimtlian,Xiall the Great, and other Irish monarchs, against Gaul and Britain in the fourth century, must have been composed of vessels of a superior order. There cannot be a stronger proof of the apathy or indifference of the Irish to commercial pursuits about this period than their allowing the Danes, after clearing the interior of the kingdom of them, to retain the most important seaports in their hands for the purposes of trade, which they must have carried on to some extent, if the tribute they occasionally paid for the privilege be taken as a crite- rion. That sailing vessels were, however, known, and navigated by the Irish previous to the coming of the Danes, much less the Anglo-Xormans, is indisputable. The ancient name of Limerick is associated with that of ships, and has, in one instance at least, furnished a fleet which successfully encountered the Danes on their own element. It is difficult to reconcile the assertions of these adverse writers, who will not admit that the ancient Irish had either commerce or manufactures, with the fact, that they were possessed of articles of utility, and even of luxury, which could only be acquired by means of commerce ; as well as other articles of the richest and most exquisite workmanship, which must have been manufactured by themselves. Scarcely a century had elapsed after the conquest of the country, when mines of gold, copper, and lead were discovered by Uachadhan, who was singularly skilful in making gold and silver goblets. Colours for dying purple, green, and yellow were then in use. Nearly a thousand years before the Christian era, golden helmets, chains, rings, and collars, swords and shields richly ornamented, cloaks and other garments of the finest texture, chariots, and even chess and backgammon-boards, were manufactured by them. That there were goldsmiths and jewellers in Ireland at a very early date is undoubted. Soon after the introduction of Christianity, the churches were rich in sacred vessels, which were composed of pure gold ; and the names of three of St. Patrick's relatives are still preserved who are said to have been goldsmiths. The art of ornamenting manuscript books with gold, silver, and gems, was certainly known, as Usher mentions a version of the Four Evangelists, by St. Columba, ornamented with plates of silver, which was preserved in the church of Kells. Xu- F 66 STATISTICS. merous relics of the ingenuity of the ancient Irish, as well as of their wealth and grandeur, are from time to time dug out of the bowels of the earth, many on the site where the royal palace of Emania once stood near Armagh, and in the county Limerick and elsewhere. At the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion the descend- ants of the Danes of Dublin and other Irish seaports carried on a considerable trade with England and France, as well as with their parent countries of the north : in proof of which, Fitzstephen, on arriving on the Irish coast, captured a vessel loaded with wine from France, and bound for the port of Wexford. That woollens were then manufactured in the country may be inferred from the facts, that although the Plantagenets and Tudors were intent on subju- gating Ireland to English rule, yet they early encouraged the trade and manufactures of the country in the most liberal way ; in some instances giving it even an advantage over England in that respect. In 1289 (the reign of Edward I.) an Act was passed permitting the free export of all kinds of Irish produce and manufactures. In 1360 Edward III. granted a free export to all Irish cloth or frieze, and even excepted these staples in England from subsidy or duty, if manufactured from Irish wool. In the latter years of this reign, Irish woollens were in great repute : they consisted of a frieze cloth and serge ; the former worked into a mantle or coverlet, called by the natives a cadow. This manufacture was established in Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, Waterford, Ross, Drogheda, and Trim. In the reign of Richard II. these mantles were exported to England duty free, and the Pope's agent obtained the same privilege in respect to Italy. In 1382, five of these mantles, of exquisite texture and workmanship were sent to Rome, and presented to his Holiness. In 1463 the merchants of London complained of the injury done their trade by the increased importation of foreign manufactures, and they were relieved by the Government imposing a tax thereon, but from which the manufactures of Ireland were exempted. By these and similar means the woollen trade of Ireland had been fostered and encouraged ; and it rested with that ungrateful family for w r hom Ireland suffered so much, to make laws calculated to destroy its commerce and manufactures. In the reign of Charles I. prohibitory measures against the free exercise of Irish commerce STATISTICS. 67 were first enforced. In a proclamation of war against Spain and Portugal in 1627, it is set forth, u that Ireland, by reason of the peace and plenty it had enjoyed of late, is so well stored with pro- fitable commodities and merchandize, that it had not only enough for its own use, but also for exportation: - ' notwithstanding which, it was forbidden to export foreign. The first attempt at establishing the linen trade, or rather in uniting the linen with the woollen trade of Ireland, was made by Pierce, eighth Earl of Ormond, who brought from Flanders a number of artificers, who instructed the people in working diaper, tapestry, and cushions, specimens of which are yet to be seen in Kilkenny and Carrick-on-Suir castles. Sub- sequently \Yentworth, Earl of Strafford, who, although haughty and dictatorial to the Irish nobility and the parliament, was subtle, politic, and calculating in all his measures — keeping his own interest always in view, his chief aim was to render good service to the cause of absolutism, for which his master was then contending. — He was three times appointed to the administration of Irish affairs, and was, therefore, well acquainted with the great natural resources of the country, and the wants and wishes of the people. He was opposed to the restrictive policy of Charles, who promised redress and took the required fee, but never redeemed his pledge. Strafford made great efforts to encourage and extend the commerce and ma- nufactures of Ireland. He entertained an opinion, that linen could be made 20 per cent, cheaper in Ireland than in France, Holland^ or the Netherlands ; and in proof that he was sincerely disposed to promote this manufacture he embarked £30,000 in the pursuit. He also imported flax seed, and brought over competent persons from France to superintend the cultivation of the flax, and the spinning and weaving of the yarn and cloth. Had he continued Chief Go- vernor for some years longer, and that peace had been preserved, the trade might have been then firmly established in the country. His successor, the Marquis of Ormond, followed up Strafford's views in respect to the linen trade, and even sent persons to the Netherlands to be taught in every branch of the manufacture, as well as the bleaching of the cloth. Five hundred families from Brabant. Rochelle, and the Isle of Rev, conversant with the manu- f 2 68 STATISTICS. facture, were also brought into the country, and located at Chapclizod, near Dublin, and at Carrick-on-Suir, and the trade at the former place carried on for account "of the king. - All these efforts, how- ever, were attended with no practical results, and, strange as it may appear, there is not a vestige to be found of it in either of these places at the present day. The civil war, which devastated the country from 1G41 to 1651, including Cromwell's ferocious and fanatical crusade, must have seriously interrupted these attempts at industrial pursuits. A report drawn up by Sir William Petty and Colonel Lawrence, early in the reign of Charles II., states " that although the general trade of the country had recovered from its late depression, that the clothing trade had not arrived at what it was previous to the rebellion, and that the art of making those excellent thick warm coverlets seems to have been lost." The cloth then made is described as " a narrow frieze 20 inches broad; two-thirds of a yard was sold at from 3^d. to 18d., (a great disproportion in price); 17 of these made a man's suit, and 12 a cloak ; the export of this article was considered equal to the home consumption/' The linen trade again revived, and was encouraged by the Earl of Ossory, at Charleville ; several Dutch merchants had embarked in it at Limerick and Clare, and Baron Hartstonque, at Bruff. Cloth bai/e, stuff, and sheetings, were manufactured at Cork and Bandon ; at Clonmel a most extensive manufactory in cloth and stuffs had been established for some years, and gave employ- ment to many hands, its manufacture being equal to the best that England could produce. Lord Dungannon, at Dundalk, had also established the manufacture there ; and the Scotch settlers in Ulster applied themselves to the spinning of linen yarn on an ex- tensive scale, which induced great numbers of weavers to locate themselves in that province, and the quality of the linen, which had been originally of a very thin and flimsy character, was now so improved, that it could not be excelled in any part of Europe. From these circumstances the most pleasing anticipations of success were indulged in ; but the trade again received a severe check by the recal of the Marquis, now Duke of Ormond, who, during his several administrations, had been its chief patron. Those restrictive laws which succeeded each other with such unceasing rapidity STATISTICS. 69 from a very early period of the reign of that heartless and licentious monarch Charles II. must have operated materially against its extension. England had become envious and jealous of Irish prosperity : — the advances the country had made in its woollen manufacture had particularly alarmed her, and in the annals of no other nation is there to be found a parallel for those arbitrary decrees, aimed at not only the extinction of the woollen manu- facture in Ireland, but also of its trade and commerce generally. In 1665, an Act was passed to prohibit the exportation of cattle from Ireland. The 12th of Charles II. c. 4, imposed heavy duties on the importation of Irish woollens into England, which acted as a prohibition. By the loth Charles II., c. 27, Irish cattle into England, and all exports of value from Ireland to the colonies, were prohibited ; the 22nd and 23rd Charles II. forbade the importation into Ireland of sugar, tobacco, cotton, indigo, mahogany, and other foreign and colonial merchandize, unless first unloaded at an English port. Those who succeeded the Duke of Ormond in the govern- ment of Ireland, and particularly Caple, Earl of Essex, from 1669 to 1678, discouraged, as much as in their power lay, that branch of native industry, the woollen trade. Sir William Temple, who had some popularity in Ireland, exerted all his talents to persuade the Irish to relinquish it, except in its coarser and cheaper fabrics, and to apply themselves to the linen manufacture, for which the country was particularly adapted ; but the Irish rejected his interested advice, and persevered, with renewed efforts, in its continuance : so much so, indeed, that it was scarcely affected by the civil war that ensued between William and James ; and after the capitulation of Limerick, many English manufacturers availed themselves of the advantages the country presented — the excellence of its wool, the cheapness of labour and the necessaries of life — to settle in various parts of the kingdom. But the independence of Ireland was completely subdued by William's recent successes, and the expatriation of the most spirited portion of those opposed to his rule. It was at this period of prostration that the English parliament, long intent on suppressing the woollen trade of Ireland, addressed the monarch, calling upon him to use his utmost dili- gence to stop the importation of wool and woollen goods therefrom ; 70 STATISTICS. to which William replied, " that he would do all in his power to discourage the woollen manufactures of Ireland, and to encourage the manufacture of linen therein." The Irish parliament, then all subservient to the monarch, passed an act soon after, 10 William III., c. 3, which was well calculated to extinguish the woollen trade ; and this was followed up the succeeding year by an Act of the English parliament, which, after reciting " that woollen manufactures of all kinds, made from or mixed with wool, had of late been made, and were daily increasing in Ireland and the Bri- tish plantations of America, and exported from thence to foreign countries herebefore supplied by England, which will inevitably sink the value of land, and lead to the ruin of trade and the woollen manufactures of the realm" proceeds to prohibit, by the imposition of the most exorbitant duties, the future exportation of wool and woollen goods from Ireland or the British plantations to every part of the globe except England, where they were already subject to excessive imposts. Mixing up the British plantations in the enact- ment was a stroke of policy, to show that the blow was not aimed exclusively at Ireland. But when the meagre population of the English colonies then in America is taken into consideration, and that the cultivation of the land was the principal object of the settlers, and that, consequently, the high price of labour precluded the possibility of any profitable manufacture being carried on there, the device was too shallow to admit of a doubt as to its real in- tention ; and the effect was commensurate with the design, for the provisions of this Act being rigidly enforced, the woollen manufac- ture not only rapidly declined, but the general trade and commerce of the country was reduced to the lowest ebb. Previous to this reign, the woollen trade was considered the staple manufacture of Ireland, and had been, notwithstanding the attempts of the Stuarts to crush it, carried on extensively in the southern and midland districts, and several of its best fabrics were, from a very early date, in considerable repute among the continental nations of Europe. By the laws now passed, England was secured in the monopoly of this manufacture, and that of linen was extended to Ireland in lieu thereof. Notwithstanding this arrangement, and the immense capabilities afforded by Ireland, as a country so well adapted for STATISTICS. 71 the culture of flax, and, consequently, for the manufacture of linen cloth ; the woollen trade was that clearly indigenous to the soil and climate, the former abounding with the sweetest pasturage for the sustenance of large flocks of sheep, and the latter, from its moisture and general salubrity, being admirably calculated for pro- ducing wool equal to that of the west of Spain, so long prized for its superior quality. These two branches of manufacture, so intimately connected, instead of being separated, should have been encouraged in the same country where all the elements of production were so favourably disposed towards both. However, as a substitute for the loss of its woollen trade, Ireland was allowed the free exercise of her capabilities for the manufacture of linen. A Board was created, called the Linen Board, with powers to grant bounties on linen exported to foreign countries and the colonies, and on flax seed imported from thence, which was subsequently withdrawn, and extended to seed grown and saved at home. The province of Ulster, under the encouragement thus afforded, applied itself assiduously to establishing this branch of manufacture, and it is astonishing the rapid progress it made within half a century, con- sidering that there was no machinery invented then for the spinning of linen yarn, all the flax being spun by female hands on the old spinning-wheel. Although this was a slow process, yet it was a sure means of employing every individual able to work in a pea- sant's family ; and, consequently, all those who occupied small farms (and they were a numerous class) applied themselves to the culture of flax, and had one or more looms, according to the number of male inmates in every house, while the females were engaged in preparing the flax and spinning the yarn ; and thus the whole family was employed : whilst the farm, to the cultivation of which time was also devoted, contributed the means of sustenance to all. Agriculture and manufactures thus went hand in hand throughout the province, and the consequence soon became apparent. Whilst the south and west, which depended chiefly on agriculture, were overspread with poverty, wretchedness, and discontent, the natural result of a redundant and unemployed population, the north was in a state of great prosperity, comfort, and contentment. Belfast, from its eligible situation in respect to the manufacturing districts, and 72 STATISTICS. the enterprising, industrious, and intelligent character of its inha- bitants, soon felt the vivifying effects of this happy combination of industrial pursuits. From being an unimportant town, situated in a cove of Carrickfergus Bay, almost inaccessible from its shallow and intricate approach to vessels of any considerable burthen, not- withstanding, soon became the entrepot for this important traffic ; and the linens exported from thence gave it celebrity in the prin- cipal markets of Europe and America. In 1713 the export of linen cloth from Ireland was 1,819,816 yards, which increased in 1787 to 30,728,725 yards, the greater portion of which was shipped from Dublin and Belfast ; but previous to this period the cotton manufacture had been introduced, and although the foreign export of linen had increased so materially, cotton had been substituted, particularly to the uses which inferior linens had been previously applied to at home. The export trade, however, continued steadily to advance. According to official returns up to 1825, when the trade between England and Ireland was placed under the coasting regulations, and consequently all correct information suppressed as to that trade, the export of linen cloth from Ireland was as follows: — To Great Britain. Foreign Ports. Total. Years. Yards. Yards. Yards. 1801. . . .34,622,898 3,288,704 37,911,602 1809. . . .33,018,884 4,147,515 37,166,399 1813.. . .35,018,884 3,926,731 38,945,615 1817. . . .50,290,321 5,940,254 56,230,575 1821.. . .45,519,509 4,011,630 49,531,139 1825.. . .52,560,926 2,553,589 55,114,515 As early as 1784, there was paid for brown linens in the Ulster markets alone, £1,214,560; in 1821, £2,538,001 ; in 1822, £2,677,335 ; in 1823, £2,411,861, and in 1824, £2,580,667. Since then, however, the power-loom has been in operation, and must have materially affected the independence of the provincial hand- loom weaver. In 1771, the introduction of the cotton- trade into Ireland was conceived by Mr. Robert Joy, to whom Belfast, in its early exertions in commercial and manufacturing pursuits, has been STATISTICS. 70 so much indebted. His spirit and patriotism were conspicuous in onnmsnnff the volunteers of Ulster, bv whom he was revered as a D B 7 4 father. His benevolence was chiefly instrumental in establishing in the absence of poor-laws] an asylum in Belfast for the employ- ment and support of the juvenile, aged, and infirm poor. His sagacity, even at that early period of manufacturing cotton in Great Britain, rendered him apprehensive that it would in a great degree supersede the use of linen cloth, the only manufacture then extant in Ireland, and he suggested, as a preparatory step to its introduction, the propriety of employing children in the asylum in sp inn ing cotton vara. A spinning and carding' machine were, therefore, constructed by Mr. Nicholas Grimshaw, an English cotton and linen printer, who had about that period settled in the neighbourhood, and an experienced spinner was brought from Scot- land to teach the children. The expense, however, was not paid out of the funds of the institution, but exclusively by Mr. Joy and a Mr. M'Cabe. who took a warm interest in all his philanthropic proceedings. In 1777, not being able to prevail on the committee of the charitable institution to follow up their views in respect to this manufacture, they formed a company for the purpose, and having acquired the necessary information, they erected a carding machine and a spinning jenny of seventy-two spindles, on the most improved principle then known. These gentlemen were above the paltry consideration of personal gain, their object being to instruct the Irish people in the process of this infant manufacture. They, therefore, exposed their machinery to public view, permitted numbers of persons, even from distant parts of the country, to be gratuitously taught in their establishment, not only spinning, but weaving the yarn into every description of cotton fabric. These operations, although on a small scale, were immensely productive when compared with that of the old spinning-wheel. On their jenny, 72 hanks of yarn were spun weekly, being an increase of 14 to 1 ; and by their carding machine, 20 pounds of rovings were daily thrown ofF, being in the proportion of 20 to 1. These beginnings were followed up soon after by Messrs. Nathaniel Wilson and Nicholas Grimshaw : the former adventuring a considerable capital in the speculation, and the latter assisting it with his great practical 74 STATISTICS. knowledge, talent, and industry. In 1 784 the first mill for spin- ning cotton-yarn, and driven by water, was erected by them ; from which period the cotton manufacture might have been considered as firmly established in Ireland. In 1800 it appeared in evidence before parliament, that the cotton manufacture, then so recently introduced, gave employment to 13,500 of the working population, and including all manner of persons variously occupied by it, in a circuit of ten miles round Belfast, to 27,000. In 1825 there were, independent of spinners, 10,700 weavers employed in this trade. As Mr. Joy had foreseen, it had in a great measure superseded the use of linen for many domestic purposes, and the hand-loom in the peasant's cottage, the source of so much rural comfort and inde- pendence, was in a great degree silenced by the irresistible in- fluence of the power-loom. In 1828 the cotton-trade in turn was obliged to give way, and the linen- trade was once more revived by the invention of machinery for spinning flax, which was first introduced into Belfast about this period by Mr. Andrew Mul- holland, the respected prior of the firm of Messrs. A. Mulholland & Sons, who had been previously extensively engaged in the cotton- trade, but who now directed their attention more particularly to spinning linen yarn. In 1833, however, there were still eight large cotton mills at full work in the town and neighbourhood, but which are now reduced to two, while flax spinning has increased in a tenfold ratio. In 1850 there were 29 mills fully engaged in this manufacture in Belfast, one of which, Messrs. Mulholland's, alone employed 1,300 hands; and in the whole of these establish- ments, upwards of 17,000 persons were occupied in spinning. Whitehouse, in the neighbourhood, has also 4 flax mills, Carrick- fergus 3, Lisburn 3, Ballinahinch 1, Saintfield 1, Dunmurry 1, and at Bangor there are 2 cotton mills — in all 42 flax and 4 cotton mills, which give employment to about 26,000 of the population in spinning alone ; and it is estimated that, in a circuit of twenty miles round Belfast, there arc 40,000 weavers, and upwards of 200,000 females engaged in sewing and figuring light cottons and muslins, principally for the Liverpool and Glasgow markets. There are also 3 large mills for spinning linen yarn, and 1 for spinning tow at Drogheda, and 2 flax spinning mills at Londonderry. At this STATISTIC? period it was calculated that throughout Ireland there were 70 mills and 408,000 spindles in operation in spinning flax, and the improvements since made, and the new mills erected, have increased the number of spindles to 500,000. The amount vested in build- ings and machinery, and the floating capital employed in the trade, is considered equal to three millions. In 1840 it was computed that the value of the yarn spun in these establishments amounted to £1,500,000. and that there was paid for labour thereon £208,000. In 1850 the value extended to £1,942,500, and the wages paid to £317,000. A large amount is also paid to the females employed in the light cotton and muslin trade — a branch of industry of only a few years standing, but which has done incalculable good. With- out disturbing the arrangments of families, it has contributed materially to the comforts of many. The export of linen cloth and yarn from the port of Belfast for the year ending 5th January, 1850. is estimated at three millions, and the cottons, including sewed muslins, at £800.000 ; these were principally shipped in the first instance to London, Liverpool, and Glasgow, where assorted cargoes are prepared for our colonies, the United States, South America, and the Pacific ; and orders have been recently received for supplying the German and Spanish markets, particularly with linen yarn. Notwithstanding this immense exporta- tion, a comparatively small quantity of either manufacture is shipped direct from Belfast to foreign ports. By parliamentary returns for the year ending 5th January, 1850, it appears that there were ex- ported foreign from all the Irish ports, only 1 1,557 lbs. of linen yarn, and 342,620 yards of linen cloth entered by the pound and yard, and by valuation to the extent of £1,894: the linen taken at ll^d. per yard, the average price, deduced from a report made by Mr. Porter in 1850, at a meeting of the British Association, would make, including that entered at a valuation, £17,954. 6s. 3d.; and the average price of the yarn from the same authority, at 12|d. per lb., would be £601. 18s. 6jd., amounting in all to £18,556. 4s. 9|d. Within the same period, there were entered of cotton manufactures 596,082 yards, and otherwise, to the value of £192, which at an average of 9d. per yard, would amount to £22,545. Is. 6d. There was no cotton yarn exported or 76 STATISTICS. imported during that year to or from foreign ports, and only 95,164 lbs. of raw cotton imported direct. If there were no other arguments to show the necessity of a Transatlantic Packet Station on some part of the Irish coast, these statistics are quite demon- strative. If such a communication was opened with America, it is more than probable that in a very short time assorted cargoes would be made up at Belfast, and the heavy expense of freight and charges on linen and cotton goods, now obliged to be sent to British ports for that purpose, would be saved, as well as the certainty of dispatch secured to the Irish manufacturer. Belfast would, also, in course of time become a mart for the sale of cotton wool, and the expense of transmission from an intermediate port be avoided. It appears that Great Britain and Ireland exported to the colonies and foreign countries in 1832, 49,531,057 yards of linen, valued at £1,716,084, which was extended in 1838 to 77,195,894 yards, valued at £2,717,979; in 1844 it reached 91,233,754 yards, and £2,801,609; and in 1849 it had increased to 106,889,558 yards, and amounted to £3,073,903. During the same period, the export of linen yarn to foreign ports, which amounted only to £8,705 in 1832, advanced to £737,650 in 1849. In 1852, the official value of the linen exported foreign, amounted to £3,759,405, and of linen yarn to £1,157,971 ; and in 1853, the value of the linen was £4,395,310, and of the linen yarn £1,160,170, being an increase on the linen of £615,805, and on the yarn of £2,199, over the export of the previous year. In twenty years the export of the former increased 256| per cent., and the latter 157 £ per cent. These exports consisted, principally, of Irish manufacture, the greater portion of which were originally shipped at Belfast, and the residue at Londonderry, Newry, and Drogheda. The bounties on the export of linen cloth finally ceased in 1832, and the home-market was secured to the manufacturer by heavy import duties on the foreign article. Mr. Porter gave a compara- tive sliding-scale of the prices of linen in 1832 and in 1819, by which it appears that the characters rated at from Is. 4d. to 2s. 5jd. per yard in 1832, were sold in 1849 at from 8£d. to Is. 3jd. a yard. If this scale is correct, there has been a reduction in seventeen years of nearly 50 per cent, on the article ; but if the declared STATISTICS. 77 value of the linen exported from 1832 to 1850 can be at all relied on, the decline has not been so considerable as represented. The average of that shipped in 1832 and 1838, was only a fraction over 8^d. a-yard, while the most inferior on the scale is stated at Is. 4d. per yard. The linen exported in 1844 was only a fraction over 7^d., and in 1849, it barely averaged 7d. a-yard; taking the export value as a standard, the decline would only be 15 per cent. : but probably the more correct inference to be drawn from those discre- pancies is, that the exports have been estimated considerably under their real value by the shippers. The manufacture of cambric handkerchiefs is only of modern date, but as their price gradually declined from the commence- ment, it has gone on extending ; and the handkerchiefs are so much improved in quality, that they have not only superseded tho.se of France, so long unrivalled in every market in Europe, but are now imported into that country, and, after paying an enormous duty, are sold lower in Paris than those manufactured there. Instances have also occurred where they have been reimported into London, subject to another duty, and sold there as French cambric handkerchiefs. Ordinary Irish hand- kerchiefs, which in 1833 cost 8s. 3d., fell in 1838 to 7s., and in 1848 to 2s. lOd. per dozen ; and those of superior quality from 35s. to 28s., and then to 18s. per dozen, being nearly a reduction of two-thirds the price on the former, and one-half on the latter article, in the course of fifteen years. Notwithstanding these immense re- ductions in prices, the consequence of an improved system of spinning, it is gratifying to find that they have been accomplished without any distress, injury, or loss to any of those engaged in this manufacture ; but, on the contrary, the linen trade has been pros- perous beyond all precedent — is extending daily, and giving useful and remunerative employment to a large portion of the population. Great efforts have been made at Manchester, Glasgow, and Dundee to rival the Irish in this branch of national industry, but they have signally failed, and it may be fairly inferred, that linen cloth and yarn to the amount of £4,500,000 of the £5,555,480, the total estimated value of these articles exported from the United Kingdom in 1853, to foreign countries, has been manufactured in Ireland. 78 STATISTICS. Some years ago the bleach-greens in the vicinity of Belfast and Lisburn were very numerous and extensive. It was estimated that one of them, at least, bleached and finished annually 80,000 pieces of cloth. But since the improvement in machinery and chemical preparations for the purpose, they are less numerous. Machinery was first invented and applied to washing and beetling cloth at Ballydrain, near Belfast. Dr. J ames Ferguson received from the linen board £300 for the successful application of lime in the process of bleaching ; he also introduced, in 1770, the use of sul- phuric acid. In 1780, pot-ashes were first used; and in 1795, chlorate of lime. Barilla, pot-ashes, chlorate of lime, vitriol, and soda, are still used for the purpose. The Society for Promoting the Cultivation and Im- provement of Flax in Ireland. — In connexion with the linen manufacture of Ireland, this national and important society was formed in Belfast, in 1841, the object of which was to encourage and instruct the rural population of Ireland in the proper mode of cultivating and preparing flax on the most improved principle, and for which the soil and climate are so peculiarly adapted. Although Ireland during the last century had been an extensive flax-growing country, yet there was much connected with the pursuit that the Irish cultivator was either ignorant of, or indifferently acquainted with. The society, therefore, commenced their proceedings by procuring intelligent and experienced instructors from Belgium, where its culture and manufacture had been long attended to with more than ordinary care, and the consequence of which had been the production of the finest flax in Europe. Those instructors made great improvements in the selection of the soil, the sowing of the seed ; in steeping, scutching, and otherwise properly preparing the article for market; but these operations were confined to the pro- vince of Ulster, and not even there were they on a very extensive scale for some years. That the Irish agriculturist should be so indifferent or indisposed, until very recently, to turn his attention to the growth of flax, is not at all surprising, when it is considered that he could command an exclusive market in Great Britain for his cereal produce ; and that in respect to flax, he was obliged to STATISTICS. 79 meet the foreign article in the home market, on the importation of which there were neither impost nor prohibition, and the expense of transport trifling, in comparison to grain. But as soon as the corn-laws were repealed, which deprived him of that exclusive market, and that he could not attempt to compete with the foreigner there, from a variety of causes, the most serious of which are the high rents and taxes the land is still subject to, and the humid atmosphere of Ireland, so prejudicial to the cultivation of wheat, but so beneficial to that of flax, he naturally directed his attention to the latter crop ; and, consequently, a greater extent of ground in Ireland (and particularly in Ulster) has been occupied with it since then, than previously. The other provinces, too, have evinced a disposition to take advantage of the encouragement that Government has afforded by a grant of £1,000 a-year, since 1847, in aid of the fimds for extending the cultivation of flax in the south and west. But, notwithstanding the growing favourable disposi- tion of the Irish agriculturist towards the cultivation of this crop, the importation of foreign flax into the ports of the United Kingdom has increased considerably since the introduction of flax spinning machinery into Ireland. For the five years ending the 5th January, 1835, when its operation was only in its infancy, it averaged about 47,500 tons annually ; for the succeeding five years it was 61,027 tons; in 1845 it was 67,675 tons; and for the five years ending 5th January, 1850, the average was 68,879 tons per annum; and in the year 1850, it exceeded 90,000 tons. The exact quantity of home-grown flax produced is difficult to ascertain, but it appears from Major Larcom's Report, that in 1847 there were 58,312 acres under flax in Ireland ; in 1848 there were no returns ; in 1849 it had increased to 60,014 acres — which, taken at an average of five cwt. to the acre, would make the entire quantity consumed in the United Kingdom 15,000 tons, being only the one-sixth of the foreign importation. Since then the number of acres under cultivation for flax was 91,040 in 1850, and 140,536 in 1851, being an increase in two years of 80,522 acres, or 134 per cent. To exclude the foreign article from the markets of Great Britain and Ireland, it would require about 300.000 acres more than were under cultiva- tion in 1851. Although a considerable increase was expected in 80 STATISTICS. 1852, the number of acres was only 137,008, being a decrease of 3,528 acres on the preceding year. Every county in Ireland was deficient, with the exception of Armagh, Down, Louth, Tyrone, King's County, and Kerry ; in the three first counties there was a considerable increase. In Antrim, the decrease on 1851 was 2,594 acres, or 21 per cent. ; and in Londonderry, 1,322 acres, or 7 per cent. The extra produce, however, of the flax crop of 1852, has more than made amends for the diminished area cultivated : the average returns make it 4 If stones per acre, being an increase of 2fth stones per acre, or 1,601 tons over 1851. One of the prin- cipal causes why flax is not more generally cultivated in many districts is, the want of scutching-mills ; although the deficiency in Antrim, cannot be accounted for in that way. Some progress has been made in supplying this defect. In 1852 there were, in Ulster, 926 scutching-mills, with 4,722 stocks; in Leinster, 19 mills, with 134 stocks; in Munster, 15 mills, with 152 stocks; and in Con- naught, 6 mills, with 45 stocks : with the exception of Ulster, the other provinces can be scarcely said to have any accommodation of this kind. It is calculated that these mills give employment to 15,000 persons in the least active part of the year, and that their yearly earnings amount to £160,000. In 1853 there were 175,495 acres of flax cultivated, being an increase of 38,487 acres, or 29 per cent, on the previous year ; the increase in Leinster, Munster, and Connaught being 22 per cent., and compared with 1848 would be 536 per cent. ; but the produce of this crop is not at all equal in quality to that of 1852. The anticipations that Irish flax of certain qualities would be sought for export both to Great Britain and the Continent, have been realized: of the produce of 1852 there were exported from Belfast, Londonderry, and Newry, 6,696 tons of flax, and 2,308 tons of tow, valued at £292,500, being an increase on both, since 1850, of 5,844 tons. The export to France was 413 tons ; and even Belgium, so long famed for its improved cultivation, took a small quantity of the Irish produce. The imports, however, of foreign flax have been very considerable ; for the first nine months of 1853 they amounted to 62,264 tons, or 20 per cent, on the pre- ceding year. But the progress of flax-spinning has been so considerable in Ireland, and also in Great Britain, that the market si lxisti :s 51 Is by no means overstocked with the raw material of either home or foreign growth. The disposition now exists, or at least did exist in 1852, with the Irish farmer {o cultivate this crop. The high prices which he obtained for his cereal produce of 1853 may induce him to turn his attention from it for a season, but he must return to it again ; and to enable him to prepare such a crop for market, scutching-mills are absolutely necessary in every district. The low price of agricultural produce for some years previous to 1353, and the other difficulties the tenant farmer had to contend with, deprived him of the means of erecting such mills. It is, there- fore, clearly the duty of the landlords, and their interest also, to erect scutching-mills on their various estates, and moderately charge for forwarding the raw material through this stage of preparation. Among other considerations, it would be the means of enabling them to obtain their rents with more facility. When the proper arrangements are made, and a fair supply of flax can be cal- culated on, there is not a sea-port in Ireland in which purchasers would not be found, not only to supply the demand for home con- sumption, but also for export to Er.^land and Scotland. It must be remarked, however, that there is a disposition latterly among the English farmers to cultivate this crop, but the landlords in general are opposed to it, under the impression that it exhausts the soil too much. On this subject, it is as well to observe that there is much difference of opinion as to flax being a crop more calculated to exhaust the soil than wheat, or other cereal produce : and it is now ascertained, that if the water in which the flax is steeped be discharged on the land, it contains all the elements of reproductiveness and fertility. The prohibitory laws enacted in the reign of Charles II., which deprived the Irish of the right of exporting their cattle to England, and compelled them to trade only with the colonies through the medium of an English port, had the most baneful influence on the commerce of the country during the latter part of that monarch's reign. The short parliament assembled in Dublin in 1689 by James II. took measures to render these and other oppressive Acts for that time a nullity, and the consequence was, that, although a civil war raged in the country, its commerce improved. Ireland, G b2 STATISTICS. however, was a doomed nation ! The successful monarch, the English and the Irish parliaments, all combined to annihilate the growing manufacturing and commercial prosperity of the country. The obnoxious laws of Charles II. were now enforced with rigour, and the 10th of William III., c. 3, confirmed them, and rendered the prohibitory clauses still more penal than they originally were. It was at this period that Molyneux, representative of Trinity Col- lege, wrote a pamphlet, " The Case of Ireland," which, although ordered by the English parliament to be publicly burnt by the hands of the common executioner, had made a strong impression on the Irish people ; and his principles were espoused by Swift and Lucas, and subsequently advocated by Grattan. It was the Acts passed in this reign against the commercial intercourse cf Ireland with other countries, combined with the 6th George I., c. 5, con- firming Poyning's Act in all its native deformity, that elicited from Grattan the declaration, that " had he lived when they were enacted, he would have made a covenant with his conscience to rescue his country from the ignominy of such acts of power ; or, if he had a son, he would have administered to him an oath that he was to consider himself as expresely set apart for the discharge of so important a duty." Had Grattan, however, lived in the time of William, his eloquence or his threat would have made but a slight impression on the will of that monarch. Sarsfield, after blowing up his heavy artillery at Ballymcdy, or the volunteers in arms, to whom the country was absolutely indebted for free-trade and legis- lative independence, were much more likely to deter him from his evil designs upon Ireland. And they did prevent, in the orator's own time, as foul an attempt on the trade of the country as any that had preceded it. The Irish, deprived of their cattle-trade, had recourse to curing their beef and pork at home, with which the British colonies in America and the West Indies were supplied. In 1776, England attempted to wrest this trade from Ireland also, by laying an embargo on the export of salted provisions. The first relaxation of the commercial penal code which had paralyzed the intelligence and enterprise of Ireland for a century, was the adop- tion of two resolutions by the Irish parliament in 1780 — to the effect, that the free exportation of its woollen manufactures gene- STATISTICS. s;3 rally, and liberty to trade directly with the British colonies in America, Africa, and the West Indies, would tend to relieve Ire- land, and be productive of great commercial benefit — which were passed into a law the following session by the English parliament. The country was now* allowed to trade foreign, but a century had passed away, during which her jealous rival had enriched herself, while Ireland, depressed and impoverished, had to meet her teeming with capital in the foreign and home markets, and had to compete with crippled means for superiority in several branches of commer- cial and manufacturing industry ; but with what success the experi- ence of the last half century too clearly demonstrates. The foreign commerce of Ireland, in comparison, until very lately, scarcely de- serves the name. The woollen manufacture, once so prosperous, has shown no symptoms of resuscitation. Agriculture, to \vhich her energies during a long protracted war have been more particularly directed, may have realised fortunes for many who had long leases at low rents, and who had the prudence to remain at home. But such persons could not be induced to embark their surplus capital in commercial or manufacturing pursuits ; their taste, experience, and the certainty that it was secure when invested in land, pre- dominated over every other consideration. This feeling was not confined to the agricultural community : the Irish merchant and tradesman who had realized a few thousand pounds, also looked to the land for investment, and retired from business at the very time that an Englishman would only consider himself in a position to enter upon it with success. Another class of men, with enterprise and commercial ability, have attempted much that would have proved beneficial to the country, but for want of capital, or sustentation from capitalists, have almost invariably failed in their efforts ; while the population went on daily increasing, and from the land alone its occupation and maintenance was solely derived. This was the state of Ireland for near a century, during which England was employed in manufacturing for the universe, and obtaining in re- turn for her articles of industry, not only the choicest products of foreign countries, but the precious metals to an immense amount. England was thus enabled to sustain a debt unexampled in the annals of the world : and to dissipate the calculations of the most g 2 84 STATISTICS. eminent writers on financial and political economy, who have so often predicted that it would end in national bankruptcy long since, but which has been obviated by the success of her manufactures generally, and of the cotton-trade in particular, the extent and prosperity of which it was then impossible for them to foresee. The people of Ireland stood passive all this time, with folded arms, looking on with great complacency and satisfaction at the prosperity of their neighbours, and idly dreaming that a portion of this accumulated capital would find its way into their own neglected country, so admirably calculated for manufacturing purposes. But after half a century idly spent in expectation of their hopes being realized, these golden visions have at length vanished. Never was there a greater delusion than to suppose that the manufacturers of England, reaping a plentiful harvest at home, would, from philan- thropic motives, or pure love of Ireland, remove their establishments, or create a competition there that would endanger their original investments. With few exceptions indeed, the only Englishmen who have entered the Irish arena of trade were connected witli English houses, and went there, not to establish manufactures, but to purchase its agricultural produce, to feed the population profit- ably employed on manufactures at home, and thus depriving the Irish shipper of his commission or profits on such transactions. It has been generally admitted that the term between 1782 and 1800 was one of unmitigated prosperity to Ireland, and that the carrying of the Act of Union militated seriously against it. With the dawn of free-trade, Ireland unquestionably rose in wealth and importance ; commerce, manufactures, and agriculture progressed materially. The Irish nobility, and many of the English too, posses- sing large estates in Ireland, were resident, or at least spent a con- siderable portion of their time in the country, and expended their large revenues in it, encouraging improvements, and fostering an attached and industrious tenantry. No standing army or police were then necessary to preserve the peace. The influence of the volun- teers had suppressed crime ; general taxation was light, and local assessments scarcely known ; religious prejudices were gradually giving way to more enlightened and liberal ideas, and every thing tended to render the Irish an united and happy people. If, however, STATISTICS. 85 the amount of imports and exports is a fair criterion to judge of the prosperity of a country, the statement that follows, giving the particulars of the principal articles that constitute both for twenty years previous and subsequent to the Union, demonstrates that a considerable improvement had taken place in the subsequent period : the imports having, in some instances, doubled, as in drapery ; and trebled, as in tea and cotton yarn. In the exports, too, there was a considerable increase, particularly in linen cloth, bacon, butter, and grain; and in spirits no less than 1,300 per cent. But these returns were, no doubt, furnished to support the opinions of cer- tain advocates for the legislative Union, as wine, the consumption of which was as likely to show the means of the country, if pro- gressing, as correctly as any other article, has been excluded altogether. The import of wine in 1799, was 1,238,512 gallons, and it has gradually decreased since then to 512,319 gallons in 1848, about which quantity still continues to be consumed annually. The trade of the country, also, for the last seven years of the former period, must have been considerably affected, as men's minds were almost solely occupied with the great revolutionary changes that had taken place in France, and the political events at home, which led to the rebellion of 1798. Articles Imported into Ireland for 10 years previous, and 10 years subse- quent, to the Union. Imtorts. Years. Years. L781tol800 1802 to 1821 Drapery yds '23833381 Sugar, raw ..cwts. ; 379628-5 Do. refined . . „ 149-513 Tea lbs. 22711224 Coals tons 6413557 Iron cwts. 3917882 Flax Seed . .hMs.j 837746 Cotton Wool., cwts. I 199751 Tobacco lbs. 99402762 Cotton Yard . .lbs. Timber tons Hats Xo. Hides, undresd. ,, Hops cwts. Hosiery .... pieces Oak Bark. . . .bales 4551336 298981 152366 84287 295234: 36060741 2224655 Barilla cwts. 2122932 49692058 6089175 490315 66847251 10897970 5530682 934049 538542 116112836 19995350 490245 1387209 450031 400701 7995640 2550853 2182060 Articles Exported from Ireland for 10 years previous, and 10 years subse- quent, to the Union. Exports. Linen Cloth . . yds. Butter lbs. Pork barrels Wheat . . . .bushels Barley .... ,, Meal & Flour.. cwts. Candles .... „ Pigs No. Oats barrels Bacon .... flitches Horned Cattle.. No. Spirits galls. Lard cwts. Soap „ Copper Ore . , tons Feathers .... cwts. Kelp tons Years. Years. 1781 to 1800 1802 to 1821 678798721 5777566 216460S 1334567 1027323 747674 117276 70272 7650359 1013552 302287 79892 80974 92616 9923 28167 31224 832403860 7915949 2565403 4223782 1842993 1686948 205958 687569 16112142 6248527 747815 10349752 313867 219506 30243 106307 64731 8G STATISTICS. The difficulty that exists in obtaining correct returns of the imports and exports between Great Britain and Ireland is very great; in fact, it is an impossibility to procure them since 1825, when the trade between the two countries was placed under the coasting regulations, as there are no accounts kept at the English or Irish custom-houses of goods imported duty free from Great Britain, either as relates to British productions or foreign merchan- dize. For this state of things the country is indebted to Lord Monteagle, who takes merit to himself for having established a system which gives great facilities to merchants and brokers on both sides the channel in the dispatch of their custom-house business ; and as far as that is a consideration, there can be no doubt the change has operated favourably ; but his lordship is obliged to admit " that the country has sustained the loss of many most important statistical and commercial facts absolutely necessary to ascertain the relative condition of the two countries towards each other. It can be no longer seen if the consumption of the comforts and neces- saries of life, as imported, is progressive or falling off, or calculate the precise amount of revenue contributed by Ireland." And his lordship farther states, " that in and out of office, he endeavoured to ascertain whether such information could be obtained under the new regulations, but he was assured it could only be had by requir- ing entries and other formalities, as under the old." The Channel trade being principally carried on by steamers, dispatch is abso- lutely necessary, and therefore a recurrence to the old system of entry or other tedious process is out of the question. But without in the slightest degree interfering with the dispatch of such vessels, an account of all the imports and exports into and from the Irish ports could be obtained, and their value more correctly ascertained than formerly. What is to prevent his lordship from introducing a short Bill to compel the agents of all steamers to make returns at the custom-houses of the several Irish ports weekly, monthly, or quarterly, of the various commodities imported and exported, and their value, according to the average prices of such articles at the time they are shipped or received ? Every article is entered in the steamer's papers, and the agent could prepare these returns at his leisure. The same regulation could be made applicable to sailing STATISTICS. 87 vessels ; or, as the same expedition is not required with them, on entering inwards or clearing out, the description of cargo and its value could be ascertained. The only official returns that can be obtained of the imports and exports of the most considerable articles of consumption and manufacture for the last six years are here given. Official returns of Articles entered for home consumption in Ireland, for the six years commencing 5th January, 1847, and ending same date, 1853. Years ending 1 Wine, 5th Jan. Galls. Spirits Foreign, Tobacco, Galls. lbs. Tea, lbs. Sugar Coffee Raw, lbs. Cwts. Kenned Sugar, Cwts. 1848. .512,319 210,205 5,101,139 6,513,853 1,739,046 596,607 494 1849. .549,755 209,665 5,138,314 6,713,272 1,313,951 507,967 2,900 1850. .524,662 255,476 4,737,267 6,383,316 1,013,399 460,665 5,148 1851., 515,735 213,463 4,604,083 6,410,263 745,958 455,307 5,544 1852.. 499,131 202,498 4,457,980 6,573,278 684,840 438,873 28,828 1853.. 523,228 211,397 4,473,600 6,904,412 720,967 435,413 36,302 Flax Seed, Bushels. Cotton Silk, Eaw Wool, & Thrown, lbs. lbs. Iron un- wrought, Tons. Gross Timber, Loads. Timber, DealEnds sawn or split, & Battens, Loads. Hundred. 1848.. 113,011 77,894 78,827 60,048 23 1849.. 184,239 1,038,016 11,621 23 92,515 82,109 55 1850. . 203,832 95,164 " .. 54,413 61,259 23 1851. . 254,233 6,034 174 64,612 57,667 30 1852. . 333,412 5,138 7 78,175 75,776 27 1853. . 262,770 439,152 1,393 142 59,392 67,542 These, although articles of general consumption, do not, by any means, embrace the whole of the Irish imports of foreign pro- duce : the official returns are deficient in giving any account of the flax, hemp, tallow, barilla ; the foreign grain and flour, which com- prised so extensive a portion of the imports of the country since 1847; and of many other articles of general consumption. The account of the articles that follow is also deficient in giving any information in respect to the quantities of linen cloth and yarn, butter, beef, pork, and bacon, and other commodities, shipped to Great Britain, which could be more easily obtained at the several custom-houses than those of cattle, grain, flour, and meal. S8 STATISTICS. Articles exported to Great Britain and Foreign Parts for the six years ending 5th January, 1853. Years ending- Jan. 5. Gt. Britain. Ox & Cows, Number. Gt. Britain. Sheep, Number. Gt. Britain. Swine, Number. Gt. Britain. Wheat 5c Plour, Qrs. Gt. Britain. Oats&Oatm. Qrs. For. parts. Linen Cloth, Yards. 1848.. , 189,960 342,179 106,407 221,936 723,542 1,416,614 1849.. 196,042 255,862 110,787 318,426 1,591,875 1,571,173 1850.. 201,811 241,061 68,053 249,489 1,077,364 342,620 1851. . 184,616 176,945 109,170 168,726 1,055,388 262,751 1852. . 183,760 151,807 136,162 95,116 1,141,976 50,961 1853.. 201,470 158,020 151,895 52,724 1,650,313 64,343 Years For. parts. For. parts. For. parts. For. parts. For.parts. For. parts.For. parts, ending Linen Yarn, Cottons, Butter, Beefic Pork, Bacon&IIams, Whisky, Horses, Jan. 5. Cwts. Yards. lbs. Barrels. Cwts. Galls. IS' umber. 1818. . 155,353 281,003 11,084 942 1,061 260 7 1849. . 18,720 719,343 14,374 479 577 10,231 1 1850. . 11,557 596,082 22,636 494 417 58,680 1 1851. . 138 716,316 21,179 1,354 475 33,474 5 1852. . 8,668 191,006 22,180 1,853 1,119 8,687 70 1853. . 3,920 135, 151 28,412 1,393 845 21,931 42 In the absence of a more effective system of keeping the official accounts of the trade between Great Britain and Ireland, the tonnage of the vessels entering inwards and clearing out of the several Irish ports, will best show whether the trade of these ports are progressing or declining. The following returns show an immense and progressive increase in the general trade of the country even to the present day. A statement of the number and tonnage of the vessels entering inwards, and clearing out of the aggregate ports of Ireland for twenty-five years, commencing the 5th January, 1816, and ending same date, 1840. Inwards. Outwards. Increase. Five Years. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. 1816 to 1820 . . . .53,479 4,714,740 49,824 4,522,590 1821. to 1825 . . , . .57,838 5,223,660 48,421 4,382,532 2,956 368,862 1826 to 1830 . . . .66,971 6,625,092 43,619 4,778,687 4,331 1,797,587 1831 to 1835 . , ..77,078 7,861,338 50,054 5,768,536 11,142 2,226,095 1836 to 1840 , ,..87,117 9,078,099 52,333 6,480,692 11,718 1,928,917 Increase since 1S16 301,476 6,321,461 or 68 per cent, on the tonnage STATISTICS. 89 The tables that follow have been arranged from parliamentary returns obtained by Mr. T. M'Cullagh, late M.P. for Dundalk, whose eminent services in the last parliament entitles him to the gratitude of the great majority of his countrymen. They show the state of commerce during the five years preceding the failure of the potatoe crop in 1846, and the five years that succeeded it, and, notwithstanding the failure of this crop for four successive years, from 1846 to 1850, and that famine, pestilence, and emigration had diminished the population so awfully, the com- merce and customs revenue of Ireland had increased even beyond all former precedent. It is, indeed, a strange anomaly to find, that under the pressure of such complicated evils, the country should evidence by these statistics unmistakable symptoms of pro- gressive prosperity. It may be said, it is true, that the increase in the foreign trade has been produced by the famine, a great portion of the shipping entering inwards from foreign ports being freighted with bread stuffs, four of the five years comprising the latter period, and cannot be relied on as permanent ; and that the excess of the foreign tonnage outwards had been occasioned by an export, which, instead of being regarded as a proof of prosperity, was the greatest calamity that could befal a nation : the emigration of a great portion of the most useful and industrious of its population to foreign lands. Notwithstanding that there is much truth in these deductions, there appears to be, independent of the foreign trade in grain and emigrants, a steady and gradual increase in the other branches. The trade with Great Britain, for instance, had in- creased enormously, although little or no wheat or oats were exported thence from the western ports, which formerly employed a number of vessels in the transit of the latter product ; yet the exports from the other Irish ports, particularly from Belfast, have been of the most valuable description, and have increased con- siderably even since the date referred to, and are likely to do so for years to come. .13. 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Years 5th J < « O Misce Total of eh Ire £ £ £ £ £ £ £ isn . . 897500 122155 351539 588969 329509 4281593 6571265 1842 . . 946000 110420 331739 575982 300359 4260595 6525095 1843 . . 973500 97050 398504 586909 370322 4260595 6650880 1844 . . 994500 84870 332683 561329 350804 4260595 6584781 1845 . . 1183780 93460 375529 585350 413830 4176458 6858405 1846 . . 1124555 90950 384512 601062 569705 4176458 694^242 1817 . . 1143980 105000 569504 902856 1650214 4176458 8547912 1848 . . 710000 91850 1936662 848667 5390333 4176458 13153970 1849 . . 625000 31400 8 1 1 786 949207 940738 4176458 7534589 1850 . . 626000 565903 939322 832246 4176458 7139929 1851 . . 785000 664049 909886 728272 4176458 7263615 1852 . . 585000 611382 854272 300493 4173458 6521605 1853 . . 535000 676456 881392 200000 199181 4173458 6665487 STATISTICS. 99 It will be seen by the foregoing tables, that, although there is credit given for the different sources of revenue, the sums neither correspond with the gross or net amount, and that they are merely specified as paid into the Exchequer on account. For instance, the gross Customs of 1853 amount to £2,080,469, and the net to £2,076,978, against which the sum brought into the Exchequer is given as £1,856,160 — there is no explanation in the accounts to show how the difference has occurred. In the same year the net amount of the Excise is returned as £1,632,302 18s. 2d., and the sum brought into the Exchequer against it is £1,478,092. It is stated somewhere, but not in the account, that the collection of the Customs cost £9 19s. 7d. per cent., and the Excise £8 16s. 2d., and although it does not exactly make up the dif- ference, it is the only way of accounting for it ; but why is this not simplified and placed on the face of the proper account ? The persons employed in collecting the customs in Ireland do not appear to be taken as good care of by government as their brethren in Great Britain. In 1849, there were 6,480 persons employed in the Customs in England and Wales, who were paid £550,236 ; the duties collected were £18,345,374. In Scotland there were 1,103 persons so employed, who were paid £62,115, and the duties collected £1.955,906. In Ireland there were 1,352 persons em- ployed, who were paid £57,903, and the duties collected £2,180,058. The average salary in England and Wales is, therefore, £84 18s. 3d.; in Scotland £55 8s. Id., and in Ireland £42 16s. 8d. ; and 1,352 officers in Ireland are paid £4,212 less than 1,103 in Scotland receive, although the sum collected in Ireland was £224,152 more than in Scotland. The Excise is collected in sixteen districts, viz. : Athlone, Bandon, Belfast, Birr, Coleraine, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foxford, Galway, Limerick, Londonderry, Xaas, SKgo, Water- ford, and Wexford — the net amount for the year ending the 5th January, 1851, was £1,486,512 18s. 4d. ; for 1852, it wns £1,515,961 2s. lid. ; and for 1853, £1,632,302 18s. 2d. There are thirty stamp districts, and the net amount received in 1851, was £495,759; in 1852, £486,201; in 1853, £509,132: the cost of collection being £3 Is. 8 Jd. per cent. The following articles have h 2 100 STATISTICS, contributed to the excise for the six years ending 5th January, 1853:—. 1818. 1849. 1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. £ £ £ £ £ 983,618 1,095,684 1,050,675 1,110,570 1,147,099 1,245,177 Malt 200,029 233,381 202,817 230,950 205,917 226,217 98,550 100,311 96,829 100,776 105,561 109,289 37,645 37,124 40,225 43,755 47,202 46,824 Game Certificates . . 8,231 11,166 9,062 9,670 9,298 9^998 Post Horse Licenses 2,081 1,920 2,171 3,048 Sugar 9 " 78 The distillation of whiskey in Ireland has always been looked to by the government as the means of furnishing a considerable portion of the revenue extracted from that country. From the capital required to establish a distillery under the operation of the present excise-laws, none but the wealthiest part of the community can well embark in it. It is true, that for many years several Scotchmen have been engaged in the pursuit, many of whom came to Ireland with mediocre means. But their experience of the trade, their economical habits, and the encouragement given to strangers by almost every class of Irishmen, to the prejudice of their own countrymen, soon pushed them forward, and at Dublin, Drogheda, Dundalk, Limerick, and other places in the south, some of the most extensive establishments in Ireland are in their hands. Illicit spirits were formerly distilled in Ireland to a considerable extent ; and previous to the 31st December, 1831, fines of £-30 were inflicted on the town-lands for every illicit still found thereon. This tended to enrich the excise-officer and the informer at the expense of the agricultural community, and affected the interest of the landlords so much, that the 1 & 2 Wm. IV., c. 55, was passed, which relieved them from the infliction. Previous to 1835, the duties on whiskey varied from 2s. 4jd. to 6s. ljd. a gallon, but it w r as then reduced to 2s. 4d. a gallon : it being long a received opinion, that the higher the duty imposed, the more encouragement it gave to illicit distillation, and that it was not so productive to the revenue as when at a reduced rate. This has been clearly demonstrated from the fact, that, for the five years from 1813 to 1818, both inclusive, when the duty was at the highest for the last STATISTICS. 101 half century, ruling at 5s. l^d. to 6s. l^d. per gallon, it only amounted to £5,581,734 18s. 2d., and for the five years from 1835 to 1839, when the duty was at the lowest, say 2s. 4d. a gallon, it produced a revenue of £7,146,419 0s. 2d. The present Chan- cellor of the Exchequer (Gladstone), who has visited Ireland with such a considerable portion of his new imposts, and among others, has* laid an additional duty on whiskey, will find himself much disappointed in his calculations, particularly if the coming crops of barley and oats are abundant. Low prices and high duties will again induce the rural population to turn their attention to illicit distillation. A considerable falling off took place in the consump- tion of whiskey, in Ireland, from the year 1839, which was about the period that Father Mathew commenced his holy crusade against intemperance. The distilleries, which had continued increasing up to 1840, and were then ninety-four in number, declined in 1847 to forty-nine ; and the quantity of spirits distilled, which had in- creased to 11,894,169 gallons in 1836, declined to 5.737,617 gallons in 1847, being a decrease of 6,156,482 gallons. The Irish population having now become comparatively temperate — a con- siderable portion of that spirit which formerly met so brisk a sale at home, is now obliged to be sent to England for a market : during the seven years from 1844 to 1850, the export there averaged 1,027,429 gallons per annum. The following shows the quantity of proof spirits imported into England, Scotland, and Ireland, from each country respectively : — 1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. Gallons. Gallons. Gallons. Gallons. From Ireland to England 890,021 828,138 976,997 1,258,993 „ Scotland to do 2,651,529 2,623,656 2,553,995 2,267,419 „ do. to Ireland . . 766,405 915,657 971,339 1,008,857 The following is the quantity of proof spirits charged with duty for home consumption in the three countries for the years 1852-3, ending 5th January : — 1852. 1853. Duty W gal. Gallons. £ s. d. Gallons. £ s. d. England . .7/10 9,595,368 3,758,185 16 9,820,608 3,846,404 16 Scotland ..3/8 6,830,710 1,252,296 16 8. .. .7,172,015 1,314,869 8 4 Ireland 2/8 7,550,518 1,006,735 14 8. .. .8,208,256 1,091,434 2 S 102 STATISTICS. The post-office does not now contribute much to the revenue, but it is of immense utility and convenience to the public. The receipts in 1841, the year after Mr. Rowland Hills system came into operation, was £129,918; they have gone on increasing, and were in 1852, £200,262, but this was collected at an expense of £92 4s. 2d. per cent. : the cost of conveying the mails by railways, and the numerous establishments obliged to be supported, and other heavy outlays, amounted to £192,067 6s. Id. In* 1839, previous to the penny stamp being resorted to, there was delivered in one day, (24th November,) 179,931 letters, and in 1853, (same date,) they amounted to 772,215. The number of money-orders issued and paid by the Irish offices in 1841, was 125,170 — amount £215,383, and the number paid was 158,651— amount £245,888. In 1852, there were issued 393,879 orders — amount £656,111, and paid 526,233 — amount £730,400. The expenditure, which is now paid out of the consolidated fund, is appropriated to four classes. Annuitants and pensioners receive £40,206 5s. 4d. Salaries and allowances amount to £80,522 7s. Od. The courts of law and equity, police, &c, absorb £753,264 14s. 9d. ; and miscellaneous items £3,467 Is. lid.— in all, £880,460 9s. Among the annuitants and pensioners is to be found the name of the Prince of Mecklen- burg Strelitz for £1,788 4s. 4d. It would be a difficult matter to ascertain what services he rendered Ireland, or what connexion he has with that country to entitle him to be placed on its pension list, and for no trifling sum either — no doubt it is a corrupt affair at bottom. There are many other objectionable items on the list, too numerous, indeed, to admit of their being discussed here. In 1843, out of eighty-two persons who were paid salaries, pensions, See, to the amount of £88,512 7s. iOd. out of the consolidated fund, only thirty-six, receiving £19,556 6s. 8d., were Irishmen, of whom four, with £4,980 were Catholics : the re- mainder, and considerably the larger sum, was received by Eng- lishmen, who filled the most important places of trust and emolument. STATISTICS. 103 An Account of Monies advanced by way oj Loan, out of the Con- solidated Fund for the followiny uses, and the Repayments made thereon, and the Balances due 5th January, 1853. Purposes for which Advances were mad«. Advances to 5th January, 1853. Boards of Ileal tli Gaols, Bridewells, & Lunatic Asylums Building & Repairing Schools Commissioners of Drainage for preliminary Inquiries . . Commissioners of Fisheries for ditto Commissioners of Wide St., Dublin ... Improvement of the River Shannon Improvement of Landed Pro- perty Kingston Harbour Police Roads, Bridges, and Turnpike Trusts Public Works Relief of Trade Suitors' "Fund, Court of Ex- chequer Relief of the Poor in Dis- tressed Districts Tithe Computation Valuation, Lands, and Tene- ments £ 274,358 1,979,963 10,293 s d. 15 4 14 11 5 7 23,500 500 263,624 3 11 313,019 16 8 1,330,000 218,769 3,519,671 416,492 2827,451 178,076 27,660 4 1 5,529,632 279,451 15 8 2 7 310,123 1 4 17,502,588 I 7 Repayments to 5th January, 1853. £ s. d. 272,490 17 1 1,591,298 7 10 8,786 11 4 8,500 19,631 14 5 283,426 6 2 259,618 13 6 47,668 7 7 3,489,569 2 1 360,593 13 5 1,384,613 2 11 127,928 12 8 868,818 7 7 51,724 6 6 246,671 10 2 Balances durCon- solidated Fund, 5th Januarv, 1853. 9,021,340 3 3 £. s. d. 1,867 18 3 388,665 7 I 1,506 14 3 15,000 500 243,992 9 6 171,100 17 30,102 8 8 55,899 1 10 50,147 14 11 27,660 4 1 227,726 16 1 63,451 11 2 1,277,621 2 10 Of these sums advanced to encourage public undertakings and works of national utility, the payments have been very consider- able : even £868,81 7 7s. 7d. has been paid out of £5,529,632 15s. 8d„ which was all that was expended out of the eight millions voted for the relief of the Irish poor. Those (and there are many) Englishmen who entertain an impression that the word loan as applicable to Ireland, is synonimous with that of gift, may perceive by this account, how well the repayments have been kept up, and how little remains due. Loans granted by government for English purposes are not so regularly paid. 104 STATISTICS. Banking. — Previous to 1782. the banking business of Ireland was carried on by private individuals. By an Act of the Irish parliament, 21 & 22 George III., c. 16, passed in that year, the Bank of Ireland was formed, and in May, 1783, a charter defining its privileges was granted for ten years, and fixing the 1 st January, 1784, as the day when those who had previously subscribed were to be formed into a corporation, to be entitled " The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland." It opened for business, how- ever, at Mary's Abbey, Dublin, in June, 1783. Its original capital was £600,000 Irish, which was lent to government at 4 per cent. The Bank of England, established since 1694, with all its im- perfections, was taken as a model. The undertaking was not generally popular, and eighteen months elapsed before the sub- scription list was filled. In 1791 the charter was extended by the Act 31 George III., c. 22, which authorized an augmentation of £400,000 capital ; this sum was subscribed, but not lent to the government, the bank having paid it £60,000 for the accommodation. By the 37 George III., c. 50, the capital was raised to £1,500,000, and the increase lent to government. In 1808, by the Act 48 George III., c. 103, the capital was still further increased£l,000,000, and £1,250,000 advanced to the government. This act extended the charter to 1st of January, 1837. The Act of the 1st & 2nd of George IV., c. 72, empowered the bank to extend its capital to £3,000,000 Irish, or £2,769,230 15s. 6d. English, which is the present capital of the bank, of which £2,630,769 English currency has been lent the government. By this last Act, the government agreed that Bank of Ireland notes should be taken in payment of the revenue, and the bank consented to rescind powers that it had under former acts, to prevent throughout Ireland companies of more than six persons from issuing notes payable on demand, and con- fined the restriction now to within fifty miles of Dublin. For many years the government had been paying heavy interest on the loan it had contracted with the bank: on £1,615,384 12s. 4d., it paid 4 per cent. ; and on £1,015,384 12s. 4d., 5 per cent. The Act 8 & 9 Victoria, c. 37, which in a great degree regulates the present system of banking in Ireland, very properly deprived the Bank of Ireland of the privilege of being the only bank of issue, with more STATISTICS. 105 than six partners in Dublin, or within fifty miles of it, and reduced the interest on the government debt to 3j per cent. — the public business to be transacted without any charge for the future ; and extended the charter to the 10th of January, 1855. The bank was empowered to advance money on goods deposited with it, and sell the same within three months, if not previously redeemed ; and, contrary to the legitimate purposes of banking, to receive, purchase, and retain landed property, and to sell the produce of the lands in its possession. It was forbidden to borrow more than the amount of its capital, or pay or charge more than 5 per cent, on its transactions, under penalties of three times their amount : and by the original charter, the private property of the co-partners was made liable to the debts of the company in proportion to their subscriptions. Notwithstanding the moderate character of these restrictions, the bank did not adhere to them ; but frequently ex- tended their issues beyond the amount of capital, and charged 6 per cent, interest, and have not been sued for the penalties incurred. In 1797 the Bank of Ireland, like the Bank of England, was exempted from paying in gold : its circulation then only amounted to £621,917; in 1808, it was £2,827,000; in 1810, £3,157,300; in 1813, £4,212,600; in 1821, £5,182,600; in 1825, £6,309,300. A bonus of £125,000 to the holders of bank stock was the immediate consequence of its being relieved from paying its paper in gold. In 1803, the dividend, which had been as low as 2f per cent., rose to 7J per cent., and a bonus of £75,000, being 5 per cent, on the capital, or 12 J per cent, interest on the year. Bonuses continued to be paid to 1815, when the dividend was regulated at 10 per cent. In 1821 the dividend was 11 per cent., and a bonus declared of no less than £500,000. All the monetary transactions of the bank, from its formation to 1826, was in Irish, and subsequent thereto in English, currency. The large income possessed by the bank enables it to maintain a liberal establish- ment. Its expenses for the year ending 30th of June, 1836, were — for pensions and salaries, £52,641 ; rent in Dublin, £8,000 ; con- tingent expenses in Dublin, £8,666 ; rent and contingencies con- nected with country agencies, £6,772 ; paid directors, £5,077 ; printing bank notes, &c, £1,396 ; annual payment to government, 106 STATISTICS. £2,067 ; to a government officer, £80 ; lost by fraudulent transfers of government stock, £5,520: total, £90,212. Although the capital of the bank had been intended by various Acts of Parlia- ment to be raised to the extent of three millions, it does not appear that more than one million was paid up, and that stock to the amount of two millions had been created out of the profits of the company. From its formation, the Bank of Ireland has enjoyed uninterupted good fortune and prosperity. In 1837, little more than half a century from that time, the million originally embarked, actually produced .£19,434,406, viz. : £2,000,000 of bank stock created ; £8,775,306 annual dividends as per bank returns ; £1,225,000 bonuses; and £7,634,100 in gold and silver, and in- vested in securities. What service did this company render the nation for the immense monopoly it enjoyed so long ? Its available assets in 1837 amounted to considerably more than seven millions; of which there were employed in Dublin £1,100,000, and in the provinces £1,400,000 — only one-third was actually appropriated to the purposes for which the bank had been originally created. By returns furnished by the bank for the year ending 30th of June, 1836, it appears that its profits amounted to £369,220, of which only £111,423 was for interest on bills discounted, and £257,797 was derived from dividends on government and other securities locked up in its coffers. It is not surprising, therefore, that Ireland progressed so little since she obtained free-trade in either commerce or manufactures, when this cormorant establishment monopolized so long the sole control of the circulating medium, and the other monetary resources of the country. There never existed a corpora- tion with such immense powers at its disposal that effected so little good : circumscribed, sectarian, selfish, and grossly ignorant even of the rudiments of banking, this corporation, during the exis- tence of its charter, and after its renewal a second time by the united parliament, took the most effectual means of restraining the enterprise and industry of the nation. For forty years it was not the Bank of Ireland, but the Bank of Dublin ; its paper, although forced on the Irish people by Act of Parliament, and for a considerable portion of the time was constituted a legal tender in every transac- tion, yet its accommodation did not extend beyond the circular STATISTIC?. 107 road, and even within the prescribed limits of the metropolis none but partisans of the ascendancy faction were admissible as directors, or could obtain even mediocre accommodation in their business. Although often solicited to accommodate with branches of its esta- blishment those commercial towns which, by its charter, were deprived of the power of banking for themselves, it invariably refused, and thus imposed an immense tax on all persons trading to any extent in these places, as no bills were negotiable that were not made payable in Dublin, and heavy commissions and other charges were paid to agents there for attending to these transac- tions. But in 1825, when branches were established in these places by the Provincial Bank of Ireland, which the illiberal and unaccommodating spirit cf the parent bank in Dublin had called into existence, it was obliged, in self-defence, to establish them — certainly forty years too late to save the country from the spurious circulation, and disastrous consequences entailed on it by its culpa- ble neglect. Notwithstanding the opinion of the late Sir Henry Parnell, (who was looked upon by some writers as a kind of oracle in finance,) " That it was the increased issue of the Bank of Ireland which caused the exchange between England and Ireland to rise to 17 and 18 per cent., and originated those evils which resulted from the failures of the private banks subsequently." It is evident, however, that it was not an over-issue of paper that created the financial disorganization that ensued, but the want of a sound and a sufficient circulating medium, which the Bank of Ireland had then alone the power of dispensing. High prices, the natural consequences of a prolonged war, for almost every article of traffic required an enlarged circulating medium, and as the country could not obtain it in a genuine form, its necessities com- pelled it to take what answered its immediate purpose. The best proof that can be adduced of Ireland requiring a much larger circulating medium than it possessed, is to be found in the numer- ous private banks of- issue that succeeded each other ; and although they commenced failing at an early period, and that the people lost heavily by their notes, they, notwithstanding, continued to accept in payment the issue of every new establishment, for want of a better and more substantial currency. No doubt there was over- 108 STATISTICS. trading, and much fictitious credit introduced by the facility with which this private paper was obtained. But had the Bank of Ireland, at the commencement of the war, established branches in the several commercial towns, and regulated their business on sound banking principles, increasing their capital, and extending their issues, many of those fragile banks that gave way both north, south, and west, would never have had existence, and the loss that the country sustained, probably to the extent of twenty millions by their failures, would have been saved. The number of private banks in 1800, was 11, which increased in 1803 to 30, and in 1804 to 50. In 1812, with the exception of 19, they had failed or discon- tinued business : still others had entered the field, and there were in that year 33 banks in full operation ; all, however, have been since swept away, with the exception of three in Dublin, Messrs. Latouche ; Balls &c Co. ; and Boyle, Low, Pirn & Co. Some of those who failed for the largest sums were Cotter & Kcllet, and S. & T. Roche, of Cork ; Maunsel, of Limerick; Rial, of Clonmcl ; Colclough, of New Ross ; French & Co., Alexander & Co., of Dublin ; and above all Williams & Finn — who deserve especial mention from the cir- cumstance, that although they failed for £300,000, they never, during the whole period of their banking, were worth £1,000. It is also to be considered, that during the progress of these events, there was no metallic currency in the country of any moment ; gold in a great measure had disappeared ; guineas were at a premium of 5*10, and at one time 20 per cent. ; the silver shillings and six- pences left in circulation, were a kind of counterfeits, composed of tin and copper, slightly coated over to give them the appearance of silver, and the copper coin was equally spurious. These even dis- appeared, and a kind of small paper-money called a ticket, or I. O. U., that ranged in nominal amount from threepence to six shillings, were issued by merchants, shopkeepers, and others, in any kind of credit, and when they amounted to a pound, if presented, were paid by them. These petty bankers have been estimated at 295, but they must have doubled that number throughout the country. This currency, although fictitious, and objectionable in a variety of ways, yet it enabled the people to carry on their business, which, without some such medium, it was impossible STATISTICS. 109 to transact. These were succeeded by a silver issue of the Bank of Ireland, called tokens, of the value of fivepence, tenpence, and six shillings, the latter being originally a Spanish dollar, worth four shillings and sixpence, extended in circumference, and bearing the impression of the bank as an I. O. U. for six shillings. The first joint-stock banking company formed in Ireland was the Hibernia Banking Company, which had its origin in the illibe- rality displayed by the Bank of Ireland towards the mercantile and trading Catholic community of Dublin. It was formed in 1824 by an Act of the 5th Geo. IV., which met with consider- able opposition in its progress through parliament. Its capital is one million, in 10,000 shares of £100 each, £250,000 of which has been paid up. The deed of settlement is dated 11th April, 1825, and is signed by 1,063 proprietors, and it entered on business in June the same year. It was intended originally as a bank of issue, and those who negotiated with the Treasury the terms on which it was to be established were led to believe that an alteration in the law would take place, so as to admit of its having a bank-note circulation ; and considerable discontent and disappointment was the consequence of its not being realized. The Act was generally regarded as mutilated, and deviating from its original purpose, and though assuming to be an Act to authorize banking, yet in it there is scarcely a word to be found about banking or the discount of paper from beginning to end. The directors, to realize the advantages of a bank of issue, in 1827 issued tokens on printed unstamped paper, the same size and having the appearance of a bank-note ; in it there was, however, no promise to pay, it was merely entitled " Hibernia Bank token — One Pound," and signed by two bank clerks, and dated in the usual form. It was construed by the law not to be a note, but the Bank of Iraland effectually opposed its circulation, and the interference of the government, shortly after, led to its being dis- continued. This still further augmented the discontent of the proprietors, who taxed the directors with breach of faith, and with having established the bank for their own personal accommo- dation. A Bill was actually submitted to the House of Commons to dissolve the Company, on the grounds that the Act under which it was formed merely authorized it to grant loans and annuities, 110 STATISTICS. but not to bank. This Bill, however, was fortunately either lost or withdrawn, otherwise the benefits which unquestionably resulted to Ireland from joint-stock banking might have been seriously interfered with in its infancy. The Hibernia Bank, although it does not issue notes, has been extremely prosperous. From 1827 to 1838 it divided 4 per cent., in 1839 4j per cent., from 1840 to 1851 5 per cent., and since then 6 per cent. The net profits for 1853 was £14,701 13s. lid., after deducting the charge of management. It has branches in Drogheda and Mullingar. The accounts are audited and submitted to a board of management every year : it allows no interest on balances, but pays per cent, on all sums deposited over three months. The Pro- vincial Bank of Ireland commenced operations by opening a branch of its establishment at Cork, in September, 1825, and in 1836 it had thirty-three branches, all issuing notes. It had no central office in Ireland, the management being carried on in London, which gave the Bank of Ireland a pretext for pronouncing it anti-national, and the liability of the proprietors under the Act of formation, 1 & 2 Geo. IV., was also questioned. But the 6th Geo. IV., c. 42, which explained former Acts, and regulated the system of joint-stock banking in Ireland, dissipated its jealous and interested insinuations, and the Provincial Bank progressed in utility and prosperity. Its capital is two millions, in 20,000 shares of £100 each, on which £25 has been paid, with the excep- tion of 411, which were forfeited. The directors are allowed £5,000 a year by the deed of settlement, but it has been so arranged that no director shall receive more than £250 of it. From 1838 to 1847, it has divided 8 per cent, per annum, and in 1842 and 1847, it paid two bonuses of 4 per cent, in addition. On 31st March, 1852, it divided 8 per cent., and had, as a rest, undivided profits to the amount of £73,636 lis. Od. The net profits for the year ending 31st March, 1853, were £58,511 4s. 5d. There had been established, at Belfast, long previous to the idea of joint-stock banking being entertained as suitable to the necessities of Ireland, three private banks, the Northern, Belfast, and Commercial Banking Companies, which rendered immense service to the infant trade and manufac- tures of that town; and not confining their operations thereto, they established agents in Newry, Dundalk, and other towns which STATISTICS. Ill came within the range of the Bank of Ireland monopoly. These banks stood the shock of all the panics, and not only honourably discharged their engagements to the public, but some of the proprietors retired on large fortunes. The Northern Banking Company was the first to take advantage of the favourable disposi- tion of parliament towards the establishing of joint-stock banks in Ireland. Its capital is £500,000, in 5,000 shares of £100 each, 4889 of which have been allotted, and £25 a share on them paid up. The deed of settlement is dated in August, 1824, and was signed by 264 proprietors. The bank claims ten shares, and a lien on all other shares, for any debts due to it by the proprietors. It commenced business in December 1825, and in 1836 had ten branches in other towns in Ulster. Its notes are made payable only where issued, but they are paid at the central office, at all the branches, and by the Bank of Ireland. Previous to 1835 no interest had been allowed on accounts current, and only 2\ per cent, on deposits, but since then 2 J per cent, interest is allowed on balances of three months' standing, and 3 per cent, if "they remain for six months and upwards. It divided up to 1835, 5 per cent, and two bonuses of £2 19s. Id. and £4 per share. In 1835 it paid 6 per cent., in 1836, 7 per cent., in 1837, 8 per cent., in 1338, 9 per cent., and from 1839 to 1853 it paid 10 per cent, and £5 bonus added to the capital. In 1835, for the first time, it formed a rest of £49,590; in 1844 it was £36,276 ; in 1846 it was £44,830; and in 1852, £59,581. In 1827 the Belfast Banking Company followed in the steps of the Northern, and be- came a joint-stock company, with a capital of £500,000 in 5,000 shares of £100 each; all of which has been issued, and £25 per share paid up. The deed of settlement is dated 2nd July, 1827, and is signed by 337 proprietors, and it commenced business 1st August, 1827. The bank held fourteen shares in trust, and three as secu- rities for advances. In 1837 it had 20 branches situated within 96 miles of Belfast, which issued notes that are paid on the same principle of the Northern Banking Company. In 1836 there was a bonus of £20,000, which has been since increased to £37,500. From 1827 to 1835 it divided 5 per cent,, from 1836 to 1846, 6 per cent,, and from 1846 to 1854, 8 percent, per annum ; 2^ and 3 per cent, interest is allowed for deposits. The Agricultural and 112 STATISTICS. Commercial Bank of Ireland is the only joint-stock company that has failed, and is in that instance a convincing proof how much more secure the public is in taking their paper to that of private bankers. Its capital was a million, in shares of £5, £10, and £25 ; the total number of shares issued was 257,377, and the amount paid up £352,789 : no shares were forfeited. The deed of settlement was dated 1st December, 1834, and 10th August, 1836. The bank held in trust for the company £45,348 10s. stock. It commenced business the 2nd November, 1834 ; its notes were payable at the several branches where issued ; the interest allowed on current accounts was 2 per cent., and for deposits over three months 3 per cent. In 1835 it had 50 branches in full operation ; in 1836 the amount of capital paid up was £395,000, about one-fifth of which was advanced by English capitalists. The entire property of the shareholders was subject to its liabilities. On the 17th October, 1836, the directors declared a dividend of 5 per cent., and that they possessed a reserved fund of £8,004, but made a call on the subscribers of an additional 5 per cent, on the sub- scribed capital, and on the 17th November following the Bank stopped payment. The directors, however, issued a statement, that it possessed assets to the amount of £4,874 above its capital, after discharging all its liabilities. Auditors, however, soon after reported, that the gross assets were only £290,000, and that they consisted of bills overdue or renewed, and which would leave a deficit of £100,000, instead of a surplus of £8,004, and that, from the number of accounts overdrawn and other causes, the losses of the bank were likely to amount to £300,000, out of £395,000 paid-up capital, on two years' banking. This led to the suspension of eight of the directors, impeached with mismanage- ment ; and the Banks Committee of 1837 instituted a searching inquiry into the transactions of this company. While this was proceeding, a Bill for its dissolution was proposed in the House of Commons, at the instance of a portion of the shareholders, prin- cipally from Belfast and the North of Ireland. The Court of Chancery was also applied to for the same purpose : but both were unsuccessful ; and after a year spent in expensive litigation, all parties appear to have been reconciled. At a general meeting, held in October, 1837, the directors' conduct was approved of, even STATISTICS. 113 by those proprietors who had so recently assailed it. On this occasion it was stated, that liabilities to the extent of £80,000 had been paid off during the year, and that there were still available assets to the amount of £277,071, leaving a loss only of £48,812. Under these circumstances the business recommenced^ but with no better success than in the first instance ; it stopped payment again in 1841, having sustained losses to the extent of £70,000. In 1845 an Act was passed directing its affairs to be wound up ; and whatever loss the proprietors may have sustained, the public have been paid in full — which speaks volumes in favour of the joint- stock banking system. The National Bank of Ireland was formed by deed of settlement 6th January, 1835, signed by 796 proprie- tors. Its capital is a million, in 20,000 shares of £50 each : the whole have been issued, and the paid-up capital amounts to £450,000. It commenced business at Carrick-on-Suir in Novem- ber, 1835, and in 1836 it had 14 branches, with sub-branches and 8 agencies. At present it has only branches which amount to 47. Its notes are payable at the branches from whence they issue ; but they are paid without reserve by them all, if required. The directors have their office in London, the same as the Provincial Bank. The interest on deposits varies from 2 per cent, upwards, agreeable to arrangement. In 1836 it divided 5 per cent., in 1837 2J per cent, in 1838 and 1839 5 per cent., from 1840 to 1843 6 per cent., in 1844 5 J per cent., from 1844 to 1848 it paid 5 per cent., and the latter year 10s. a share bonus in addition: it also retained £61,105 4s. 4d. undivided profits, and in 1852 its net profits were £32,220, and its undivided £8,074 15s. Id. The late Mr. O'Connell being connected with the Bank, rendered the circu- lation of its notes popular among the Irish peasantry, by whom it was styled O'Connell' s Bank, and it also induced many of his commercial and trading admirers to bank with it. In 1837 it was exempted from the inquiry instituted by a Parliamentary Com- mittee into Banking in Ireland. It suffered severely from the pressure of 1836, and its next dividend was only 2± per cent. From this period a remarkable change took place in its proprietors. In 1836 the number having votes was 246, of whom only 43 were Irish, while in 1843 the votes were 401, of whom only 106 were i 114 STATISTICS. English. When it was first established the shareholders were of two descriptions, the one metropolitan the other local : when a branch was formed, the former contributed a sum proportioned to the local subscription, and the profits or losses were divided or sustained accordingly. This arrangement, however, being found inconvenient, in 1837 both stocks were consolidated, with the exception of Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir ; these branches pre- ferring to carry on business agreeable to the original plan. The Clonmel National Branch or Bank has a capital of £80,000, in shares of £10 each, 6,494 of which have been issued, and £16,235 paid up : it has two sub-branches at Cashel and Thurles. The Carrick-on-Suir has a capital of £40,000, of which £4,692 has been paid up ; both issue notes, which are payable at their respective establishments. The Ulster Banking Company, although formed by deed of settlement 1st April, 1836, did not commence business at Belfast until 1st July, 1837 : its capital is one million, in 100,000 shares of £10 each, of which 74,800 have been issued, and £187,000 paid up : no shares had been forfeited. In 1848 it had 15 branches, issuing notes payable thereat, but, like the other banks, they pay reciprocally, if required. There were then 440 proprietors, and the dividends amounted to 5 per cent. The Royal Bank of Ireland was formed the 1st September, 1836, when its deed of settlement was signed by 306 proprietors : its capital is £1,045,375, in 30,000 shares of £50 each, of which 20,930 had been issued, and £209,175 paid up. It issues no notes, and has no branches ; its establishment is in Dublin, and is a bank of discount and deposit ; it holds no shares, but has a primary lien on those of the shareholders for debts due the bank by them ; it allows 2 per cent, on accounts current, and 2J and 3 per cent, on deposits, according to the time they remain in their hands. It has divided 5 per cent, regularly since its formation to 1848, when it had a reserved fund of £45,475 8s. Its net profits in 1853 amounted to £21,402 lis. 9d., and, after dividing 6 per cent, interest, and a bonus of 3 per cent., amounting to £6,275 5s., it had a reserved fund of £50,000, and an unappropriated balance of £3,257 16s. 2d. out of the profits of 1852-3 remaining. The Tipperary Banking Company was established in August, 1839, at STATISTICS. 115 Clonmel ; has 49 proprietors and 8 branches. As it has not yet been under the notice of Parliament, there is but little known of it in detail. It issues no notes, and the business is said to be con- ducted by three directors, Vincent Scully, Esq., M.P., James Sadleir, Esq., M.P., and W. Kennedy, Esq. It is rather surprising, that, in places of so much importance as Cork and Limerick, no joint-stock banks have been established : in the former city in 1837 (by no means a favourable time) an attempt was made to form one under the name of the Southern Banking Company, but it failed in embryo ; and another in Dublin, the Provident Joint- Stock Banking Company, after a temporary and unsubstantial existence, stopped payment. The following are the particulars connected with the Irish joint-stock banking companies : — Banks. Years when formed. Branches. J Number of Proprietors. Capital Subscribed. Capital Paid up. Fixed issue. Circulation 24th Nov., 1852. Specie on hand 24th Nov., 1852. £ £ £ £ £ 1783 23 3000000 3000000 3738428 3054625 747704 Hibernia Banking Co. 1824 3 • 1000000 250000 Provincial Bank of Ire- 1825 37 867 2000000 500000 927667 964382235161 Northern Banking Co. 1825 11 179i 500000 150000 243440 280680 60484 Belfast Banking Co. . . 1827 22 264 500000 125000 281611 508332 316489 National Bank of Ire- 1835 47 913 1000000 450000 761757 1019329 387520 Carrick - on - Suir Na- • tional Bank 1835 973 40000 4962 24081 24919 5638 Clonmel National Bank 1836 2 1050 80000 16235 66431 51955 9560 Ulster Banking Co. . . 1836 16 489 1000000 250000 311079 474998 198664 Royal Bank of Ireland 1836 472 1045375 209175 Tipperary Joint- Stock 1839 8 49 The joint-stock banks of Ireland, as now established, appear to be doing extensive, safe, and legitimate business, and from the wealth and respectability of the proprietary, the amount of paid-up capital, and above all the knowledge of banking which long experience must have taught its present managers, the country should feel confident and secure in the present system. With some few improvements they are calculated to do much good, particularly in the provincial towns, w r here every effort should be made to I 2 116 STATISTICS. establish manufactures, and these efforts must depend in a great measure on the encouragement and assistance they are to receive from these establishments. - The principle of advancing money by way of mortgage on manufacturing premises, which is prevalent with the Scotch banks, is deserving of imitation on the part of the Irish. The issue of all the Irish Banks is fixed at £G, 354,474, a sum too limited for the present trade of the country, considering that it is destitute of a gold currency, such as England possesses. Whatever gold there is in Ireland is locked up in the coffers of the banks, as a partial security against their paper issue. If there is really so much of it as represented lying dead in the various banks and their branches, it must be a serious loss to them, without being of any benefit to the public. The same amount of government stock, which would bear interest in favour of the banks, would be as good security, and would enable them to be more liberal in their discounts. "Whenever the subject of banking comes under the consideration of parliament again, it will be absolutely necessary that something should be done to render a Bank of England note a legal tender in Ireland, and a Bank of Ireland note the same in England : or, at all events, that these banks should be compelled to reciprocate by paying each others' notes in gold, or in such paper as will pass current in the respective countries. Savings' Banks were established in Ireland in 1810, and an Act was passed in 1817 fixing the interest on deposits thereon at 4 per cent. : in 1828 it was reduced to £3 0s. lOd. per cent. The amount of deposits in 1845 was £2,921,581 ; in 18 18 it declined to £1,334,296. occasioned, probably, by the famine and the failure of one or two of these banks. In 1852 the deposits were £1,447,315, being an increase of £113,019. The number of depositors were, for sums not exceeding £20, 26,379 ; £20, and not exceeding £50, 17,025; £50, and not exceeding £100, 5,814; £100, and not exceeding £200, 677 ; and exceeding £200, 22 persons. Loan Societies. — There were 113 of these societies formed in Ireland under the Acts 6 & 7 William IV. c. 55, and 6 & 7 Victoria, c. 9; capital, £186,271; total accommodation, £739,056; gross profits, £21,335 ; net profits, £5,963 ; expended in charity, £1,072. STATISTICS. 117 I & land Navigation. — The Grand Canal — The extraordinary success that attended the construction of canals in France and Eng- land during the last century, induced the merchants and landowners of Ireland to turn their attention to the formation of a canal that would unite the cities of Dublin and Limerick, and the Irish Sea with the Shannon and the Atlantic Ocean. A company was, there- fore, formed of enterprising men in 1 765, when the Grand Canal was commenced at Dublin. Although the Irish parliament was liberal in aiding this undertaking in its infancy, the sums of money required to carry it on were so enormous, and the difficulties to be sur- mounted so great, that the required supplies could not be raised for a considerable time, and the stock, which was originally 100, fell to 30. In 1772, this company was incorporated by Act of Parlia- ment, and the capital invested by the subscribers amounted to £60,000, which was to be extended to £150,000. The difficulties, however, of raising the necessary funds still continued, but the company persevered with unshaken fortitude and industry, and the canal was opened — to Sallins in 1783, to Monastereven in 1786, and to Athy in 1791. The navigation then rapidly extended to Carlow ; and by the unwearied diligence and public spirit of the directors, more pro_ress was made in five months in the year of 1795, in extending and perfecting it, than had been made in the twenty-three previous years, with an expenditure of nearly £300,000. It is very probable that the Act of 1786, dissolving the Board of Inland Navigation, and vesting in the Grand Canal Company the property and powers it possessed connected with the undertaking, might have been instrumental in effecting these results. This canal was extended subsequently to Tullamore, and thence to the Shannon, and was opened the 25th October, 1803. The branch canal to Ballinasloe was completed 29th September, 1828 ; that to Mountmellick, 1st March, 1830, and to Kelbeggan, 1st January, 1835. It properly consists of two main lines, one of which ex- tends to Philipstown and Banagher, and communicates with the Shannon, at Shannon Harbour, and, by means of that river and the Killaloe navigation, with Limerick. The other communicates with Athy and Carlow, and joins the Barrow, which is navigable from thence to New Ross and AVaterford. The length of the main 118 STATISTICS. channel from the LifFey to the Shannon is eighty miles, and thence to Ballinasloe, in a westerly direction, fifteen miles. These, and the branches to Mountmellick, Kilbeggan, Naas, Corbally, Mil town, Blackwood, and Edenderry, &c, extend over a space of 160 miles. The rise from its junction with the LifTey, at Kilmainham, to Robertstown, is 278 feet above the level of the sea; the fall thence to the Barrow is 97 feet ; and to the Shannon, at Shannon Harbour, 162 feet : making together 537 feet, or about 3 feet 4 inches per mile for lockage. It passes through a portion of the Bog of Allan, and Dublin is therefore well supplied with turf or peat-fuel ; the boats so employed take back manure, which assists in fertiliz- ing the land in the neighbourhood of the canal. There are packet- boats on it for the accommodation of passengers ; and it is a cheap and pleasant mode of travelling, at the rate of 3 J miles an hour. The Cut which connects it with the LifTey at Ringsend is nearly three miles in length, and renders the navigation from Dublin Bay to the Atlantic complete. The cost of constructing this fine canal, its branches, harbours, and other appendages, amounted to £2,028,678, which was raised as follows : — Grand Canal Stock issued by the Company £670,000 Parliamentary Grants, exclusive of £52,231 17s. 8d. advanced the Company by the Directors General of Inland Navigation for improving the Middle Shannon 93,258 Loans obtained, (for general purposes,) amount- Amounting to about £12,000 per mile ; which appears extravagant Avhen compared with the recent branches, which only cost £3,600 per mile ; and the Kilbeggan even at a lower rate, the 8 miles being completed for the moderate sum of £18,000. The debt was re- duced by a grant of £150,000 from government for that purpose to £1,017,750, of which there very recently remained due £720,000, and the company pays an average interest thereon of about 4 per ing to Loans for constructing the Branch Canals 1,167,750 97,670 £2,028,678 STATISTICS. 119 cent. : this, with a small sinking fund that it is obliged by the Act of Incorporation to keep up towards the ultimate redemption of the debt, amounts to a charge of £30.000 annually, which absorbs nearly the whole revenue of the Canal, so that for several years the dividends have been as low as 1 per cent, on the stock ; £4,000 thereof had been derived from passenger traffic, and a further sum for the transmission of light goods, and these have been diminished still further by railway competition — but for agricultural produce the tolls are so low, not exceeding |d a ton per mile from distant pans of the Shannon and Barrow, and only Jd. if brought to Dublin for exportation, that it will not be affected much in the transport of it or ether heavy and bulky commodities. Its supply of water is abundant, and even during the dryest sea- sons, for several years past, there has not been the slightest want of it throughout the whole line of navigation. Upwards of forty boats pass its summit-level daily; and it is only surprising, with the immense facilities it affords for traffic, that they do not amount to at least double that number. The conduct of the Shannon Commissioners towards this company, no doubt sanctioned by the Treasury, has been justly deemed arbitrary and oppressive. The proprietors were possessed of the navigation of the Middle Shannon between Lough Derg and Lough Ree, upon the improvement of which, independent of £52,231 17s. 8d. advanced by the Commis- sioners of Inland Navigation for that purpose in 1806, they expended £30.000 borrowed from the public, for which they are still paying £1.200 a year interest. The conditions on which the government granted this money did not admit of the rights of the company being forfeited, and even if it were insolvent, in common justice it had no right to take an undue advantage of its other creditors, although in law it has very unfairly the precedence. In 1837 the Shannon Commissioners valued this property at £5 only ; and by the Shannon Navigation Act of 1839 (2d & 3d Vic, c. 61), they were empowered to wrest the Middle Shannon from the company. Although this property was only valued by the Shan- non Commissioners at £5, it appears by their own reports, to have produced in 1840. £700 15s. 5d. : in 1841, £654 6s. 4d. ; in 1842, £526 Is. 4d.. and £40 a year rent off other premises awarded 120 STATISTICS. them. The Grand Canal Directors remonstrated in Tain against this act of injustice, and, as some compensation for the injury sus- tained, pointed out to Government the propriety of relieving them from the claims it had on the Branch Canals of Ballinasloe, Mount- mellick, and Kilbeggan, which were constructed by advances made by the Exchequer Commissioners, and voted by Parliament for the employment of the Irish poor at periods of great and general dis- tress. It appears by the 12th Annual Report of the Board of Public Works, that there was originally advanced — To complete the Ballinasloe Branch £16,254 3 1 Interest thereon 27,93S 15 9 £74,192 18 10 „ Mountmcllick do 33,416 6 1 Interest 17,765 3 5 -51,181 9 8 „ Kilbeggan do 18,000 o Interest 8,449 6 7 26,449 6 7 £151,823 14 II Six years of procrastination occurred before their request was acceded to, and then only on condition that the company would purchase the branches at what was then estimated to be about their value in the market, say £10,000; and for that sum the Lords of the Treasury consented to relieve the company from the- pressure of a debt which, by the excessive accumulation of interest, was rapidly sinking the property. This consideration at least the proprietors were fully entitled to, from their fortitude, integrity, and honourable bearing throughout a long period of difficulty and depression, during which a rival establishment, which never should have been called into existence, broke faith with the public, and sunk under circumstances of the most disreputable character. The tolls at the close of the war in 1815 produced £50,000 per annum : they gradually diminished with the peace, and in 1828 were only £25,000; they continued to advance again until 1815, and since then railway competition has reduced the tolls to half the amount they were then. Since November, 1851, the Grand Canal Docks have been leased to the Dublin Docks Company. STATISTICS. 121 Amount of Tonnage and Tolls upon Goods, SfC, carried on this Canal from 1835 to 1850, at intervals of 5 years, and for the years 1851 and 1852 respectively. Years. Tons. £ s. d. Years. Tons. £ s. d. 1835 .... 215,398 36,030 3 2 1850 .... 226,634 19,122 6 11 1840 .... 219,062 35,435 2 1851 .... 236,745 19,501 15 3 1845 .... 285,602 36,762 1 1852 237,301 18,702 6 4 The Royal Canal. — A director of the Grand Canal Company having differences with his colleagues, determined on a rival un- dertaking, and he was enabled, from the success of the original enterprise, to form a company, which was incorporated in 1789, by the name of the Royal Canal Company. An Act of Parliament was obtained to carry out his views, and the patronage of the Board of Inland Navigation was extended to it. In 1795 the Canal was opened as far as Kilcock, and on Sunday, 20th December in that year, the first excursion was made on it ; the present Duke of Leinster and his father being of the party. In 1796 its traffic amounted to £108. It was then extended to Mullingar, a distance from the metropolis of about 42 miles, and its revenues had in- creased in 1810 to £15,024, but its debt was £1,142,550, charged with annual interest to the amount of £49,624 10s. — towards the payment of which there was only £4,131 4s. 6d. available. The proprietors petitioned parliament for relief, and the company was declared bankrupt and the property vested in the creditors, who, it was said, w r ere principally poor widows and orphans. At this period it had only extended to Coolnahay, a few miles beyond Mullingar, and £200,000 was granted to complete it to Tarmon- barry, on the Shannon, a distance of 25 miles. Its length from Dublin to Tarmonbarry is 92 statute miles, including an off-branch from Killashee to Longford of 5 miles. It is fed from Lough Owel, in the county Westmeath ; its summit -level is 322 feet. In 1836 the total receipts were £25,148 19s. 7d., and the expenditure £11,912 2s. lOd. The tonnage in 1847 was 112,181 tons, and the tolls collected thereon amounted to £13,931 18s. 4d. ; and in 1852 they declined to 91,181 tons, and the tolls to £12,485 18s. 7d. The new company, which was formed out of a portion of the creditors of the old in 181 S, made a dividend of 2j per cent, in 122 STATISTICS. 1836, but in 1843 it was only 1| per cent. The total cost of this wild enterprise was £1,421,954 13s. Id. ; and had the originators, instead of forming a rival line to compete with the Grand Canal to the Shannon, applied themselves to the purpose of constructing a ship canal that would unite the Bays of Dublin and Galway, and consequently the Irish Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, it would have been a great national, and, probably, a most successful, under- taking, as it would, no doubt, have received the support of the Irish parliament, then liberally disposed to promote all objects of national utility. Forty years after, the late venerated and patriotic nobleman, Lord Cloncurry, projected such a canal, and, as he in his own words described it — u It would have only cost eight millions ; and from its construction, the steam navy of Great Britain could pass through it, and it would have answered also as a main drain to the great central bogs of Ireland. A petition in favour of the measure had been presented to Parliament signed by 38 peers, including the Dukes of Devonshire and Leinster, and, after I had expended £500 in preliminary proceedings, the com- mercial people at Liverpool had sufficient interest with the government to have it cushioned ; and in respect to the expenses incurred, the Duke of Leinster was the only nobleman who sub- scribed a shilling towards them." Under the 8th Sc 9th Vic. this Canal is the property of the Midland Great Western Railway Company. Boats ply daily from Dublin to Mullingar, Ballymahon, Longford, Richmond Harbour, Carrick-on-Shannon and Lanes- boro'. Connected with it, near Leixlip, is the finest aqueduct in Europe ; it is 100 feet high, and constructed on a bridge over the river Rye at an expense of nearly £30,000. An excursion from Dublin to Lucan and Leixlip is most delightful, the scenery in the environs of the latter place being truly charming ; and the return to town along the banks of the Canal is highly interesting, com- manding an extensive view of the bay and surrounding country. The Barrow Navigation was commenced in 1759, but the company was not incorporated until 1788. The river Barrow becomes navigable at Athy, where it communicates with the Grand ( anal at a distance of 42 miles from Dublin, and affords a line of STATISTICS. 123 internal navigation from that city to the sea below Waterford of 120 miles. It joins the river Xore one mile above the town of New Ross, and the Suir a short distance below Waterford. The depth of water between Athy and Carlow is 3-j feet in summer, and 5 feet in winter, which is sufficient for boats of 50 tons loaded. Between Carlow and St. Mullins, boats only of 30 tons can navigate in the summer months. From Athy to St. Mullins, about 40 miles, there is a track-way for horses, and 23 locks. The expen- diture on this navigation, from 1790 to 1802, was £62.215 18s. Id. ; and from 1802 to 1836 £115,636 18s. 2d. : total £177,852 16s. 3d. The company have not borrowed money, but it has obtained gTants to the amount of £59,300. Previous to the formation of the company in 1790, boats only of from 3 to 5 tons in summer, and 8 to 10 tons in winter, hauled by men, could navigate the Barrow. The receipts for five years from 1832 to 1836 were £25,801 4s. Id., and the disbursements £17,661 12s. 7d. The Boyne Navigation was opened in 1759. It has an upper and lower line — the first is partly river and partly canal, and extends from Drogheda to Navan, a distance of 19 statute miles. The latter, which is in the hands of the Commissioners of Public Works, runs from Drogheda to Carrick-dexter, being 12j miles in length, passing the town of Slane in its course. The rate of freight from Drogheda to Slane is 3s., and to Xavan 4s. 6d. per ton. On the lower navigation the boatmen are paid l|d., and on the upper 2d. per ton per man. The whole of the traffic is with Xavan. with the exception of a small portion with Slane, and some mills in its neighbourhood. There is some difficulty in ascertain- ing what this navigation cost : it is estimated at £120,000. The receipts for the year 1837 were £775 15s. The accounts of the lower navigation are returned in the report of the Commissioners of Public Works to parliament — the receipts for the year ending April 1844, were £734 12s. 4d., and the expenditure £460 6s. 9d. ; but its revenue is considerably diminished since the opening of the Navan branch of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway. The Neicnj Navigation. — This Canal was formed for conveying coals found in the neighbourhood of Lough Neagh to Xewry, and 124 STATISTICS. thence by sea to Dublin and the other Irish ports. It was com- menced in 1830, under an Act of 3rd Geo. II., and vessels laden with Irish coal passed through it in 1741. The Cut from Newry to Fathom was completed in 1763. From Fathom to the Bann at Fortadown it is 21 statute miles, and that river renders it navi- gable 10 miles farther, where it joins Lough Neagh. It opens a water communication with five counties — Down, Armagh, Derry, Antrim, and Tyrone ; and with Cavan, Monaghan, and F ermanagh, by means of the Ulster Canal, which connects Lough Erne and Lough Neagh. The navigation was originally under a board of directors, composed of the members for Newry, and the magistrates and gentlemen whose estates lay contiguous thereto. But this board being ineffective, the management was transferred to the Commissioners of Inland Navigation. In 1830 it was, by an Act of the 10th Geo. IV., placed under the control and superintendence of the Newry Navigation Company, which is composed of mer- chants and ship-owners of the town particularly interested in its success. A loan of £30,000 has been granted, under 6 & 7 Vic, c. 44, to deepen and extend the navigation from Fathom to deep- water at Warrenpoint, a distance of about three miles : there is now a depth of 14 or 15 feet of water to the town of Newry. The amount due to the government by the navigation was £42,000, at an interest of 4 and 5 per cent. ; out of which £5,692 Is. 5d. has been paid. The tonnage borne by the canal in 1831 was 70,479 tons, and the tolls paid thereon £2,413 3s. lOd. ; in 1837 it was 102,322 tons, and tolls £3,005 lis. 5d. The Tyrone Navigation commences at Coal Island, near Dun- gannon, joins the river Blackwater, and from thence proceeds to Lough Neagh, a distance of llf miles; — in summer the draught of water is 4 J feet, and in winter 5 feet. Boats from 30 to 50 tons burthen can navigate it ; rates of freight from 4s. 6d. to 6s. 6d. ; the amount of tolls collected in 1842 was £202, expenditure £537 3s. It has been for some years in the hands pf the Commissioners of Fublic Works. The tolls in 1851 amounted to £434, having in nine years more than doubled. There is an uninterrupted line of navigation from Coal Island to Belfast, a distance of 61 miles, performed in three days, and to Newry 39j miles in two days. STATISTICS. 125 The Ulster Canal commences at Charlemont on the Black- ■\vater, by which it communicates with Lough Neagh, and, taking a south-west direction by Monaghan and Clones, enters Lough Erne at the eastern extremity, thus uniting the two Loughs. It was constructed by the aid of large sums of public money, and was opened for the passage of boats in 1842. Two stations have been established on Lough Neagh for the accommodation of long boats between the Ulster, Lagan, and Newry Navigations. A steamboat has been also placed on Lough Erne ; so that a regular communication has been effected throughout the line, which is 48 miles. The company was incorporated under 6 Geo. IV., c. 193. The amount of capital is £300,000, half of which has been paid up. £120,000 has been obtained on mortgage of the undertaking, and the accruing tolls from the Exchequer Loan Bills Commis- sioners, and £10,000 from the Board of Works. In 1843 the goods carried was 13,454 tons, being an increase on the year pre- vious of 3,000 tons, and the amount of tolls £1,188 10s. lid., and disbursements £1,252 12s. lid. ; there was also £1,000 more paid an engineer, and for law expenses. The Lagan Navigation is partly by the river of that name, and partly by canal, which unites the town of Belfast with Lough Neagh. Up to 1753 it was not navigable, and to render it so, the Irish parliament imposed a tax on beer and spirits for ten years, but it was subsequently extended to the year 1814 ; the amount then received by the managers was about £50,000, and the Mar- quis of Donegal, to complete the Canal, secured £62,000, for which transferrable debentures were issued. In 1843 the holders of these, after a contest with the Commissioners of Public Works, were incorporated into a company to manage and improve the naviga- tion. Its length from Belfast to Lough Neagh is 28j statute miles. The average tonnage of boats navigating it is 50 tons ; the depth of water in summer is 4 feet, and in winter 4 feet 9 inches. In 1836 the tolls of boats of that tonnage between Belfast and Lough Neagh was £3 per boat, and the rates of goods from Belfast to Lough Neagh 6s., and to Newry 7s. a ton. The amount of tonnage conveyed on the navigation for the seven years ending, 126 STATISTICS. 1837, was 265,750 tons; and the toll of about 9fd. per ton amounted to £10,738 7s. lid. The landing places along the line are the lime-kilns, brick-fields, bleach-greens, mills and factories between Belfast and Lisburn — the towns of Hilsborough, Moira, Magheralin, Soldierstown, Aghada and Kilmore, where there are grain markets, and the important town of Lurgan. The Lagan Navigation also affords communication to the country adjoining Lough Neagh and the rivers Bann and Blackwater. The principal lading from Belfast is coal, herrings, salt, tea, sugar, spirits, iron, bleaching stuffs, &cc, and large quantities of foreign timber in rafts. But no correct account, or approximation thereto, could be furnished the Commissioners of the goods conveyed on this navi- gation. The managers were of opinion, that the construction of the Ulster Railway in 1841 would not materially interfere with the conveyance of goods by the Lagan, but the result has shown how erroneous that opinion was. The Moy Navigation. — An Act was passed in 1838, appoint- ing some spirited land-owners and merchants of the town of Ballina, county Mayo, to improve the navigation of the river, to enable vessels to come up to that town. On the Moy, however, there is a valuable salmon fishery, and some difference having arisen between the owner and the Commissioners, has had the effect of rendering the Act inoperative up to a recent period. The Tralee Navigation. — The 9th Geo. IV., c. 118, ap- pointed local Commissioners to form a canal, and improve the harbour of Tralee, for which a sum of public money had been granted, but as it was not expended agreeable to the provisions of the Act, the Board of Public Works, after dissolving the Com- mission, entered on the undertaking ; but after a grant having been made of £4,220 out of its own funds, and two loans obtained ot £10,500 from the Exchequer Bills Commission, they do not appear to have made more progress than those they displaced. The Sair Navigation. — A company was formed in 1836 for the purpose of improving the tidal part of the river Suir, between STATISTICS. 127 Waterford and Carrick-on-Suir : some of the principal obstacles to the navigation, such as rocks and sand banks, have been removed, and a new channel cut, at the expense of about £8,000, which admits vessels of 200 tons to come alongside the quays of Carrick. There is still room for further improvement, and it is to be re- gretted that the Cut has been made so narrow, as no doubt it will be one day extended to the important town of Clonmel. The Shannon Navigation is open to traffic throughout its entire length. From the northern part of Lough Allen to Lime- rick the distance in a direct course is 143 miles, but including the Boyle branch of 9, and the Strokestown of 6 miles, the total line of river and canal accommodation above Limerick is 158 miles ; of which 129 from Killaloe to its northern extremity can be navigated by large steamers. In the main river of 115 miles, the entire fall is 35 feet, which has been overcome by the erection of five locks. It is connected with Dublin by means of the Grand and Royal Canals. This important navigation will be more particularly treated of in the History of Limerick in this work, under the head of the river Shannon. The total average tonnage of the canals and navigable rivers of Ireland was computed, in 1837, at about 600,000 tons, and the amount of tolls £71,242 a year — assuming the charge for tonnage to be at Id. per ton per mile, the total cost and improvements of navigable rivers and canals must have cost five millions, and the income produced from the traffic thereon in 1843 was £80,000. The construction of railways, however, will seriously affect the income of all these undertakings, and put an effectual stop to their extension for the future. Railways. — A considerable time elapsed after railways had been established in England before any attempt was made to intro- duce them into Ireland. Capitalists seemed averse to embarking their money in such undertakings in a country devoid of commercial and manufacturing enterprise, and every attempt to interest the government or the legislature in their formation in a national point of view, or by granting loans on liberal terms to companies formed 123 STATISTICS. or to be formed for the purpose, was met for a considerable time by a decided negative. The objections that have been raised to government undertaking public works of any description, or inter- fering in what is called individual enterprise, may be all very well for a country like England, possessing abundance of unemployed capital, but will not stand the test when applied to one destitute of it, such as Ireland. All admit that Ireland possesses great natural and internal resources. Are railways, so essential to their develop- ment, to wait the slow and difficult process of creating sources of industrial employment to render them profitable ? or is their con- struction, which would be the means of calling these rapidly into existence, to precede them r If the latter course is preferred, how is it to be accomplished if the government does not run some risk in encouraging them ? Without its aid no capitalist would risk a shilling in such doubtful undertakings. It cannot, however, be denied, even as regards England, that both the government and parliament, labouring under this impression, have committed a gross and irremediable mistake, in not only permitting but coun- tenancing the projects and designs of companies and individuals who made railways a source of speculation and jobbing, creating immense fortunes for a few capitalists, but entailing loss, and not unfrequently ruin, on thousands. Railways should have been ori- ginally placed in the hands of the government for the benefit of the nation : it was easy to foresee that they could be made a source of great revenue, which in course of time would have saved the country the infliction of many an obnoxious impost. The amount expended on the railways of Great Britain to the 31st December, 1852, was £302,914,007, and on those of Ireland £14,250,000 : total £377,464,007, which at 5 percent, per annum would amount to £18,858,200; but the average dividends of the railway proprietors are considerably more. If these railways were to revert to the English government after a lapse of years, some future Chancellor of the Exchequer would be enabled to remit not only the income-tax, but the malt, tobacco, and other excessive imposts. "What the State would derive from them would be paid cheerfully by the public, because it would get in return accommodation, for which it is always content to pay. STATISTICS. 129 The French government, profiting by the mistakes of the English, has only given the companies there a term of years in the railways, at the expiration of which they fall into the hands of the govern- ment, and will produce an immense revenue for public purposes, while the English and Irish lines will continue as usual to accu- mulate fortunes for individuals, but contribute nothing towards the exigencies of the State. Sir Robert Peel, some time before his death, admitted the false position this country was placed in by the adoption of the present railway system, but it was too late to remedy the evil. The Irish railways have a decided advantage over the English in respect to tunnels, there being few or none on any of the lines hitherto constructed. The work is also more permanent, and the cost latterly considerably more moderate. The guage of all the Irish Railways is obliged to be uniform at 5 feet 3 inches, with the exception of the Dublin and Kingstown, which is only 4 feet 8j inches, that line having been completed previous to the adoption of the larger guage. The average cost of all the lines now open is about £16,000 a mile; the maximum is the Dublin and Kingstown line, which cost £63,000 a mile, and the minimum, the Killarney Junction, and Waterford and Tiamore, which cost something over £5,000 a mile. The Irish Railway Companies are exempt from passenger duty. Assurance tickets can be had at all the principal stations, which for a few pence offer compensation in the event of injury, or payment of the sum in- sured to those entitled to receive it in the event of death occurring. The following is a summary of the railway traffic in Ireland since the commencement. The Dublin and Kingstown Railway of six miles was the only line open for several years. For the 15 months' traffic ending 30th June, 1836, the number of passengers using it was 1,237,800, producing £35,216 ; on goods and cattle £105 : total £35,421. For the three succeeding years the number of passengers was 3,769,608, producing £99,628 ; and for goods and cattle £621 : total £99,239. For the next three years ending 1st January, 1842, the length of railways had only increased to 13 \ miles; and the traffic thereon to the 30th June same year consisted of 5,034,688 passengers, producing £131,397 ; and goods and cattle £3,400 : total for the three years £134,797. For the two succeeding years K 130 STATISTICS. ending 1st January, 1844, they had extended to 31J miles ; and the number of passengers to 30th June same year 4,662,540, producing £119,156 ; and goods and cattle £15,688 : total 134,844. For two years ending 1st January, 1846, there were open 65 miles ; the number of passengers was 7,092,213, producing £201,231 ; and goods and cattle £32,910 : total £243,141. For the six years ending 30th June, 1852, the miles of railway open, and the traffic thereon, were as follows : — Years Miles open Number Total Number Mails, Goods, Total ending' 1st Jan. of of Amount. and Cattle. Amount. 30th June. each year. Stations. Passengers. £ £ £ 1847 . • 120^ 3,866,294 149,581 35,000 184,581 1848 . • 2091 4,374,749 211,593 60,215 271,808 1849 . . 3tt| Ill 4,963,856 283,481 121,694 405,175 1850 . . 494 129 5,174,632 313,645 159,193 472,838 1851 . . 537 134 5,754,518 350,979 183,796 534,775 1852 . . G24 152 6,630,067 393,128 219,144 612,272 The Dublin and Kingstown Railway is a short line of six miles ; connecting the harbour of Kingstown with the city of Dublin. A company was formed with a capital of £200,000 in shares of £100 each, the full amount of which was well paid up. During its con- struction the Board of Works granted £115,000 in two loans on mortgage, which gave it the power of superintendence and direct control in the operation. The line was commenced in 1831, and opened 17th December, 1834. The receipts for ten years only justified a dividend of 5 per cent, per annum. In 1844, however, it paid 6 per cent., and the directors came to the resolution of paying off the government debt : its stock, which had been at a discount, now brought a high premium ; at the half-yearly meeting in September, 1845, the dividend declared was 9 per cent., and the total amount of debt, after paying off the government loan, was reduced to £150,000. The cost of constructing this railway was £63,000 a mile; an enormous sum, considering that the Manchester and Liverpool, the earliest experimental line, only cost £50,000 a mile. It is not, therefore, surprising to see the large fortunes that have been acquired by Mr. Dargan and others who had early rail- way contracts, and particularly so, when the Killarney Junction, one of the most recent lines, has been constructed at £57,000 a STATISTICS. 131 mile less than the Dublin and Kingstown. Connected with this railway is a short branch of If miles to Dalkey, upon the atmo- spheric principle. By way of experiment, the Board of Works lent the company £25,000 at 5 per cent. It appeared by the prospectus of the Kingstown and Bray Railway, that the cost of the Dalkey Branch was £35,000 : the yearly receipts were £1574 13s. 8d., and the expenditure £758 0s. Id., leaving a surplus of £836 13s. 7d. ; but if the account had been charged with the interest on the loan of £25,000, there would have been a deficiency of £413 6s. 5d. ; and if the £35,000 had been all expended, calculating the interest on the additional £10,000 at 4 per cent., it would have been £813 6s. 5d. The traffic on the Dublin and Kingstown line only, for the year ending 1st March, 1853, was £51,486 derived from 2,479,434 passengers, and £1484 for parcels, &c. : total £52,970 — being an increase on the previous year of £3838 14s. 7d. The Ulster Railway was the first enterprise of the kind under- taken in Ireland by a joint-stock company. The capital of the company is £500,000, in shares of £50 each, £49 of which has been paid up. The cost of the line to Portadown in the first instance was £348,646, out of which only £20,000 was derived from government. The line was opened for traffic to Portadown in 1841, and is now complete to Armagh. The Dublin and Belfast Junction unites with it at Portadown. In the year ending March, 1853, there used this line 67,423 first-class, 183,709 second-class, and 352,201 third-class passengers, total 603,333, producing £32,298 12s. 4d. ; and goods and cattle £24,842 7s. 4d. : total £57,240 19s. 8d. It divided, 31st August, 1853, £2 lis. per share, being upwards of 5 per cent, per annum. The Dublin and Drogheda Railway. — This line opened for traffic 24th May, 1 844 : the length of the trunk line is 32 miles ; the Howth Branch is 3| miles ; the Navan Branch from Drogheda 17^ miles ; and from Navan to Kells 9 J miles : total 62 J miles. The original stock of the company is 6,000 shares of £75 each. Under an Act of 1845 there were issued 6,000 additional shares of £25 each for the construction of the branches. The amount of these shares k 2 132 STATISTICS. has been paid up, and a preferential capital of £50,000 created, bearing interest at 5 per cent., for the construction of the line from Navan to Kells. A mortgage, has been executed by this company to the Dublin and Belfast Railway Company for the cost of the Navan Branch and interest thereon ; for the payment of which, however, 7,400 additional shares of £25 each have been raised, bearing interest at 4 per cent. For the year ending 31st December, 1852, the traffic on the line was 60,776 first-class, 158,808 second- class, and 277,811 third-class passengers, total 497,395, producing £38,690 14s. 3d.; and mails, goods, &C £16,344 0s. 7d. : total £55,034 14s. lOd. ; and it divided for the year ending 30th June, 1853, £3 5s. 4d. per cent, in two half-yearly payments. The Great Southern and Western Raihcay opened for traffic in 1 846. The capital of the company consists of 50,000 shares of £50 each, and 50,000 one-eighth shares of £6 5s. each. The company obtained £500,000 of the parliamentary loan of 1837 to Irish railways. It has issued 56,250 preferential shares, on which a call of £4 a share has been made. It is authorised to subscribe to the South-Eastern Railway £90,000, and to the Killarney Junction £60,000 ; both of which communicate with this line. Under Acts of Parliament it has power of extension to 248 miles, of which 186 are now open ; consisting of the main trunk from Dublin to Cork, and a branch to Carlow. Another branch from Portarlington to Tullamore is in course of construction. A junction with the Waterford and Limerick Railway is formed at Ballykecs- tccn, 22 miles from Limerick, with the South-Eastern at Carlow, and the Killarney Junction Railway at Mallow. For the year ending 30th June, 1853, there used this line, of all classes, 526,912 passengers, producing £152,697; mails and parcels £45,505; goods £52,248 ; and cattle £12,132: total £262,582. There was a dividend of £2 10s a share, equal to 5 per cent, per annum. Londonderry and Eyiniskillen Raihcay. — The capital of this company consists of 6800 shares of £25, and 13,600 shares of £12 10s. each; total £340,000— all of which has been paid up. It is empowered to borrow to the extent of one-third its capital. £40,000 of the £12 10s. shares is entitled to a prcfercntial'dividend STATISTICS. 133 of 5 per cent. The line was opened for traffic April 14th, 1847, and now extends to Fintona, 41 miles from Londonderry. Its authorised length is 60 miles. It consists of a single line of rails, which cost about £10,000 a mile. The amount of capital raised to 30th June, 1853, was £459,502 ; all of which has been expended. The traffic for the year ending same date amounted to £8,758 14s. Id. derivedfrom 157,938 passengers; and for goods, &c, £10,240 3s. 5d. : total £18,998 17s. 6d. The Midland Great Western. — The authorised capital of this company is £1,948,000, with power to borrow £648,666. 20,000 shares of £50 paid up were created under the first Act, and 16,000 shares of £25 each (£20 paid up) subsequently. The Treasury advanced the company £500,000 under an Act of Parliament, the estimated amount necessary to extend the line from Athlone to Gal way, at 3j per cent, interest for the first ten years, after which 1 J per cent, additional, towards the liquidation of the principal, is to be paid. Should the working profits of the line be deficient in this respect, it is to be made good by rates levied off the counties of Galway and Roscommon. This Act enabled the company to obtain the required land between Muliingar and Athlone at £681 a mile, and between Athlone and Galway at £535 a mile, which is much under the average paid for land for such purposes. The Royal Canal is now the property of this company, to whom the Grand Canal is also leased for seven years. The authorised length of this railway is 178 J miles ; it was opened for traffic in 1847, and the trunk line, 126 J miles, between Dublin and Galway, is complete, and the extension to Longford and Cavan, 50 miles additional, is in progress. The traffic for the year ending 30th June, 1853, was 34,780 first-class, 102,935 second-class, 126,432 third-class, 97,189 fourth- class : total passengers, 361,331, producing £66,169 16s. lid.; goods and cattle £48,605 0s. 5d. : total £114,774 17s. 4d. Expense of working £53,946. The dividend for the year ending 30th June, 1852, was 4 per cent., and for 1853 5 per cent. The receipt of capital was £1,918,620, and expenditure £2,038,199. Belfast and Ballymena Railway. — The capital of this company is £513,333, £385,000 of which is derived from shares, and 134 STATISTICS. £128,333 borrowed on debentures. It was completed and opened for traffic 11th April, 1848 ; its length is 37f miles. The traffic for the year ending 30th June,, 1853, amounted to £18,746, derived from 413,688 passengers; and £15,132 the produce of goods and cattle : total £33,878— increase over 1852 £1,356. Belfast and County Down Railivay. — This company was incor- porated 26th June, 1846 ; capital £50,000, in 10,000 shares of £50 each, £48 of which has been paid up, and loans obtained £166,666: total £666,666. The length authorised is 45 miles to Downpatrick, of which 16J miles from Belfast, by Holywood to Newtown-Ards, are now open. The traffic for the year ending 31st July, 1853, was 65,423 first-class, 300,506 second-class, subscription tickets £1,053 2s. 3d.: total derived from passengers £9,552 4s. 2d.; goods and parcels £2,723 3s. 4d. : total £12,275 7s. 6d.— expense of working it £5,463. Waterford and Kilkenny Railway. — The capital of this com- pany is composed of 12,500 shares of £20 each, paid up, and 40,000 preference shares of £5 each, bearing 6 per cent, interest, £3 a share paid, with power to borrow £149,000, of which the Commis- sioners of Public Works have advanced £123,000. The length of line authorised is 31 miles, 28 J miles of which is open from its junction with the South-Eastern line at Kilkenny to Dunkitt, within about two miles of Waterford, its destination. Traffic for the year ending 30th June, 1853, £2,354 0s. Id., derived from 33,197 passengers ; and from goods, cattle, &c. £1,548 14s. JOd. : total £3,902 14s. lid. The amount received to 29th September, 1853 is £506,339, and expended £503,666. The South-Eastern Railway. — By an Act passed in 1849, the capital of this company was reduced to £264,000, in 22,000 shares of £12 each paid up, with power to borrow £88,000. The Great Southern and Western Railway Company hold 7,500 shares of this stock. The Exchequer Loan Commissioners have advanced £35,000 of it. It opened from Carlow to Bagnalstown in July, 1848, and from thence to the junction of the Waterford and Kilkenny Railway at Lavistown, from thence to Kilkenny 2 miles : the com- STATISTICS. 135 pany has the exclusive right to one line of rails on the Waterford and Kilkenny Railway, and half of the junction station at Kil- kenny: the rent paid for these privileges is £1,025 a year. The locomo- tive power is provided, and the line worked, by the Great Southern and Western Company. The traffic for the year ending 30th June, 1853, was £6,160 14s., derived from 60,850 passengers ; and by goods, parcels, &c. £3,702 Is. lOd. : total £9,862 15s. lOd. The receipts of capital to same date were £255,765, and expenditure £253,175. The dividend for the year w r as only 3s. a share, or lj per cent. Waterford and Limerick Railway. — The Act incorporating this company authorised it to raise by shares £750,000, in 15,000 shares of £50 each, which have been paid up, and to borrow one- third of that sum, £120,000 of which has been lent by the Board of Public Works. The authorised length of this line is 77J miles, 75 of which is now complete to Drumkitt, within about two miles of the extreme distance. It crosses the Great Southern and West- ern about three miles west of Tipperaiy, which then form a continuous road between Dublin, Clonmel, Tipperaiy, Limerick, and Cork. The traffic for the year ending 30th June, 1853, amounted to £15,272 lis. lOd, derived from 139,544 passengers ; parcels £1,246 18s. Id.; and goods and cattle £9,218 17s. Id.: total £25,737 17s. The amount received towards the construction is £802.592, and expended on it £779,268. The day mail is carried on this line for one shilling a mile. The directors have made no dividend, having appropriated the receipts to the dis- charge of claims, and the completion of the line. Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway. — This company was in- corporated by Act of Parliament in 1845 ; and another Act autho- rized the sale of the Navan Branch to the Dublin and Drogheda Railway Company, at a cost of £186,389, which, at 5 per cent, interest, w T ill yield the Company £93,194 10s., after which the interest is to be o\ per cent, until the principal is paid. The capital consists of 19,000 shares of £50 each, amount £950,000, with power to borrow £316,666 : £45 a share has been paid up. The line extends from Drogheda to Portadown, 55j miles, thus uniting 136 STATISTICS. Dublin and Drogheda with the Ulster line, and Dublin with Belfast: it also joins the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway at the former town. The receipts for the year ending 30th June, 1853, were from 176,660 passengers, £31,201 4s. 7d. ; and for mails, goods, and parcels, £20,503 15s.: total, £51,704 19s. 7d. The dividend during the same period was £2 2s. 6d. a share, or 4± per cent. On this railway is the Viaduct over the Boyste, one of the most stupendous works in Ireland, second only to the Menai Bridge in magnitude and engineering difficulty ; and like it, calcu- lated to excite amazement and awe, as well as apprehension, in those who for several months have been traversing this portion of the line. It was on a fragile, temporary bridge, composed of wood raised on a doubtful foundation, by which the trains were conveyed over the river, at an immense elevation during the progress of the more solid and permanent structure, which certainly excites admi- ration in the beholder, no matter how much the judgment and discretion of the engineer, Sir John Mac Neile, may be questioned. It is quite evident, by extending the line one or two miles, and crossing the river on the west side of Drogheda, it could be effected for considerably less money than the erection of the viaduct will cost, which has caused the ruin of one contractor, and is likely to entail a heavy loss on those who arc now completing it. But no doubt Sir John was ambitious of his name descending to posterity as the constructer of this great link in the chain which unites the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway with the Dublin and Drogheda line. It stretches across the river between the entrance to the harbour and the town, and is now nearly completed. It consists of eighteen semi-circular arches, each sixty feet span, resting on seventeen piers, exclusive of the abutments, which are founded on solid rock. The north abutment is at a depth of forty feet below the surface of the earth ; they are composed of blocks of granite, one to two tons weight, rock ashlar work, and have the appearance of great strength, and stability. The height of the arches of the ravine is 140 feet; and, in addition, there is a strong stone wall erecting on the top, four feet high, which in some degree gives it the ap- pearance of security. The lowest of the arches is seventy feet above the surface of the earth. The viaduct is 1,400 feet long. STATISTICS. 137 The largest piers rise from the bottom and sides of the ravine, and they are all composed of that beautiful lime-stone, chiseled, for which the neighbourhood of Drogheda has been so long famed. Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway. — By an Act passed in the session of 1850, the share capital of this company was reduced to £406,800 paid up, with power to borrow to the amount of one- third its capital : 7,701 shares have been forfeited, on which £61,364 had been originally paid. The line was opened 15th February, 1849, from Dundalk to Castleblaney simultaneously with the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway; and in 1854, it has been further extended to Ballibay, and a bill is before parliament to form a branch to Cavan, for which preferential shares to the amount of £130,000 are to be created, bearing interest at b\ per cent. The traffic, exclusive of mails, for the year ending 30th June, 1853, consisted of 56,008 passengers, producing £3,870 ; and goods parcels £2,964 6s. 7d. : total £6,834 6s. 7d. The half yearly dividend to 31st December, 1853, was six shillings a share. Newry and Warrenpoint Railway was opened for traffic 26th May, 1849. It is a single line of rails, of the bridge form, sixty- four lbs. to the yard, laid upon longitudinal sleepers. Its capital was raised by means of 5,000 shares of £20 each; amount £100,000, all paid up, with power to borrow £33,333. The receipts for the year ending 30th June, 1853, were from 172,146 passengers, £3,227 8s. 3d.; and goods, &c, £231 18s. 6d.: total, £3,459 6s. 9d. — being an increase of £304 14s. 8d. on the traffic of 1852. An agreement has been made with Mr. Dargan, by which he is to work the line for five years, and pay the company the net sum of £2,600 per annum, to be paid weekly; and should the receipts at any time exceed £80 a week, the difference is to be divided with the com- pany. The paid-up capital to 30th June, 1853, was £114,729, and £112,346 expended. Newry and Enniskillen Railway. — This line is in a state of abeyance, for although 3J miles of it to Gorah Wood are open, where it joins the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway, there appears to be nothing doing towards its further extension. The capital of the company is classed thus : — -Class A, 18,P0Q 138 STATISTICS. shares of £20 each; B, 18,000 of £15 each; C, 18,000 of £15 each. Series A to be credited with all calls until £20 on each is paid-up ; the next sums to be paid-up on B, until the amount of that series is called in, and so on as regards C: £7 10s. per share has been called. The receipts on account of capital amount to £114,883, and the expenditure £105,620. Cork and Bandon Railway. — This company was authorized to raise £240,000, by means of 4,800 shares of £50 each, all paid-up, and to borrow £80,000, of which £35,000 has been advanced by the Exchequer Loan Commissioners. On the 1st August, 1849, the line was partly opened, and on the 8th December, 1851, it was completed to Cork, the whole distance being twenty miles. Weight of the rails 70 lbs. a yard. The traffic for the year ending 30th June, 1853, was 69,978 passengers, producing £4,459 ; and goods and parcels, £1,315: total, £5,774 — working expenses, £4,311. Amount of capital received, £315,376; expended, £308,596. Cork, Blackrock, and Passage Railway. — This company was empowered to raise by shares £170,000, and to borrow £56,663; there issued 6,500 shares of £20 each ; the amount of which is now called. An amended Act authorized the extension of the line to Monkstown. This line was opened from Cork to Passage 8th June, 1850 ; its length is six miles. The Board of Works has ad- vanced the company £15,000. Traffic ending 30th June, 1853, amount derived from 596,730 passengers, £9,808 ; parcels, £99 : total, £9,907 — being an increase on the previous year of £2,161. Cork and Waterford Railway. — This company was incorporated 26th August, 1846; capital, £1,500,000, with liberty to borrow £500,000; but by an amended Act passed in July, 1851, it was reduced to £1,270,214 ; the authorized length of this line is ninety- seven miles. It may, however, be considered in abeyance, as no steps have been taken for the prosecution of the undertaking. The amount of capital received to the 30th June, 1853, was £75,571, of which £70,349 has been expended. Bally?nena, Bally mony, and Port Rush Railway. — The capital of this company is £200,000, derived from 20,000 shares of £10 STATISTICS. 139 each, and loans obtained, £60,000 ; length of line authorized, thirty- five miles. The works are in progress of construction by Mr. Dargan, contractor. Wexford, Wicklow, and Dublin Railway. — Several changes have taken place on this line. The Act of July, 1851, authorized the abandonment of that portion of the intended line south of Wicklow, and reduced the shares to £10 each, £6 of which has been called, and the work is now progressing ; the receipts of capital have been to the 30th June, 1853, £243,458, and expenditure £228,573. Dublin and Bray Railway. — The capital of this company is £200,000; consisting of 8,000 shares of £25 each, £15 of which has been paid up, and it is empowered to borrow £66,333. The authorized length of line is 12j miles. It is now united with the Wexford, Wicklow, and Dublin Company ; and it is intended to extend the joint line to the Vale of Ovoca. Killarney Junction Railway. — This company was incorporated July, 1846. In 1851 the amount of capital was reduced to £225,000, and power given to borrow £125,000 on the security of certain portions of the counties Cork and Kerry ; £8 a share has been called-up. The length of the line from the Mallow station, on the Great Southern and Western Railway, is 39 J miles ; it was opened to Freemont in May, 1853, and to Killarney the July following. It has been constructed at about £5,000 a mile, the lowest of any in the United Kingdom. The Great Southern and Western Railway Company may subscribe £60,000 to it, or purchase, or lease it. Londonderry and Coleraine. — The capital of this company is composed of 10,000 shares of £25 each, and 20,000 half shares of £12 10s., both paid up : total, £500,000; and it has power to borrow £166,666, of which £86,500 has been obtained. The length of the line is thirty-six miles, nineteen of which, from London- derry to Newtown-limavady, were open for goods traffic, 1st Octo- ber, 1852, and the line throughout to Coleraine, 18th July, 1853. There was received towards the construction to 30th June, 1853, £468,168, and expended £465,124. 140 STATISTICS. Waterford and Tramore Railway. — This company obtained an Act to construct this line of 7 J miles, 24th July, 1851, and raise by 4,800 shares of £10 each, £48,000, and power to borrow £16,000. It w r as opened for traffic 5th September, 1853, twenty- two weeks having only elapsed from the commencement to the completion thereof; which, notwithstanding, was effected at the moderate cost of £5,500 a mile. Limerick and Emiis Railway. — This company was incorporated in 1846; capital £150,000, derived from 6,000 shares of £25 each. The authorized length of the line 26J miles ; the works are in pro- gress, and are likely to be completed towards the end of 1854. Limerick and Foynes Railway. — The capital of this company is £130,000, the produce of 5,200 shares of £25 each. The autho- rized length of the line is twenty-six miles ; the works are pro- gressing. Tralee and Killamey Railway. — By an Act passed 15th August, 1853, this company was empowered to raise by shares £110,000, and borrow £55,000, to construct this line, which is to be twenty- two miles in length. The length of railways open in Ireland, 30th June, 1852, was 680 miles; in course of construction 139 miles; and authorized, but not open, 811 miles. In Great Britain, the length open was 6,395 miles ; in course of construction 599 miles ; and authorized, but not open, 3,997 miles. For the half-year ending same time, the number of passengers carried on those open was 39,249,605, and the total receipts £7,195,551, or about fourteen millions for the year. Although this will not admit of so large a dividend as 5 per cent., which it was supposed they would produce, yet, as there was an increase of £446,030 on the half-year ending 30th June, 1852, over 1851, it is only fair to infer that they will go on increasing until they pay considerably more than that dividend. At all events, were they in the hands of the government, a revenue of twenty millions a year could be derived from them, which the public would pay with more satisfaction than any tax ever imposed on it. STATISTICS. 141 Fisheries. — Many authorities can be adduced to prove that the ancient Irish employed themselves extensively in fishing. It would be surprising indeed if they did not, in a country which, independent of the deep sea fisheries which surround its coasts, has upwards of 100 rivers frequented by salmon in great abun- dance, and in the primest condition. It is equally certain that a pearl fishery existed on some part of the Irish coast, as Ninnius, an English writer of the 9th century, describes the beauty and abundance of pearls in Ireland, which its princes and persons of rank then wore appended from their ears ; and Gilbert, bishop^ of Limerick, in 1094, made a present of a considerable quantity of valuable Irish pearls to Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury. Even Cambrensis bears witness to the existence of Irish fisheries as late as the Anglo-Norman invasion. There is no country in Europe, or probably in the universe, so admirably situated for an extensive fishing trade as Ireland. From Cape Clear in the south, to Malin- head in the north-west, the coast is studded with numerous banks, such as those off Brandon-head, at the entrance of the Shannon ; Moyman, near Westport ; the great banks extending into the deep sea from Slyne-head, Achil-head, and Innisbofin Island, on the Connemara coast, probably a continuation of the great Newfound- land banks, and, like them, abounding with fish of the most valuable description, such as ling, cod, equal to those of the North Sea, haddock weighing from 15 to 30 lbs., &c. The sea along this coast is often speckled with marine animals of a larger size, such as the Greenland and Spermaceti whale, the sun-fish, &c, pro- ducing oil of the most valuable description. Here, then, is a field open for the employment of 100,000 fishermen, whose operations would give sustenance to millions of people. This coast was the principal fishing ground of the Dutch in the palmy days of their naval superiority, when their admiral, Van Tromp, with a broom at his mast-head, contemptuously swept the British seas for a considerable time without molestation. These enterprising navi- gators, in 1615, had 2,000 fishing vessels with 37,000 men; and the produce of their fishing for one year previous thereto amounted to £1,759,000. In 1618 they increased to 3,000 vessels and 50,000 men, and 9,000 vessels to transport the fish to 142 STATISTICS. various countries ; and, computing those occupied in the curing and sale of this fish, it must have given employment to 150,000 persons, and was the great nursery for producing skilful and experienced seamen to man their war navy. Although Blake's victories tended to destroy their fisning on the Irish coast, England did not profit by the lessons of the Dutch, and, with Ireland for centuries in its hands, has never attempted on a large scale to explore the vast treasures of the deep sea that washes its western shores ; nor has the Irish capitalist directed his attention towards it either, although the country has been for a series of years im- porting fish from Scotland and Newfoundland, on an average, to the amount of £140,000 per annum. Bounties were granted by parliament in 1764, and afterwards in 1819, to encourage the Irish fisheries, and commissioners were appointed to grant money for the erection of piers, and the building of boats of a certain tonnage for the purpose. An annual sum of £5,000 was also placed at their disposal, a portion of which was appropriated to enabling fishermen to obtain gear on advantageous terms. This commission was revoked in 1830, and the power to distribute these funds given, in the first instance, to the Board of Inland Navigation, and subsequently to that of Public Works; £13,000 was granted to them for five successive years to complete the piers, the building of which had been commenced previous to 1830. No further measures Were adopted until 1842, when the Commissioners of Public Works were appointed as a Board to improve and regulate the Irish fisheries. The country is divided into forty coast fishing, and seventeen inland or salmon fishing districts. The number of Vessels and Men employed in the Irish Sea Fisheries for six years, at intervals, between 1830 and 1853, M — Years 1830. 1836. 1845. 1848. 1851. 1852. Vessels & Boats. .13,119 10,761 19,883 15,932 14,756 13,277 Men & Boys ... .64,771 54,119 93,073 70,011 64,612 58,822 From this it appears that the Irish fisheries are not improving ; on the contrary, there is a decrease on the year 1852, compared with 1845, of 6,606 vessels or boats, and 34,881 men and boys, being fully one-third of the number, and it is now much in the STATISTICS. 143 same position it was in 24 years ago. The famine of 1847, and the extensive emigration that succeeded it, have had a serious effect in retarding the prosperity of the Irish fisheries. The con- struction of -railways have, however, been of service to them, and are likely to benefit them still more. For the year ending 1st April, 1853, the main lines brought to Dublin 1305 tons of fish, and to Drogheda 447 tons. There is little or no herring fishing on the west coast, but in the Irish Sea between the eastern ports and the Isle of Man, there are from 200 to 300 fishing vessels from Cornwall, towards the end of summer, profitably employed in the capture of herrings, with a portion of which they supply the Dublin and Liverpool markets, and cure the remainder in the Isle of Man : sometimes they sell to the owners of the Dublin and other fishing smacks, who supply the Irish out-ports on that coast. Some idea may be formed of the great advantage these fisheries might derive from the home market, when the importation of herrings alone from Scotland and the Isle of Man, in 1852, was 60,414 barrels, equal in amount to £100,000. The principal salmon fisheries have not been so productive since 1842, some of them having fallen off one-half; this is attributed to various causes, the most feasible of which is, that the noise and action of steam boats, on many of these rivers, frighten away the fish ; this, however, could have no effect on the most extensive, which are Ballyshannon and Coleraine, where there are no steamers. In 1851 and 1852, there was a progressive improve- ment in the supply, and the price of previous years, at the same time, maintained ; there was also an unusually large take of eels in the Shannon and Bann for the year 1853; this description of fish is sent alive in boats, constructed with wells, to the London market, where they meet a ready sale. The 10th & 11th of Vic- toria, c. 75, gives a free grant of £40,000, to be appropriated to the construction of fishing piers and harbours ; the total amount expended to the 1st January, 1851, on them, was £113,391 4s., and £500 was granted in the session of 1852 to the Commissioners to enable them to prosecute further inquiries in respect to fisheries. Last session a bill was presented in parliament, by Mr. P. MacMahon, M.P. for Wexford, to repeal several of the 144 STATISTICS. Irish Acts relating to fishing, and substitute others now in force in England ; the bill, however, does not appear to have been followed up. A company is now forming in Dublin, it is said, with a large capital, which is to be employed in deep sea fishing on the western coast, and, it is to be hoped, with better success than others which have preceded it. Mines and Minerals. — The unexplored treasures which the land of Ireland contains have been as much neglected as those of the sea that circulates round its coast. Although gold, silver, lead, copper, and other metals were early discovered on the island, no encouragement was given through many a dark and turbulent age of its history by the great landed proprietors to seek after mines ; or, if accidentally discovered on their estates, to work them. The public mind was always impressed with the idea that gold existed in the country to a considerable extent, and the discovery of nuggets and particles of that metal occasionally picked up in the Wicklow mountains, and towards the end of the last century, by the peasantry in the streams of the Kinsela mountain, to the extent of £10,000, were calculated to confirm it. The government, on ascertaining that gold had been discovered to some extent in the latter place, took possession of the district, and appointed agents to superintend the works ; but, after two years operations, all that was collected amounted to only 945 ounces, which sold for £3,675, while the expense of the establishment was considerably more ; the property was given up in consequence, and although subsequently leased to a London company, the pursuit was finally abandoned. It was not until within the last half century that any progress was made in mining operations in the country; the formation of the Irish Mining Company was a step in the right direction: it has persevered with great spirit and ability in carrying out its views in respect to this enterprise. The attention of the company has been principally directed to lead and copper ore. Lead is extensively diffused throughout Ireland : the granite district of Wicklow . contains numerous veins of this metal : it is also interspersed to some extent in the clay slate districts ; few, however, of the mines already worked have proved profit- STATISTICS. 145 able : at Ballycoras, where the lead of the Mining Company of Ireland is smelted, the ore worked up from Luganure mines was 674 tons, which produced 460 tons of lead, equal to 69 per cent., the proportion of silver, however, being very small, only 8 ounces to the ton: whereas the ore of Kilbrickin produced 120 ounces to the ton ; Tollyrath mine, near Strangford, 10 ounces ; Cairne, 12 ounces; Ballybrickin, 15 ounces; and Shalee, 25 ounces to the ton: total amount of silver produced by all these mines in 1852 was 11,412 ounces. Native silver was found in a bed of iron ochre in Cronebane, but the deposit has been long since exhausted. It was also discovered associated with the lead ore at Ballycoras some years since ; and the Mining Company of Ireland have lately resumed operations to prove this valuable discovery. The copper mines are distributed throughout the clay districts in a great num- ber of localities. The most extensive are Ballymurtagh, Conaree, Cronebane, Tignoney, and Ballygahan, in the county Wicklow ; — Knockmahon, Kilduane, Bonmahon, and Balinasisla in Waterford ; — the Allihies or Berehaven, Coshien, and Skull, in the south- west district ; and Hollyford and Lackamore, in the west district. Indications of this metal have been discovered in several other parts. The total quantity and value of copper ore sold at Swansea for nine years is as follows : — Years. Tons. £ Years. Tons. £ Years. Tons. £ 1836.. 21,819 163,865 1847.-14,587 96,330 1850.. 10,021 69,594 1845.. 18,430 97,122 1848.-12,808 82,039 1851.. 10,577 77,713 1846. .17,471 106,078 1849. .10,425 68,974 1852. .12,171 104,822 This is by no means flattering to Irish mining, if the ore sent to Swansea is to be taken in proof of it, as the quantity and value of what was sold there in 1836 exceeds that of 1852 by more than one- third. But those which are most neglected, and yet are the most valuable of all the mining products, are the coal-fields of Ireland, occupying large portions of Kilkenny, Clare, Limerick, Cork, and Kerry, and are more limited in Carlow and Tipperary ; all these are south or south-west of Dublin, and produce only anthricite coal, which burn without flame. The fields discovered north of Dublin contain bituminous or inflammable coal : one of these is in Coal Island, 146 STATISTICS. two in the northern extremity of Antrim, and one in Monaghan. They are all small, the strata being so shallow, as to render the last in particular valueless. When coal was first discovered at Coal Is- land, it was supposed that it could be obtained in sufficient quantity to supply Dublin and all the other Irish seaports ; but now, not only Belfast and Newry, but the towns, such as Portadown and Dungan- non, in its immediate neighbourhood, are supplied with sea-borne coals. The Connaught fields extend over a space of sixteen miles, and are situated in Leitrim, Sligo, and Roscommon ; the total area about 140,000 acres. Independent of the coal mines, Ireland possesses two other sources of fuel — turf, or peat and lignito, an intermediate species between wood and coal. It is found in dense strata encompassing the south side of Lough Neagh. The total area of the turf bogs of Ireland is estimated at 2,830,000 acres, something more than the one-eighth portion of the island ; of these, 1,576,000 acres are flat bog, spread over portions of the great central plain, and 1,254,000 are mountain bog, scattered over the hilly districts near the coast. Iron ore is found in all the coal localities, and was manufactured to some extent while timber" for fuel was abundant ; latterly the efforts to carry it on have not been successful. In Leitrim is situated the Arigna Iron Mines, convenient to a mountain composed of iron-stone, with abundance of coal in the same locality : these will be in future times sources of considerable wealth. Sir Richard Kane, in his work on the industrial resources of Ireland, gives the comparative contents in metallic iron of the Irish, English, "Welsh, and Scotch ores. 100 parts of ore give of metal an average of — Natl, state. Roasted. Natl, state. Roasted. Arigna 40 58 2 Welsh 37 4 44 7 Staffordshire. 28 40 4 Glasgow . . 31 6 45 8 There is no doubt that Irish ore is superior to those generally employed in Great Britain. The iron-stone in Kilkenny is little inferior to the Arigna, and they possess a richness only equalled by the black band iron-stone of Glasgow. Tin-stone has been found in the auriferous soil of Wicklow, but no veins of working deposits have been discovered. Other minerals, useful in manu- factures and the arts, found in various parts of the country are — STATISTICS. 147 manganese, antimony, zinc, iron pyrites, alum, marble, building stone, flags, and roofing slates. The total number of mines in Ireland is forty-eight : the Mining Company works sixteen. The Wicklow Mining Copper Company works Ballymurtagh mine ; Cronebane and Tignoney Copper Mines are worked by Messrs. Williams ; Bally gah an Copper Mine by Mr. H. Hudson ; the re- mainder by other companies and individuals. It is estimated that ten thousand persons are employed in all. Incumbered Estates Court. — Previous to 1835, money ad- vanced on landed property could only be recovered by a Bill in the Courts of Chancery or Exchequer ; a judgment-creditor, it is true, might get into receipt of a portion of the rents by elegit, and a mort- gagee enter into possession or force a sale by foreclosing his mort- gage ; but these remedies were tedious, and attended with consider- able expense. To simplify, and render the recovery of money so advanced more easy, and to free the landed property of the coun- try from the incubus of nominal proprietors, unable from their embarrassments and want of capital to render it as valuable or productive as it otherwise would be, the 11 & 12 Vic, c. 46, was passed in 1848, to facilitate the sale of encumbered estates in Ire- land ; but, owing to its defective construction, it was inoperative, and in the following session the 12 & 13 Vic, c. 77, was passed. Under this Act the Crown was authorised to appoint three Com- missioners to form a Court of Record, with power to frame rules for regulating its proceedings, which, on being approved of by the Privy Council, and enrolled in Chancery, were to have the same force as an Act of Parliament. This court was empowered, on the application of an owner or incumbrancer, within the term of three years, and since extended to 28th July, 1855, to sell lands or leases of certain duration in a summary way, for payment of the charges affecting them ; and that the effect of such conveyance by the court would be to pass to the purchaser the fee-simple and inheritance of the property discharged from all former rights, charges, or incumbrances whatsoever. Similar effect was given to the conveyance of leasehold interests, so that in both cases the court confers on the purchaser an unquestionable parliamentary E 2 148 STATISTICS. title. The commissioners are empowered to investigate titles, to sell either by private contract or public auction, to distribute the purchase-money when received, or in fit cases to lodge it in Chan- cery. The rules formed by the commissioners received the sanction of the Privy Council 17th October, 1849, and in a few days after the court commenced its sittings for the dispatch of business. The total number of petitions presented to the 21st October, 1853, in- clusive, was 2,922, of which 622 were lodged by owners, and the court made 2,119 absolute orders for sale. The first auction was held in its place of sittings, Henrietta-street, Dublin, 21st Febru- ary, 1850; since that date the number of lots sold by its orders were 5,809, producing £10,430,463. About 1,691,702 acres have changed hands, with an estimated net rental of £6,436,072. A sum of £803,410 remains to satisfy unadjusted claims, besides a balance in the Bank to the credit of suitors amounting to £2,048,461. Of the gross produce of the sales under the Incumbered Estates Court, Leinstercontributed£2, 768,210 5s.2d., Munster£3, 270,287 19s.l Id., Ulster £2,173,202 9s. 8d., and Connaught £2,218,762 10s. 4d. Landed property has sold best in Antrim, Down, Meath, West- meath, Tyrone, and Dublin ; and in Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, and Mayo, it has produced the least. The English and Scotch pur- chases have been extended to all the counties, with the exception of Clare, Sligo, Armagh and Londonderry. Still there is nothing in them to justify the impression that an English or Scotch colo- nization is intended to fill the vacuum left by the exodus of the Irish Celt to the Western Main. The following #re the particulars of the English, Scotch, and Foreign purchases since February, 1850 : — Number of Amount. Provinces. Properties. Purchasers. Acres. £ s. d. Leinster 32 35 43,485 330,1 Go Munster 71 75 G8,862 504,161 12 G Ulster 24 15 51,866 324,517 Connaught 46 56 332,723 620,765 173 181 496,936 £1,779,608 12 6 Of these, 31 purchased property under £1,000"; 38 between £1,000 and £2,000; 45 £5,000 to £10,000; 17 £10,000 to £20,000; and 20 £20,000 and upwards. The amount purchased for Scot- STATISTICS. 149 land was £204,643; for London £977,433; for Lancashire £236,366 ; for Calcutta £40,000 ; and for America £2,320. These purchases constitute about one -sixth of the gross amount of sale, and two-sevenths of the acreage ; but they do not appear to be made by settlers. The great bulk of the English purchases have been made by companies, or persons holding mortgages on these properties, who may be said to have bought them in, the sale pro- bably giving them a better title than they had previously ; but they are not likely to become settlers, and the only change will be, that they will receive their incomes direct from the tenants, which they formerly obtained from the agent of the nominal Irish landlord. Money from Calcutta and America is included in these purchases ; but it is quite evident, from the small sum sent to be vested in them from the latter place, that the Irish there who have remitted millions to take away their friends, are still determined to cling to the country of their adoption. One of the few and the greatest boon that Ireland has derived from English legislation was the creation of the Incumbered Estates Court. Its powers of retri- butive justice have been very great indeed. A brief summary of its proceedings will show what a bloodless revolution it has accomplished in Ireland in a remarkably short space of time. The court, at the termination of three years' sitting, sold pro- perty to the extent of one-twelfth of the whole area of Ireland ; how a great portion of that property was obtained, although a matter of history, shall not be here dicussed — suffice to say, that 1081 of the old Irish landlords were evicted, among whom were 3 marquises, 17 earls, 4 viscounts, 7 barons, 12 right honourables and honourables, 21 baronets, 6 titled ladies, 2 counts, 5 knights, 7 members and 13 ex-members of parliament. They have been replaced by 4,213 new proprietors, 2,718 of whom were small capitalists or farmers, none of whose purchases exceeded £2,000 ; and one of the greatest benefits resulting from this operation, is the number of small proprietors it has created, who have gone on steadily increasing during the years 1852-3. Agriculture. — Tenure of Land and Tenant Rigid considered. — That Ireland is a country eminently adapted to agricultural 150 STATISTICS. pursuits, is admitted by those most intelligent and experienced in the science. The luxuriance, richness, and durability of the soil for such purposes, in some districts, cannot be excelled in any country. The land possessing these qualities is to be found in many other counties, but Limerick, Tipperary, Meath, and Louth are particularly distinguished for them. The climate, however, is more adapted to green crops than cereal productions, with the exception of oats. The tenure of land varies considerably. For- merly leases for 999 years, or in perpetuity, were granted with or without renewal fines. During the existence of the forty shilling freeholders, leases for one or more uncertain lives were most pre- valent — these gave the tenant a vote, and the landlord the control over it. Now leases are more generally granted for 21, 31, and 61 years. There are great numbers of middlemen who rent land from the chief landlord, re-let it to under tenants, who in their turn sub-let it again, and the occupying tenant, according to English law, not only becomes liable for his immediate rent to the party under whom he holds, but for all the intermediate rents beside. Grazing farms are large ; those under tillage are in general small, particularly in Ulster, where the linen manufacture has the effect of sub-dividing them. The cottier system still exists in many dis- tricts where the agricultural labourer gets a patch of land from his employer in lieu of wages, on which he grazes his cow and plants potatoes. Joint-tenancies also prevail to some extent. The abolition of the corn-laws, which deprived the Irish landlords of the English market for the sale of their cereal produce at higli prices, induced them to turn their attention from agricultural to grazing pursuits, and to enable them to make extensive pastures on their estates : the tenants on them possessing small tracts of land were ejected wholesale. The Irish census commissioners in 1841 made returns of the number of holdings throughout the country, and the value of the stock or domestic animals appertain- ing thereto. In 1847 this was followed up, and, in addition, an inquiry instituted by the Irish government to ascertain the quantity and value of agricultural produce, and the number of acres under each particular crop, which has since been extended from year to year. The constabulary had the conducting of this : in the first STATISTICS. 151 instance the returns were made from the town-lands, about 60,760 in number, under the able direction of Major Larcomb, to whom the country is much indebted for the information they contain : these were subsequently consolidated in the poor-law unions, and printed returns presented to both Houses of Parliament annually. In 1841 the total number of holdings or farms in Ireland over one acre was 691,114, and the value of the stock thereon £19,399,843, and on those of one acre and under £1,705,965 : total, £21,105,808. In 1852, the farms were 554,413, and the value of the stock £28,701,693, and on those under one acre £452,536 : total, £29,154,229 — being a decrease in the number of farms or holdings of 136,701, or 19+-§- per cent., and on the stock of the holdings under one acre £1,253,429 ; but the value of the stock on the farms over one acre increased to £9,301,850, and on the country at large it was £8,048,421. The value of the stock, however, on holdings under one acre in 1852, although so much less in amount than in 1841, increased on 1851 £41,293. The stock of 1841 and 1852 consisted of the following — Horses Horned Years. & Mules. Asses. Cattle. Sheep. Pigs. Goats. Poultry. 1841 ..576,115 92,365 1,863,116 2,106,189 1,412,813 no return 8,458,517 1852. .545,900 144,120 3,095,067 2,613,943 1,072,658 278,444 8,175,904 This shows that Ireland has increased considerably in asses, while it has decreased in horses, and the latter, combined with the increase on horned cattle and sheep, shows that grazing has super- seded agriculture ; while the deficiency in pigs and poultry is accounted for by the disease of 1846 lingering in the potatoe through the six succeeding years, although gradually recovering since 1847, when the number of pigs was only 622,459, and poultry 5,691,055. The value of this stock is generally considered to have been taken too low in 1841, and its real value in 1852 is probably five millions more than it is estimated at in the returns. Horses were rated at £8, asses £1, horned cattle £6 10s., sheep £1 2s., pigs £1 5s., goats 7s. 6d., and poultry 6d. each. The entire extent of land under crop in 1852 was 5,739,214 acres, being 119,737 less than in 1851, and is the first year since 1847 in which a diminished extent under cultivation, compared 152 STATISTICS. with the preceding years, has been observed ; but the returns of 1853 show a still further decrease on 1852 of 43,867 acres, as will appear by the following — Crops. Potatoes Turnips Rape 1847. 1852. 1853. Acres. Acres. Acres. . 743,871 353,566 327,254 2,200,870 2,283,449 2,156,674 345,070 no T/?o 2ii,7oo 303,402 36,1S9 ) 349,017 3,313,579 2,976,606 2,832,945 284,116 876,532 897,774 370,344 356,790 399,335 s 73,278 102,161 100,673 . 727,738 1,335,483 1,397,782 58,312 137,008 174,423 19,404 19,888 1,138,946 1,270,713 1,270,309 1,197,258 1,427,125 1,464,620 5,238,575 5,739,214 5,695,347 It appears from these returns that there were, in 1852, under general crops, 500,630 acres more than in 1847, which is to be accounted for by the short planting of potatoes, the crop having totally failed the year previous. Wheat decreased on the five years 390,305 acres, and underwent a further reduction in 1853 of 26,302 acres. Oats increased on the five years 82,579 acres, but in 1853 they decreased 126,775 acres. In barley, bore, peas, beans, &c, there was a decrease in 1852, compared with 1847, of 29,247 acres, but in 1853 they increased 9,426 acres. Comparing the total number of acres under cereal crops in 1852 with 1847, there was a decrease of 336,973 acres, and in 1853 there was a further decrease of 143,661 acres. In green crops there M'as an increase in 1852, as compared with 1847, of 607,745 acres. Potatoes in- creased 592,416 acres, and in 1853 they still further increased 21,242 acres. Turnips decreased on the five years 13,554 acres, but increased in 1853 42,545 acres. Mangel wurzel and other STATISTICS. 153 green crops on the five years increased 28,883 acres, and in 1853 decreased 1,488 acres. In flax there was an increase on the five years of 78,696 acres, and there was a further increase in 1853 of 37,415 acres. Meadow increased on the five years 131,767 acres; and in 1852 there were 19,404 acres of rape, there being none returned in 1847. The total increase on green crops and flax in 1853 over 1852 was 100,198 acres, which, deducted from the decrease of 143,661 acres in the cereal crops, leaves a deficiency of 43,867 acres. All this tends to prove that agriculture is rapidly on the decline in Ireland, and that the soil which produced food, when under tillage, for millions of human beings, is now turned into extensive pastures to feed cattle for the English market, and this will still further increase as long as the manufacturing pros- perity of England continues as it is at present. In respect to wheat, the Irish agriculturist appears to have at length discovered that the climate is not adapted for such a crop, and he is now wisely turning his attention to green crops and flax, to which it is so admirably suited. Wheat can only be cultivated to advantage in climates where the sun has powerful influence : the Irish atmo- sphere is too temperate to admit of wheat of superior quality being produced there. These returns but too well account for the wholesale emigration that has been progressing for some years, and is still going forward with unabated vigour. The number of holdings of one acre or under is not returned in 1841, but no doubt such existed to a considerable extent. Those from 1 to 5 acres were in that year 310,375, and from 5 to 15 acres 252,778. The first class of holdings or farms have been reduced in 1852 to 81,561, and the second to 182,308 : therefore 299,284 of these holdings have been swept away — that is to say, in eleven years considerably more than one-half the small farmers of Ireland have been dispos- sessed of their holdings. Taking their families at an average of five, which is under the mark, 1,496,420, or in round numbers one million and a half of the population have been deprived of the means of existence, and are now either in foreign lands, or have become in- mates of the workhouse or of the silent grave. The extensive pas- tures, the large farms, and the increased stock, although indicative of more wealthy occupants, are still but indifferent substitutes for 154 STATISTICS. the numerous cheerful and happy peasantry that one day nourished there. " 111 fares the land: to hast'ning griefs a prey, Where wealth accumulates and men decay. Princes and lords may flourish or may fade, A breath can make them, as a breath hath made ; But a bold peasantry, a country's pride, If once destroyed, can never be supplied." Tenant right is a question which has engrossed so much of public attention, both in and out of Parliament, and is so essen- tially necessary to a good understanding between landlord and tenant, and also to the peace and prosperity of Ireland, that it is to be regretted that this work, devoted to so many subjects, can only briefly discuss its merits. In doing so, a glance at how land was originally held, previous to the introduction of English law, may not be uninteresting. Although the hereditary principle extended to professions and offices, the monarch, the provincial kings, and even the subordinate chiefs, were elective. The chief of every sept had only a life interest in the title and estate : they did not descend from father to son, unless the former appointed the latter his tanaist, and even then it was necessary that he should be elected by a majority of his sept. This was called tanaistry. Gavelkind were the inferior tenancies under the chief : the land was divided by him among all the males of the sept, illegitimate as well as legitimate. After this partition, if any one of the sept died, his portion did not descend to his son or next-a-kin, but the chief made a new partition of all the lands, and gave every one his share according to his antiquity, the deceased's sons or nearest male relatives coming in for their proportion, as a matter of course. The tenure of land was of various kinds. Where it was held by a free tribe, under a chief of the same family, the occupiers were obliged to maintain the chief's household in food, clothing, and other necessaries, and to support him in his offensive and defensive warfare. The land was liable to a new, or sub- division, every fourth generation ; and it was com- petent for any occupier to sell his interest in it to any other member of the tribe, or mortgage it, without consulting the chief or the STATISTICS. 155 tribe at large : but he could not sub-let it even to one of the tribe, or sell his interest in it to a stranger, without the consent of both. The immediate chief had not absolute power oyer the lives and properties of his dependents, as the chief prince above him had always authority to compel him to the fair and faithful discharge of the conditions laid down by the laws to regulate the duties between the chief and his dependents. The occupier of the land could not be dispossessed, unless he was found guilty of some henious crime, when he was deprived of his patrimony and cut off from the tribe. An occupant holding his portion of tribe-land, and also land at a rent from the chief, or subsequently from the church, was allowed to dispose of his tribe-land, but not of the lands of the chief or of the church. These he was obliged to keep in his own hands, or re- store to their original owners. A stranger, who took lands from the chief at rent and service during pleasure, might at any time leave, taking with him one-third of the property on the lands, and leaving two-thirds to the chief for the use thereof, and the protec- tion afforded him. If a tenant took lands at will, or for a term of years, and enjoyed it during that term, or should he leave of his own will before the expiration thereof, then the land and improve- ments went to the chief ; but if forcibly dispossessed in the interim, he was entitled to take with him any moveable improvements made by him thereon. These are the leading features of the ancient Irish laws respecting the tenure of land, and it is a fact, that they remained in force for four hundred years after the Anglo-Norman invasion, and the English system of tenure had been introduced into the country. This, in some degree, accounts for the aversion the Irish have invariably shown to tenants coming from other localities to occupy holdings or farms, from which families long in possession had been ejected. Tenant right is that which gives the occupier of the soil, as well as the landlord, a direct interest in it. It consists of what the land would be actually worth to a solvent tenant over the rent paid to the landlord. It exists in tenancies at will, as well as in those under lease, and is in general operation throughout the province of Ulster, and partially so in the counties of Leitrim and Sligo ; but it is merely sanctioned by custom, and is not legally 156 STATISTICS. binding. It had its origin in the confiscation of Ulster by James I., and in the manner the English and Scotch undertakers carried out his plan for its settlement. These undertakers were granted large tracts of land, on condition of building dwelling-houses of a certain description thereon, and sub-letting a portion of the land to under- tenants for three lives, or twenty-one years, who would be ready on every emergency to defend their new settlements. The tenants thus brought in were stationed in a hostile country, and service more than rent in money was what they gave in the first instance ; and their descendants, who have had since then the free exercise of arms, were enabled to dictate terms to the original undertaker or his successor. The Irish or Catholic tenants were disarmed, and at the mercy of their landlords, and, consequently, there was no tenant right in the other provinces. But independent of this feudal or military tenure in Ulster, there are inherent rights in every tenant, which, although not directly admitted, either by the law or the landlord, are indi- rectly demonstrated by this system. The value of tenant right on a farm depends, in some measure, on the character of the landlord : some respecting it as a matter of justice, proceeding from long usage ; while others consider it compulsory, and are unwillingly obliged to observe it. Should a tenant be dispossessed by process of law or otherwise, the incoming tenant is only charged the ori- ginal rent ; and the fine he pays for possession goes to the late tenant, after paying arrears of rent, if any. If the rents are low, they are, at all events, well secured to the landlord by this arrange- ment, and the farm is sure to be kept in condition when the occupier knows that, should he be dispossessed, under any circumstances, he will be paid the value of his permanent improvements. One of the salutary effects resulting from this system, notwithstanding the opinion entertained by the advocates for large farms to the contrary, is, that it deprives the landlords of the power of increasing the size of those on their estates, otherwise than by purchasing the tenant's right or interest therein. In Ireland landlords do not contribute towards the improvement of the farm. They neither erect buildings, nor keep those that are erected in repair ; they contribute nothing towards fencing, ditching, draining, building or repairing farm- houses and offices, or other permanent improvements : all of which STATISTICS. 157 is done in England at the expense of the landlords. Numerous bills have been before parliament to settle this question between landlord and tenant : Mr. Sharman Crawford presented one in 1843 ; Lord Stanley, now Earl of Derby, another in 1845. Subsequently Sir William Somerville, Mr. Napier, and Mr. Serjeant Shee, pre- pared bills. Of these, the two latter were sent before a special committee appointed to consider the question, and out of the elements they contained, it adopted a Bill or Bills, which obtained the support of Government and passed the Commons ; but after the measure had been briefly discussed in the Lords, it was regu- larly shelved for the session. Its consideration was resumed in 1854, and the Lords, after altering and mutilating it in some essen- tial points, have passed two Bills — " The Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Bill," and " The power of Leasing (Ireland) Bill," neither of which come up to public expectation ; and, considering the late period of the session, and the amendments which await them in the Commons, the probability is that they will not pass the Legislature this session either. Mr. Sharman Crawford's bill received the greatest amount of popular support. It proposed to give tenants-at-will, as well as those holding under a lease, compensation for the erection of new buildings, and the re- pairing of old ones ; for planting or raising fences ; for draining, trenching, reclaiming, and enclosing, or other permanent improve- ment, by which the value of such lands had been increased : the compensation to be assessed in the first instance by the county surveyor, and, should the parties not agree to it, and that the sum assessed exceeded £100, to be referred to the Court of Exchequer, and when it was only for that sum, or under, to be determined by the assistant barrister at quarter sessions. Mr. Serjeant Shee's bill of last session does not differ very materially from that of Mr. Crawford's. It defines what tenant right is in Ulster. It provides for all improvements made by the tenant, or by those from whom he has derived. Instead of the compensation being assessed by the county surveyor, it is referred to two arbitrators mutually chosen, who, if necessary, appoint a third ; and should there be no award, and that the claim did not exceed £100, to be then determined by the assistant barrister and a jury at quarter sessions ; and should 158 STATISTICS. it exceed that sum, by the judge of assize, with or without a jury. In all awards, the fair rent of the premises, and the price of the produce, for which the rent was computed, must he certified. If the landlord makes the necessary buildings or improvements, the tenant's claim is not admissible ; and if he continues the tenant in the premises, at the rent certified by the arbitrators, he shall not be liable to pay him compensation, such tenancy to be for a term of not less than fourteen years. Tenants under lease made previous to the repeal of the corn-laws, or since 1815, to be enabled to surrender their farms on the ground of excessive rent, and to be allowed compensation for permanent improvements. Tenants not receiving compensation for buildings, on the pretence of their not being suitable to the premises, may pull them down and remove the materials ; or, expending money on improvements, and paying a fair rent for the premises, are protected from eviction ; and where arrears have accumulated from the failure of crops, to claim an ad- justment and composition of such arrears. The intended amend- ments extend the term of leasing from twenty-one to thirty-one years, and provide compensation for improvements suitable to the farm : such as building, extending, or repairing of farm-houses and offices, the reclaiming of waste lands and bogs, removing rocks or stones from the surface, making boundary fences and farm-roads, and the main and thorough draining of the land, or any other im- provement specified in the Act of 10 & 11 Vic, c. 22. In none of these bills or amendments does there appear any clause to restrain, wrest from, or lessen the arbitrary and unjust power vested in the landlord in distraining the tenant's crop or stock for rent, or arrears of rent, without preliminary legal proceedings, which he possesses over every other description of creditor. Why he should have this exclusive power can only be accounted for by the fact, that the law was made by landlords, and for their own special advantage. Such a law did not exist until the reign of William and Mary ; previous thereto, the profits only were liable to be seized in satisfaction of the rent agreed to be paid for the use of the land ; the landlord could not sell the goods so distrained, until 2 William k Mary, c. 5, was passed, which first gave that power; and the 2 George II., c. 19, further confirmed it. That a landlord should be empowered by law STATISTICS. 159 to sweep away by distress the whole of the tenant's crop, leaving nothing towards the labour or capital employed in producing it, is most unjust, and the Acts which enable him to take such an advan- tage over every other creditor ought to be forthwith repealed. Pook Laws. — It is not surprising that Ireland, left for three centuries without any provision for its poor, should have presented occasionally a mass of human misery unparalleled in any country in Europe. The Reformation commenced by suppressing the monasteries, and confiscating their revenues to the crown, which in turn dispensed a portion of them to those satellites who aided and abetted it in the spoliation. The poor, who both in England and Ireland had derived their principal support from the monaste- ries, and who had, in point of law, both civil and ecclesiastical, an inherent interest in the tithes, a portion of which (after depriving the Catholic Church of the whole) was retained to support the Protestant establishment, and another portion granted to lay im- propriators. But the poor derived no advantage from this division, nor were their claims to support admitted by either. The conse- quence was, that in England as well as in Ireland, the Reformation was unpopular with the great body of the people, and particularly with the poor. This was demonstrated by several insurrections in its early stages ; and, notwithstanding the most sanguinary and brutal acts and proclamations against paupers, disorders, outrage, and discontent prevailed, until at length the Queen and the Par- liament were obliged to pass the 41st of Elizabeth, which made the land liable to the support of the poor in England. But no such law was extended to Ireland ; there the new religion was attempted to be established by penal enactments and at the point of the bayonet. The hostility which existed between the English and Irish when they professed the same religious tenets, was now considerably augmented by sectarian animosity. Had measures of conciliation and gentle persuasion been resorted to, and a law similar to that passed in England been extended to Ireland, and the dispensation of its provisions placed in the hands of the Protestant clergy, as they had been there, the Reformation might have been otherwise than what it has proved to be, a total failure. 160 STATISTICS. After public opinion being much divided in respect to the pro- priety of extending poor laws to Ireland at all, the present law came into operation in 1839, but the workhouses were not open for the admission of paupers until 1840. The following statement will show the number of persons receiving in and out-door relief during the most trying periods of the late famine. Years ending 1 29 Sop. Number of Unions. Expenditure. £ Number in the Workhouse. relieved out of the Workhouse. Total Number relieved. Salaries it Expenses. 1846 . . 129 435,001 243,933 243,933 504,920 1847 . . 130 803,686 417,139 417,139 700,733 1848 . . 131 1,835,634 610,463 1,433,042 2,013,505 598,374 1849 . . 131 2,177,651 732,284 1,210,482 2,142,766 474,374 1852 . . 163 883,267 504,864 14,911 519,575 360,905 It appears from this statement, that in 1847, the first year of the famine, there had been no out-door relief given by the poor- law guardians, they not being authorised to do so by law previous to the passing of the 10th Vic, c. 31, and the number of inmates in the workhouses had nearly doubled, compared with 1846. Some idea may be formed of the ravages that want must have made, in 1847 in particular, among the population, when in 1818 there were 1,433,042 persons receiving out-door relief. By the returns of 1852 the number receiving relief both in and out had considerably diminished, and in 1853 it had still further decreased. One means of effecting this is the wholesale emigration that has been carried on by the guardians from many of the unions. In two years, from May, 1848, to April, 1850, twenty emigrant ships were dispatched to Australia with orphan-girls from the Irish work- houses, to whom a free passage was granted by the government, the board of guardians defraying the cost of their outfit and conveyance to the port of embarkation. It does not state how they were to be provided for when they arrived at their port of destination. The total number of emigrants dispatched in this way from 117 unions for the two years was 4117. In 1851 a further number of 273 was embarked for Sidney. In 1853 the number sent out by the workhouses, or assisted to embark for the same destination, was 3825, from 93 unions ; of which 492 were males of fifteen years and upwards, 2,218 females, and 1,115 children under fifteen years of age, depending on their parents. STATISTIC- Poor- Rates. — All lands, buildings, mines seven years open, commons, and all profits out of lands, navigations, rights of way, casement upon land, tolls, &c, are liable to poor-rates. Turf h : r?. for which rent is not paid, places of worship, burial-grounds, buildings used exclusively for charitable and public purposes, are exempt. The perscns liaele are the cecupiers of pr:p=r:y rated, and in their default, the subsequent occupiers. The owner of any rent, except of rent charges, is bound to allow the person who has paid the rate, half the amount. The owner of tithes is liable to pay the whole poundage. Occupiers of tenements without leases, previous to the passing of the Poor-Law Act, at and under £8 a year rent, in certain boroughs, and at and under £4 elsewhere, are not liable, bat the immediate lessor is to be rated instead. Three years after the formation of the union, the guardians of any two or more electoral divisions may agree to have the division borne in common. The accounts of the guardians are made up half- yearly, and audited by persons appointed by the Poor-Law Com- missioners. The amount of poor-rates levied in 1846 was £-376.507: in 1*47 it was £645.6.57; in 1848, £1,619,810; in 1849, £1,674,793; and in 1852, £1,109.630. The number of persons who received relief in 1852 was not much greater than in 1847, although the rate levied is nearly double the amount. On the loth October, 1853. the number in the workhouses was reduced to 80,799, and receiving out-door relief to 2,047 persons. And now that the government has remitted its claim on the Poor-Law Unions for the advances made out of the Consolidated Fund for the relief of the poor — and that emigration, and a gradual improve- ment in the condition of the country, have contributed to thin the workhouses, the rates should be as low in 1854 as they were in 1846. the year before the famine, when the amount levied was only £376,507, and the expenditure £435,001. Industrial employment has been introduced to a certain extent into these institutions, but they are capable of great extension in that way. The guardians, instead of filling emigrant ships with boys and girls from the work- houses, if they turned their attention to having them instructed, each in some particular branch of trade and handicraft while there, it would enable them to make out an honest livelihood on leaving 162 STATISTICS. it ; and it would be the means of planting the seeds of industry in their youthful minds, which might produce good fruit in their more mature years, and, without putting the union to the expense of sending them abroad, they might be made useful members of the community at home. There have been several valuations, which tend much to confuse. The first is under the Act 6 & 7 Wm, IV., c. 84, taken for the purpose of more equally levying the grand jury cess. The poor-law valuation of 1838 takes in property not liable to the county cess. To explain these, the 9 & 10 Vic, c. 110, was passed ; and subsequently, the 15 & 16 Vic, c 63, in which the valuation of the land was adopted for all assessments, having reference to the intrinsic worth and capabilities of the soil, its adaptation to different descriptions of produce, and its value according to a scale of prices of agricultural produce embodied in the Act, and taking the net annual value of mines, fisheries, &c, to which such principle of computation can be referred. Under this Act the whole of Ireland will be revalued by R. Griffiths, Esq. Connected with the union workhouses are the Dispensaries, esta- blished in 1851, by the Medical Charities Act, 14 & 15 Vic, c. 68, which empowers the guardians to form poor-law unions into dis- pensary districts, subject to the approval of the Poor-Law Com- missioners. This Act made some alteration in the constitution of the poor-law commission, by appointing an additional commissioner, who must be a physician or surgeon of ten years' standing ; and they are empowered to appoint inspectors, being physicians or surgeons of seven years' practice. Each dispensary district is placed under a committee of management, composed of the guardians of the district and rate-payers, elected by the guardians of the union. The 163 Unions, containing 3,439 electoral divisions, have been divided into 723 dispensary districts, giving an average of rather more than four divisions to each district of about 9,000 inhabitants, and for each medical officer thereof about 8,400. Each district is under a separate committee, and has one or more dis- pensary stations, and proportionate medical officers. No dispensary relief can, in future, be obtained by grand jury presentment out of the county cess. The appointment of all medical officers for dis- pensaries now rests with the committees of management, their STATISTICS. 163 salaries to be determined by the guardians of the union ; and ap- pointment and salary to be approved by the commissioners. The boards of guardians provide the necessary accommodation for the dispensaries, and pay the salaries of the medical officers, the amount to be charged upon the poor-rates of the electoral division. The rent of a dispensary is £38 for a union, and £8 10s. for a district. There are 776 medical officers, with salaries of £71 4s. ; twenty- nine apothecaries with £40 7s. ; and seven midwives with £15 each — in all £62,718 7s. 2d. There are other expenses, such as for beds, fuel, attendants, salaries, Sec, amounting to £35,123 4s. 5|d. : total £97,841 lis. 7|d. Annnual cost of a union £600 5s. Id., and of a district £135 6s. lOd. Previously to this Act coming into operation, the workhouses were frequently most inconveniently crowded with patients. The number for whom accommodation was provided in the year ending 25th March, 1850, was 42,072; an average of 34,714 were under treatment every week, and the total admitted during the year 468,028 ; the expense of medical atten- dants was £23,947 3s. 3d. ; of nurses and others £8,929 15s. lid. : total expenditure £177,039 lis. 9|d. There were also in 1851, 154 Fever Hospitals, in which the patients cost £28,140 ; and in 1852, there were 159, and the cost of patients £19,608. The County Infirmaries, although they may be visited by the Poor Law Commissioners and directors, in concert with the local gover- nors, as to the management given by them, yet they derive no support from the poor-rates. They are supported by grand jury as- sessment, not to exceed £1,400 annually for each county, aided by a treasury grant of £100 Irish, for the surgeon's salary; also by subscriptions, donations, bequests, and petty sessions" fines. The institutions give intern treatment of all serious cases, medical or surgical : and sometimes give extern relief to patients attending the infirmary. They are governed by corporations, consisting of the Lord Chancellor, the Protestant primate, the bishop of the diocese, the vicar or rector of the parish, and life governors, who pay £21 for life, and annual subscribers, who pay three guineas each. In 1849, the number of intern payments was 11,114 ; extern 45,930 ; total 57,044 : the expenditure was £27,475 18s. 5d. The receipts m 2 164 STATISTICS. consisted of— grand jury presentments, £26,372 14s. lOd. ; parlia- mentary grant, £2,049 13s. ll^d. ; subscriptions, £1,332 lis. 10d.; and other sources, £3,373 Is. : total £33,128 Is. 7jd. Board of Public Works. — The history of the formation of this board, and its operations, which are so intimately connected with the improvement of Ireland, will be found interesting in showing how public money, heretofore voted for works of national utility, has been flagrantly squandered, or shamefully misapplied. In the second year of the reign of George II., an Act was passed, empowering George Frisell, A. Crossdale, and John Ringrose, out of their own funds, to make the Shannon navigable from Limerick to Carrick-drum-rusk, a distance of 100 miles towards its source, and to charge 4d. a ton per mile on all goods conveyed on the im- proved navigation. The provisions of this Act were not confined to the Shannon, but had for their object the improvement of thirty rivers, and the construction of canals in connexion with them, so as to obtain 1,000 miles of inland navigation, and place 10,000 square miles, or 6,400,000 square acres within five miles of a navigable river or canal. It professed, also, to have another object in view — the draining and reclaiming the waste lands and bogs of Ireland, which were then much more numerous than they are at present. This scheme, extensive for a few individuals to attempt, unless possessed of enormous wealth, was perfectly absurd, when the projectors proposed to borrow the money to effect it at 8 per cent. This plan, therefore, for improving a portion of the Shannon, proved abortive. To remedy this, an Act was passed in the third year of George II., which set forth that works of public benefit and advan- tage should be effected by means of a fund set aside for the purpose, and to be derived from a tax on carriages, cards, dice, and gold and silver plate. The Lord-Lieutenant, the Lord Chancellor, the four Protestant archbishops, and eighty peers and commoners were appointed commissioners. At the end of twenty-one years, the fund only amounted to £63,128 9s. 7£d., a sum quite inade- quate to the purpose. It was also found difficult, out of so great a number, to get three of the commissioners together, without which it was impossible to perform any legal net. Another Act, STATISTICS 165 the 25th George II. was. therefore, passed, constituting the com- missioners a corporation for promoting and effecting inland naviga- tion in Ireland. It was authorized to hold Courts in Dublin four times a years, to elect from among its members twenty-four assist- ants, vested with extensive powers, who were to appoint suitable officers, with adequate salaries and fees, to survey the country ; to lay out new roads from mines to navigable rivers and canals, and to perform other acts of improvement — but jobbing and speculation appears to have been the principal aim of these parties, and the good intentions of this Act proved quite as illusory as its pre- decessors. To amend it the 29th George II., c. 10, was passed, which, after detailing the inccmpetency of the commissioners to perform the duties entrusted to them, directed, that practical persons, not members of the corporation, should be employed to carry its provisions into effect. Another Act, the 3rd George III., gave them powers to build a house for their meetings and dispatch of business. During the existence of this board, vast schemes of improvement were projected, but only a few trifling matters were effected. Doubts had been for sometime entertained of its effi- ciency, and other parties more active, and having a direct interest in several of the undertakings, set about putting some of them in execution. In 1766, an Act. 7th George III,. c.-26, incorporated a company for making the Shannon navigable from Limerick to Killaloe, and directed the Board of Inland Navigation to deliver up to it all the money and materials connected with the under- taking. A power of control, however, was specifically reserved to the board, which created an insuperable obstacle in the way of its success. By 11 k 12 of George III., c. 4, this corporation might transfer any navigation to a private company who would enter into security to complete its formation ; it had, still, how- ever, the power to aid and control the works ; but the aid was limited to the one-sixth part, and that only to be advanced when the subscribers, or company, had expended thereon five-sixths of the estimated amount. The Grand Canal Company became pos- sessed of all the powers vested in the Inland Board for carrying out this project. Every day this board became more and more embarrassed : having issued warrants far beyond its means, it was 166 STATISTICS. forbidden to issue more, until the outstanding debts were dis- charged. For that purpose the taxes on carriages, dice, &c, were continued, but salaries, rents, and other expenses of the establish- ment were to be satisfied, and these nearly consumed their produce, so that little progress was made in their liquidation. The parlia- ment, however, in restraining the excesses of the board, wished to show that it did not intend to restrict the progress of public works by withdrawing government aid from them, and this Act, therefore, contained a grant of £10,000 for the improvement of Lough Swilley. The longer, however, the board continued extant, the more corrupt and unpopular it became ; when at length one of the many beneficial acts resulting from the Irish Parliament, accom- plishing its independence, was the dissolution of this board in 1786. The amount of taxes levied by it was £382,292, and the parliamentary grants entrusted to its management were £227,629, in all £609,921 — on an average £10,891 8s. per annum. Had this sum been honestly and judiciously laid out for navigation purposes, it would have effected many important improvements, but it was ap- propriated to corrupt patronage and selfish gratification. The terms of the Act that dissolved it, pronounces best its panegyric. The several canals, lands, &c, belonging to, or over which it had con- trol, were vested in the local parties connected therewith. All plans, books, estimates, &c, were ordered to be delivered up within twenty-one days to the auditor of impress accounts at the Treasury, and the salaries of the treasurer and secretary for ten years were forfeited to the Crown. Separate companies were incorporated for the Shannon, Barrow, Boyne, Newry, and Tyrone Navigations, and to them were given, with the property and tolls, the rights and privileges lately appertaining to the suppressed Inland Board. The breaking up of this establishment, however, which threw the various works in progress on their own resources, created considerable confusion, and greatly distressed those connected with their exe- cution. Petitions for relief were addressed to the Irish Parliament, and led to the passing of the Act 29 Geo. HI., c. 33, empowering the government to issue debentures against the revenues accruing or likely to accrue. To the Barrow Navigation was allotted £20,000 ; to the Shannon Navigation from Limerick to Killaloc STATISTICS. 167 £8,300 ; to the Grand Canal Company, for an extension uf the Shannon near Banagher, £57,100 ; to the same company, for an extension to the Liffey, £10,000 : to the Royal Canal Company, for a canal from Dublin to Turmanbarry, on the Shannon, £66,000 ; to the Boyne Navigation Company, for a canal from Drogheda to Trim, £12,500; to the Newry .Navigation Company, £4000; for a canal from Oberstown to Kilcullen, £2,400 ; and for another from Belturbet to Lough Erne, £5,100. Including £101,073 appropri- ated to the improvements of the several Irish ports and harbours, there were raised by taxes, loans, and grants since the third year of the reign of George II. to the period of the Legislative Union, for the purposes of constructing canals, and improving inland navi- gation generally, £1,082,349 ; which, considering the then value of money, shows the extreme liberality of the Irish parliament in contributing towards the improvement and prosperity of the country. Among the other inducements put forth by the English minister to render the union palatable to the Irish nation, was a grant of half a million towards the promotion of public works. The expenditure was intrusted, as formerly, to commissioners, under the name of Directors General of Inland Navigation, who consi- dered the grant more as a matter of patronage to sustain their ascendancy prerogatives than for the benefit of the country. Up to 1810 they did nothing but receive their salaries and squander a large portion of the amount in selfish and corrupt practices. They now proposed a series of general surveys in various parts of the country ; but with the view more to serve the personal interests of certain noblemen and gentlemen, than to promote the general prosperity of the nation. There was, no doubt, much useful and interesting information acquired, but at an enormous expense, and no practical measure resulted therefrom. In 1811 the Royal Canal Company failed, under the most disgraceful circumstances of fraud, and the Board of Inland Navigation was charged with being privy thereto, and many expositions took place to show its incapacity and corruption. An expose of its stewardship of the half million grant up to March, 1811, was published, when it appeared, that there had been expended — 168 STATISTICS. For the expenses of the establishment and the four Naviga- £> s. d. tions in its charge 172,238 17 11| The Royal Canal Company had obtained of it 98,831 6 7 „ Grand Canal Company (to improve the Middle Shannon) 52,231 17 S „ Barrow Navigation Company 41,881 8 9| „ Corporation of Dublin (to improve that Port) 15,463 18 3| Applications granted but not paid £9,875 \ In the Bank of Ireland 9,147 10 6± > 24,610 8| Poundage and bills at the Treasury .... 5,587 10 2| / Balance not received or apportioned up to March, 1811 94,742 10 £500,000 The next great experiment for the improvement of the country was, in the commencement, directed exclusively to the Shannon. In 1831, Mr. Spring Rice, now Lord Monteagle, presided over a Committee of the House of Commons, appointed to inquire into the state of Ireland towards its improvement ; and having derived an extensive and valuable fund of general information connected therewith, an Act, the 1st & 2nd William IV., c. 33, was passed, by which the Board of Inland Navigation was dissolved, and a Chief and two other Commissioners appointed in its room, with enlarged salaries and extended powers. The Chief Commissioner (Sir John Burgoyne) had an allowance of £1,200 a year, and the other Commissioners £600 a year each : there were attached to this Board a secretary with three clerks, an accountant with two, and an engineer, who also acted as architect. It assumed the name of The Board of Public Works, and costs the country yearly about £5,500, although the expense in the Parliamentary Estimates annually is only put down at £2,700 : the remainder must be de- rived from some other source — probably the Consolidated Fund. It commenced its labours with a fund of £500,000 at its disposal, and subsequent Acts of Parliament extended its duties, and gave it an immense range of patronage, influence, and control over every public work that required government aid. This board, which has been in existence since 1832, does not appear to have given much satisfaction in Ireland. Almost in all instances where it has advanced money to forward public works, it has conditioned that it should be expended under its direction and management, and that it should have a prior claim to all other creditors ; this had an STATISTICS. 169 embarrassing effect, and companies and individuals who borrowed money from it invariably paid it as expeditiously as possible. During the first twelve years of its stewardship it expended £52,808 19s. 5d. on salaries and law expenses, the latter amounting to £5,515 5s., by no means a convincing proof that it was manag- ing the extensive affairs placed in its hands satisfactorily. The twenty-first report of this board was presented to parlia- ment in 1853, giving details of its proceedings to the following effect : — Public Buildings. — Plans and specifications have been prepared for a female convict prison adjoining Mountjoy prison, to be con- ducted on the separate system, and provide accommodation for 360 persons, to cost £37,900. Lunatic Asylum buildings at Cork, Killarney, and Kilkenny, are finished and occupied, and those at Omagh, Mullingar, and Sligo, are in progress. A contract has been entered into for a new infirmary for the constabulary in Phoenix Park. Plans have been presented for the intended new building to accommodate the customs, inland revenue, and post-office departments at Belfast, so that the business of all may be carried on in one building. The coast-guard and constabulary stations, and custom-houses round Ireland have been repaired and maintained as usual. The fitments of the extensive new library and other necessary works at May- nooth College remain unexecuted for want of funds, the original grant of £30,000 being expended. Roads. — The roads placed under the management of the board have been kept in efficient repair at an average of 8|d. a perch, or £11 5s. per mile. Piers and Harbours. — All the piers and harbours towards which grants have been sanctioned have been completed. At King's Town a large portion of the Traders' Wharf for steamers has been com- menced. Inland Navigation. — On the Shannon several works of improve- ment and repair, tending more particularly to deepen the navigable channel, are now in progress. The amount of tolls received in 1851 170 STATISTICS. was £2,142 10s. 9d. ; and in 1852, £2,012 16s. 9d. : decrease, £129 14s. The works on the Boyne, Tyrone, and Maig naviga- tion are in fair order, and the tolls received, with the exception of •the latter, are equal to their cost of maintenance. Loans and Grants. — The sums placed in charge of the Board of Works, stand thus : total loans sanctioned, £8,092,844 : total issued to the 5th January, 1853, £6,724,367 : total receipts to the Exchequer, £2,212,800 : unissued 5th January, 1853, £l-,368,477: total grants sanctioned, £3,102,867. Landed Property Improvement. — The total sum applied for to 3 1 st December, 1 852, was £4,106,209 ; loans sanctioned, £ 1 ,883,293 ; balance, £116,707 : loans since recommended, £30,538 ; leaving an unappropriated balance of £86,169. The gross amount of instal- ments issued since the commencement, £1,300,254. During the same period there was expended on thorough drainage, subsoiling, and forming roads, £997,650; and the number of acres drained was 145,560, of which 17,000 acres were drained in 1852, at an average cost of £4 10s. per acre. A great portion of the drained land has been subsoiled, the expense of new stone and earth fences has been considerable, and much has been done in clearing rocky land. In the drainage of lands, the use of pipe-tiles, with collars, in place of broken stone, has been adopted with considerable success. Loans have been granted for the erection of farm-buildings, in sixty- seven cases, amounting to £25,650. In connexion with the Land Improvement Acts, the recent Act, 15 & 16 Vic, c. 34, authorizes the issue of loans, for erecting buildings suitable as scutch-mills for flax, and for the formation of water-courses and weirs necessary for providing water-power for mills. The loans granted for the im- provement of the land have been distributed so as best to relieve the pressure of agricultural distress. Up to the end of 1852, about 145,660 acres of land have been drained under the Drainage Acts. They are some of the richest alluvial soils in the country, hereto- fore flooded from three to six months in the year, yielding in most instances precarious crops, and in some cases valueless ; and there can be no doubt that the improvements effected by means of loans have been precursory to extensive alterations in the agriculture of STATISTICS. 171 the country, by the general introduction of green crops, and an improved system of alternate husbandry : while the lands re- claimed from the sea, drained lakes, cut-out bogs and marshes, are an absolute addition to the productive surface of the country. The Act 13 & 14 Vic, c. 31, authorized the advance of a further loan of £800,000 for the extension, and promotion of drainage, and other works of public utility. Operations have been commenced in 121 districts, containing about 336,000 acres. In ninety-three of these districts the works are complete, or nearly so. In thirteen they are in progress, and the works are suspended in fifteen for want of sufficient secondary assents. The quantity of land re- lieved up to 31st December, 1852, was 192.058 acres; in 1853, there were 12,927 acres drained, and in progress of draining, 130,000 acres. The preliminary expenses, expenditure on works, interest on borrowed money, and all other purposes, for eleven years, amounted to £1,694,791. Deducting from which £43,175, being the amount of preliminary expenses in new districts, and credit for plant and tools transferred to other services, the net total expended on districts on which works have been commenced, or final notices issued, is £1,651.616, of which £181.346 has been disbursed from the payment of interest on borrowed money. The maximum number of men employed per diem, taking the average for a month for the year 1847, was 20,000 ; in 1848, 17,000 ; in 1849, 17,500; in 1850, 25,222; in 1851,20,028; and in 1852, 11,870. The following is an abstract of the seventy-four awards made final to the end of 1852, and the repayments thereon: — Half- Area of Increase Yearly Average Eepay- Catch- Area of in the Instal- Charg- Cost per ments ment or Flood value of ment to ed to Charg- Acre for to 31st Rain Lands the pay Coun- ed on Drain- Dee., Basin. Drained. Lands. Costs. ties. Lands. ing. 1852. Acres. Acres. £. £. £. £. £. £. 797,807 64,192 21,175 9,103 16,236 254,029 3 19s. ifd. 81,965 The Act for the Sale of Encumbered Estates provides for these charges, and estates so sold are subject to them. To make parties coming into that court aware of them in districts completed, the Commissioners of Encumbered Estates have been furnished with copies of all final awards, and will continue from time to time to be so, with new awards made. In districts where the works are not 172 STATISTICS. yet completed, parties must purchase, subject to charges to be made in future awards. Periods varying from twelve to twenty-three years are allowed for the repayments, by half-yearly instalments. Religion and Education. — To review or discuss these most important and all-absorbing questions in their different bearings, would require more space than is prescribed to this work ; and, therefore, an outline or sketch is all that can be given here. The Protestant, or Established Religion by law, previous to the passing of the Church Temporalities Act, 3 & 4 William IV., c. 37, in Ireland, consisted of four archbishoprics, and eighteen bishoprics, producing then an estimated revenue of about £150,000 per annum, of which sum about £100,000 was derived from lands. The revenue of the deans and chapters was £23,600, of which was expended £21,400, leaving the deans and chapters £2,200. The number of other benefices was 1,401, and their income upwards of £580,000 : the total revenue of the Irish Established Church being £732,200. By parliamentary returns then furnished, it appears, notwithstanding this immense income, that in 41 of these benefices, the Protestant incumbent had no congregation whatever ; in 99 there were only from 1 to 20 Protestants ; in 124, from 23 to 50 ; in 160, from 50 to 100 ; in 224, from 100 to 200 ; in 286, from 200 to 500 ; in 209, from 500 to 1,000 ; in 139, from 100 to 2,000 ; in 91, from 2,000 to 5,000; and in 12, upwards of 5,000. In 1812, there were no less than eleven of the archbishops and bishops, brothers of temporal peers. By this Act, two of the archbishoprics, Cashel and Tuam, were reduced to bishoprics, and the kingdom was divided into two ecclesiastical provinces, denominated the northern and southern. The northern province comprised the sees of — Armagh and Clogher, yearly income £12,087 Meath and Clanmacnoise 4,068 Derry and Raphoe ... 8,000 Down and Connor, and Dromore 4,204 Kilmore, Achonry, and Elphin 6,253 Tnam Killala and Galway 4,600 £39,282 STATISTICS. 173 The southern province comprised the sees of- — Dublin, Glendalough, and Kildare, yearly income £7,786 Ossory, Leighlen, and Ferns 4,200 Cashel, Emly, "Waterford, and Lismore 5,000 Cork, Cloyne, and Ross 2,498 Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, and Kilmacduagh 3,870 Limerick, Ardfert, and Aghada 4,973 £28,327 This alteration to be made progressively on the demise of the bishops, whose sees are thus united. The total income of the two archbishops, and the ten suffragan bishops, is £67,539. In 1833, the revenues of the suppressed bishoprics, with those of suspended dignities and benefices, and unappropriated tithes, were vested by the Act in a board of ecclesiastical commissioners created by it, and to be appropriated by them to the augmentation of poor livings ; the building of glebe-houses ; the building and repairing of churches which had been previously defrayed by a vestry-cess, or church-rate. The revenues of the suppressed sees for the year ending 1st August, 1851, were £46,447 18s. 2d. ; and for the year 1852, £50,259 2s. lid. The receipts of the Ecclesiastical Com- missioners for 1852, was £111,355 5s.; and their expenditure, £110,297 6s. 2d. The amount of church repairs since the establish- ment of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, was — for ordinary pur- poses, £464,959 0s. 3d.; for extraordinary purposes, £30,702 6s. 6d. The aggregate amount received by them for nineteen years, from 1833 to 1852, both inclusive, was £2,103,547 6s. 7d., and their disbursements were £2,091,761 12s. 4jd. The sales made of perpetuities of church-lands vested in the commissioners have pro- duced £579,965, including £69,182 12s. 7d. invested in mortgages. The value of these perpetuities is estimated at £1,200,000. There has been £80,000 of the loan from the Board of Works paid off, and £39,865 interest thereon : and there is still £20,000 of prin- cipal due, with proportionate interest until paid. The expense of the ecclesiastical commission, including its official establishment, amounts to upwards of £200,000 — an immense sum considering the duties it has had to perform. The sums received under the head of tax on bishoprics and benefices was £11,785 15s. 3d. The tax 174 STATISTICS. is levied on benefices and dignities whose net annual value exceeds £300, commencing at 2J per cent, on that income, and rising on a graduated scale to 5^ per cent, on £405 ; and increasing J per cent, on every additional £10 above that sum, until it reaches £1,195 — all incomes over which pay 15 per cent. The tax on bishoprics, if the yearly income does not exceed £4,000, 5 per cent. ; exceeding £4,000, and not exceeding £6,000, 7 per cent. ; exceeding £6,000, and not £8,000, 10 per cent. ; exceeding £8,000, and not £10,000, 12 per cent. In lieu of this tax the see of Armagh, on its next voidure, to pay £4,500 per annum. The Ad- ditional Curate Fund Society was formed in 1838, for making provi- sions for additional clergymen in parishes, with insufficient incomes, but requiring clerical superintendence. The number of parishes receiving assistance from the fund in 1851 was thirty-eight, with a population of 464,760 persons, of which 83,433 were Protestants. The Catholic Religion. — The Roman Catholic hierarchy consists of four archbishops, whose sees are Armagh, Cashel, Dublin, and Tuam ; and twenty-five bishops, who are appointed by the Pope ; the selection is generally made from a list of names sent him by the clergy of the vacant diocese, and another by the archbishop and his suffragans. Every diocese has a dean and archdeacon ; the former is appointed by the cardinal protector of Rome, the latter by the bishop, but these dignities are without jurisdiction or emolu- ment. The Catholic clergy are supported solely by the voluntary contributions of their flocks. The episcopal revenues arise from the parish in which the bishop officiates, from marriage licences, and an annual payment of from £2 to £10 by the parochial clergy of the diocese. The number of parishes in 1853 was 2,148, and the incumbents are nominated exclusively by the respective bishops of the diocese. Their incomes arise in many parishes from yearly subscriptions by their parishioners ; in others they are derived from fees on marriages, baptisms, Christmas and Easter dues, and from incidental voluntary contributions either in money or labour. All the Catholic churches and chapels are built by subscription. There are numerous monasteries and convents established in the country ; the latter are supported principally by sums of from £300 to £500, STATISTICS. 175 paid by those who take the vows : by educating young ladies ; and by bequests and donations frequently awarded them. Both nuns and friars devote themselves to the education of the children of the poor, and the Sisters of Charity and Mercy, in par::: :.:r. are most exemplary in their attendance, and the support they afford to the sick and indigent. Pr**}j\}ierian Religion, — The Presbyterian body is chiefly in Ulster, and is formed into congregations, each of which is under the ecclesiastical government of account called a session, consist- ing of the ministers and elders of the congregation. An indefinite number of the ministers of each congregation, with a lay elder for each, constitute a Presbytery, which has the charge of the congre- gation reposed in it. Delegates from each of the Presbyteries, consisting of all the ministers, with a lay elder for each, constitute the great assembly, which is presided over by a moderator, chosen annually, which regulates the ecclesiastical affairs of the body. The first Presbytery in Ireland was formed at Carrickfergus, in 1642. and gave rise to the synod of Ulster. The first synod of Munster was formed about 1660. The Presbytery of Antrim separated from the synod of Ulster in 1727. ani the remer.srran: ~yr.: . :r. 1829. A number of Presbyterians formed themselves into a seces- sion synod of Ireland in 1780. In 1340, the general and secession synods having united, assumed the name of the Great Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, comprising, in 1851. 48 S CGngTegi:i:ns. arrange:, under tnirry-six Presbyteries. Tie minister- are supported by voluntary contributions ; the rents of seats or pews : and the Regium Donum. or royal gift, granted first in 1672. by Charles IT., who gave £'600 of secret service money to be dis- tributed in equal portions among them annually. The grant was discontinued towards the close of his reign, and during that of his successor, but was renewed by William HI., who extended it to £1.200 a year. In 1784, the amount was increased to £2,200 ; and in 1792. to £5.000. In 1803. a classification was made according to the number of families in each congregation, and the amount of the ministers' voluntary stipend, by which those of the first class received £100 : the second £75 : and the third £50 annuallv. In 176 STATISTICS. 1831, the system of classification was altered, and thirty-seven ministers now receive £100 each, and 425, £75 each per annum, late Irish currency. The ministers who succeed these, in the first class, will only receive £75 each. The total grant for non-con- forming, and other ministers in Ireland for the year ending 30th March, 1853, was £38,492. The remonstrant synod of Ulster was formed in May, 1830, in consequence of the separation of seventeen ministers, with their congregations, from the synod of Ulster, on the ground that, contrary to its usages and discipline, it required from its members, in 1827, submission to certain doctrinal texts and overtures of human invention. There are four Presbyteries, and twenty-seven congregations in this synod. The reformed Presbyterian synod of Ireland consists of four Presbyteries, and twenty-five congregations : they are all that remain of the old covenanters, and do not accept the Reghim Donum. The united Presbytery, or synod of Munster, was formed in 1809, by the junc- tion of the Presbytery of Dublin with that of Munster, and is one of the three non-subscribing Presbyterian bodies of Ireland ; the other two being the Presbytery of Antrim, containing eleven con- gregations, and the remonstrant synod of Ulster. A few years ago the three bodies united to form the general non-subscribing Presbyterian Association of Ireland, for the promotion of their common principles — the right of private judgment, and non-sub- scription to creeds or confessions of faith. It meets triennially for the maintenance of these objects, but each retain their respective names, and are governed by their own rules and regulations. The Methodist Religion was founded in Ireland in 1739, by John Wesley in person. It consists of two branches, the Wesleyans and Primitive Wesleyans. The former co-operate with the conference in England, but both bodies hold annual conferences in Ireland. The Wesleyans have 14 districts, 58 chapels, 156 ministers, and 20,915 members. The Primitive Methodists have 10 districts, 28 chapels, 78 ministers, and 10,362 members. They send out many missionaries, some of whom can speak the Irish language. The Independents seem to be another branch of the Methodists, but they claim descent from Cromwell's puritanical soldiers. STATISTICS. 177 The Baptist Religion was founded in Ireland about the year 1650, but it gradually declined in influence and exertion. A society was, therefore, formed in London in 1814, which resolved on employing itinerants, establishing schools, and distributing Bibles and tracts gratuitously in Ireland, which it has accomplished with partial success. The Quakers, or Society of Friends, are said to have first come to Ireland in Cromwell's army — by no means a good school for in- dustrial pursuits. George Fox visited the country in 1658 ; and it was in Ireland that the celebrated William Penn became a member of their body. In 1727 they issued, at their conference, in Dublin, the first public remonstrance against the slave-trade. In 1750 they had 101 meeting-houses, which, however, have since declined to about 40. There are many wealthy members of the body, particularly in Dublin and Clonmel ; and wherever they settle, they generally take the lead in commercial and manufacturing pursuits. The Educational Institutions of Ireland are — the Dublin University ; Trinity College ; the Queen's Colleges at Belfast, Cork, and Galway, in connexion with the Queen's University, established in Dublin Castle, in 1850 ; St. Patrick's College, Maynooth ; St. Kyran's, Kilkenny; St. Patrick's, Carlow ; St. Jarlath's, Tuam ; St. Patrick's, Thurles ; St. Dominick's, at Esker, county Galway ; St. John's, Waterford ; St. Peter's, Wexford ; St. Columb's, Lon- donderry ; All Hallow's, Drumcondra ; St. Mary's, Kingstown. Dublin ; the Jesuit's Colleges of Clongowes Wood, and St. Francis Xavier, Dublin ; the Belfast Academical Institution ; St. Malachy's, Diocesan Seminary, Belfast ; the National Education Schools ; the Endowed Classical Society ; the Mercantile Parochial, and Kildare Place Society Schools ; St. Columba's College, near Dublin ; St. Vincent's Ecclesiastical Seminary, Castlenock, Dublin ; St. Col- man's College, Violet Hill, Newry ; Christian Brother's Schools, and the Sunday Schools, &c, &c. The University of Dublin, or Trinity College, was founded in 1591, by letters patent, 34th Elizabeth, which appointed one provost, 178 STATISTICS. three fellows, and three scholars, to constitute for ever a body cor- porate and politic, under the name of the " Provost, Fellows, and Scholars of the Holy and undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth, near Dublin." It increased from time to time, and now consists of a provost, seven senior fellows, twenty junior fellows, and seventy scholars; previous to 1841, all the fellows were bound to celibacy. The scholars are chosen from the under- graduates, who hold the situation until they can obtain the degree of master of arts. A model school has been long attached to the University. It pos- sesses an extensive library of upwards of 106,000 printed volumes, and 1,500 interesting and select manuscripts. The printed works are increased annually by about 1,500 volumes. It has also a well-stocked botanical garden and museum. James I., in the eleventh year of his reign, granted the college a charter, in which he gave the corporate body the privilege of returning two burgesses to represent it in the Irish parliament, which the Act of Union re- duced to one ; and the Irish Reform Act again raised to two members. The constituency is about 1,500, and consists of the provost, fellows and scholars ; and all ex -fellows, scholars, masters of arts, and those of higher degree, retain the right during life, by paying a fee of £5. It is possessed of 251,000 acres of land, from which it derives a yearly revenue of about £22,000 ; and from other sources, £48,048 5s. The provost is paid £2,000 a year ; the college officers about £2,000 : the fellows £25,400 ; professors and lecturers £40,000. This college is purely a Protestant esta- blishment ; for, although it was always open to the Presbyterians, and since 1794 to the Catholics, for educational purposes, yet neither can participate in the honours or emoluments attached to it, which are exclusively confined to Protestants. From a return furnished by order of the House of Lords in 1845, it appears there matriculated in this University, from 1829 to 1844, both years inclusive, 6,248 persons; of these only 511 were Catholics, and 5,737 Protestants. The Queen's Colleges. — If Trinity College deserved condemna- tion for being too sectarian, and not adapted, therefore, to the purposes of national education, these colleges, which were in STATISTICS. 179 some degree established to remove that objection, and were so regulated that no jealousy at least could exist as to their being more favourable to one religion than another, were nevertheless denounced as godless, and were quite as objectionable, in the opinion of many eminent men professing different religious tenets, as their predecessor. But the danger to be apprehended from the constitution of these colleges does not arise so much from the want of religious instruction, which all may receive at their respective places of worship, as the exclusive power vested in the govern- ment to regulate the proceedings and absorb the whole patronage and control over these institutions. Under an Act, the 8th & 9th Vic, c. 66, a charter was granted to the Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Cork, and Galway : the corporate or body politic to consist of a president, a vice-president, and twenty professors, whose number may be augmented to thirty by the crown. They are divided into three faculties : first, literary and scientific ; second, medicine ; and third, law. Each of these choose annually a dean of faculty, who presides over their meetings. A council, composed of the president, vice-president, and the four deans of faculty, make regulations not provided for by the statutes, arrange the course of instruction, and preserve discipline, and receive fees and other sources of revenue. The other officers are the registrar, bursar, librarian, and curator of the museum. The supreme authority is vested in the Board of Visitors appointed by the crown. These colleges were opened for the admission of students in October, 1849, and for the four years ending June, 1853, the number of admissions were — Belfast. Cork. Galway. Matriculated .... 405 410 358 Non-matriculated 3-53 136 21 758 546 379— Total 1683. The Queens University in Ireland was founded by letters patent, loth August, 1850, with power to grant degrees in the faculties of arts, medicine, and law, to students who have completed their studies in the Queen's Colleges in Belfast, Cork, or Galway. It consists of a chancellor and senate nominated by the crown, and H 2 180 STATISTICS. to hold office during pleasure (the Earl of Clarendon was the find Chancellor) ; to be a corporation with perpetual succession ; to sue and be sued, and hold lands, the profits thereon to amount to no more than £10,000 per annum. The senate to meet at Dublin Castle for holding examinations and granting degrees to take place annually. The three Queen's Colleges to be colleges of the university, and the professors to be professors of the same, but not to be under the superintendence of the senate further than the registration of degrees and faculties. The senate held its first sitting 19th June, 1851, when it was resolved that the university should have its seat and hold its meetings at Dublin Castle, and the re- gulations which had been prepared by the councils of the Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Cork, and Galway, for the course of studies to be pursued by students there for degrees, were submitted to the senate, pursuant to the provisions of the charter. A seal for the university was approved of, and a code of bye-laws adopted by the senate, and sanctioned by the Lord-Lieutenant, as required by the charter. At meetings of the senate in October, 1852 and 1850, degrees and diplomas were conferred on the candidates from the Queen's Colleges : Belfast 35, Cork 31, Galway 14. Degri i s granted by the Queen's University are not liable to stamp-duty. Maynooth College. — This college was founded in 1795 by an Act of the Irish Parliament which passed both Houses without a dissentient voice : a sum of £8,000 was annually voted for its maintenance up to 1807, when £5,000 additional was voted for the enlargement of the buildings. The amount of the annual vote from 1808 to 1813 was £8,928. The total amount of bequests to the col- lege, including sums funded for courses, was £31,681, besides all the fee-simple estates of the late Lord Dunboyne, which now produce to the college £460 per annum. The entrance-fees and pensions of the students, from 1813 to 1844, amounted to more than £84,000. The number of students increased with the enlargement of the buildings from 50 to 250. By the Act 8th k 9th Vic, c. 25, the college was placed on a new footing, and permanently endowed for the maintenance and education of 500 students, and of 20 se- ttlor scholars on the Dunboyne foundation ; which has been since STATISTICS. 181 that time the number of students. Besides providing for the annual cost of commons, for these 520 students, and salaries to the president, superiors, and professors, the Act also vests £30,000 in the hands of the Commissioners of Public Works, for the erection of the buildings necessary to accommodate the increased number of students. Xo applicant can be received as a student unless he is designed for the priesthood in Ireland, that he is six- teen years of age, and recommended by the bishop of the diocese in which he lives, and that he answers satisfactorily at his entrance examination. The ordinary course of studies requires eight years — the first two are devoted to the Greek and Latin classics, rhetoric, mathematics, English composition, and historical books of the Bible. The following year logic, moral philosophy : the French language, and mathematics are studied, kc, kc. The Colleges of Kilkenny, Carlow, Tuam, and Thurles, are all founded and patronised by the Roman Catholic bishops, for the education of Catholics exclusively. A description of the Kilkenny (St. Kyran's) will suffice for the others. It is divided into two departments : one ecclesiastical, the other lay. In the first, none are admitted who are not candidates for the priesthood : the number of students about fifty. The other admits boys of every other de- nomination, and could easily accommodate the same number of boarders, but they seldom exceed twenty. The day scholars are about fifty. It is supported principally by the students, the board- ers paying £21, and the day scholars in the lay school £4 14s. per annum. These colleges, with the Schools of Medicine, the Royal College of Surgeons, the Apothecaries' Hall, the Richmond Hos- pital, School and Theatre of Anatomy ; Peter Street, Stevens', Meath, St. Vincent's, Mercer's, and Combes' Hospitals, all in Dublin; the Cork School of Medicine, and North and South Infirmaries, and the Queen's County Infirmary, are in connexion with the Uni- versity of London, and the students from them are entitled to claim degrees and certificates from it, on proving themselves pos- sessed of the necessary qualifications. The Jesuits' College, at Clangowes Wood, has been most' success- ful, and is a further confirmation of the great ability that order 182 STATISTICS. possesses in the instruction of youth. The number of students exceed two hundred, and the courses in science and literature taught there are in conformity with the reputation for learning of its founders. The Royal Belfast Academical Institution. — This establishment, which may be well called an University, is principally supported by the Presbyterians of Ulster. The children of that body, previous to 1809, were almost invariably sent to the Scotch universities for education ; which being found inconvenient and anti-national, it was determined, about that period, to establish a seminary at home to instruct the Presbyterian youth of Ireland. A sum of £30,000 was raised for the purpose, of which the late Marquis of Hastings contributed £'5,000. In 1810 an act of incorporation was ob- tained, by which subscribers of 100 guineas are entitled to nominate each a student to be educated free of expense, and subscribers of £22 10s. are constituted proprietors, and eligible to be members, or vote for members, of the board of management ; which consists of the president, four vice-presidents, the secretary, treasurer, and twenty managers. The president is elected for one year or a longer term by the board of proprietors, who also elect the vice-presidents and managers, to remain in office four years after the first election. The secretary and treasurer are annually elected. There are eight visitors and three auditors. A general meeting of proprietors is held every July, to elect officers to fill the vacancies, receive the report of the managers, and transact any other business laid before them. At this meeting the votes are taken by ballot, and all bye-laws to be made, altered, or repealed, notice thereof is required to be inserted in the Belfast newspapers at least thirty days previous thereto. The board of management superintends its political economy and monetary affairs, and makes rules and regu- lations for its government ; and, with another, the board of the faculty of arts, composed of all the professors, regulates its disci- pline, liable, however, to the approval of the general board of proprietors and visitors. Every professor makes a solemn declara- tion, on being appointed, not to interfere or influence the religious tenets of any pupil under his instruction. It is supported by a parliamentary grant of £2,000 per annum, which, with occasional STATISTICS. 183 subscriptions, constitute its income. The education of ministers for the presbytery is more particularly provided by an establish- ment which acts in concert with the Academy, and which is called the General Assembly College. The eight theological professors receive from the government an allowance of £2.000 a year. The College of Columba, near Dublin, has been formed in strict conformity with the principles of the established church. It pro- vides especially for the education of students to be employed in the ministry in that part of the country where the Irish or verna- cular tongue is still spoken. Scholarships have been foimded in this college for the sons of the clergy ; but on condition that they learn to read and speak the Irish language. The Sunday School Society was formed in 1809. when there were 80 schools in operation. In 1818 the number increased to 5-54. with 59,888 pupils. In 1830 there were 2.418 schools, and 196,396 pupils ; and in 1853 there were 3,008 schools, and 224,504 pupils : of which there were in Ulster 1,907. Leinster 469, Mun- ster 400, and Connaught 232. The receipts for the year consisted of collections and subscriptions in Ireland amounting to £502 2s. 5d., in England £1.293 18s. lOd, and Scotland £307 17s. Id. These schools have been principally successful in Ulster : the population in the other provinces being chiefly Catholic, do not attend, as they entertain an impression that their object is more to interfere with their religious tenets than to instruct them in letters. The Kildare Place Society was formed in 1814. but did not come into extensive operation until 1817. The purposes for which it was started were declared in its prospectus to be 4 ' To publish moral, instructive, and entertaining books, fitted to supplant the objectionable ones in use, and to supply schools in connexion with the society, gratuitously, and to all purchasers, at cost prices, spelling books and other school requisites — and to encourage, by gratuities and not by salaries, such masters and mistresses as appear deserving."' Upon the credit of these professions it ob- tained at first general encouragement. The Commons Committee 184 STATISTICS. of 1838 reported that these schools were open to all sects of Christians for education. It was not until a later period, in con- sequence of differences on the reading of the Bible, that it was charged with a proselytising tendency. Its funds were in part derived from voluntary contributions, but more considerably from parliamentary grants. In 1814-15 it obtained £6,980 from the legislature, and in the subsequent years it gradually increased until, in 1831, it reached £30,000, having received in all £250,469 of public money. It was ascertained in 1824, from a report of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the State of Public Education, that out of 400,348 children whose education was paid for by their parents or guardians, 81,060 were Protestants, and 319,288 Catholics ; while of the 56,201 children educated by the Kildare Place Society, 26,237 were Protestants, and only 29,964 Catholics, and they recommended the grants of money for the education of the poor to be vested in a board nominated by government, under arrange- ments that would prevent any interference with religious tenets. This recommendation was reported by a committee to the House of Commons in 1828, and again in 1830; but, although favourably entertained, the grant to the Kildare Place Society was not with- drawn until 1833, and the society then gradually declined. The receipts for the year 1849 were £2,620 lis. lid., and the expendi- ture £2,693 6s. 6|d. Board of National Education. — In 1833, the public money granted for the education of the Irish poor of every religious deno- mination, was entrusted to the Lord-Lieutenant, and Commissioners were appointed by the crown, to superintend its distribution, who were named the Commissioners of National Education. The prin- ciple on which they act is, that the schools shall be open to all sects ; the pupils not to be required to attend at any religious exercise, or receive any religious instruction that their parents or guardians do not approve of ; and that sufficient opportunity shall be afforded, when the pupils are to receive such approved-of in- instruction separately. The duty of the commissioners is to guard against any infraction of these fundamental principles, and to esta- blish regulations so as best to secure the general effect of the STATISTICS. 185 system, and in granting or refusing assistance to applicants for erecting or maintaining schools, or furnishing them with books or other requisites. By a strict adherence to these rules, the schools have increased from year to year ; and the various books published by its sanction, are not only used in the schools, but are in demand for public instruction in Great Britain and the colonies. In 1845, the commissioners were incorporated, with power to hold lands to the yearly value of £40,000 ; to receive gifts and bequests ; to erect and maintain schools ; to grant leases for three lives, or thirty-one years ; to have a common seal, &cc, &c. : power being vested in the Lord-Lieutenant to fill up all vacancies ; to appoint additional members, provided the number did not exceed fifteen, and to remove members at pleasure. The commissioners, in mak- ing grants for building national school-houses, have taken upon themselves the trust for the public, and the charge of repairing them, leaving the local managers the right they now possess as to the appointment and removal of teachers, and the general regula- tions of the schools. In 1833 the first grant of public money was given to these schools, and amounted to £25,000 ; the number of schools was 789 ; and the pupils 107,042. In 1842, they increased to 2,721 schools, and 319,792 pupils, and the parliamentary grant was extended to £55,000. In 1852, they increased still further, the number of schools being 4,875, pupils 540,310, and the grant £182,073. The following shows the provincial state of these schools on 31st December, 1852. Average Attend- Xo. in Schools Expected No. ance of each Build- Attend- Sup- Total Provinces. Schools. Pupils. School. ing. ance. pressed Schools. Ulster .... 1,892 151,394 80.0 13 1,250 1,905 -Leinster . . 1,176 141,942 100.7 4 451 4 1,184 Minister . . 1,167 173,020 148.1 35 3,390 1,202 Connaught. 640 73,954 115.5 23 2,385 9 672 4,875 540,310 110.83 75 7,475 13 4,963 On the 31st March, J 852, the pupils in attendance on them were composed of 24,684 Protestants, 424,717 Catholics, 40,618 186 STATISTICS. Presbyterians, 1,908 other Protestant Dissenters, and 1,091 whose religion was not stated : total 493,018. On the 1st November, 1852, of the 4,795 schools -then in operation, 4,434 were under 1,853 separate managers; 175 under joint management ; 141 were in workhouses and gaols, and 45 of which the commissioners are patrons: 1,247 of these schools were under the superintendence of 710 managers of the Protestant, and 3,187 under 1,143 managers of the Catholic communion. Of 5,822 female teachers in the service of the Board, 31st March, 1852, there were 362 Protestants ; 760 Presbyterians ; 49 Protestant Dissenters ; and 4,653 Catholics. The amount of salaries paid teachers for the year 1852 was £76,485 ; and teachers of agricultural schools, monitors, workhouse and prison teachers' gratuity, £6,480: total £82,965. The num- ber of teachers trained to the 31st December, 1 852, was 3,420. District Model Schools have been opened at Newry, Ballymena, Clonmel, Dunmanway, Coleraine, Baliboro, Trim, Athy, and Galway. The number of pupils on the rolls of the Model Schools in Marlborough Street on 30th September, 1852, was 1,479 ; and on those of the West Dublin, 621. The management of the model- farm at Glasnevin proceeds satisfactorily ; and there is an increasing desire on the part of the patrons of schools, and other landed pro- prietors, to obtain admission for pupils into it. On the 1st Novem- ber, 1852, forty-five pupils and three teachers attended the esta- blishment. The pupils receive literary as well as agricultural in- struction. Twenty-two model agricultural schools are in full operation ; three in practical operation ; and two are building. The number of ordinary agricultural schools in each province on the 31st December, were — eleven in Ulster ; seven in Munster ; twelve in Leinster ; and eight in Connaught. In 1850, there were only seven workhouse agricultural schools, but in Decembei, 1852, there were twenty-three, afFording instruction to 2,353 pupils. The question of uniting industrial with literary education is one of the greatest importance, and in no country is it more required than in Ireland, where there are so few opportunities of acquiring mecha- nical skill, or a knowledge of manufactures. It would lead to many advantages, not only in the intellectual improvement of the people, but also in contributing to their physical maintenance, STATISTICS. 187 their comforts, and above all, their independence, to be derived from self-reliance and personal exertion. In the present session, 1854, the subject has been brought under the consideration of the House of Commons by Mr. Tristram Kennedy, the popular and liberal representative of Louth, on the vote that £263,043 be applied to purposes of public education in Ireland. Mr. Kennedy complained "that out of the 4,875 national schools giving literary education to 544,604 pupils, there were only 93 of these schools in which industrial instruction was given to 2,663 pupils, and that it was solely confined to agriculture. This was a small number compared with those who sought instruction in the female industrial schools established in Ireland in 1850. In forty of these schools there were 17,312 children instructed, which enabled them to earn from two to eight shillings a week. These schools were, however, confined to fourteen counties, and eighteen were left des- titute of any. If the government would only encourage industrial education in Ireland, it would find the people there most anxious to avail themselves of it, and it was quite as necessary to teach them how to live as how to read. If the object was to educate, instruct, and elevate the condition of the people, then every national school ought to be an industrial one in some branch or other, and the rising generation should have thus afforded them facilities for ac- quiring knowledge calculated at the same time to develope the industrial resources of the country, and promote in them habits of self-reliance and industry." There is no person more competent to form a correct opinion on this subject than Mr. Kennedy, by whose humane exertions a large and densely populated estate escaped for a considerable time the desolating ravages which others in the same quarter presented, resulting from the wholesale sup- pression of the small tenancies thereon. Unable to carry out his philanthropic views, he retired from the irksome responsibility of being obliged to have recourse to measures of which he did not approve, but leaving behind him a lasting memorial of the industrial disposition he inculcated, and the employment he obtained for the females of a remote locality, in manufacturing an article which has been prosecuted there with such skill and ingenuity, as to extort universal admiration at the late Dublin exhibition. It is to be hoped ♦hat Mr. Kennedy will persevere in his laudable exertions to bring 188 STATISTICS. the question of industrial employment under the consideration of Parliament, session after session, until his efforts are crowned with success. The demand for national school books in Great Britain and the Colonies continues to increase, and the sale has produced £1,307 Is. 6d. more than the cost of printing amounts to alto- gether. The receipts and expenditure for the year ending 31st December, 1853, are as follows: — Receipts. Balance on hand . . £2,828 12 9 Treasury Issue 144,560 Books, received for . . 15,4G7 3 9 Produce of Farm . . 1,457 8 4 rupils in Model Schools 281 2 Other sources 101 8 2 9,775 6,095 Expenditure. Dublin Model Teach- ing Schools . . . £ Glasnevin Model Farm and Gardens District Model Schools Agricultural Model Schools Teachers' Salaries . . Inspectors' ditto .... Cost of Books k Maps Buildings & Repairs Dublin Official Esta- blishment Miscellaneous Ex- penses 2,368 12 Balance in hand 6,931 9 4,496 10 83,794 16 14,427 9 14,160 2 4,453 6 9,325 15 4 £164,695 15 The Church Education Society. — This society was formed in 1839, for the education of its pupils on the principles of the esta- blished church, and supported wholly by voluntary contributions. In 1849 the society had 1,868 schools and 111,877 pupils; and .the receipts amounted to £39,648. In 1852 it had 1,858 schools and 105,387 pupils ; and receipts £40,724 — of which the Diocesan Societies contributed £36,113, and the Central Society £4,611. There has been a decrease since 1849 of 10 schools and 6,490 pupils. Space will not admit of discussing this important subject at greater length, and the statistical portion of this work must now be brought to a close, after treating of a question that vitally concerns the independence and prosperity of Ireland. A change is contem- plated in the representation of the country, by what is facetiously termed the New Reform Bill, which bodes no good to Ireland. STATISTICS. 189 Ministers are disposed, of course, to take advantage of the war, or any other excuse, to withhold any further concession of political rights to the people. But as this new reform measure must of necessity come under the consideration of Parliament in the session of 1855, it may not be amiss to direct public attention to the present state of the Irish representation, and the great injustice perpetrated against Ireland, not only by the Act of Union, but by every succeeding Act that made any change in the representation of the country. Representation of Ireland. — By the Act of Union, Ireland was represented in the united parliament by 4 spiritual and 28 temporal peers in the House of Lords ; and in the House of Commons by 100 representatives, of which 64 were returned by 32 counties ; 35 by 33 cities and boroughs ; and 1 by the Dublin University. This was an act of flagrant injustice towards Ireland, despoiled of its native parliament : the 100 members that were granted to represent the country in the united parliament, was neither in proportion to its population or importance otherwise, as compared with England, which had then 513 representatives, from which there was not a single member deducted to meet the diminished and comparatively ineffective number appointed to represent Irish interests in a house so partially and unfairly constituted. The Act of Union in a great measure extinguished the borough representation, but the counties were allowed their full number ; and their con- stituencies were not interfered with until 1829, when the latter were in a great measure swept away by the disfranchising of the forty- shilling freeholders, who possessed the right of voting under ter- minable leases, as well as in perpetuity. This was a sacrifice made at the shrine of Catholic Emancipation ; and to render that measure at all palatable to its opponents, the Irish franchise was rendered so stringent, and became so shamefully defective, that new measures were obliged to be introduced to give it even the semblance of a representative character. The great question of Parliamentary Re- form, which had so long agitated England, was obliged to be conceded at length to the will and determination of an united peo- ple ; and Lord Grey's administration, in 1832, introduced an exten- sive measure of Parliamentary Reform in the Commons ; which, 190 STATISTICS. however, was only applicable to Great Britain. And here another act of injustice was inflicted on Ireland by resisting or withholding its claims to a participation in this measure of reform in the first instance. Had it been one of coercion, that country would have been selected as the proper place for its experimental operation. Notwithstanding, however, that Ireland was left out of the bill, O'Connell, and the other Irish liberal members, gave not only it, but the Municipal Reform Bill the following year, their most strenuous support ; and it was then admitted on all hands, that if the Irish members had not adhered so firmly and disin- terestedly to the minister, he would have failed in carrying these measures through parliament. What was the return made for such generous devotion? The Irish Reform Act was delayed to 1836 ; and the Irish Municipal Act to 1840 ; and when passed they were most defective, and contributed little to the political power of the Irish people. The Municipal Act, with the exception of Belfast and Londonderry, gave the other corporate towns neither power nor influence in the management of their own affairs, which were left in a great measure in the hands of irresponsible persons. In respect to the Reform Act, it was to all intents and purposes a national insult. The census returns of 1831, taken the year previous to the English Reform Act passing the legislature, gives England and Wales a population of 14,051,986 persons; Scotland 2,405,610; and Ireland 7,767,401 persons. England, notwithstanding the great excess of representation which it had over both Ireland and Scotland, still retained 500 out of the 513 members of which it consisted, giving Scotland the benefit of eight additional members, while Ireland, which had increased so enormously in its population since the Union, was allowed only five, and one of these was given to Trinity College to support exclusively the Established Church, which it was admitted was fast falling to decay. If population is the basis or standard, as it ought to be, to regulate the representa- tion of the three countries, then England should have had 382, Ireland 211, and Scotland 65 representatives. Here is another proof of partial legislation and gross injustice to Ireland. Scotland actually got its fair proportion all but 12, while Ireland was 111 members short of what its population entitled it to. How stands the case now? England and Wales contained, in 1851, a popu- STATISTICS. 191 lation of 17.927.609 persons; Ireland 6. 1 551.970 : and Scotland 2,888.742. England should therefore have 431 representatives, and Scotland 69, its present number being 16 short of its pro- portion : while Ireland, with its decrease of 1.2.15.431 persons on 1831. and 1.623,154 on the population of 1841, would still be en- titled to 158 representatives — its present number 105, being 53 short of its fair proportion. Can this flagrant injustice be recon- ciled with the declarations made by public men of all parties, that the people of both countries are entitled to equal laws, and to their impartial administration ? and how is this to be accom- plished, when the country itself is not equally and impartially represented : The 13 k 14 Victoria, c. 69, was passed in 1850. to amend the representation, and, in addition to persons qualified to register and vote in counties, occupiers of any tenement rated in the last poor-rate of £12 and upwards, are also entitled to vote, as well as owners of certain estates of the value of £5. In boroughs the right of voting is confined to occupiers rated in the last poor-rate of £8 and upwards. By 13 k 14 Victoria, c. 68, the polling at contested elections is to continue in counties two days, and in cities and boroughs only one day. The number of electors registered under the new Act in January. 1851, was 135.245 in counties, and 28,301 in cities and boroughs. In 1853 there were 149, S54 electors in the former, and 29.634 in the latter, eligible to vote : of these there were 19,719 rated householders, 6.530 burgesses or freemen, and 3,385 of other qualifications — what these latter consist of the return leaves it to the ingenuity of the public to imagine. Lord John Russell has an English and Irish Reform Bill prepared, and although that for Ireland has not yet seen the light of day, it is pretty well ascertained that it is a most illiberal measure, and calculated to make the representation there even worse than it is at present. By suppressing a number of small boroughs in England. Lord John will be enabled to give a further extension of representation to densely populated districts ; and he is reported to have reserved for Scotland three new repre- sentatives, while Ireland, which is infinitely worse represented, is not to obtain one, or a single advantage of any kind from the bill ; but, on the contrary, the few boroughs which the Act of Union recognized, are now to be disfranchised, and the counties in which 192 STATISTICS. they are situated are not even to get the representatives which it is sought to deprive them of. It is contemplated by the bill to sup- press all boroughs where the constituency is under 300 electors, or the population under 10,000; arid to give the larger counties, such as Cork, Antrim, Tipperary, &c, the benefit of additional represen- tation. Why the landed interest, which already returns three- fifths of the Irish representatives, is thus to be favoured at the expense of the commercial and trading community, is for Lord John Russell to explain when he brings forward his measure. But that such will be the consequence of this hopeful scheme, there cannot be a doubt. Take, for instance, one of these boroughs to be disfranchised, Dundalk, a seaport-town of considerable im- portance ; but by the last parliamentary return of the number of electors registered in the Irish boroughs its constituency was only 294, of which 290 were rated householders, and only 4 freemen ; and by the census returns of 1851, the population was 9,995, so that the constituency is six, and the population five under the favoured number; while the Dundalk workhouse, containing up- wards of 500 persons, is just without the precincts of the bo- rough, and if within, would save it from disfranchisement. The commercial boroughs of New Ross, Coleraine, Youghal, and Kin- sale, are to undergo the same fate. Attempting to apply cataplasms to those impurities that have gangrened the representative system, when it is necessary to have recourse to the knife to cut them away, is the quintescence of political quackery. Nothing less than a full, free, and efficient measure of reform will satisfy the country, and that can only be accomplished by means of electoral districts, in which the whole population will be equally represented. If Ireland is really to be treated as an integral part of Great Britain, it should have its fair proportion of representatives in the National As- sembly, without which it is impossible that any substantial good can be effected for that country. The Irish members in the legis- lature should never cease demanding it as a right, and the Irish constituencies should require a pledge from every candidate who seeks their suffrages, that he would annually support a measure of this kind ; and an association should be formed for promoting this object, which is both legitimate and constitutional, and on which is based all other reforms in detail. DUBLIN. * Dublin, the metropolis of Ireland, is, in population and extent, the second city of the United Kingdom, and ranks in importance as the sixth in Europe, having a greater population than Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Amsterdam, Brussels, Stockholm, Copen- hagen, or Turin, all capital cities of independent European states. It is a county of a city, and is situated in 53° 20' 38" N. latitude, and 6° 17' 30' W. longitude. The circular road by which it is en- closed is about nine miles in extent. Its ancient boundary was 1,752a. 3r. 21 p. Its parliamentary boundary, under the Corporate Reform Act, is 4,943a. Ok. 32p., and its municipal 3,807a. 2r. 15p. The castle, and that portion of the city adjoining it, was formerly surrounded by walls. It lies 292 miles N.W. of London, 138 miles W. of Liverpool, and 60 miles W. of Holyhead ; and is situated on the river LifFey, which has its source in the Wicklow moun- tains ; is increased in its course by the unimportant rivers the Dodder and the Falkan, and empties itself in Dublin Bay at the eastern extremity of the city. The population for the last two centuries was as follows : — Years. Persons. Years. Persons. Years. Persons. 16S3. ... 64,483 1798. ..182,370 1831 ... .204,155 119,183 males ; 139,178 females; increase on 1841 — 25,635 persons. The population of 1834 was composed of 174,957 Catholics, 61,833 Protestants, 1,868 Presbyterians, and 1,615 of other religious persuasions. The females in 1851 exceeded the males by 19,995, or 16^0 per cent., and Dublin is one of the few places in Ireland where the population increased in 1851. The number of inhabited houses was 22,276; uninhabited 1,920; and building 121 : being 1728. . . .146,075 1753. . . .128,570 1777.... 137,208 1804. . . .167,899 1812. . . .176,610 1821.. ..185,851 1834. . . .240,274 1841.... 232,726 1851 258,361 o 194 DUBLIN. an increase on 1841 of 2,546 houses of all descriptions; and the poor-law valuation for 1851 was £531,079 10s. The municipal wards are fifteen in number: Arran Quay, Fitzwilliam, Inn's Quay, Mansion House, Merchants' Quay, Mountjoy, North City, North Dock, Rotundo, Royal Exchange, South City, South Dock, Trinity, Usher's Quay, and Wood Quay. The parishes are twenty in number : St. Andrew's, Anne's, Audeons, Bridget's, Catherine's, George's, James's, John's, Luke's, Mark's, Mary's, Michael's, Michan's, (Nicholas within.) (Nicholas without,) Paul's, Peter's, Thomas's, Werburg's, and Grange Gorman. There are also the liberties of Christ Church, St. Patrick's Deane, and Glasnevin. It is the seat of government, and an archiepiscopal see. Previous to the passing of the Municipal Reform Act, it was governed by a corporate body consisting of a lord mayor, 2 sheriffs, 24 aldermen, 124 common-councilmen, 28 being sheriffs peers, and 9G represen- tatives of the 25 civic guilds, with a recorder, and other municipal officers. It now consists of a lord mayor, chosen annually from the aldermanic body, or town-councillors; 15 aldermen and 45 town- councillors; the respective wards returning 1 alderman and 3 town- councillors. Its income arises from rents, tolls, customs, &c, which in 1816 amounted to £31,254, and in 1849 to £31,518. It returns two representatives to parliament, who arc elected by a mixed constituency of rated householders and freemen, who in 1848 numbered 16,614; in 1849, 15,049 ; "in 1851, 11,290; and the last return, furnished by order of the House of Commons, 16th August, 1853, makes the constituency as low as 10,172, of whom 3,417 were freemen. Dublin was called by the ancient Irish Drwn-coll-coil, at the brow of the hazelwood ; also Balhj-ath-cleatJi, the town of the ford of hurdles. Ptolemy, in his map, places a town nearly under the same parallel, which he calls Civitais Eblana, in which no doubt the name of Dublin had its origin. But it is probable, that even long before his time, a city or town to some extent existed where Dublin now stands. It is recorded that the Milesian brothers, Heber and Hercmon, in partitioning the country, drew a line from the Bay of Dublin to that of Gal way, the south side of which comprised Leinster and Munster, falling to Heber ; and the northern, embracing Ulster and Connaught, to Heremon, The southern division was called Lcath-Mogha, and the northern DUBLIV. 195 Leath-Cuin. Whenever the house of Heber was deprived of the monarchy in after times, it invariably contended for this partition. In the reign of Con of the hundred battles, who was of Heremonian descent, a division of this description took place between him and Eugene, King of Munster, of the Heberian line. The latter monarch, some years after this arrangement, visited Dublin, and finding that the commerce on the north side of the LifTey exceeded considerably that on the south, he complained that it was an infringement of the spirit of the treaty, which implied an equal dis- tribution of the profits arising from the ports of Dublin and Galway ; and insisted that the surplus revenue, which Con had been receiving for fifteen years, should be divided with him. This unreasonable demand caused a renewal of hostilities, which cost Eugene his life, and restored to Con the chief sovereignty of the kingdom. As early as the reign of Tighernmas, mines of copper, lead, and iron were worked with success in the neighbourhood of Dublin, and one of gold was discovered near the LifTey, from which much valuable ore was extracted. Nuggets of that metal, in more modern times, have been occasionally found near its source, which has left an impression that a mine of gold somewhere exists among the picturesque Wicklow hills. A.D. 443 St. Patrick converted Alpin Mac Eochaidh, King of Dublin, to Christianity. He was baptized at a well on the south side of the LifTey, probably that in the precincts of Trinity College, which suddenly dried up in 172G. In 798 a fleet of Danes or Ostmen sailed up the LifTey, and gave the country on the north side the name of Fingall, or the land of the white strangers ; they enclosed the city with walls, and Turgesius, the Danish tyrant, made it the seat of his government. A.D. 8-53, Amlave and AulafTe arrived in Dublin with an immense force from Norway, and all the Danes in Ireland submitted to their power : they made a truce with the Irish princes, which, how- ever, soon terminated, and war continued to rage with unabated fury. Dublin was the stronghold of the Danes almost from the period of their first incursions into Ireland, and they held it, with short inter- missions, from the eighth to the twelfth century ; during which time no fewer than twenty-five Ostmen or Danish kings governed it. Their early operations in the country, particularly while they re- mained pagans, were sanguinary, repacious and cruel — butchering Q 2 196 DUBLIN. the defenceless natives without mercy, pillaging whatever was most valuable or portable, and destroying every other species of property that they could not carry away. Their spoil must have been very considerable, as they plundered indiscriminately wherever they went, not sparing even the churches or the shrines of the saints, which were then immensely rich, and abounded with costly ornaments of gold and silver. "Whenever they were repulsed in their ravages, or defeated in the field, little of this plunder was recovered from them. They almost invariably despatched it to one of their sea- ports, such as Dublin, where their ships were always in requisition to carry it off to Norway or Denmark, should the place be in danger of falling into the hands of the Irish. The wealth they had thus accumulated, combined with their nautical skill and the settlements they had formed in the country, enabled them to direct their attention to commercial pursuits, of which the natives at that period had little or no knowledge, or were too proud or indifferent to embark in. Notwithstanding its being occasionally besieged and even destroyed by the Irish, Dublin was enriched, extended, and rendered a place of so much importance, that it ultimately became the capital of the kingdom. So decidedly was Dublin looked upon as specially belonging to the Danes, that the English and Norman monarchs descended from that race, occasionally extended laws to it which were made in England, when governed by them — such as Oswald's law; and the bishop appointed in 1084 to this see, re- ceived his consecration at the hands of the Archbishop of Canter- bury, his countryman. About the year 944, the Danes of Dublin embraced the Christian faith, and built the Abbey of St. Mary's, although some suppose it to have been founded long previous thereto. This event, however, did not render their possession of any part of the kingdom palatable to many of the Irish princes, whatever effect it might have had upon the clergy ; and it appears that in Kinnoth, the primate, they had a decided supporter. On the accession of Malachy II., of the Heremonian line, to the supreme sovereignty of Ireland, he proved himself worthy of his high descent by opposing the encroachments of the enemies of his country. The Danes of Dublin were then very formidable, and under the sons of Humphrey, a celebrated commander, they ex- tended their ravages even to Tara, the seat of regal government. DUBLIN". 197 There they were repulsed and defeated by Malachy, with the loss of five thousand of their best troops. Encouraged by this success, he formed an alliance with the King of Ulster to reduce the City of Dublin, the principal place of refuge for the Danes, when de- feated in the field, and where they were constantly reinforced fiom Denmark and Norway. The allied sovereigns laid siege to the city with a numerous and well-disciplined army, which was bravely defended by the besieged ; but three days after the first attack, the Irish scaled the walls, and entered the city sword in hand. The violence so usual on such occasions was now, however, restrained by the monarchs, who were satisfied with their victory and the plunder it afforded. The King of Leinster, his children, and several hostages of the first rank, who had suffered a long and severe captivity, were liberated. The Danes by this defeat were reduced to great extremities, and obliged to accept whatever con- ditions the monarch of Ireland thought proper to impose : these were, that they should surrender all there conquests from the Shannon to the sea eastwards ; to refrain from all hostilities and in- cursions ; and to submit to the payment of a large tribute, for the fulfilment of which some of their most distinguished ofiicers were given as hostages. The Danes, no doubt, were willing to save their lives and be permitted to hold possession of the city, and were, therefore, ready to accede to any terms of peace which Malachy might propose. But no sooner had they strengthened themselves by reinforcements of men and other supplies from Norway, and considered themselves once more on a footing to cope with the Irish, than they, in defiance of the late treaty, attempted to recover their former settlements and sway in the island. Hosti- lities were, therefore, recommenced, and Malachy defeated two of their most consummate commanders in succession, taking from the neck cf one a collar of gold, and carrying off the sword of the other, as trophies of his victory. But after these exploits, he appears to have become quite inactive, devoting himself to a life of indo- lence and pleasure, so that the welfare of his country was sacrificed to his love of luxury and ease. The provincial kings, also, seem to have been sunk in a state of apathy, and wholly indifferent to their country's welfare, with the exception of Brian Boromy. King 198 DUBLIN. of Munster. This prince, who from his childhood was resolutely opposed to those formidable enemies of his country, the Danes, and had never ceased harassing and chasing them from one ex- tremity of the island to the other, was now become extremely popular with the people ; and having obtained the confidence and support of the other provincial kings and chieftains, Malachy was deposed from the supreme authority, and Brian elected and crowned with all due magnificence at Tara, with the consent and approbation of a great majority of the chiefs and clergy of the kingdom, and to which Malachy himself assented, Brian confirming to him his old inheritance of Meath. This event took place in the year 1002, and when Brian was in the seventy-sixth year of his age. The increased power which it conferred, still further enabled him to curb more effectually the predatory and encroaching disposition of the Danes, of whom he in a short time cleared the country, and they were only allowed by sufferance to keep possession of Dublin, Wexford, Limerick, Waterford, and Cork : their commercial pursuits in these ports having been deemed by the sagacious monarch beneficial to the country at large. He also took the precaution of exacting securities for their allegiance, and a large annual tribute, of which a jmrtion consisted of one hundred and fifty pipes of various sorts of wine delivered by the Danes of Dublin yearly, at his palace of Kincora, in the county Clare. Although the Danes, to all appearance were com- pletely subdued, and their pretensions to dominion in Ireland effec- tually frustrated by the valour and policy of the Irish monarch, yet, no doubt, in the sea-ports they were secretly preparing themselves for any favourable circumstance that might arise to place their power in the ascendant once more. This opportunity was soon afforded them by means of a breach which occurred between Brian and Malmorda, King of Lcinstcr, resulting from the pride and irascibility of the imperious Queen of Ireland, who was sister to the former prince, and a silly squabble at a game of chess between him and Mortogh, Brian's eldest son. The King of Leinster took such offence at what he deemed an insult, that he privately left Kincora, at which palace he was on a visit, and returning to his own kingdom, he summoned a convention of the chiefs of Leinster, who, highly incensed at the indignities put upon their monarch, which he artfully exagge- DUBLIN. 199 rated, unanimously resolved to join the Danes when a sufficient force was collected, depose the aged monarch, place Malmorda on the throne, and restore these foreigners to their lost possessions. No sooner had the states of Leinster agreed to a resolution of hostilities, than Malmorda dispatched messengers to the King of Denmark, imploring his aid against the monarch of Ireland, whom he represented as an unprincipled and insatiable tyrant, and the inveterate enemy of the Danes, whom he had dispossessed of all their possessions, except a few of the sea-ports. The King of Denmark, who was but too well pleased to have an opportunity of again plundering the island, to make any inquiry into the truth of these allegations, cheerfully accepted the King of Leinster's invita- tion, equipped a fleet without delay, and embarked a force of 12,000 men under the command of his two sons, who landed safe in the port of Dublin. As soon as Malmorda had received this powerful aid, and had assurance that the Irish Danes would also co-operate with him, he sent a herald to Brian, with a declaration of war, and a challenge to decide the contest on the plains of Clontarf, in the immediate vicinity of Dublin. The Irish monarch, who was not ignorant of those extensive preparations to overthrow his authority and disturb the public peace, made every exertion that the urgency of the case required. All the provincial troops of Minister and Connaught were called out : and many chiefs and clans of Ulster voluntarily joined the aged monarch to resist the slavery and de- gradation to which their country was again likely to be exposed : even Malachy, the deposed monarch, contributed a force of 1500 Meath men to the grand army. The Danes, who were aware of the power and determination of their opponent, not content with the large force furnished by the King of Denmark, had themselves further reinforced by troops from Norway, Scotland, the Orkney Islands. Normandy, and even Britain. Brian had, therefore, to contend against the most formidable force that the Danes had ever concentrated in any part of the island. He put himself at the head of the Munster and Connaught forces, and was joined at Kil- mainham by the other Irish auxiliaries, which gave him the command of an imposing force, nearly equal to the Danes, who had been joined by the King of Leinster, the Prince of Hy Falgie, and other 200 DUBLIN. chieftains of that province. Having organized his army, he marched towards the plains of Clontarf, in conformity with Malmorda's challenge, where he encamped on the eve of Good Friday, in the year 1014. Brian, who had previously dispatched a select body of his Dalcasians to harass the territory of the King of Leinster under his son Donogh — was indisposed to attack the enemy previous to their return to the camp; he had also an objection to fight on so sacred a day as Good Friday. But the Admiral Bruidair, who commanded the Danish auxiliaries, had consulted an oracular idol in Scandanavia, which declared that if the engagement took place on Friday, Brian would most assuredly fall. He therefore attacked the Irish at daybreak on that morning, and the venerable monarch, having hastily formed his order of battle, addressed the army, pointing out the long continued tyranny and enormities of the Banes ; he exhibited in his left hand a crucifix, and wielding his good sword in his right, he conjured them, through the mercies of Christ, who had suffered for them on that holy day, to summon up their utmost strength and fortitude, and extirpate for ever the base confederated pirates then before them. The battle lasted during the day ; but Brian, from his great age, having attained his eighty- eighth year, had retired early to his tent, where he could watch its progress, and the chief command devolved on Mortogh, his eldest son, a prince of consummate valour. The Danes and their allies, the Lagenians, were overthrown after a sanguinary engagement, and having commenced their retreat, Brian ordered his body guard to join in the pursuit, which proved fatal to him. Bruidair having fled from the field, took refuge in a small wood adjoining the aged monarch's tent, whom he observed kneeling, his hands upraised, and his mind intent on prayer : rushing into the tent, the Dane slew him, and his only attendant, a boy of feeble age ; and then ordered his followers to proclaim " that Brian had fallen by the hand of Bruidair." His triumph, however, was of short duration, for the monarch's guards returning from the slaughter, seized the murderer alive, and forced him to expiate by a death of lingering torment the ruthless act he had perpetrated. Thus perished Brian Boro, the renowned Irish monarch, in the arms of victory, in the eighty- eighth year of his age, and twelfth of his reign over the kingdom DUBLIN. 201 of Ireland. He bad in the course of his long and successful career defeated the Danes in no lessuthan fifty general engagements, and ultimately cleared the country of these pestilential invaders. As a commander and warrior in the field he was equalled by few in any age. and by none excelled : his talents for governing were of the most consummate and practical order ; his piety was as un- affected as it was exemplary ; his patriotism ard devotion to his country knew no bounds : his patronage and encouragement of commerce, literature, and the arts and sciences, were on the most liberal and exalted scale ; by his exasiple, as well as by his ordi- nances, he infused into the Irish people such a spirit of religion, virtue, order, and integrity, that it is recorded as a proof thereof, that a young lady of exquisite beauty, adorned with jewels and costly apparel, undertook a journey, unattended, from one end of the kingdom to the other, with only a wand in her hand, at the top of which was a ring of immense value, and no attempt was made on her honour, nor was she robbed of any of her clothes or jewels, or in the slighest degree otherwise molested. Moore's song of "Rich and rare were the Gems she wore." originated in this circum- stance. Some idea may be formed of the monarch's hospitality and munificence, from there being consumed annually in his palace of Ceann-Corradh. or Kincora, 2,670 beeves, 1.370 hogs, 350 hhds. and pipes of red. and 150 of white, wine. The day after the battle the wounded were conveyed to the camp of Kilmainham, and on the following day the monks of Columba, from Swords, came to bear away the mortal remains of Brian for interment in the cathedral of Armagh, to which he had been a munificent benefactor. From Swords they were conveyed to the monastery of St. Claran. at Duieek. and thence to Louth, where the Archbishop Mailmurry awaited their arrival, and had them borne with religious solemnity to the archiepiscopal city. The bodies of Mortogh. Brian's nephew, Conan, and his friend and relative. Methlin, Prince of Decies. were carried thither at the same time. Some historians, however, assert that the remains of Mortogh were intered at Kilmainham, and his tomb is pointed out there even to the present day. For twelve successive nights the religious of St. Patrick kept watch over the dead, chanting hymns and offering up prayers for the repose of 202 DUBLIN. their souls. After which, Brian's remains were deposited on the north side of the cathedral, and those of his heroic kinsmen on the south. The victory obtained at Clontarf, although complete, and calculated to put at rest for ever the pretensions of the Danes to dominion in Ireland, was purchased at an enormous loss to the victors. Independent of the venerable monarch, there fell on the occasion his son Mortogh, who performed prodigies of valour during the engagement, three other sons, his grandson and nephew, the Prince of Decies, and a number of the most valiant and distin- guished chieftains of the nartion. On the part of the enemy, the King of Leinster (whose implacable animosity and anti-national conduct had been the sole cause of the war) was slai* ; the Prince of Hy Falgic ; the two sons of the King of Denmark ; their Admiral, Bruidair, and many other of their bravest generals shared the same fate; with about 11,000 Danes, and 4,000 Lagenians : the loss of tho Irish was estimated at 4,000 men. They were, however, cither so weakened by this otherwise glorious event, or the dissensions, jealousies, and rivalries of the chiefs for the sovereignty, as well as the crown of Munster, vacant by the death of Brian, which could not even in the moment of victory be restrained, that it prevented their following it up effectually by besieging Dublin, and extermi- nating the remnant of the Danes who had taken refuge there. The royal army, therefore, separated, each division returning to its own province, under their respective commanders. Malachy, whose pretensions were superior to the other candidates, and who, after the death of Mortogh, signalized himself in completing the victory, resumed the sovereignty. Some historians, however, contend that he kept aloof during the engagement, and restrained his troops from taking any share in it ; but this account must be erroneous, for had he acted so base and dastardly a part at Clontarf, it is not very probable that he would have been elected to the throne so soon after by the unanimous voice of the nation. As soon as he was invested with supreme authority, he marched an army to Dublin to root out the Danes who had survived the battle of Clontarf, which he effectually accomplished, by plundering, and afterwards setting fire to, the city. This was a chastisement deservedly inflicted on the Danes of Dublin particularly, who had lived in peace, and at DUBLIN. 203 their ease, under Brian's government — encouraged in their com- merce, and protected in their property — yet, who took the first opportunity of joining his enemies against him. The Danes, how- ever, repaired the ravages committed by this assault, and rebuilt the walls ; as it appears, that Donough, son to the late monarch, encamped an army near them soon after, with which he had pre- viously committed great excesses in Meath, Leinster, and Ossory, and levied contributions on the inhabitants of Dublin, and brought away hostages for their submission to him. In 1066, Dublin was invaded by a rival naval power to the Danes ; Godfrey Crovan, King of Man, captured the city, and conquered a great portion of the kingdom of Leinster. In 1072, Turlogh O'Brien, King of Minister, reduced the city, and obliged the inhabitants to pay him tribute, and give him hostages. Notwithstanding in 1088, they burnt Waterford, but were defeated with considerable loss in a similar attempt upon Cork. The Danes, who had kept possession of Dublin with short intervals for three centuries, were now obliged to submit to Murtogh O'Brien, King of Ireland, who, in 1095, expelled Godfrey, the Danish king, and kept possession of the city until his death, twenty-five years after. In 1152, a synod was held at Kells, at which Cardinal Paparo dispensed the palls sent by Eugenius IV., constituting Dublin and Tuam archiepiscopal sees, and vesting the primacy in the see of Armagh. Previous to this synod, there had been only two archbishoprics in Ireland, Armagh and Cashel, both of which had existed since the time of St Patrick, and were consecrated by him. On the death of Murtogh O'Loghlin, Roderic O'Connor, the last and most unfortunate of all the Irish monarchs, laid claim to the crown. He assembled the States of the kingdom at Dublin, of which city he had been previously made king by his father, and where he was unanimously elected Sovereign of Ireland, with all the pomp and solemnity that had been observed towards the most powerful of his predecessors, and which from the coronation of Brian had been disused. Roderic, however, little suspected that the kingdom which he had been appointed to rule over by the voice of the nation had been surrepti- tiously made the subject of a bargain and sale between Pope Adrian and Henry II., King of England, ten years previously. Adrian, 204 DUBLIN. i who was himself an Englishman, had the audacity to bestow the kingdom of Ireland on Henry and his heirs in perpetuity, reserving to himself an annual tribute of one penny for every house in the kingdom, which was called Peter's-pence ; and with superlative hypocrisy declared that he was solely influenced to commit an act so monstrous by his devotion to the holy cause of religion, which was to be rendered more pure under the control of a foreign dynasty. In 1169, Dermod MacMurrogh. who had called in the aid of Anglo-Norman auxiliaries to reinstate him in his sovereignty of Leinster, and who had recently made a treaty with Roderic, and given hostages for its fulfilment, without even a pretence for renewing hostilities, now marched with his new general, Fitz- gerald, and all his troops, into Fingall, which he ravaged with fire and sword. Alarmed at these sudden and unexpected hostilities, the inhabitants of Dublin, fearing an attack, resolved on propitiat- ing the King of Leinster, and save the city from being plundered. Accordingly they sent many rich presents into his camp, and delivered hostages to submit to any tribute he should think proper to impose. They thus for the present averted the threatened danger. But after the storming of Waterford the following year by Strongbow, the allied army marched towards Dublin, in order to secure the capital, and possess themselves of the rich booty it contained. Roderic made a disposition to oppose them, but struck with their discipline and formidable appearance, he retired to defend his own territory. The capital thus left to the mercy of Dermod was summoned to surrender, and while the inhabitants were negotiating the terms on one side of the city, Miles Cogan, an Anglo-Norman knight, who was posted on the other, made a breach in the walls, took it by assault, and plundered the inhabitants of a rich booty. Dermod and his Anglo-Norman subsidiaries now took virtual possession of the city. Providence, however, did not per- mit the criminal author of this revolution and subjugation of his country to long enjoy the fruits of his perfidy and treason. In the midst of his successes, and at the very time that the crown of Ireland was within his grasp, he was suddenly arrested by the hand of death. A loathsome disease attacked him, and he retired DUBLIN. 205 to his palace of Ferns, where he died obscurely, detested by every patriotic Irishman, and deserted by those pretended friends, whom his recent successes had attached to his cause. He was buried in the Abbey there, which he had built in atonement for having fired the town of Ferns when he fled to England in 1166. Having died withoutmale issue, Strongbow assumed the government of Leinster in right of his wife, or rather by virtue of the formidable army, flushed with success, which he commanded. He now indulged in regal state at Ferns, the capital of the province, dispensing honours , rewards, and punishments at his pleasure. There being no force on foot to oppose his progress, or dispute his will, he marched to Dublin, to have his claims recognised in that capital. Many of the Irish chieftains, however, who had adhered to the fortunes of Der- mod, looked upon Strongbow's assumption of royalty with jealousy and displeasure, and withdrew their support. Henry II. also, astonished at the progress made by a few adventurous soldiers, in conquering a country for themselves, ordered them to return home, but the order was not obeyed. The monarch's displeasure, however, had its effect ; it caused Strongbow to be left in Dublin, destitute of supplies, and in a state of great despondence. Fitzstephen, yield- ing to his solicitation, forwarded him succour that he could badly spare. The moment was favourable, and a disposition prevailed to make a powerful effort to throw off the yoke of these rapacious intruders. The venerable Lawrence O'Toole, Archbishop of Dub- lin, exhorted his countrymen to rouse themselves from their apathy, and cordially unite against the common enemy. He flew from province to province entreating, soliciting, and commanding chief- tains, clergy, and the people at large, to combine, and avail themselves of these opportune circumstances to rid their country of such dangerous and implacable foes. This appeal was responded to with enthusiasm — considerable bodies of troops marched on Dublin from all quarters, and Roderic at length found himself at the head of an imposing force. A coalition was formed with Hesculph Mac Turkell, the late Danish commander of Dublin, who fled from thence on the Anglo-Normans taking possession of it, but who now returned reinforced by several Danish ships, and while the Irish army besieged the city by land, Mac Turkell block- 206 BTJBLIX. aded the harbour by sea. Strongbow became seriously alarmed. He assembled his principal officers, and representing to them the great force of the Irish, and their own embarrassed circumstances, recommended that they should offer, through the archbishop, terms of capitulation to the monarch, which were — to submit, and hold Leinster as a feudatory province under him. This being assented to, Lawrence was prevailed on to communicate the proposition to Roderic, who absolutely refused to grant any other terms than that Strongbow should surrender to him Dublin, Watcrford, and "Wex- ford, with all his forts and castles on a given day, and that he and all his followers should depart the country at the same time — otherwise, that he would make the assault without delay, and take the city by storm. When the archbishop reported Roderic's con- ditions to Strongbow, he called a council of war of those men who had been so recently elated with success, but who were now humiliated and dejected. Miles Cogan roused them from their despondency by a spirited address. A sortie of the garrison was determined on, and the command of the van was assigned to Cogan ; the centre to Raymond le Gros ; while Strongbow himself brought up the rear ; each division consisting only of 200 men. In this order they attacked the Irish camp with such impetuosity, that panic and disorder ensued, and the besiegers fled in every direction, leaving a large supply of provisions in the hands of the victors. English historians, as well as Regan, Mac Murrogh's secretary, differ as to the force of the besieging army. Some place it as low as 6,000, others at 30,000, and some even as high as 60,000 ; be that as it may, it is incredible to believe, that even the minimum force could be totally routed, having only sustained a loss of 150 men; and, more incredible still, that the besieged had only one man slain. Hesculph Mac Turkell was taken pri- soner and put to death, under the foul pretence of his being a pirate, although he had been governor of Dublin when the Anglo- Normans invaded the country, and was descended from a long line of Ostmen princes, who from time to time ruled there. The City of Dublin being thus secured, Strongbow appointed Cogan governor, and marched towards Wexford to release Fitz- stephen and his officers, who were held in close confinement by the DUBLIN', 207 inhabitants ; who, being apprised of his approach, after removing their prisoners and their best effects, set fire to the town, and thus frustrated his design. On his march thither he was attacked by O'Ryan, Chief of Idrone, and in all probability would have sus- tained a defeat had not that chief been slain at the onset. Strong- bow's son, a youth of seventeen years, who accompanied him in this expedition, was so terrified at the fierce attack, and wild war-cry of the Irish, that he fled from the battle towards Dublin ; but on hear- ing that his father was victorious, he returned to congratulate him. The ireful chief, after reproaching him with his cowardice, ordered him to be executed in the most cruel manner, by cutting his body in two with a sword. That this sentence was carried into effect, is more than probable, from the epitaph and other appearances on the tombs of both father and son, in Christ's Church, Dublin. An act. so savage as this, even in the most barbarous times, cannot be re- corded of the Irish by their most inveterate calumniators, and exceeded, if possible, the unnatural practice of English parents selling their children as slaves to the Irish. With these successes the alarm and jealousy of the English monarch increased. When informed that Dermod was dead, and that Strongbow had seized upon the kingdom of Leinster, he issued a proclamation prohibit- ing ail vessels with provisions or warlike stores to hold communi- cation with Ireland ; and ordered all his subjects in that country to return home, on pain of forfeiture of their estates or effects in Eng- land, and of being declared traitors to their country. This com- pelled Strongbow to wait on the monarch in person, and surrender into his hands those places he had conquered in Ireland, which he was to hold in vassalage to the crown ; and it was arranged that the king in person should proceed to Ireland to complete the con- quest of that country. Accordingly, Henry landed the following year, 1171, at Waterford, with an imposing force; and after re- ceiving the homage of Mac Carthy, of Desmond, and other southern chiefs, he arrived in Dublin, and celebrated the feast of Christmas there with great splendour, receiving the homage of several of the native princes ; even Roderic, although he refused crossing the Shannon, sent in his adhesion by Fitz-Andelm and De Lacy. The troubles engendered in Normandy by his sons compelled Henry 208 DUBLIN. to leave Ireland sooner than he intended. He, therefore, proceeded to Wexford, where he embarked, appointing Hugh De Lacy his deputy, with Robert Fitzstephen and Maurice Fitzgerald to assist him in the government. Previous to his leaving Dublin he granted the citizens a charter similar to that of Bristol : the original, it is said, is still in the archives of the corporation. And by a sub- sequent charter, he exempted them from toll, passage, or pontage throughout his dominions. Three years after Henry's departure, Strongbow made an incursion into Munster, in which he was ac- companied by many citizens of Dublin, but on their return, laden with plunder, they were attacked by Donald, Prince of Ossory, who deprived them of their spoil, with the loss of 400 Dublin men. Strongbow soon after died, and was succeeded, in the estimation of the Anglo-Norman adventurers, by Raymond Le Gros, who had married his sister, Basilea. Vivian, the pope's legate, held a synod in 1177, in Dublin, and had the title of Henry to the lordship of Ireland proclaimed, and threatened excommunication to all who refused him allegiance. In 1185, John, Henry's favourite son, was invested by him Lord of Ireland, and arrived in Dublin attended by a numerous train of nobles, who soon rendered themselves obnoxious to the Irish chieftains. John ordered Fitz-Henry to commence building a castle on the eastern side of the hill on which Dublin stands. In 1204, a great plague ravaged the city. In 1207, John granted it a charter. In 1209, while the citizens were amus- ing themselves on Easter Monday, in Cullenswood, they were attacked by a body of Irish, and 500 persons killed, from which circumstance it was called Black Monday, and commemorated by a parade of citizens on the anniversary, carrying a black banner, and challenging the Irish to renew the combat. In 1210, John esta- blished in Dublin courts of law and equity, similar to those of England, and deposited an extract of the English laws and customs in the Exchequer, and issued a coinage of pence and farthings. In 1215 licence was granted to the city to erect a bridge over the Liffey. Magna Charta was extended to Ireland by Henry III., who also granted several charters to the City of Dublin, which were confirmed by Edward I. In 1217, the fee-farm of the city was granted to the citizens at a rent of 200 marks. In 1220, DUBLIN. 209 the Castle of Dublin was completed by Henry de Londres. In 1224, a loan of 366 ( marks was granted to Henry III. by the citizens in aid of an expedition against Hugh de Lacy. In 1279, the coinage was altered by Edward I. to a fixed standard ; and there were four mints in Dublin, one in Waterford, and one in Drogheda for the purpose. Towards the close of the thirteenth and commencement of the fourteenth century, several extensive fires broke out, which destroyed a great portion of the city, and con- sumed the public records, which had been kept in Mary's Abbey. In 1310, there was a famine, when a cranock of wheat sold for twenty shillings, and several bakers were drawn through the city on hurdles, for using false weights and adulterating their bread. In 1311, Richard Lawless, ancestor to Lord Cloncurry, was thrice elected Provost, or Chief Magistrate of Dublin. In 1312, the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles made an incursion into Rathcoole and Saggard, in the neighbourhood of the city, in the absence of the chief force sent from thence to quell an insurrection of the De Ver- dons in Louth and Ergallia. These brave and hardy septs, whose territories were in Wicklow and Kildare, although so near the capital, preserved their independence for three centuries after the Anglo-Norman invasion, and continued to harass and annoy the English government and the city. From time to time the citizens sallied out, and carried the war into their mountain districts : these were called hostings, in which they were occasionally successful, but were more frequently obliged to return with considerable loss. In 1315, Edward Bruce, who had overrun a great part of Ulster, laid siege to Dublin : he was accompanied by his brother Robert and Walter de Lacy. They remained some days at Castlenock in the neighbourhood, and finding the citizens determined to hold out to the last, Bruce was persuaded by de Lacy to raise the siege, and proceed further south, and by this means he threw away the best chance he had of subduing the kingdom. During the siege, St. Mary's Abbey, Newgate, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, were burned down. In 1331, Sir William Birmingham and his son Walter were convicted of offences against the State. Sir William was executed, but his son was liberated on the ground of his being in holy orders. About this period there was a great p 210 DUBLIN. famine, during which an immense number of large fish, called turleyhides, thirty to forty feet long, were cast ashore at the mouth of the Dodder. The city was visited* during this and the suc- ceeding century with pestilence five or six times over. In 1385, the Old Bridge fell. In 1394, Richard II., who had previously landed in Waterford, arrived in Dublin w r ith a force of 30,000 foot and 4,000 horse. His second visit took place in 1399, but he was called back to England suddenly, by the unwelcome news of England being invaded by the Duke of Lancaster. The most remarkable event that occurred to the city in the fifteenth century, was an expe- dition, fitted out by the citizens, which invaded Scotland and Wales during the civil war created by the Earl of Northumberland and Owen Glyndwr ; from the latter place they carried off the shrine of St. Cubie, which was placed in Christ Church. For these services Henry IV., in 1409, confirmed to the city all its former charters, and changed the title of the chief magistrate, to whom he made a present of a gilded sword, Avhich was to be borne before all future mayors the same as the Lord Mayor of London. Thomas Cusack was the first mayor elected : previous thereto the chief magistrate was styled " The Provost." In 1413, Henry V. landed at Clontarf, and a Parliament was held, which sat fifteen days. In 1428, the Dominican Friars built the Old Bridge on the Liffey, and charged Id. toll for carriages or beasts of burden passing over it. Mac Murrogh, dynast of Leinster, in 1431, made an incursion into the vicinity of Dublin, and defeated the troops sent out to oppose him, carrying off much booty. The citizens, however, collected a fresh body of troops, pursued and attacked him unawares, routing him with considerable loss. The city about this time w r as much dis- turbed by the contentions of the Fitzgerald and Butler families. The mayor and other citizens, in 1434, were obliged to do penance for violating the privileges and abusing the Abbot of St. Mary's. In 1479, the fraternity of Arms of St. George was formed, consist- ing of thirteen members of the most distinguished inhabitants of Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Louth, for the protection of the English pale. The mayor was the commander of the force raised in the city. This order was dissolved in 1492. When Lambert Simnel laid claim to the crown of England, as son to the Duke of DUBI.IX. 211 Clarence, his title was recognised in Dublin, and he was crowned in Christ Church, in presence of the lord-deputy, the archbishop, the mayor, and the majority of the Irish nobility. From the church he was carried in state to the castle on the shoulders of Darcy, of Platten, a man of extraordinary stature. After Simnel's defeat at Stoke, the mayor and citizens made an humble apology to Henry VII. for the part they had taken in the affair, which they attributed to the lord-deputy, the archbishop, and the clergy. Their pardon was granted through Sir Richard Edgcombe, who was deputed by Henry to administer to them the oath of allegiance. In 1504, the citizens contributed to the victory obtained by the Earl of Kildare over the Irish and degenerate English at Knocktow, near Galway. The feuds between the Fitzgeralds and Butlers were revived, and the mayor and citizens were again subjected to ecclesiastical censures. One of the most remarkable events of the sixteenth century, in Dublin, was the rebellion of Lord Thomas Fitzgerald, better known as Silken Thomas. He was appointed lord-deputy in the absence of his father, the Earl of Kildare, who was sum- moned to appear before Henry VIII. to answer charges brought against him. Lord Thomas having heard that the Earl had been thrown into prison in London, and afterwards put to death, armed his followers and proceeded to St. Mary's Abbey, where the council was sitting ; there he threw down the sword of state, declaring that he would depend upon his own weapon to revenge his father's death, and that from that hour he was no longer the king's deputy, but his mortal foe. Notwithstanding the paternal advice and re- monstrance of Cromer, the primate and chancellor, he put himself at the head of his adherents : he ravaged Fingall, took possession of the city, and laid siege to the Castle. Alan, archbishop of Dublin, the avowed enemy of his family, in endeavouring to escape to England, was cruelly put to death by his followers. Leaving the conduct of the siege of Dublin Castle to a part of his troops, he marched against the Earl of Ossory, whom he defeated. Henry sent supplies of troops against him under Sir William Brereton ; and his Castle of Maynooth being reduced, by the treachery of his own foster-brother, he was obliged to make terms with Lord Leonard Grey, who, in the most solemn manner, promised him a pardon, p 2 212 DUBLIN. and under the pretence of its requiring the king's ratification, sent him to England, where he was committed to the Tower. Henry now vowed vengeance against the whole lineage of Kildare : and Lord Grey received orders to arrest his five uncles, whom he en- trapped by inviting them to a banquet, where they were made prisoners, conveyed to London, and, with their nephew, most foully put to death, although they took no part in his insurrection, and two of them were decidedly opposed to it. Nor was the brutal rage of the monarch satiated with this : his wily deputy received instructions to exterminate the whole race, which he but too faith- fully carried into effect ; entering their country with an immense force, those who resisted he slew, and those who surrendered he brought prisoners to Dublin, where sixteen of them were executed as traitors in one day. Gerald, a younger son of the Earl's, only escaped; and the vengeful monster, thirsting for his blood too, pursued him from court to court, demanding him from the respec- tive monarchs, when he at length found safety in the protection of Cardinal Pole, Henry's relative and declared enemy, who educated him suitably to his birth, and preserved him to regain the honours of his family. In 1552, the mayor and citizens, being joined by the mayor and inhabitants of Drogheda, inarched against the O'Reillys, of Cavan, whom they defeated; but the mayors disputed as to the honour of leading the van, which was decided in favour of his worship of Dublin, who led the van going out, and the rear returning. In 15-53, the service of the mass was restored in Dublin by order of Mary. In 1554, several Protestants, who fled from Eng- land to avoid religious persecution, were protected and settled in Dublin. In 1556, the sept of the Cavenaghs made an incursion into the south suburbs of the city, which they burnt and plundered ; but being pursued by the city forces, and hemmed in at Powcrscourt, they surrendered, and the merciful citizens had seventy-four of them hanged in Dublin. In 1560, the castle was repaired, and fitted up as a residence for the Chief Governor of Ireland, who previously resided in Thomas Court. In 1563, a body of armed citizens, headed by one of the sheriffs, attended the Deputy Sussex in a hosting to Dundalk, against Shane O'Neill, and returned with considerable booty. A proclamation was issued forbidding meet- DUBLIN. 213 ings of priests or friars in the oity, and a tax imposed on house- keepers who abstained from attending church. In 1565, John Hawkins introduced the potatoe into Ireland from Santa Fe, in South America. In 1566, Sarsfield, the mayor, and the citizens of Dublin, forced Shane O'Neill to raise the siege of Dundalk, and liberated the Lady Sidney, and on his march back he was attacked by the O'Reillys of Cavan, whom he defeated also ; on his arrival in the city he was knighted. In 1568, the mayor was fined £100, and taken into custody, for disobeying the Deputy's commands as to attending a general hosting, but was liberated after two days' confinement. In 1569, Strongbow's monument in Christ Church underwent repair ; a considerable portion of the rents of the city was payable on his tomb, which in some degree accounts for the care taken of its preservation. In 1571, printing type in the Irish character was brought to Dublin by Nicholas Walsh, Chancellor of St. Patrick's. In 1573, the Earl of Desmond broke his parole from the custody of the mayor, and was proclaimed a traitor. In 1575. a plague so dreadful ravaged the city, that the grass grew in the streets and at the church doors, and the Lord Deputy Sidney was obliged to remove his court to Drogheda. In 1578, Kilmain- ham Bridge built. The mayor prevented from going to Cullenswood on Black Monday by a violent storm of wind and rain. The place of electing the mayor changed from St. Andrew's to the Tholsel. In 1579, the records of Ireland arranged in Birmingham Tower, Dublin Castle. In 1582. the courts of law removed from the Castle to the Dominican Abbey, on the north side of the Liffey, where the Four Courts now stand. In 1586, the Queen's Exchequer, then situated without the east gate, was plundered by a party from the Wicklow mountains. In 1590, Hugh Roe O'Donnell, prince of Tyrconnel, commonly called Red Hugh, escaped from the Castle where he had been detained a prisoner upwards of three years, being entrapped when only sixteen years of age, on board a vessel sent by the deputy, Sir John Perrott, with that intent; but assum- ing to be a merchant-vessel loaded with wine, the young O'Donnell was induced to go on board to taste it, when he and his attendants were treacherously made prisoners, and delivered into the hands of the deputy. The narrative of his escape and return to Tyrconnel 214 DUBLIN. is romantic and interesting in the extreme. In 1591, Trinity Col- lege was founded by a charter from Elizabeth, on the site of the suppressed Monastery of All Hallows, and in 1593, opened for the instruction of students. In 1596, 144 barrels of powder, intended for Dublin Castle, blew up on Wood Quay, destroyed forty to fifty houses, and killed upwards of three hundred persons, and damaged several churches. In 1599 the Earl of Essex arrived in Ireland with 20,000 men, intended to be brought against O'Neill, who had overrun the greatest part of Ulster ; but nothing important was effected until Sir Charles Blount, afterwards Lord Mountjoy, succeeded him as deputy. In 1G03, James I. proclaimed; and circuits for judges of assize established in Connaught and Ulster. In 1605, several of the aldermen and citizens fined for non-confor- mity by the Castle Star Chamber. The customs of Tanaistry and Gavelkind abolished by a decision of the Court of King's Bench. In 1606, an anonymous letter found in the council chamber in the Castle, imputing a treasonable conspiracy to the northern chieftains Tyrone and Tyrconnel, which, although no doubt a fabrication, had the desired effect of compelling them to seek safety in a foreign land. In 1607, the former charters were confirmed by James, and new privileges granted the city. In 1613, a parliament assembled in Dublin, by the Deputy Chichester, which had for its object the confirming the numerous grants of confiscated property obtained by him and his adherents from the crown. The Protestant and Ca- tholic members had a row in electing a speaker, and the latter withdrew and did not return during its sittings, but protested against its proceedings. In 1622, a University opened in Back Lane for the education of Catholics. Several citizens censured by the Castle Star Chamber for refusing to take the oath of supremacy. In 1623, a proclamation issued to expel the Catholic clergy, both regular and secular. The Rolls office built by Sir Chisiopher Wandesford at his own expense. In 1630, a Catholic priest seized in the city was rescued by the people. Fifteen religious Catholic houses seized on by the crown. In 1632, the Catholic College in Back Lane was closed by order of the government, and granted to Trinity College. In 1634, a parliament was held, when the supre- macy of the sec of Armagh over that of Dublin was restored. DUBLIN. 215 Also a convocation, when a new Book of Canons was established. In 1640, John Atherton, Bishop of Waterford, was executed in Stephen's Green for bestiality. The deputy, Sir C. Wandesford, died, and Sirs William Parsons and John Borlace, were sworn Lords Justices. In 1641, Owen Connelly gave information of a plot to seize the Castle. The council and records of several public offices removed to Cork Street. Part of the city wall fell down. In 1642, Sir Charles Coote, governor of Dublin, was killed by a sally of the garrison of Trim. The citizens ordered to bring in their plate to meet the exigencies of the civil war, which only produced £1,200. The following year the mayor was consulted by the council as to a project of raising £10,000, half money half provisions, to enable the army to take the field, but such was the poverty of the city that it was relinquished as impracticable. In 1644, the population stated (no doubt erroneously) to be only 8,159 persons, a majority of whom were Protestants. In 1646, Owen Hoe, O'Neill, and General Preston united their forces to attack Dublin, but were obliged to withdraw for want of provisions. In 1647, the city was delivered to the Parliamentary Commissioners by the Marquis of Ormond. Owen Roe O'Neill devastated the country near Dublin. In 1648, the walls and fortifications were repaired by Colonel Jones. In 1649, the Marquis of Ormond attempted to get possession of the city, which he had so lately given up, and besieged it, but the garrison sallied out and defeated him at Bagobrath. Cromwell landed in Dublin with 9,000 foot and 4,000 horse, and a well-appointed park of artillery, with which he pro- ceeded to besiege Drogheda. In 1652, a high court of justice sat in the city, before which Sir Phelim O'Neill, charged with origi- nating the civil war, was condemned to die ; he was offered a pardon repeatedly, if he would make a declaration that when he first took up arms he acted under the authority of Charles I., but he rejected the temptation, and suffered with courage and fortitude. In 1658, Henry Cromwell was appointed Lord-Lieutenant. In 1659, the Castle was seized by a party of officers favourable to the restoration. In 1660, a cap of maintenance and a gold chain, called S.S., were presented to the mayor by Charles II., and a company of infantry granted him as a guard. Twelve bishops 216 DUBLIN. consecrated together in St. Patrick's Cathedral. In 1663, the Court of Claims held their sittings in King's Inns. Colonel Blood's plot to seize the Castle of Dublin discovered. In 1665, the chief magistrate honoured with the* title of Lord Mayor, as in Lon- don, and £500 granted him in lieu of the company of foot. Sir Daniel Bellingham was the first Lord Mayor. In 1666, a* national synod of the Catholic bishops and clergy held in Dublin. In 1670, there was an inundation of the Liffey ; the waters flowed up Brunswick Street, and to the College. Stephen's Green en- closed, and pipes laid to convey water from the City Basin. An Exchange opened at Cork House. A wooden bridge erected over the Liffey, which was called Bloody Bridge, from the circumstance of the Dublin apprentices attempting to destroy it the following year, when several persons were killed on it. In 1672, the Earl of Essex, lord-deputy, published new regulations for the observance of the corporation. In 1678, all Catholic ecclesiastics ordered to quit the kingdom, and all persons professing that religion forbidden to enter the Castle. Talbot, Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, ar- rested by order of the Duke of Ormond, then Lord-Lieutenant, who also despatched the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Plunket, to London, who was subsequently most foully hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. In 1679, a proclamation issued to imprison the relatives of Tories, until the principals were either killed or apprehended. In 1682, Ormond Market opened; the population, according to Sir William Petty, 60,000. In 1683, the Tholsel built at the expense of the corporation. A commission of grace held at the King's Inns. In 1684, James II. proclaimed. Ormond Quay and Arran Bridge built. In 1686, the City Charter renewed by James II., under a quo warranto. In 1687, an inundation of the Liffey, by which a part of Essex Bridge was destroyed. In 1689 James II. arrived in Dublin amidst the acclamations of the people. A parliament assembled at King's Inns. Michael Creagh, the lord mayor, absconds with the collar of S.S. A mint established, in which brass money was coined to pass for sixpences, shillings, and half- crowns. In 1690, James defeated at the Boyne ; after the battle, passed one night in Dublin, and then proceeded to France, vid Waterford. The castle and city taken possession of by Wil- DUBLIN. 217 Ham III. In 1695, the rates of foreign coin fixed by proclama- tion. The Four Courts, in Christ Church Lane, rebuilt. The records of King James's parliament publicly burnt. In 1697, an Act passed for erecting lamps throughout the city. Bartholomew Van Honiridgh, the lord mayor, obtained from William III., a donative collar of S.S. in lieu of that lost in 1688, with his like- ness attached to it. In 1698, the Courts of Equity transferred to the new buildings in Christ Church Lane. In 1700, " Pues Oc- currences," the first Dublin newspaper, published. In 1701, an equestrian statue of King William erected in College Green. In 1705, the society of the Ouzel-galley Club formed for deciding mercantile disputes without litigation. In 1707, the old Custom- Hcuse, at Essex Bridge, built. Interest of money reduced from 10 to 8 per cent. The Ballast Board incorporated. In 1711, the Council Chamber, with many of its records, destroyed by fire. A convocation heid, at which new canons were ordained. In 1726, the Linen Hall opened for the sale of cloth and yarn. In 1727, George II. granted the City a charter. In 1729, the Parliament met at the Blue Coat Hospital, when an attempt was made to vote the supplies for twenty-one years, which was defeated by a member riding forty or fifty miles, and entering the house with boots and spurs, contrary to the parliamentary etiquette then observed. In 1731, a music-hall opened in Crow Street, where subsequently the theatre stood. In 1732, the principal theatre was in Beresford Street. Interest of money reduced to 6 per cent. The society for the erection of Protestant Charter Schools incorporated. First school built near Clontarf. Stevens's Hospital opened, and Mercers' the following year. In 1735, the light-ship was stationed at Ringsend. In 1741, Tyrone House built; it now forms part of the buildings of the National Education Institution. The Music Hall, Fishamble Street, opened for concerts. In 1745, the building of St. Patrick's Lunatic Asylum commenced. Catholics per- mitted to assemble in public worship, attributed to the loss of lives by the falling of a floor in a private house, where a number of per- sons had assembled to perform their devotion in secret. In 1747, the Phcenix Column, erected in Phoenix Park, by Lord Chester- field. In 1 749, a Charter of Incorporation, and £500, were granted 218 DUBLIN. to the Dublin Society. In 1752, new style commenced by reject- ing eleven days from the Calendar. In 1758, an equestrian statue of George II. placed in" Stephen's Green. Crow Street Theatre opened. In 1759, an Act was passed regulating the Corporation, by which the junior guilds acquired considerable privileges. In 1761, the patriotic Dr. Lucas, who had vindicated the liberty of the press, and the independence of the Irish parliament, and who was obliged in 1749 to find refuse in England from the prosecution of the government, was restored to his country and returned as repre- sentative to serve the city in parliament. In 17C8, an Act was passed to limit the duration of Parliament to eight years. In 1773, the foundations of the new buildings of the Blue Coat Hospital, and of the Gaol in Green Street, laid. A Penny Post- age established for the City, and four miles round. Hibernian Marine School opened. In 1776, the foundation of the King's Inn Buildings laid. In 1778, the Charitable Musical Society, for lending small sums to industrious tradesmen, formed. The first regiment of Dublin Volunteers, commanded by the Duke of Leinster, appeared in public under arms. In 1780, resolutions were unanimously passed by the Irish Parliament for free-trade. The first State Lottery drawn at the Music Hall, Fishamble Street. In 1782, a declaration of both houses of parliament was made, that no power on earth had a right to make laws to bind the Irish people, but the King, Lords and Commons of Ireland. In 1783, the first installation of the Knights of St. Patrick, held in St. Patrick's Cathedral. The New Market, Blackhall Street, and the City Market, Back Lane, opened. Deputies from the Volunteer Corps of Ireland assembled from 10th November to the 1st De- cember, at the Rotundo, to insist on Parliamentary llcform being granted. In 1784, an additional judge appointed to each of the law-courts. The Habeas Corpus Act for Ireland passed. General Post-Office established. College of Surgeons incorporated. In 1785, St. Paul's Catholic Church, Arran Quay, built. General Dispensaries • established in the city. The streets lighted on a new principle with oil and double burners. In 1786, the Royal Irish Academy, for the promotion of science, antiquities, and polite literature, in- corporated. An Act appointing a police force for the city. The DUBLIN. 219 building the Four Courts and Law-Offices commenced on the site of the Old King's Inns. First Sunday School opened in St. Cathe- rine's parish. In 1787, the Duke of Rutland died in the vice- royalty — his remains removed to England for interment. Ballast- Board incorporated by the name of the Corporation for the Preser- vation and Improvement of the Port of Dublin. In 1789. Ringsend Bridge carried away ; in 1792 rebuilt. Abecedarian Society, after- wards called the Literary Teacher's Society, instituted. In 1790, the first mail-coach started from Dublin. The Strangers' Friend Society; the Sick and Indigent Room-keepers' Society; the Law Club and Dublin Library, Eustace Street, instituted. In 1791, foundation of the new House of Industry laid. The first steam- engine erected in the city. In 1792, an inundation of the Liffey took place, when sail-boats plied between Rogerson's Quay and Ringsend. The House of Commons destroyed by fire. In 1793, a deputation of the Catholics of Ireland left Dublin for London, to wait on George III. towards the removal of their political disabili- ties, and an Act passed the Legislature, granting them partial relief. In 1794, an Act passed granting Ireland a share in the East India trade. T^ie meetings of the Historical Society, Trinity Col- lege, suppressed by order of the Board of Senior Fellows. In 1795 there was a parochial watch established in the city and suburbs. Yeomanry corps formed in the city ; and the new Four Courts, King's Inn Quay, opened. In 1797, the Session House, in Green Street, opened. In 1798, Lord Edward Fitzgerald was arrested, on a charge of high treason, in Thomas Street, having received wounds on the occasion, of which he shortly afterwards died in prison. The rebellion broke out in Wexford in the month of May. The city proclaimed, and many frightful excesses com- mitted while under the influence of martial law. John and Henry Shears, and other popular leaders, executed. The equestrian statue of George L, originally placed on Essex Bridge and removed in 1753, was now set up in the Lord Mayor's garden, Dawson Street. In 1800, the Act of Union passed the legislature. First election of members to represent the city in the United Parliament. Farming Society for Ireland instituted. In 1802, an Act passed for the sale of the buildings of the houses of parliament to the I3ank of Ireland. 220 DUBLIN. King's Inn Buildings, Henrietta Street, erected. Ormond and Ringsend Bridges destroyed by a flood, when boats plied in Pa- trick Street. Peace of Amiens proclaimed. In 1803, an insurrection took place in the city, commonly called Emmett's rebellion, in which Lord Kihvarden, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, and his nephew, lost their lives ; and subsequently the talented individual who had organised it was arrested, tried, and executed. In 1804, the houses of parliament underwent alterations to adapt them to the business of the Bank of Ireland. In 1806, the Prince of Wales, Margate packet, and the Rochfort, transport, wrecked off Dunleary, now Kingstown: the numerous passengers all lost, but the captains and crews saved their lives. In 1808, the Bank of Ireland opened in College Green. A new police established, with jurisdiction eight miles round Dublin. In 1809, the Jubilee, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of George III., celebrated with great splendour in the city for three successive days. Richmond Institution for the Industrious Blind founded. In 1811, the Stamp Office established in Powerscourt House, William Street. The floating light-ship moored on the Kish Bank, S. E. of Dublin Bay. In 1812, the Richmond Basin at Portobello, for supplying the city with water, opened. In 1813, the petition of the corporation against further concessions to the Catholics presented at the bar of the House of Commons by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. Royal Institu- tion for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts established in College Green. In 1814. the streets of the city nearly impassable for three weeks, caused by a heavy fall of snow ; subscriptions were raised to the amount of £10,000 for the relief of the suffering poor, by means of which 06,000 were assisted. Stone Tenter House, Cork Street, built at the sole expense of Thomas Pleasants, for the use of the weavers of the liberty. A grand illumination for the capture of Paris and the restoration of the Bourbons. Peace with France proclaimed. In 1815, there were nine persons killed, and several wounded, by the fall of the balustrade in front of the Royal Ex- change, in consequence of the pressure of a crowd to witness the whipping of a culprit. The mansion of the Duke of Leinstcr, in Kildare Street, purchased for the use of the Dublin Society. The Catholic church of St. Michael and St. John erected on the site DUBLIN. 221 of Smock Alley Theatre. In 1816, a steam packet the first time proceeded from Dublin harbour. Subscriptions to the amount of £18,586 raised for the unemployed weavers, many of whom were sent to England. The Corn Exchange, Burgh Quay, erected. Wil- liam Sadler performed an aeronautic voyage across the Irish Sea, ascending in Dublin, and descending in the Isle of Anglesey. In 1818, the Archdukes Maximilian and Michael visited the city; and Hassan Khan, the Persian ambassador the following year. In 1820, the Dublin Library Society transferred to D'Olier Street, and the Chamber of Commerce instituted. In 1821, the Theatre Royal, Hawkin's Street, opened. George IV. visited Dublin : he landed at Howth 12th August, made his public entry into the city on the 17th, on which occasion there were illuminations for two nights : he presided at an installation of the Knights of St. Patrick, in St. Patrick's Cathedral, when Lord Fingall was created a Knight of the order, being the first Catholic admitted thereto ; and after visiting all the public institutions in the city, and being present at the open- ing of George's Dock, his Majesty embarked at Dunleary, which subsequently got the name of Kingstown from that circumstance. It rained incessantly during the whole of this visit. In 1822, the city was visited by a dreadful storm, which did much damage. A serious riot in Hawkin's Street Theatre : a bottle flung at Marquis Wellesley, Lord-Lieutenant. In 1824, the Catholic Asso- ciation formed, and the rent established by Daniel O'Connell. It held its sittings at the Corn-Ex change, Burgh Quay, and was one of the most important assemblies of the age ; its proceedings led to Catholic Emancipation being granted by the legislature a few years after. In 1825, an Act passed for assimilating the currencies of Great Britain and Ireland. The city lighted with gas. In 1826, Wel- lesley Mart opened in Ushers Quay, for encourging native manufac- tures. In 1828, the Brunswick Club formed. The first meeting of the Society for the Improvement of Ireland by reclaiming the waste lands took place at the Mansion-House. In 1829, great Pro- testant meeting held at the Rotundo, when a petition to Parlia- ment was adopted for the removal of the disabilities affecting the Roman Catholics. Catholic Association dissolved. Roman Catholic Relief Bill passed the legislature. In 1830, William IV. pro- 222 DUBLIN. claimed in Dublin. The valuation of the city took place under the 5th George IV. c. 118, when, in the twenty parishes and the liberties, there were 17,324 houses, valued at £704,557 per annum. The Society of Friends of all Religious Denominations put down by proclamation. In 1831, a grand musical festival in the city, at which Paganini performed ; the profits were divided among the principal public charities. Daniel O'Connell, Esq., M.P., and seven others arrested for holding political meetings contrary to the proclamation. Zoological Gardens established. In 1832, the cholera raged violently in the city and throughout Ireland. In 1833, a fire broke out in the Custom-house stores, by which a large amount of property was consumed. In 1835, the city was visited by the members of the British Association, to whom a splendid banquet was given by the Fellows of Trinity College, which was honoured by the presence of the Marquis of Normanby, the Lord-Lieutenant. The Stamp-Office removed to the Custom- house. In 1836, the equestrian statue of William III. blown up by gunpowder, by some person or persons unknown. The Ceme- tery of Harold's Cross consecrated and opened for burials. The Mechanics' Institute founded. In 1837, the Royal Arcade, College Green, destroyed by fire. A public meeting called by the Lord Mayor to raise subscriptions to relieve the sufferers. Queen Victoria proclaimed in Dublin. In 1838, Poor-Laws were intro- duced, and a new system of police established in the city. In 1839, the city was visited by an awful storm on the night of the 6th January, which caused considerable loss of life and property ; during its influence the Bethesda Church, and surrounding houses in Dorset Street, were consumed by fire. Another fire in Mary Street, by which six persons lost their lives, and property to the amount of £70,000 destroyed. The Lord Mayor and a deputation from the Corporation of Dublin presented a petition at the bar of the House of Commons against the Irish Municipal Reform Bill. The Irish Art Union instituted. The Theatre in Abbey Street burned down. The Zoological Gardens, Portobello, opened. Irish Architects' Institution founded. Total Abstinence Society founded in the city by the Very Rev. Dr. Spratt. In 1840, the Royal Agricultural Society for Ireland founded. In 1841, the first town DUBLIN. 223 council elected under the new Irish Municipal Act. Daniel O'Connell, Esq., M.P., was sworn in the first Lord Mayor under it. Irish Archaeological Society, for the publication of works illustra- tive of the ancient history and antiquity of Ireland instituted. In 1842, the Irish Collegiate School, and six scholarships established, in Trinity College, for the encouragement of the Irish language. Building of the National Bank of Ireland, in College Green, com- menced. In 1843, the intended monster meeting at Clontarf, to be held the 8th October, was prevented by the issuing of a procla- mation by the government on the previous day. A few days after informations were lodged against Daniel O'Connell, M.P., John O'Connell, M.P., Rev. Thomas Teirney, Rev. Peter James Tyrell, Richard Barrett, Charles Gavan Duffy, John Gray, Thomas Mathew Ray, and Thomas Steel, for a misdemeanour, and proceed- ings commenced in the Court of Queen's Bench. In 1844, their trial and conviction took place, and they were committed to prison, but were released 6th September, on a reversal of the judgment by the House of Peers. In 1847, intelligence of the death of Daniel O'Connell, on the loth May, reached the city. The death of the Earl of Besborough, Lord-Lieutenant, occurred the 16th May. The remains of O'Connell were interred in Mount Prospect Cemetery, Glasneven, the 5th August : his heart had been embalmed at Genoa, and sent to the Irish College in Rome to be preserved there. In 1848, John Mitch el was convicted of seditious publications in the "United Irishman" newspaper, and sentenced to fourteen years' transportation, which was peremptorily put in force ; he was in the first instance dispatched to Bermuda, but subsequently sent to Aus- tralia. The city proclaimed under the Crime and Outrage Act. The Habeas Corpus Suspension Act in force. The confederate clubs proclaimed illegal by the Lord-Lieutenant. Warrants issued against the young Ireland leaders, who had proceeded from Dublin to organize clubs in the southern districts. Proclamations issued by the government, offering a reward of £500 for the arrest of William Smith O'Brien, and £300 for the arrest of T. F. Meagher, John Dillon, and Michael Doheny. August 5th, committal of Wil- liam Smith O'Brien to Kilmainham Gaol, having been arrested at the Thurles Railway Station. August 12, commitment of Messrs. 224 DUBLIN. Meagher, O'Donoghue, and Leyne, charged with high treason. August 14, conviction of John Martin for seditious publications in "The Felon" newspaper, and sentenced to ten years' transporta- tion. November 1, conviction of Kevin Izod O'Dogherty for pub- lications in "The Tribune," sentenced to ten years' transportation. William Smith O'Brien, T. F. Meagher, T. B. Mac Manus, and Patrick O'Donoghue, sentenced to death at the Clonmel Special Commission ; brought to Dublin, and lodged in Kilmainham Gaol, pending the decision of the Court of Queen's Bench on the Writs of Error issued by them. In 1849, the Court of Queen's Bench gave judgment, lGth January, on the Writs of Error, and confirmed the sentence of the Court of Clonmel. The cholera made its ap- pearance in April, and committed great ravages for several months. April 14, Charles Gavan Duffy, proprietor of " The Nation" news- paper discharged from custody on bail, the jury by whom he was tried disagreeing as to the charge of treason for which he was indicted. July 5th, Messrs. O'Brien, Meagher, Mac Manus, and O'Donoghue, the sentence of death against them being commuted to transpor- tation for life, were dispatched by Her Majesty's ship " Swift," to Van Dieman's Land. The Royal Squadron, consisting of ten war- steamers, including the Victoria and Albert Yacht, having on board Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Prince Alfred, and the Princess Alice, arrived in Kingstown, from Cork, at about eight o'clock in the evening of the 5th August. The Queen made her public entry into the city the following day, and after visiting the public institutions, and lunching at Carton, with the Duke of Leinstcr, embarked on the 10th, at Kingstown, and proceeded to Belfast. In 1850, April 8th, there was an aggregate meet- ing of the citizens to petition against the abolition of the Irish viceroyalty. On the 18th, the city was visited by a violent thunder storm, which destroyed property to the extent of £27,000. On the 18th November, the Catholic Archbishop, Dr. Murray, and the clergy of the diocese met, and agreed to an address of congratula- tion to Cardinal Wiseman and the English Catholics, on the resto- ration of the Catholic Hierarchy in England. In 1851, the prelates of the Irish Established Church addressed the Archbishop of Can- DUELIX. 225 terbuiy, complaining of their not being included as a component part of the Church of England in the memorial addressed by the English Bishops to the Queen on the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England. January 21st, the Lord Mayor, Benjamiu Lee Guinness gave his inaugural banquet at the Mansion House on a scale of great magnificence. The Town Council addressed the Queen, and forwarded petitions to both Houses of Parliament against the abolition of the Irish vice-royalty. February 25th, a con- ference of the Catholic prelates in Marlborough Street, at which it was resolved to memorial the Queen, address the Catholics of Ireland, and petition the Lords and Commons against the Ecclesiastical Titirs BflL April 29th, a meeting of the Irish Catholics at the Rotunda to protest against the Bill. August 5th, a meeting con- vened by the Lord Mayor to hear Mr. Horace Greeley's opinions, and the views entertained by him and his friends in the United States^ on the subject of the establishment of a Transatlantic Stearn-Packe: Station on the Irish coast. August ii'th. an Aggregate Meeting of the Catholics of Ireland took place, when it was unani- mously resolved that ** An Act lately passed by the Imperial Parliament, commonly called the Eotlesiasrical Titles A::, wis a violation of the compact contained in the Catholic Relief Act of 1829, and subversive of the great principle of religious liberty and they solemnly pledged themselves to use every legi- timate means within the constitution to obtain a repeal of that Act, and every other statute whith imp :ses cn the Catholics :t the empire any civil or religious disability whatsoever ; and in further- ance of these objects, they deemed it tiecessary to establish a Catholic Defence Association, which was accordingly established. August 21st, a meeting was convened at the Mansion House to con- sider what measures should be adopted to ensure a direct steam communication between Ireland and America ; when it was resolved, that a joint- stock company should be formed, with a capital of £500,000, to carry into effect this desirable object, and a provisional committee was accordingly appointed. October 1 7th, the first meet- ing of the Catholic Defence Association was held in the Hall of the Mechanics' Institute. In 155:2. January 27th, a meeting cf the Protestants of Dublin was held at the Rotundo, to petition Parlia- Q 226 DTJBLIX. ment against the endowment to Maynooth College. March 2nd, Lord Clarendon departed from Dublin, and was succeeded in the vice- royalty by the Earl of Eglinton. On the 10th, a meeting of the citizens took place, the Lord Mayor in the chair, when petitions to Parliament were adopted in favour of Mr. Sharman Crawford's Land- lord and Tenant Right Bill. April 2nd, the Right Rev. Dr. Cullen elected successor to Dr. Murray by the parish priests of the arch- diocese. June 1st, the electric telegraph laid clown between Dublin and Holyhead ; the wire, seventy miles long, w r as subsequently abandoned. June 24th, William Dargan, Esq., railway contractor, placed at the disposal of the Royal Dublin Society £20,000, and subsequently £6,000 additional, towards the expense of the con- templated Dublin Exhibition. June 29th, the Right Rev. Dr. Cullen was enthroned as Catholic Archbishop in the church of the Concep- tion, Marlborough Street. September 8th, a conference of the Irish members, held in the Assembly Rooms, William Street, to devise measures for securing the success of Mr. S. Crawford's Tenant- Right Bill in Parliament. October 25th, the Lord-Lieutenant visited the site of the building to be erected for the great Industrial Exhibition, when the ceremony of commencing the building was performed by his Excellency; the design w r as by Sir John Benson, C. E. October 28th, a conference of the Religious Equality Asso- ciation was held in the Rotundo, the main object of which was stated to be — the abolition of the present church establishment in Ireland, and the application of its revenues to purely secular pur- poses, leaving all sects to support their own clergy ; or, as an alternative, these revenues to be equally apportioned among the several religious sects — a resolution also passed disclaiming any intention of demanding any portion of it for the exclusive use of the Catholic church, and requiring the liberal Irish members to continue independent of and in opposition to every government that will not concede perfect religious equality. November 10th, a shock of an earthquake felt in the city at ten minutes past four in the morning. December 25th, a storm which continued two days, levelled several houses, and otherwise damaged the city and suburbs. 1853, February 2nd, the Earl of St. Germains arrived as Lord-Lieutenant. May 12th, the Great Industrial Exhibition in DUBLIN. 227 Merrion Square was opened in presence of the Lord-Lieutenant, a numerous assemblage of the nobility, and fifteen thousand of the Irish people. August 29th, Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and the Prince of Wales, arrived in Dublin to visit it. October 31st, the Exhibition closed. The Lord-Lieutenant, Mr. Dargan, and a numerous assemblage, were present, and a grand musical entertainment was given on the occasion. The following are some of the eminent men that Dublin gave birth to : — Richard Stanihurst, born 1569, and Archbishop Usher, 1580, historians; James "Ware, antiquarian, in 1594; William Molyneux, mathematician, astronomer, and patriot, M.P. for Trinity College, in 1652; Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's, born in Hoeys Court, in 1667; Thomas Fry, the first manufacturer of porcelain in England, in 1710; James M'Ardle, engraver, 1710; Springer Barry, a celebrated actor, in 1 722 ; Isaac Bickerstaff, dramatist, 1732; James Caulfield, first Earl of Charlemont, 1738; Sir Philip Francis, author and statesman, in 1740 ; Edward Malone, critic and antiquary, 1741; John Fitzgibbon, Earl of Clare, Henry Grattan, statesman and orator, John Hickey, sculptor, 1756; John Cooper Walker, antiquary, 1761: Thomas Moore, Ireland's honoured bard, and many others, too numerous to insert here. The Public Buildings connected with the Civil Service are — Dublin Castle, the Courts of Law and Equity, the King's Inn, the Custom-House, and Post-Ofnce. The Commercial Structures are — the Bank of Ireland, Royal Exchange (now the City Hall), the Commercial Buildings, Corn Exchange, and Linen Hall. The Educational Institutions are — Trinity College, the National Schools, the Kildare Street Schools, the College of Surgeons, Apothecaries' Hall, the Dublin Society, Royal Irish Academy, Hibernia Aca- demy for Paintings by Native Artists, Royal Irish Institution for Ancient Paintings, and the Blue Coat School. The Churches and other places of public worship are — the two Cathedrals : the Holy Trinity, commonly called Christ Church, founded a. d. 1038, by Setrick, King of the Danes, aided by Douat, Bishop of Dublin ; and the Cathedral Church of St. Patrick : 20 Protestant parochial Q 2 228 DUBLIN. Churches, and 21 non-parochial ; the Catholic Cathedral, com- monly called the Church of the Conception, in Marlborough Street, founded by the Archbishop Murray in 1815, and 9 parochial Catho- lic Churches, and several others recently erected ; as well as Augus- tinian, Franciscan, Dominican, Capuchin, calcid and discalcid Carmelite Friaries ; 2 Jesuits' Churches ; 3 Monasteries and 26 Con- vents in and about Dublin; 4 Presbyterian, 2 Unitarian,' 3 Independ- ents, 1 Seceding, 2 Primitive Wesleyan and 5 Wesleyan Methodist ; 2 Friends' Society ; 1 Baptist, 1 Moravian, 1 German Lutheran, 1 Welch Methodist, and 1 Jews* Synagogue. The Hospitals are — the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham ; Simpson's for blind and gouty patients, the Lying-in, the Female Orphan House, St. Patrick's Infirmary, the Hospital of Incurables, the Lock Hospital, Sir Patrick Dun's, Stevens's. Mercers', Meath and St. Vincent's, the House of Recovery for Fever, Maison de Santc, for patients who contribute some portion of the expense while there; and several other medical and charitable institutions. Places of Amusement are — the Theatre Royal, Queen's Theatre, Rotundo, and Portobello Gardens. The Barracks are — the Royal, Castle, Richmond, Porto- bello, Beggar's Bush, Phoenix Park, and Pigeon Houses, capable of accommodating 284 officers, 5,483 soldiers, 420 patients, and affording stabling for 1,185 horses. The particulars of some of the most important of these Public Buildings shall be given, but space will not admit of more than merely noticing the rest. Dublin Castle, previous to the reign of Elizabeth, was used as a military fortress and state prison ; in her reign it became the resi- dence of the Lord Deputy, and since then has been the scat of the Irish government. The building is formed of two quadrangles, the upper and lower yards: — the upper is 280 feet long by 130 wide, and contains the apartments appropriated to the Lord-Lieu- tenant and suite, the council-chamber, and offices connected therewith. The entrance is by a massive gateway on the north side, over which is a figure of Justice, and towards the east end is a corresponding gateway, not used, with a figure of Fortitude, both by Van Nost. The approach to the vice-regal apartments is under a colonnade on the south side by a fine staircase, which leads to DUBLIN. 229 the ball-room, called St. Patrick's Hall. Between the gateway on the north side, and the chamberlain's and other apartments, is a range of buildings ornamented by Ionic columns rising from a rus- ticated basement supporting a cornice and pediment, above which is Bedford Tower, emblazoned with Corinthian pillars, and sur- mounted by a lofty dome, from which the royal standard is displayed on days of state. The lower yard is an irregular area of 250 feet long by 220 feet wide, in which are the treasury buildings, the ordnance department, and office of the quarter-master ; the stables, riding-house, and residence of the master of the horse. East of the Record Tower is the Chapel, rebuilt at an expense of £42,000 in 1814. It is a very fine structure, the interior is lighted by six windows of elegant design, and embellished with stained glass. On the north side of the LifFey is the Vice-regal Lodge, in the Phoenix Park, which comprises an area of 1,759 acres. It derives its name from the Irish of JFenniski, " a spring of clear water," corrupted into Phoenix. Independent of the Lord-Lieutenant's, the chief and under secretaries, and the ranger, have lodges here : there are about 160 acres under the immediate vice-regal demesne and gardens. There is a powder magazine, erected in 1738, defended by ten 24-pounders. The buildings used by the Ordnance for the trigonometrical survey of Ireland, the Hibernia School for soldier's children, the Military Infirmary, and the gardens of the Zoological Society are also here. The Bank of Ireland properly takes precedence of all the public buildings in the metropolis. This magnificent edifice, once the Parliament House, occupied ten years in the construction, and was finished in 1738, at a cost of £42,000, a sum so moderate and ap- parently so inadequate to the purpose, that it is almost incredible. It is formed altogether of Portland stone, having a front in College Green of Ionic columns, arranged with great architectural taste and judgment, the interior corresponding with its outward magnificence ; yet little or nothing is known of the architect, and the particulars of its erection is involved in uncertainty. A considerable part of the original building was consumed by fire, 27th February, 1792 ; and the eastern and western fronts renewed by James Gandon. When these were completed, it formed the most splendid structure in the 230 DUBLIN. kingdom, or probably in the empire. Still, adherence to the strict rules of architecture has not been observed, as the portico on the east-side, adjoining Westmoreland Street, which formed the en- trance to the House of Lords, is supported by Corinthian pillars, supporting a curveted cornice, improvised by a triangular pediment, on the apex of which are statues of Fortitude, with Justice at one end and Liberty at the other. While these were in progress of erection, a cotemporary of Gandons asked him by what order of architecture he could reconcile these with the Ionic columns in College Green ; when he aptly replied, by one that cannot be questioned, " an order of the Lords." The chamber formerly called the House of Lords still remains unaltered, and is appro- priated to the use of the Court of Proprietors. It is of rectangular form, with a semi-circular recess at one extremity, in which the throne was placed, and in which there is now a statue in white marble of George III. The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland, after the Act of Union, purchased from the government this superb building, or more likely rented it, as there is a charge of £8,000 for rent in their annual disbursements ; an Act was passed in 1802, to convey it to them for the purposes of a national bank. Previous to their occupying it, the business of the bank was carried on in Mary's Abbey, the north side of the LifTcy. The Custom -House, as a public building, is certainly next to the bank in importance, and is in many respects its equal in point of extent and magnificence. It was commenced in 1781, and was opened for the transaction of business, November 7th, 1791. It was designed and erected by James Gandon, at a cost of £255,000, although the original estimate was only £163,363. It is 375 feet in length, and 209 in depth, presenting four fronts variously designed — that facing the river LifFey being the principal : it is composed of pavi- lions at each end, joined by arcades, and united in the centre. The pavilions are terminated with the arms of Ireland, in a shield de- corated with fruits and flowers, and supported by a lion and unicorn. The centre presents a group of figures, two of which represent England and Ireland embracing, and holding in their hands emblems of peace and liberty : they are seated in a naval car drawn by sea-horses, and followed by a fleet of merchant ship's from all DUELIX. 231 nations. On the right of Britannia is Neptune expelling Envy and Discord. On the attic are placed four allegorical statues al- luding to Navigation, Commerce, Industry, and Riches. A mag- nificent dome. 12-5 feet high, rises in the centre, with a pedestal, on which is placed a statue, sixteen feet high, of Hope resting on her anchor. The key-stones of the arches are decorated with colossal heads, emblematic of the principal rivers and provinces of Ireland ; and are executed in a bold and masterly style by E. Smyth, a native artist. The south point is composed of Portland stone ; the other three of white gTanite : over the central columns of the north front are four statues, representing Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The great staircase, with its Ionic colonnade, unites taste with grandeur and novelty of design. The long room is seventy feet long, sixty-rive wide, and thirty in height. The simple arrange- ment of all its interior parts contributes to the general and pleasing effect of light and shade, which harmonize the whole. And here it stands, with all its architectural grandeur, a monument on record of one of the many flagrant acts of injustice inflicted by the Eng- lish government and parliament on the metropolis of Ireland : all its departments, one after another, having been swept away and Mumbled with those in London. The commercial business of the port might now be done in a corner of this spacious building. Another portion of it is appropriated to the stamp-office, which formerly occupied Powerscourt House, in William Street. This fine building would make a splendid royal palace, could it only be removed a mile from its present locality, it being built on the very margin of the Liffey, with a wharf in front, and the road to the packet-station skirting the chief entrance : defects which not only prohibit the possibility of its being so appropriated, but have mate- rially spoiled the beauty and effect of this magnificent structure. The old. Custom-H:\>:r was ;-:uated in Essex Street ; and was built in 1707. In seventy years it became so dilapidated, and the trade of the port had increased so considerably, that the new building to some extent was required. The Royal Exchange was ten years in the construction, it being commenced by T. Cooley. an Irish architect, in 1769, and finished 232 DUBLIN. in 1779. It was built by means of a lottery, which the merchants of Dublin established and conducted during that period with grea spirit and integrity, and which produced £65,000. Its form is a square of one hundred feet, with three fronts, composed of Portland stone, and of the Corinthian order, with a grand, well-proportioned dome in the centre, supported by twelve fluted pillars, which form a circular walk. Here, on a white marble pedestal, (by Van Nost,) is a statue of George III., in Roman military costume. At the north side are two geometrical staircases, on one of which is placed a marble statue of the patriotic doctor, Charles Lucas, executed by E. Smyth, and erected by his fellow-citizens as a testimonial of their respect and gratitude. In the hall beneath is a fine marble statue of the late Henry Grattan, who succeeded Lucas in his patriotic career. The front commands an excellent view of Parliament Street, Essex Bridge, and Capel Street. Before the assimilation of the English and Irish currency, change was held here three times a week, and very considerable monetary transactions took place in English bills ; but there was not much business done in the purchase and sale of merchandize, which were generally effected at the Commercial Buildings, Dame Street, where a numerous attendance of merchants took place daily between the hours of two and four o'clock in the afternoon. In the area at the rear of the building, several brokers had their offices, and almost all the sales of produce by public auction took place there. The monetary business with England and foreign parts is now done through the different banks. The Commissioners of Bankruptcy for years held their sittings in the upper part of the Exchange, but now the Court of Bankruptcy engrosses that business also. So that, with the exception of an occasional public meeting held here, silence and solitude reigned throughout the building for many years. In 1852, however, the corporation converted it into the City Hall, which name it now bears. Trinity College is situated on the site of the suppressed monas- tery of All Hallow's or All Saint's, on Hoggins', now College, Green. It consists of three spacious quadrangles, erected after designs by Sir William Chambers. The principal front, which DUBLIN. 233 occupies the whole of the east side of College Green, is 380 feet long, built of Portland stone, and consists of a projective centre, ornamented with four three-quarter Corinthian columns, supporting an inscribed cornice and pediment, under which is the principal entrance. At the extremity of the facade is a projective pile of square buildings decorated with duplicate pilasters of the same order, between which is a noble Venetian window, inscribed with festoons of flowers and fruit : and above the cornice rises an attic, surmounted by a balustrade. The entrance is by an octangular vestibule, and leads to the first quadrangle, called Parliamentary Square, which is 316 feet long and 212 in width. It contains apartments for the fellows and students, the chapel, the theatre, and the refectory. In the chapel is a very fine monument of black and white marble, and porphyry, which was executed in Rome, by Heniston, an Irish artist, at an expense of £2.000, and erected to the memory of Dr. Baldwin, one of the Provosts, who died in 175S, bequeathing £80,000 to the University. The second quad- rangle is called the Library Square, and is 265 feet in length and 214 in width. Three sides of it are occupied by students' apart- ments. The fourth side is a fine building: of erranite. It consists of a centre and two pavilions ; in the western wing is the library, a magnificent gallery. 210 feet in length, forty-one feet wide, and forty feet high. At the extremity of the room is an apartment, fifty-two feet long, which contains the Fa gal library, over which is the apartment containing those valuable MSS. for which the Uni- versity is so famed. To the north of the Library Square is the third quadrangle, and is wholly appropiated to chambers for the students. A temporary building near the centre contained the great bell, formerly suspended in a steeple, which was part of the ancient establishment. A tower is now preparing for its reception, called the Bell Tower. It is from a design of Charles Lannyon's. The Protestant primate laid the first stone, and made a gift of £12.000 towards its erection. The museum is a handsome apartment, sixty feet long, by forty feet wide, and is over the vestibule at the en- trance. There is a printing-ofhce, a laboratory, and schools of ana- tomy. A fine garden for the use of the fellows, and a park for the students ; some years ago this was excluded from public view by a 234 DUBLIN. dilapidated wall, which occupied one side of Nassau Street : it has been since removed, and an iron paling substituted, which is a great improvement to that locality. The Four Courts. — The erection of this building was com- menced in 1786, by T. Cooley, but, in consequence of his death, was finished by Gandon, at an expense of £200,000. It is situated on the north side of the Liffey, and is an object of great beauty and attraction, whether viewed on the spot, or at a remote distance. The extent of the structure is 433 feet long, the wings being ninety- nine feet by fifty in depth. The centre pile is 140 feet square, and forms two court-yards, which contain the Law-Offices, the Rolls, Hanaper, Queen's Bench, and Remembrancer's being on the western, and those of the Exchequer on the eastern side. It con- tains a spacious hall, sixty-four feet in diameter, with which the Four Courts communicate ; but they are confined in extent, and afford but indifferent accommodation to the public. They consist of the Courts of Chancery, the Queen's Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer. The principal front is composed of six columns of the Corinthian order, and on the pediment over the portico are statues of Moses in the centre, and Justice and Mercy on either side ; on the corners are sitting statues of Wisdom and Authority. The hall is surrounded by Corinthian columns, sur- mounted by a splendid dome, a conspicuous object seen from all parts of the city and suburbs. In this dome are eight windows, which light the hall, and between them are eight colossal statues in alto-relievo, emblematic of Liberty, Justice, Wisdom, Prudence, Eloquence, Mercy, and Punishment. There are also medallions of the principal law-givers that have existed, and tablets representing the most interesting events in legal history. Within the last few years there have been elegant and large additions made to this building ; the principal are the Rolls, Nisi Prius, and Bankruptcy Courts ; a library for the use of the bar ; and a coffee-room for the accommodation of the public : these have been constructed at the rear of the building, which was formerly disfigured by some of the greatest nuisances in the city. The Courts of Law were, from a remote period, situated in Christ's Church Lane, with the excep- DUBLIN, 235 tion of the Courts of Common Pleas and Exchequer, which, strange enough, in the reign of Edward III. were held in Carlow. The Dublin courts were rebuilt in 1693; but the situation was incon- venient, and they were difficult of access. A new building and site were, therefore, required, and on the 5th June, 1795, the royal assent was given to an Act for establishing the present courts of law and equity, and constituting the same to be within the county of the city of Dublin, and county of Dublin. The General Post- Office. — The erection of this fine building was commenced in 1815, from a design, and under the superintendence of Francis Johnson. It is 223 feet in length, 150 feet in depth, and 50 feet in height. There is a grand portico in front, which stands in Sackville Street, consisting of a pediment, supported by six mas- sive Ionic columns, and surmounted by three finely-executed figures, representing Hibernia resting on her spear, harp, and shield ; Mer- cury, with his caduceus and purse ; and Fidelity, with the fore- finger of one hand on her lip, and a key in the other. The pediment is ornamented with the royal arms, and a fine bulustrade at top gives a masterly finish to the whole. It is built of chiselled granite, with the exception of the portico, which is of Portland stone. For the purposes - to which it is appropriated, it is most eligibly situated ; and for architectural beauty it may vie with any public edifice in the kingdom. The old General Post-Office was situated in College Green, afterwards converted into the arcade; but although central, it was, from its limited dimensions, quite inadequate to the business. Nelson's Pillar is nearly in front of the Post-Office, in the centre of Sackville Street, which many think spoils the view of this remarkably fine street instead of ornamenting it : but if there was another public building similar to the Post-Office erected on the opposite side, the column, which is fluted, and symmetrically formed of cut stone, with a figure of Nelson on the top, would then contribute materially to beautify it. The Rotundo and Lying-in Hospital are situated at the N.W. extremity of one of the finest streets in Europe, (Sackville Street,) 236 DUBLIN. being 125 feet wide. The houses are five stories high, uniform, and built of brick and cut stone. The gardens attached to the Rotundo are surrounded by the spacious and elegant houses comprising Caven- dish, Granby, and Palace Rows, which form Rutland Square. The interior of the Rotundo, for extent and accommodation, is probably superior to anything of the kind in Europe ; the superficial extent being 21,000 feet. The ball-room is eighty-six feet in length, and of proportionable breadth ; a card-room sixty-six feet ; a tea-room fifty-four feet; a grand supper-room eighty-six feet ; a minor supper- room fifty-four feet ; a hall forty feet; a waiting-room thirty-six feet ; four dressing-rooms twenty feet each ; a chairman's or servants hall forty feet ; a vestibule twenty feet in length ; besides an extensive range of kitchen apartments and other offices. The rooms are fur- nished with every convenience, and decorated with a number of trans- parencies, paintings, and chandeliers. The gardens are tastefully laid out with gravel walks, kept in good repair, and, with the building, are surrounded by 100 lamps. The Hospital was opened for patients in 1756 : it is a light and elegant building, ornamented at the north and south with two uniform architectural fronts. A handsome steeple rises in the centre, and the wings are formed by semi-circular colonnades. Upwards of 100,000 poor women have been delivered in this house, some of whom had three, and one of them four children at a birth. The Bridges. — There are nine bridges on the LifTey, which runs through the centre of the city from west to east. Carlisle Bridge is a handsome structure, composed of three arches of cut stone, erected by James Gandon ; it was commenced in 1791 and opened in July, 1795. It is ten feet wider than Westminster Bridge, and forms one of the greatest thoroughfares in Dublin, being the principal communication over the LifTey from the north- east to the south-east parts of the metropolis. With the exception of Waterloo Bridge, in London, there is not probably another in Europe from which there is so fine a view. Sackville Street, in appearance so noble, is seen to the north, Nelson's pillar in the centre, with the Post-Office by its side, and at the extremity the Lying-in Hospital and Rotundo ; to the south, Wesmorland Street, DUBLIN. 237 terminating with the splendid buildings, the Bank and Trinity College ; to the west, the Four Courts, several fine bridges, and a long line of quays on both sides the river ; and on the east, the superb Custom House, with the shipping in the river to the ex- tremity of the north wall. Essex Bridge is composed of five arches of cut stone ; it affords a communication from Capel Street on the north to Parliament Street on the south side, and leads in a direct line to the Castle and the Exchange ; it was erected in 1775 on the site of a former structure of the same name, and cost £20,661. The Iron Bridge, which spans the LifTey with a single arch of 140 feet, about midway between these two, is a light, handsome, and convenient structure, but having been erected at the expense of some enterprising individuals, a toll of one halfpenny is exacted from pedestrians, to whom it is only accessible ; it cost £3,000. Richmond Bridge, built on the site where Ormond Bridge once stood, unites Wine-tavern Street with Mountrath Street ; it cost £25,800, and was opened on St. Patrick's day, 1816. Whitworth Bridge supplies the place of the old bridge built by the Friars of St. Dominick, and which at one time was the only one on the river ; it is composed of three arches, and connects Bridge Street with Church Street. Queen's Bridge, built, in 1768, of hewn stone, connects Bridgefoot Street with Queen Street. Barrack Bridge, formerly called Bloody Bridge, connecting Watbng Street with the quay leading to the Royal Barracks ; it was formerly constructed of wood. King's Bridge connects the military road with the south- east entrance to the Phoenix Park ; it consists of a single arch of cast iron, 100 feet span, and was constructed as a testimonial to commemorate the visit of George IV., at a cost of £13,000. Sarah Bridge, formerly Island Bridge, called after the Countess of West- morland, who laid the first stone of the new structure in 1791. It is a superb arch, 104 feet in span, and the key-stone is 30 feet above low water mark ; it connects the village of Island Bridge with the north-western road. From the symmetry and elegance of this bridge it has been termed the Irish Rial to. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — The woollen trade, previous to the prohibitory laws passed in the reign of William III., 238 DUBLIN, was cultivated with considerable success in that part of the city called the Liberties, which were then inhabited by opulent manu- facturers. A remnant of the trade still continued to linger in these localities when, in 1773, the Dublin Society came forward to encou- rage it, and in the interim to 1792, it had revived in some degree, there being 400 looms operating on broad, and 100 on narrow cloth, giving employment to 5,000 persons ; but this was only transitory, and even the philanthropic efforts were unavailing of Mr. T. Pleasant, who erected a house which cost him £13,000, to enable the weavers to tenter their cloth in all weathers. The linen manufacture, after the suppression of the woollen, notwithstanding the encouragement given by the Legislature and the Linen Board, did not take root in the metropolis, although it became a considerable mart for the sale of that article. The Linen Hall was erected in 1726, with commodious stores, under the direction of the govern- ment, and it continued for more than eighty years to be the great emporium for the sale of linen cloth and yarn for all the manufac- turing districts, not even excepting that of Belfast. Some of the wealthiest and most extensive houses of the last century in the city, such as Messrs. Samuel Dick & Co., Chambers, Todd, & Co., William Harkness, &c, were employed in it, and the London as well as foreign houses made a great portion of their purchases from them. Belfast has, however, for some years, engrossed this trade almost exclusively ; there being only now ten linen factors in Dub- lin. The cotton manufacture was introduced in 1761, and in 1779 Mr. R. Brooks embarked a considerable capital in it, and it was also encouraged by grants from parliament ; but after the protecting duties were withdrawn, it became almost extinct. The silk manu- facture was introduced by the French refugees, who settled in Dublin after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, about the year 1685. In 1764 an Act of Parliament placed them under the di- rection of the Dublin Society ; a warehouse was established in Parliament Street, under the management of a board of directors, composed of twelve noblemen, and a committee of twelve persons chosen by the weavers, the Society allowing them 5 per cent, on all goods sold therein. While thus managed the trade averaged £70,000 per annum, and the manufacture attained a high degree DUBLIN. 239 of perfection ; bat by an Act passed in the 26th year of Geo. III., the Society was prohibited from appropriating any of its funds to this laudable purpose. The warehouse was consequently discon- tinued, and the manufacture rapidly declined, with the exception of one branch, tabinets and poplins, for the production of which Dublin has been so justly celebrated. This beautiful fabric is composed of wool and silk, the weft being of the former and the warp of the latter material. This trade was seriously affected by the cessation of the Union protecting duties in 1820 : large quanti- ties of English-made silks of all kinds were then forced on the Dublin market, and sold by public auction, and the Irish manufac- turer, unable to compete with such a process, the number of looms was reduced from 2,000 to about 200, while the weavers were obliged to seek employment in England, which they easily obtained, as they were excellent workmen. The specimens on show at the late Dublin Exhibition do infinite credit to all the manufacturers engaged in the trade — Messrs. Fry & Co., Pirn Brothers & Co., Todd, Burns, & Co., Fenton & Co., R. Atkinson & Co., and Kelly and Leech, had looms in full operation on the premises. Messrs. Pirn's factory in William Street, and Messrs. Fry's in the Combe, are well arranged, and in full operation ; the former have been directing their attention to weaving whole silks, which have proved equal to the best manufactured in Macclesfield or Manchester, and the latter have been manufacturing some splendid tapestry for win- dow curtains, kc. Independent of the operations in the factories, a considerable portion of the work is done by weavers in their homes, and between winders, warpers, dyers, &c, there cannot be less than 1.000 persons employed on this manufacture. The leather trade in Dublin some years ago was carried on extensively ; there are still in existence 44 tanners and skinners, and 17 curriers. The other manufactures are — 28 iron and metal, and 21 brass founders ; some of these combine both brass and iron in their establishments. There are also several bell founders : the bells cast by Mr. J. Murphy, Thomas Street, and Mr. T. Hodges, of Abbey Street, are in great repute. There are also several establishments in which gold and silver are wrought equal to any in England. The number of distil- lers and rectifiers are 21 ; there are only 5 of these, however, who 240 DUBLIX. distil whiskey. There are 25 brewers and maltsters, but of these there are only 7 who have breweries on a large scale : Messrs. A. Guinness, Sons, & Co., Jameson, Pirn, &. Co., Manders & Co., P. & J. Sweetman, R. &c J. Watkins, D'Arcy k Co., and Lynch & Co. The stout and ale made by these establishments are in high repute', not only in Ireland but in England, the colonies, and the East Indies. Of the maltsters, Mr. Peter Cahill, who has converted the Byrneshill brewery into a malting establishment, appears to be the most extensive. There are 14 manufacturers and dealers in glass, but those most extensive in the trade are — Mr. W. Whyte, Marl- borough Street, the Messrs. Warrens, and Gregg & Son ; the specimens of cut flint glass, &c, shown at the late Exhibition could not be excelled — a vase and other articles of Mr. Whyte's manu- facture, in particular, attracted universal admiration. The coach and car makers are 43 in number, at the head of the trade are Messrs. Hutton and Son, Summerhill, whose superior manufac- ture has even obtained the praise of royalty. There are 4 sail- cloth and canvass manufactories ; 4 for vitriol and bleaching stuffs; 9 for glue and size; 21 paper and vellum; 29 silk and cotton printers ; 2 calico printers ; 85 soap and candle ; 18 hatters ; and 44 snuff and tobacco manufacturers and dealers, of these, Messrs. Lundy Foot &c Co., so long celebrated for their snuff, are the most extensive : there has been, however, a serious decrease on the quantity of tobacco imported for the five years ending the 5th January, 1851, compared with the five previous years, as will appear in the Commercial Statistics. The number of steam-engines employed in various manufactures in Dublin and its neighbourhood is 40, and 838 horse power. The commerce of Dublin, although it has not increased in the same ratio as that of Belfast, has, notwithstanding the many diffi- culties it has .had to contend with since the Union, maintained its position, and the port still contributes nearly one-half the customs revenue of Ireland, and considerably more than double the amount of Belfast. Within the last half century it has progressively in- creased in importance. In 1803 the largest vessel belonging to the port was the Columbus, owned by Furlong, 309 tons register ; and the largest that entered it the same year was the Copernicus, DUBLIX. 24i 406 tons : while in 1844 vessels of much greater tonnage trafficked with the port ; one of these was the Jane Augusta, 948 tons register, belonging to Dublin, owned by J. Smith, Although steam was in operation from the port of Dublin since 1816, still it was not ap- ■ plied to the transmission of goods until 1824. The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company in that year established a line of steam boats between that port and Liverpool, and in 182-5 another to BeJast ::r ;::is mi r issenrrrs. TLis iimrmv was timei a capital of £450,000, in shares of £-50 and £100 each : £'3-50,000 of which is held by Dublin proprietors. It has 16 steam vessels, measuring 3.9 3 5 tons, exclusive of their engine rooms, their gross tonnage amounting to nearly 7,000 tons: these are principally employed in the goods and passenger trade between this port and Liverpool. It also has the conveyance of the English mails, which are despatched twice a day from Kingstown to Holyhead by their steamers. The British and Irish Steam Packet Company have qeven steamers, of 2.247 tons net register, plying between this port, London, and Belfast, and calling at the intermediate ports of Falmouth, Plymouth, and Portsmouth. The Dublin and Glasgow Sailing and Steam Packet Company has 3 steamers, net i^-: S3 7. gross 1.57 3 t:rs. wi^cr. trii= C:rk. Bris::.. Dublin, Belfast, and Glasgow. The St. George Steam Packet Company has now only 1 steamer, of 218 net tons, employed in the same trade. The Dublin and Liverpool Steam Ship-building Company have 7 steamers, net 2,483, gross 4,183 tons, employed in that trade. Messrs. Fagan. Ward, and other individuals have also steamers variously employed. The number of steamers this year, IS 54, belonging to this port is 46, measuring 11,775 net tons, and. with engine rooms, must amount to nearly 20,000 tons. The number of vessels and tonnage entering this port for the year ending -5th January, 1792, was 2,807, of 288,592 tons. In 1800 there were <2,779. of 280,-539 tons. In 181-5 there were 3,046, of 304,813 tons : and in 1823 they increased to 3,412 vessels, of 363,68-5 tons. The following Tables show the general trade of the port for 10 years, commencing the 5th January. 1840, and ending the 5th January, 18-50. r. ess ? ^ ■s "g "e s s S I 1 I „ *♦» ^ ■S *S © ■sc- »© "sj oo s^ >i I SJ ? tsl "•a sis < <>■> g **** Q s. ^ ~ 1 §1 J is I *■ <; a Is 2 65 .|S sj • ^ -s% ►o •St: | s>i t2d J f< >J Cj O CO ! — I — w ^s. M 7J C C CO CO CO CO CO IQ X -M cvd t-^- cc x c ci c: c :c I oo 1 rs- 1 50 us Ci CD 1012089 1054075 980289 97851 1 924518 4950077 4816783 9706860 © CM CO 1 i° t* 3« .2, a, be "5 pM be H fs- *0 "+ 1 Ci CN O C CO CC Ci — • co co s-i co oonn^i CO Ct CO CO CO | O H 00 O CO j CM US —t* CO us I CM CM CM eo ^ t}< ^ ts © Ci © — > © © Ol — © X © CO ts. 1 - C X t - QC N CO X O CO CO CO CO CO CO. © © © i — CO © us ^- US US t ^ 1- CO § CM © CM i-H © CM CM CO Clearing Outwards. 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CM 586240 674720 615313 0595 15 658398 © CM — • © CM © rf © © >rs l-H Is X X co US © ■«*< © CO CM 00 ►» CC CC •— ' o CM CO US Ci f — CM CM O — us us us us us US UO CM ts 00 US ts ~* © CO ts OM co © co © ts US US US us us X ^ Tf US O X x us CM CM CM © © CO US 1 H e E5a '5 c o tn o H flj be C H 00 00 US 00 CO '? X Ci K O 00 CO I- © as rr CO 00 1" * IC us CM CM ts. CO (SI Cm cm © us t— i IQO>4>HH XCSTCtCX © US CO © © ts © 00 © © US r-> Ol •s" CM t-H ts. ^-i c-s -f Ol © X © © ts 00 oo Ci CO f-i US CO s+i O CC Ci oc CM CO CM CM CM CO co us US CO X X CO © CM © CO © —I © CO CO rr Tfi |s "* © o es CM — i i— i CO CO © Is, © © Is © c _br 1 & a H r-t OS CO CO Tf4 •r Ci O f CO CO C5 -f CO CC US t-— US CM CO •— i © X © X CM CO Th ts CC t)< IO © © X CO ts, r— < CM CM CM © CO O CO © us CM US © CO CO CO X CO 00 ■ js x - c n us CO ■<*< US © CM CO — © i-i 1 T^t 00 CO CO f X CM | © CO © 1 © US CM I CO t^ CM CM ts © o H 1^ Ci Ci 'O Ol i— CM CO CO CC © US OJ o CM 0C CO CO c o co CM © © CM © © us © CO © © CM CM © CO CM i— I X CM CO US ts Ci CO © us © us © © CM © oo © X -H © © CO CM X © US © US Ol 'O 1- -O CO .-s X US CM CM CO CM CO © CM © CO US © c-i ! Ts t- CO SuiptlO S.I130,\ fM CM CS US CO h— CC Ci © »*S (=-cr q ci .i -C =h w ^ © £ .-g w ■ sc; ^ _ 7 0j cC -c c i i ; : : c ° r s § i d n g" be so S be S g ^ rS| O g.fc- 9 |j a f a | ?-c^>:; •c a 3 — s r s> ■ O cj .-i-i - - a — cr - cj g g « = -« 3 ^ □ rs | " -" § a |^ ^"c 7 / a, g || x_ ^ ^ e,vs >-;.^ci cs* C hi ^- o o « r *^ '•O i< a ? .h»5 as: ic B _ cj x cs * 9 ch I ' x cs - ^ ^ a 1 ; co" ; - - - -= £ -v — S3 a 2 — © —i o 3 X 5 . « - w rt c« K — *— ^ >» t r, ° n — c- ^ X. o or. a t3 . ~ « w m - £ 3 g .5 3 a «s ° « • i- s c;3^ J ",.:.c c. ^ |.s s > a - | g^^^lrffl ;£ fa §6*11 3 S c c : ~ .. cc-g - •'' = - 9 S a g 5 '. r 5 -- 7 - t. ) I? .S.S Si o? DUBLIN". 243 By the latest official returns, the tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, as well as that of the registered shipping, and the customs' duties collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — - Inwards. Outwards. Eegis- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping Collected. 5 Jau. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851.44,721 37,401 745,333 . .21,020 36,566 508,781 . .39,353 874,943 1852.. 59,083 50,497 782,137* .36,354 48,440 614,642 . .41,263 893,383 1853.. 53,724 25,482 789,975 .. 26,566 26,820 607,592 .. 39,814 912,443 1854.. 42,690 38,782 836,838 .. 23,020 38,743 622,919 . .41,770 932,529 The Foreign trade of this port in 1851 would, therefore, be 139,708 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 1,254,114 tons. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 194,339 tons, and the British and Coasting 1,396,779 tons : being an increase on the former of 54,631 tons, and on the latter 142,665 tons. In 1853 the Foreign trade was 132,592 tons, and the British and Coasting 1,397,567 tons: leaving a decrease on the former of 61,747 tons, and a small increase on the latter of 788 tons as compared with the previous year. In 1854 the Foreign trade again improved: although it did not come up to the tonnage of 1852, it amounted to 143,235 tons, being an in- crease of 10,643 tons ; and the British and Coasting trade was 1,459,757 tons, being an increase of 62,190 tons on the previous year. The registered shipping, which consisted of 444 vessels and 39,353 tons in 1851, amounted to 464 vessels and 41,770 tons in 1854 ; and the Customs" duties, which had fallen to £874,943 in 1851, produced £932,529 in 1854, leaving an increase on the former of 20 vessels and 2,417 tons, and on the latter of £57,586. The tonnage of the last year, although the greatest that Dublin ever experienced, was exceeded, for the first time in the history of these two ports, by Belfast, by 16,138 tons in its Foreign trade, and 40,984 tons in its British and Coasting trade. Belfast, however, having increased most unprecedentedly in its Foreign, but more particularly in its British and Coasting outward tonnage. For the year ending 5th January, 1831, there were exported from Dublin 7,461 bales of bacon, 41,105 firkins of butter, 40,000 barrels of wheat, 20,744 barrels of barley and bere. 153,191 barrels of oats, 16,482 loads of oatmeal, 10,356 sacks of flour, 103 barrels of malt, r 2 244 DTTBLIX. 88 hogsheads and 259 casks of hams, 3,300 crates of eggs, 10,084 tierces of beef and pork, 1,701 boxes of candles, 1,750 packs of feathers, 6,781 bundles of hides, 365 casks of lard, 693 bales of leather, 800 puncheons of whiskey, 29,800 hogsheads of porter, 3,648 boxes of linen cloth, 2,100 bales of printed cottons, 3,500 packs of wool, 69,500 oxen, 58,000 pigs, and 80,000 sheep. The imports for the year ending 5th January, 1836, consisted of 340,000 tons of coal, 3,350,000 lbs. of coffee, 52,500 chests of tea, 2,000 bags of pepper, 15,000 hogsheads and 2,200, bags of sugar, 1,150 hogsheads of tobacco, 7,100 pipes and hogsheads and 1,500 cases of wine, 700 puncheons and hogsheads and 1,500 cases of spirits, 11,600 logs of timber, 2,000 great hundreds of deals, and 3,500 great hundreds of staves. The following are the quantities of tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco, wine, and timber imported, as nearly as can be ascertained, into the port of Dublin for the ten years ending 5th January, 1850, and comparing the five years then ending with the five preceding years : — 5yrs. ending \ 5 Jan., 18.50 ) Total for the \ 10 years. ) Tea, lbs. Coffee, lbs. Sugar, cwts. Tobacco, lbs. Wine, gallons. Canadian Timber & Deals. Loads. 15,507,358 18,122,415 3,201,124 3,560,375 899,922 1,435,990 9,982,601 7,721,177 2,055,589 1,929,705 80,598 80,999 33,659,773 6,761,499 2,335,112 17,703,778 3,985,294 161,597 2,585,057 Increase. 359,251 Increase. 536,868 Increase. 2,261,424 125,884 lb crease. Decrease. 401 Increase Of these quantities there were only imported direct 5,209,539 lbs. of tea, 334,519 lbs. of coffee, 1,611,353 cwts. of sugar, 1,059 lbs. of tobacco, 3,279,377 gallons of wine, and the whole 161,597 loads of timber and deals. With the exception of tobacco and wine, there was an increase on all the other articles, but on tobacco there was a decrease of 22-^,- per cent, on the five years. The quantity of tea, coffee, and tobacco, as well as other foreign articles of general consumption received direct, is trifling in comparison to the gross im- port, which is in a great measure from English ports. Several cargoes of tea, however, direct from China, have been recently imported here, and the trade in sugar and coffee with the Mauritius and Calcutta DUBLIN. 245 is extending. The number of persons employed in collecting the customs in this port in 1849 was 244, at a cost of £15,436 lis. 3d. The amount of postage collected in the city, and of stamps and excise in the district, for the three years ending 5th January, 1853, was — There are 24 newspapers published in the city ; 3 daily, 4 three times, 2 twice, and 15 once a week. The Docks. — The great Basin and Docks at Ringsend, on the south side of the river, were long esteemed the finest and most extensive in Europe ; but those of London, Bristol, and Aberdeen, of late have thrown them into the shade. Their formation cost £112,752, the government having granted £45,000 in 1791 to- wards their construction and those on the north side of the river. They occupy a space of 35 acres, of which 2G are covered with water 16 feet deep. There are three large sea locks to admit ships from the river ; three extensive graving docks and wharfs, with suitable stores 70 to 84 feet wide. The great basin is 3,015 feet long and 360 feet average breadth, capable of containing 300 sail of square-rigged vessels. The upper basin is 2,000 feet long, and is capable of affording proportionate accommodation. On the 23rd April, 1796, the Grand Basin was opened — the Earl Camden, in the Dorset yacht, and an immense number of other craft, decorated with flags, were admitted from the Grand Canal under a discharge of twenty-one pieces of cannon, and in the presence of sixty thousand inhabitants assembled to witness this interesting event. Although these docks afforded great accom- modation, yet for many purposes they were inconvenient, and others were required, with bonding stores, in more immediate con- nexion with the custom-house. The St. George's Docks were, therefore, constructed on the north side of the river, which were opened in presence of George IV., in 1821. These spacious docks cover an area of 8 acres, having 16 feet of water, and 3,600 feet of quayage. They can accommodate 40,000 tons of shipping, and the stores which surround them are capable of containing 8,000 Dublin City Postage . . Dublin district Stamps Ditto ditto Excise . . 1851. £46,642 366,203 326,291 1852. 69,020 350,309 350,510 1853. 50,012 360,865 389,636 246 DT7BL1X. hogsheads of sugar and tobacco, and 20,000 chests of tea, with cellarage for 12,000 pipes of wine. Dublin Bay axd Habbotje. — This Bay, which has been represented to have a strong likeness to that of Naples, has no resemblance to it whatever ; but it is not therefore the less beauti- ful. Entering it from the sea about sun-rise, it presents, probably, one of the finest prospects in nature. The land on both sides forms two peninsulas : on the south is the fine range of Wicklow moun- tains, faintly blue, towering in the distance ; — nearer, and along shore, the harbour and town of Kingstown, Killiney Hill, and Dalkey village and island present themselves to view ; — on the north, the hill and harbour of Howth ; — Lambay and Ireland's Eye form the boundary : while in the deep centre, the metropolis is faintly seen, with its attractive Light-house, robed in white, standing like a watchful sentinel to mark the entrance to the harbour. The channel is entered between two large sand-banks, called the North and South Bulls, from the almost constant roaring of the billows over them : — to deepen it, and otherwise improve the harbour (a work of great magnitude), the south wall was commenced in 1748, which took seven years to complete it. It runs from Ringsend on the south side 17,754 feet into the Bay, being a distance of 7,938 feet to the Pigeon-house, and 9,816 feet from thence to the Light- house, where it terminates. It is formed of large blocks of mountain granite, cemented and strengthened with iron cramps. The breadth of the wall to the Pigeon-house is 40 feet, and from thence to the Light-house, 82 feet at bottom, but narrows about 4 feet at the top, the whole extent being five feet above high-water mark. The basin at the Pigeon-house was the station for the Holyhead packets previous to the formation of either Howth or Kingstown harbours, it is 950 feet long and 450 broad'; and the wall or landing-place is 200 feet broad, on which stands a kind of arsenal or magazine, surrounded by heavy cannon, that command the bay and entrance to the harbour. The Light-house was com- menced the 21st June, 1762, and finished in 1768. The difficulties to be encountered were very great, but they were overcome by the perseverance and skill of the architect, Mr. Smyth. Huge rocks DUBLIN. 247 were sunk in a kind of chest to the bottom of the sea, which were protected by a buttress of solid masonry 25 feet broad at the base : on this was erected the present beautiful circular structure, three stories high, with a lantern composed of eight windows. The building is of -white hewn granite firmly cemented, and gradually tapering to the summit. A stone staircase, with an iron balustrade, winds round the building to the second story, where an iron gallery surrounds the whole. The lantern was supplied with large oil lamps, whose light was powerfully increased by reflecting lenses. The mode of lighting has, of course, been greatly improved since then : and this Light -house has not only proved of the most essen- tial service to the shipping destined for the port of Dublin, but is one of the most beautiful objects in the bay. Kingstown, formerly Dunieary, is now properly a portion of Dublin Harbour. In 1851 it contained 1,625 houses, and 10,45o inhabitants. It is situated on the south side of the bay, and has obtained its modern name from the circumstance of George IV. having taken his departure from hence on the occasion of his visit to Ireland in 1821. A handsome column was erected on the spot where he last stood on Irish ground, with a suitable inscription to commemorate the event. This extensive harbour was com- menced in 1317, and cost in the formation £801,159. The eastern pier, which runs into the bay, is 3,500 feet long, and at the base 200 feet in breadth : it terminates nearly perpendicularly on the side of the harbour, and in an inclined plane towards the sea. The western pier is 4,950 feet in length, having an entrance of 850 feet, the whole forming an area of 250 acres, varying in depth from 15 to 27 feet. A quay, 40 feet wide, runs along the summit, protected by a parapet eight feet high. Outside there is a beacon to mark the entrance to the harbour. Close to the pier head there is twenty-four feet of water at the lowest spring tide, which will admit a frigate, or a merchantman of the largest class, to enter its enclosure, and at two hours tide it will float a first-class ship of war. On the east pier there is a tower exhibiting a re- volving light, seen every two minutes. Establishing it as a station for the Liverpool and Dublin Post Office packets was the first step 248 DUBLIN. towards its prosperity. It subsequently became, and still remains, the station for the Dublin and Holyhead packets, and large steamers exclusively employed in the conveyance of passengers. Queen Victoria landed and departed from this harbour on two occasions, in 1849 and 1853. Hill of Howxh, anciently called Ben Heder, or Benadar, (the Mountain of Birds,) is a bold and nearly insulated promontory on the N.E. side of Dublin Bay. Its history, according to Keating, is coeval with the flood. A chieftain of the race of Japhet, named Parthelon, soon after took possession of Ireland. He held sway over the country for thirty years, when he and his whole race were swept away by a plague : the Hill of Howth being the scene of its most awful ravages. For a series of years Howth Harbour was the Dublin station for the Holyhead packets, the construction of which cost half a million, but on the formation of Kingstown Pier the packet-station was established there. On the east pier is a Light- house displaying a red light ; but the most considerable stands on a small peninsulated rock on the south angle of the hill, displaying a white light, called from its verdure, " the Green Baily," seen from every point of view; it is an object of great interest and beauty. On the left the familiar little island, " Ireland's Eye," presents itself. There are some interesting remains of antiquity at Howth ; the Abbey, or Church, in particular, dedicated to the Virgin in the 13th century, by one of the St. Lawrence's, ancestor to the present Lord Howth, who is the twenty-seventh descendant of that noble house in a right line, possessing the title and property acquired by the first baron, Sir Amorcy, there never having been an attainder in the family. In this ancient edifice, from time to time, have been laid the mortal remains of the " bold barons," and the aisles are covered Avith records of their prowess. A singular and romantic legend is attached to the castle. Granua Uilla, or Grace O'Malley, so cele- brated in the reign of Elizabeth, returning from a visit to that queen, landed at Howth, and proceeded to the castle. It was the dinner hour, and the gates were shut. Shocked at this dereliction "of Irish hospitality, she proceeded to the shore, where the future heir was at nurse, and seizing him, she embarked and sailed to Con- DUBLIN. 249 naught with him, where her own castle stood. After a time, how- ever, she restored the child, but on the express condition that the gates were to be thrown open for the future when the family went to dinner : a practice which is observed to the present day. The bed she occupied when she restored the child is still shown in the castle. George IV. landed here in August, 1821. Proceeding from Dublin Bay to the northward, the Island of Lambay presents itself, where the iron -built ship, the John Taylor, 1,900 tons burthen, bound from Liverpool to Australia, was totally wrecked, with a frightful loss of life, early in 1854. The harbours of Rush, Balbriggan, and Skerries, are on the coast between Drogheda and Dublin, and are adjuncts of the latter port. Rush, some years ago, was a considerable fishing-station, and there are thirty or forty smacks and boats still employed in it. Balbriggan has been for the last half century famed for its hosiery, which ob- tained a prize-medal at the, London Exhibition of 1851. Cotton spinning was early established in this town, and there are now 400 looms employed in weaving cotton goods ; muslin embroidering is also carried on to some extent. A Light-house, erected in 1769, at the entrance to the harbour, exhibits a fixed white light, seen ten miles to sea. The Dublin and Drogheda Railway crosses the harbour by means of a viaduct of eleven arches, each thirty feet span, and thirty-five feet in height. Skerries has an extensive roadstead, and good anchorage-ground, but the entrance to the harbour is shallow, admitting vessels only of small burthen. There are thirty or forty smacks, and & great number of yawls employed in fishing here : and upwards of 1,300 females engaged in figuring and embroidering light cotton and muslin. Off Skerries there are four small islands ; that nearest the shore is Innispatrick, where Mac Murchard, King of Leinster, founded an extensive abbey in the ninth century. Drogheda is now approached, near the entrance to which there are three light-houses, distinguished as N.E. and W., two of which are movable, according to the changes of the bar. These, and a building called the Maiden Tower, on the south side, to which a legend is attached, designate the entrance to the Boyne. DROGHEDA. Dbogiieda, formerly called Tredagh, and originally Imbhar Colpa, is pleasantly situated at the entrance of the river Boyne in 53° 43' N., 6-22 W. It is 31 ± miles N. of Dublin by railway, on the line to Belfast, but by the old coach road it was only 29 statute miles. It is a county of a town, in the province of Leinster, partly in Meath, and partly in Louth ; and comprises an area of 5,780 acres, of which 5,308 are in the rural district, and 472 in the town. Its population in 1821, was 18,118 persons ; in 1831, 17,365 per- sons, of which 1,437 were protestants, 265 protestant dissenters, and 15,663 catholics; but of this population there were only 15,183 in the town. In 1841 there were 3,654 houses of all descriptions, inhabited by 8,104 males, and 9,196 females: total 17,300 per- sons. In 1851, the population was 16,845 — males 7,945, females 8,900 ; and the number of houses was 2,957 inhabited, 355 unin- habited, and 17 building: being a decrease in the population of 455 persons, and in houses of all descriptions 325. The rural part contains forty-five farms, exceeding an acre each. The town has been divided for municipal purposes into three wards — Westgate- Fairgate, and Lawrencegate. The corporation is styled " the mayor, sheriffs, burgesses, and commonalty of the town of Drogheda," and consists of six aldermen and eighteen town-councillors, elected by the three wards. It returned two members to the Irish, and one to the United Parliament: the present member is James McCann, Esq., a resident merchant of the town : the constituency in 1834 was 601. In 1849 it decreased to 529. In 1851, under the new Act, 13 & 14 Vic, c. 69, it further decreased to 501. In 1853, it again increased, there being 372 rated householders, 110 freemen, and 104 of other qualifications : total 586. The corporate property is com- posed of 2,032 acres of land, which produced, in 1845, £3,802: DEOGHEDA. 251 the total income of the borough in 1851 was £3.936 2s. 3jd. : of which £960 4s. 9d. was appropriated to salaries and pensions of municipal officers,; £681 16s. Id. to watching, lighting, and cleans- ing. Sec, the corporation having the charge thereof ; £295 4s. 2d. to public works ; and £1.967 lis. 7|d. to other purposes, leaving a surplus of £31 5s. 84d. The present corporate body may thank its stars that so large a portion of the town pioperty of Drogheda is now forthcoming for such purposes, when plunder of similar pro- perty of the most wholesale character has been exerted in other boroughs by individuals who had it in trust during the operation of the penal laws, when those whom it concerned most were excluded from corporate privileges. The parishes are St. Peter's, contain- ing 3,523 acres, on the north side of the river, being in the county of Louth, and diocese of Armagh : and St. Mary's, on the south side, containing 1.485 acres, being in Meath county and diocese. Drogheda is a very ancient maritime town : so ancient, indeed, that it is supposed to have been founded by Heremon, one of the sons of Milesius, who, having arrived from Spain with Heber and his other brothers at Imbhar Sceine, Bantry Bay,) were subse- quently dispersed by a storm, and while Heber regained the Kerry coast, Heremon, after innumerable hardships, put into Drogheda, where he effected a landing, but with the loss of his brothers Aireach and Colpa, the swordsman, who perished in the bay, and from which circumstance the town derived its ancient name. Heber having overthrown the Danaans, who attacked him in Kerry, ad- vanced eastward, and joined Heremon at Drogheda : after which their united forces encountered and totally defeated the Danaans on the plains of Tailton. in the county of Meath. There can be no doubt that an eastern colony of Mithratic. sun-worshippers, had been early established in the neighbourhood of Drogheda. The cavern called Xew Grange, and the pyramidical obelisk found in its recesses, the narrow passage, and the stone bowls of this grotto, similar to those in the cave of Trophanus, the pagodas of Hindostan, and the pyramids of Egypt, give undeniable evidence that such reli- gious superstition was at an early period practised here. Drogheda suffered much from the ravages of the Danes, and was occasionally occupied by them in the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries. It 252 DItOGHEDA. must have been then a place of considerable importance, as in 836 the Danish tyrant Turgesius having invaded Ireland with 120 ships, fifty of them were sent against Drogheda to reduce it. Its authentic and interesting history, however, commences with the Anglo-Norman invasion by Strongbow in 1170. It was early sub- dued, and strongly fortified by the English Pale. It was included in the original grant of Meath, to Hugh de Lacy, but in 1220, when a new grant was made to his son Walter, the town and castle was retained by Henry III., who compensated De Lacy by allowing him £20 a year out of the Exchequer, and the tolls of the town. In 1224, Lucas de Nettervillc, Archbishop of Armagh, founded on the north side of the town a Dominican monastery, which was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, and called the abbey of preaching friars. It was suppressed by Henry VIII. in 1541 ; and so complete was the devastation, that not even the foundation can now be traced. It is surrounded by some of the most humble and miserable dwellings in the locality, seemingly as if the poor, through ages of privation and suffering, still clung to the venerated spot of their ancient be- nefactors. All that now remains to denote where it once stood is the ruin of the beautiful tower, called the Magdalen steeple, which, in conjunction with the church and spire of St. Peter's, in its immediate vicinity, form a very conspicuous and interesting object in the approach to the town in every direction. In the reign of Edward L, another splendid church and convent was erected by the inhabitants of Drogheda, which was dedicated to St. Mary of Mount Carmel : the name was appropriate, as it was built on the most elevated part of the southern division, and occupied the S.E. angle of the town wall. Richard II., in 1395, held his court here for a short time. On the 10th March, in that year, four of the provincial Irish Princes, O'Neill, O'Donncll, O'Hanlon, and Mac Mahon, who had made their personal submission to this monarch, were knighted by him in the church of the Magdalen, although they assured him the honour was superfluous, as it had been already conferred on them by their fathers when they were only seven years old. Parliaments were frequently held here dur- ing the fifteenth century. Two of these were called by the Earl of Ormond, as deputy to Richard, Duke of York, Lord-Lieutenant, by DROGIIEDA. 253 patent, and one by Lord Gormanston, deputy to the Duke of Bed- ford : the Acts of the latter were subsequently pronounced illegal, as only four of the shires had been summoned, and Bedford had resigned his letters-patent previous to the issuing of the writs. But the most remarkable was that held by Sir Edward Poynings, in 1494. By it the statutes of Kilkenny, with the exception of that which prohibited the use of the Irish language, were confirmed. Coigne and Livery were expressly forbidden, and a tax of 26s. 8d. was imposed on every 120 acres of land. It was also enacted that all statutes lately made in England should be authorised, approved, and confirmed in Ireland. It is generally supposed, that this statute, which is termed byway of pre-eminence Poynings' law, was the first attempt made to bind Ireland by an English Act of Par- liament, but such was not the case, as the same provision was made previously by an Irish Act. 7th of Edward IV., 1467, and Poynings' law merely bound the Irish parliament to adopt and sanction those English laws that were passed since the 8th of Edward IV., which the Irish parliament of 1474 had annulled. Two other arbitrary statutes were also passed by this famous parliament. The chancellor, judges, and other equity and law authorities, whose appointments had been heretofore for life, were only to hold them now during the king's pleasure. Annual parliaments were, no doubt, held about this period, and sometimes more frequently, as appears by an Act passed in the reign of Henry VI., enjoining, that parliaments were not to meet more frequently than once a year. It was now enacted, that as lord-deputies had assumed the power of convening such parliaments, and giving the royal assent to laws not communicated to the sovereign, " that no parliament should be held in future in Ireland, until the particular causes and considera- tions for such Acts to be passed therein, be first certified by the lord-deputy, and his council, to the king, and approved and affirmed by him in council ; and none others should have force and virtue in law ; and all deputies were restrained from convening par- liaments, or giving the royal assent to laws without the knowledge and approval of the sovereign." The Irish parliament, by this Act, betrayed the trust reposed in it by the nation, and, by assent- ing to the diminution of its own privileges, allowed the rights 254 DR0GHEDA. of the people, which were inseparable therefrom, to be invaded by the prerogative of the crown, of which it should have had a just and constitutional apprehension. The mayor of Drog- heda, at this period, held rank as a privy counsellor, — he, and the mayor of Dublin, being the only civic magistrates who were so distinguished. The aldermen, and freemen, also enjoyed the same privileges and exemptions from commercial imposts as those of Dublin. In the reign of Henry VI. great dissensions existed be- tween the two sections of the town divided by the Boyne, each claiming the exclusive right of electing the mayor, which were frequently attended with bloodshed ; the contending parties, how- ever, were at length reconciled on hearing a sermon preached by one of the friars of the Magdalen, who invited them for the pur- pose to the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, on the festival of Corpus Christi, which made so strong an impression on them that it led to a petition being forwarded to the king, who granted them a charter, uniting the two divisions into one corporation, to be governed by one mayor, the first appointed being William Symcox. On the loth February, 1467, Thomas, Earl of Desmond, was beheaded on the North Common, now known as Harmaivs Ground, by command of John Tiptost, Earl of Worcester, then lord-deputy ; his head was sent to Dublin, and spiked on the Castle, and his body interred in the church of the Magdalen, where a stately monument was erected to him, with his effigy in stone, which was removed in 1570, by Sir H. Sydney, lord-deputy, to Christ Church, Dublin. In 1641, the town was attacked by Sir Phelim O'Niell, who was obliged to raise the siege by Sir Henry Tiehbourne, who gallantly defended it. This was followed in 1649 by Cromwell's siege and sack, being one of the most sanguinary, as well as atrocious, on record. The place was held for Charles II. by Sir A. Ash ton, a brave and ex- perienced officer, who had under him 2,500 foot, and 300 horse. Cromwell laid siege to it with a veteran army of 8,000 foot, 4,000 horse, and a formidable train of artillery ; the spot from which his first assault was made is on elevated ground, on the south side of the Boyne, and is still known by the name of Cromwell's fort. It commands the town, and appears to have been recently fortified. The garrison was not dismayed by this overwhelming force ; it was DROGHEDA. 255 well provisioned, and expected assistance from the Duke of Ormond ; twice were the besiegers gallantly repulsed, but on the third occasion it was stormed by Cromwell's whole force, led on by him in person, and although the ground was disputed inch by inch, all opposition became unvailing, and an indiscriminate massacre of the garrison and inhabitants took place. By the express orders of Cromwell himself, 2,000 men, women, and children, the principal part of whom had fled to the churches for protection, were butchered in cold blood. The steeple and church of St. Peter's, where some of the most respectable inhabitants had sheltered them- selves, was fired by his special command, and all perished in the flames, save one man, who leaped from the top of the tower, and having broken his leg in the fall, a soldier, less cruel than his com- rades, protected him. About 200 officers and men of the garrison had taken refuge in a round tower, near Sunday's Gate, and being without food, on the third day they surrendered, expecting their lives would be spared, but Cromwell himself, in his dispatch, states, " that all the officers, as they submitted, were knocked on the head, and the soldiers, after being decimated, shipped off to Bar- badoes." For five successive days did this horrid tragedy continue, and the ruthless and execrable monster who perpetrated it exults in a letter to Lenthall, the speaker of the English parliament, dated the 17th September, 1649, blaspheming the name and attributes of the Deity, by stating that his service required this sacrifice ; " that his spirit effected it; and that God alone should have all the glory ;"' and the parliament, acting on this supposition, ordered a day of solemn thanksgiving, which was most religiously kept by the whole English people on the 1st November following. Ludlow, who Was a worthy successor of his diabolical chief, in the Irish government, and who acted as his lieutenant on this occasion, relates, that when the brave governor was murdered, the soldiers, or rather assassins who despatched him, quarrelled about the pos- session of his artificial leg, which was reported to be of gold, but turned out to be of wood. He, too, seems to take a pleasure in this species of fiendish warfare, and also commits his exploits to paper. He boasts, k ' that on one occasion, returning from Dundalk, he discovered what he terms a party of the enemy concealed in a 256 DEOGHEDA. rock, (but who proved to be some unprotected priests, aged men and women, and a few attendants, who sought refuge there from massacres, to which he lent a willing aid.) Being afraid to enter, he determined on suffocating them, and ordered his men to keep up a constant fire within the mouth of the cave for a whole day, when, supposing that those within were smothered, some of his soldiers attempted to enter, but the discharge of a pistol from thence, which killed one of them, showed the contrary. He then discovered, that although a great smoke went in at the entrance, there were other apertures from which it escaped ; these he ordered to be stopped, and increased the fumigation. Heavy groans were soon heard, and the fire, after being continued until midnight, was removed, that the place might be cool for exploration in the morning. Some of his men then entered it cap-a-pie, and dis- covered the man who had acted as sentinel and fired the pistol suffocated on the spot ; even in death faithful to his post ; they proceeded inwards, and put fifteen defenceless persons to the sword, taking out four or five alive with priests' robes, a crucifix, chalice, kc. The party preserved themselves for two days by lay- ing their heads close to a stream that flowed through the rock ;" he adds, " having filled the mouth of the cave with large stones, they quitted it :" but he is silent as to what became of the four or five captives he took from thence ; it may, however, be inferred, that they experienced the fate of Aston's officers, " they were also knocked on the head." The late Marshal Bugeaud, so popular with the French for his military operations in Africa, and whose death by cholera was so much deplored by the Parisian Conservatives, must have read Ludlow's memoir in his study of military tactics, for in the progress of the war he had recourse to the same cowardly and barbarous expedient of suffocating in their caves his prostrate enemies. The sword used, or with which Cromwell was armed at this siege, is now in the United Service Museum, London. It bears on the blade two marks of musket-balls, which present the appearance of fractures in a peculiar star-like form. The battle of the Boyne was fought in the immediate neighbourhood of Drog- heda. William's cause had been for some time languishing under the Fabian tactics of the Duke of Schomberg, who was indebted to DROGHEDA. 257 the imbecility and inactivity of James for maintaining his position in Ulster. William, however, who had landed at Carrickfergus on 14th June, 1689, with large reinforcements of men, money, and every other material of war likely to insure success, put his army, (composed of English and Irish Protestants, Dutch, Danes, Ger- mans, and even two regiments of French Huguenots,) in all amounting to 36,000 men, in motion, and marched rapidly towards Dundalk. The main body of the Irish army had been for some time encamped at Ardee; and on the 16th June, James left Dublin at the head of 6,000 veteran French infantry, and formed a junction with it there — the combined forces now amounted to about 27,000 men. The plan of the campaign laid down by James and his generals was to defend the passes on the Newry Mountains and at Dundalk, and dispute the ground, inch by inch, to the Boyne, without hazarding a general engagement ; but at all risks to resist the enemy in passing that river. This was well devised, but the usual delay that at- tended James's movements occurred, and William's activity frus- trated the design. The Irish army, therefore, retired on his approach to Ardee, and took up a strong position on the south side of the Boyne. William marched his army in three divisions, and on the last day of June arrived on the north banks of that river ; and here, while reconnoitring the position of the enemy, a cannon-ball killed one of his attendants, and another slightly grazed him in the shoulder. William, whose wound but slightly incommoded him, made preparations for crossing the river at an early hour the fol- lowing morning, the 1st of July; and, strange as it may appear, every man in his army wore a green sprig or bough, the national colour, which his partisans in aftertimes changed for that of orange ; and the green was adopted by their opponents in contra- distinction in many a party broil and fray. James's soldiers were distinguished by slips of white paper attached to their hats. Wil- liam visited his camp by torchlight, and having ascertained that all was ready, retired to await the eventful morrow. James, on the other hand, showed to the last his characteristic weakness and in- decision. General Hamilton having advised the propriety of send- ing five or six thousand men to oppose the passage of the enemy over the Bridge of Slane, James said he would send fifty dragoons I 258 DROGUE DA. thither, at which the astonished general looked unutterable things, but said nothing. At a council of war held the night before the battle, he recommended that the army should not be committed to a decisive engagement, but retreat towards the capital during the action, the French to lead in this inglorious arrangement, and guard inviolably the miserable person of this shadow of a king. As Hamilton had anticipated, the right wing of William's army, consisting of 10,000 horse and foot, under General Douglas and Count Schomberg, marched towards Slane, having effected the passage of the river after a brief but sharp contest with the few troops that were stationed there. The centre, commanded by Marshal Schomberg, -when it was supposed the right wing had effected a passage, entered the Boyne at Oldbridge, and William in person, at the head of the left wing, forded the river between that point and Drogheda. The Boyne, although deep and rapid in winter, is fordable in many places even for pedestrians in summer ; but the passage was rendered dangerous by old houses, hedges and ditches, that lined the southern bank, and served the Irish to de- fend themselves more securely. Notwithstanding, however, the strength of this position, the Dutch blue guards, who were the first to pass over, dislodged them from it with very trifling loss. The main body of the Irish, which had been advantageously posted on the heignts some distance from the Boyne, now apj>cared to dispute the ground; and their cavalry, which was particularly well ap- pointed, charged the enemy with great vigour. One division, under General Hamiltom, forced the Danish horse to recross the river with precipitation and considerable loss. The French Huguenots were also repulsed, and Caillimotte, who commanded them, was slain. Schomberg, who had witnessed these disasters, and who had seen the French fighting without a commander, in the act of leading on some reinforcements to retrieve them, was shot in crossing the water, or as some have it, after reaching the scene of combat, and that the fatal bullet which passed through his head, was fired by his own party. At this period fortune seemed to favour the efforts of the Irish, who fought with undoubted bravery. Not- withstanding that, James, whom they expected to command them, kept out of the engagement, remaining stationary in view, on the DP.OGIIEDA. 259 hill of Donore, surrounded by some squadrons of horse, and keep- ing in reserve G,000 veteran French infantry, the elite of his army, who did not fire a shot on the occasion ; and when his brave Irish troops had repulsed the enemy, and Hamilton's dragoons were hewing down William's cavalry, he was heard to exclaim at in- tervals, and with great earnestness, " Oh ! spare my English sub- jects*!" This pusillanimous and unmeaning conduct disgusted the troops who had him in charge, and soon spread to the rest of the army and dispirited it. Still the national cause was at stake, and the Irish, in their retreat, fought bravely, staying the advance of the English army, and defending with obstinate valour an old mansion called Sheep House, until attacked in flank by William's right wing, under Douglas and Count Schomberg. Sarsfield, at this juncture, besought James to make one effort for his triple crown, and head in person the reserve of French infantry, and such broken columns of Irish as could be rallied, but to this advice he turned a deaf ear, and putting spurs to his horse, he left the scene which he had disgraced by his presence, closely followed by his French auxiliaries. William, who had led on his horse in person, distin- guished himself by his vigilance and activity ; and although fre- quently repulsed during the day, ultimately succeeded in securing the victory. The Irish lost in this engagement upwards of 1,000 men, among whom were the Lords Dungan and Carlingford, the Marquis of Hocquincourt, and Sir Neil O'Neill, who subsequently died of his wounds. The English did not lose more than half the number, the disparity arising from the younger Schomberg giving no quarter after hearing that his father was slain, until ordered to desist by William's express command. The death of the Duke of Schomberg, who had reached his eighty-second year, an age appa- rently too old for campaigning, threw a gloom over this otherwise important victory to the English. Caillimotte, who commanded the French Huguenots, and Dr. Walker, one of the leading Derry en- thusiasts, were also slain in this action. An obelisk was erected in 1736 to commemorate this event, and in memory of Schomberg, at Oldbridge, about two miles from Drogheda, on the north side of the Boyne. Some historians attribute the loss of this battle to the want of s 2 260 DROGHEDA. skill and courage in the Irish troops ; and it has furnished them with a pretext for commenting generally on their military career, representing them as M the best soldiers in Europe when abroad, but with having always fought indifferently at home." These conclusions are evidently erroneous, as there is nothing in the soil or climate to deterioate from the valour and capacity of the Irish soldier ; and he should still have a stronger impetus to action if engaged in the national cause. The best proof of these deductions is to be found in the battles of Dromfluch, Beal-an-atha-buid, and Benburb, and other victories obtained by them in the reigns of Elizabeth and Charles I., over the bravest and most experienced generals, and a succession of the finest armies that England ever raised to fight her battles on Irish ground, unassisted by foreign aid, and, what is still more remarkable, at their very thresholds ; but their com- manders were the very opposite of James — they were led on by the O'Niells and O'Donnells, whose judgment and courage were un- doubted. The loss of this battle, therefore, must not be attributed to the brave men who fought for James, but to those who did not fight at all, and to the imbecility and natural infirmities of his own character, which had such a baneful influence over everything con- nected with his cause. William appeared satisfied with occupying the scene of action,, and allowed the French and Irish to retreat to Dublin with little or no molestation. James was one of the first to enter the city with a strong escort, and having reached the castle, he was met by the Duchess of Tyrconnell as he ascended the stairs, who, in reply to her interrogatory as to the result of the battle, the drivelling dastard had the audacity to say, " Your countrymen can run well, madam ;" to which this spirited and noble-minded woman imme- diately replied, " Not so well as your majesty, for I see you have won the race." Having passed the night there, he proceeded the following morning to Waterford, where he immediately embarked for France, leaving his adherents to carry on the war which his presence had so much impeded, or submi£*to the victor on the best terms they could obtain. Drogheda, scarcely two miles from the scene of action, was garrisoned with a force of no less than 1,300 men, and well provided with provisions and military stores. The day after the DROGHEDA. 261 battle, William summoned the governor, Lord Iveagh, to surrender ; who, being informed that the Irish army was irretrievably defeated, and fearing similar results to those to which the place had been doomed by Cromwell, consented conditionally, that the garrison should be allowed to march out with military honours, and join the Irish at Athlone, which being acceded to, William's forces took possession of the place. One of the great errors commited by James, and his generals, was their leaving such strong garrisons cooped up in the different fortified places, particularly in the south and west, thus early in the contest, there being no less than 15,000 men so circumstanced, while his army in the field was inferior in number by eight or nine thousand to that of his opponent. Drogheda was now a favourite residence of William's adherents, and the Boyne water was held by them and their descendants in the greatest veneration. During the infliction of the penal code, catholics were prohibited for a period from residing within the town, not- withstanding which, they multiplied to such a degree, that when the elective franchise was extended to the Irish catholics in 1793, those of Drogheda became an important electoral body, and for years after sustained the liberal cause in many a hard fought con- test against the corporation nominees. In 1798 some valuable lives were sacrificed here. John Foster, afterwards Lord Oriel, whose advocacy of free trade in 1780 made him so great a favourite that he rivalled, in popularity for a season, even Grattan himself ; he was soon, however, gained over by the British minister, and be- came one of the most decided opponents to the free principles which then influenced the great majority of the Irish people : in his native county, Louth, he was all-powerful, and he encouraged a system of espionnage there from which no man's home or fireside was safe, and numerous private informers were in communication with him. One of these, a miscreant of the name of Conlan, des- titute of consciencious scruples, indigent and abandoned in his character, for base lucre, now came forward as a public informer, and charged two inhabitants of Dundalk, Anthony Marmion and John Hoey, as being connected with the Society of United Irish- men : they were consequently arrested, and after being some time imprisoned in Dundalk, they were removed to Drogheda, and upon 262 DROGHEDA. the uncorroborated testimony of this wretch, were convicted and executed there, although on a subsequent trial in a northern county his testimony against others, whom he represented to have met as delegates, was discredited. Banished from society, like all his class, he was consigned to infamy, and doomed to pine out a guilty existence within the walls of Dublin Castle. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — As early as the reign of Richard II. the woollen trade was extensively established here, but after its suppression by William III. the town directed its attention to the newly-favoured manufacture of the government, linen cloth, and during the whole of the 18th century it enjoyed an extensive and prosperous trade in this article. Its sheetings, in particular, were in high repute in England and America. These were manufactured by a class of small bleachers spread over the county Louth, who pur- chased the green yarn at fairs and markets, had it first bleached, then woven into cloth, and afterwards brought to Droghcda for sale. They were in general possessed of some land, and united agricul- ture with manufactures ; but they have been long since obliged to give way to the irresistible influence of the power-loom, and the more extensive and expeditious process of bleaching. The spinning of cotton was subsequently introduced, with doubtful success, as it has been in a greatmeasure superseded by flax-spinning. This branch of manufacture has been carried on here with considerable success. There are in all three flax, one tow, and one cotton spinning mills, all driven by steam, and employing about 1,500 of the population, principally females, who are paid from 2s. 6d. to Cs. a week. Messrs. Chadwick and Gradwcll's mill, which is situated on the south side of the river, and is called the St. Mary's, is the most extensive, and is said to have cost £50,000. The West-Gate mill is the property of Messrs. John and George Gradwell, a Preston firm, and the Mell flax and tow mills belong to Messrs. Ennis, Richardson & Co., but the latter have not been working since the war commenced. The cotton mill is worked by Messrs. 11. Gray & Co., who employ about 200 hands. The calender business is carried on extensively by Mr. William Owens, who employs a great number of weavers, and has a considerable export for his manufac- DROGPIEDA. 263 lure. Messrs. T. Grendon & Co.'s foundry and iron works are very extensive, employing upwards of 300 operative mechanics and labourers: the former are paid from 28s. to 48s., and the latter from 8s. to 15s. a week. They construct locomotives and every other description of machinery. The Lattice Bridge, over the Royal Canal, on the Dublin and Drogheda Railway, was made by them, and they are now executing extensive orders in steam-boat machi- nery for Liverpool, Glasgow, &c. There is an extensive distillery worked by Messrs. Jameson & Co. ; also two breweries in full operation. Mr. W. Cairnes brews 500 barrels of ale and porter weekly, and his ale is not only celebrated in England and Ireland, but also in the East and West Indies. Mr. Patrick Casey, the present mayor, is doing a good business, and brews between 200 and 300 barrels weekly. The other manufactures are — seven corn and flour mills, four salt works, four soaperies, eight tan yards, and one rope-walk. The most extensive of these is Messrs. Smith and Smythe's steam-mill, which, with the adjoining stores, cost £20,000. The machinery is impelled by an engine of fifty-horse power, and is capable of grinding 40,000 barrels of wheat and 60,000 barrels of oats. There is steam-power exerted to the ex- tent of 180 horses on bread stuffs ; 334 on flax and cotton ; 30 in the two breweries ; and 30 in Messrs. Grendon's foundry : total steam power exerted on machinery in Drogheda equal to 574 horses. Previous to the famine of 1847, the foreign commerce of Drogheda was very inconsiderable, being confined to a few cargoes of Baltic and American timber and deals annually. Since then, however, and for the last four years in particular, there has been a considerable trade in the import of foreign wheat, but more parti- cularly in Indian Corn from the Black Sea. According to returns furnished by the Railway Commissioners in 1835, its exports, which consisted of linen, grain, flour, meal, ale, butter, eggs, cattle, &c., amounted to £766,027 ; and its imports of tea, sugar, timber, coal, rock-salt,- iron, bark, slates, herrings, &c, was £259,854. There is now a considerable portion of the linen yarn spun in Drogheda shipped vid Liverpool to Hull, and from thence to Hamburg, for account of German houses. The trade of the port will be best shown by the following Tables :— MS CO =0 Si ^ 5° « ^ h § 05 8 Cj hx ^ i .8 e 2 £ ^ o ^ S © ^2 Ml £ 8 ,s ^ 5»- .CO » ■£ 5g *-flq v. s o S ,suio}sno CO OS CO r— 1 «Q OC 1— CO to OC CC CS 41046 •o to to Tf T* tO CM CM Ol CC r— Tf © co Clearing Outwards. Total Outwards. Tnge. l>C0OC«3>0 O CO 10 1— 1 1-1 CS O CO t)H.O 10 lO N 00 !>• 00 CO 403417 i - — > >o 01 co © Tfi co co © © © r- co N rl M N © CO CO CO CO 646148 403417 1049565 242731 «E co © co ~f >0 >0 IQ CDCO CO >o CO CM — 1 CO © tr; 1^- © © © © © t-— CD © tO 3157 2853 0109 Tf © CO British ! and Coasting Trade. to bi> a H OS rH CO 00 CS 1— 1 — < CO — 1 N10>0 IMCi CO Tf tO -f CM CO t-- 00 00 GO § 51 r-C "O 1^ CM © OC © CM -+i r-l r- CM CD © rH © © CC © © © CO CM CO CO 637855 401038 1038893 236817 Vess. Tf J""— CO CO CM 10 «B ic co co © 00 CM © © © © © © »0 © to 2839 to to © to CM Foreign Trade. 1 Total. Tnge. O CO C N r- l(J 1(5 CO IQ Tf CO © CO CN © © oc © CO CC 1 SHO) OI CO © © CM 820,3 2379 10672 5914 Vess. CN CO Tf CO CN Tfi CC CO © to rH Tf -f rH 8 CM Foreign. & fcr C © Tf . . • CO CN 1— 1 CO CO © -r 248 1236 1484 463 1947 1021 a HIM • • • CO • CM CO • • © CO CO i ~ British. 1 rH O 00 © ^ t- CS 10 1-H Tt< CO 1916 © 00 CM © CO CO CM 00 © CM OO Tf Tj* CM 6809 1916 >o CN CO © CO CO <-< r-l CO CN 1— 1 CO © © to CO rH CM Tf © CM CO p < O g 2 w Total Inwards. I CO CO -f Cl O Oi O M M O bo -*f CD t|( 1^ O a co 1- H co «o co co 316261 CM Tt< Tfl OS tO rH CM © CM © CM Tf tm Tti 00 ~r cn CO CN Tf Tf Tfl © rH CO © © CM Tf © Tf rH © co CM CO t— © tO CO -f co © CN © fc-* —1 CO 00 I - CN © © CO 00 © © © CO © t-T CM © to CO © tO I- CO 00 CN CO © © 0 X NN © © © CO British and Coasting- Trade. Tnge. 64260 55079 55340 65431, 67762 307872! — X > ~ — ~. to to CS -* CM 00 © rn CO — rn CO CM 00 CO CM Tf. -h CO Vess. Tt< t-CN lO I- OS 00 CS CO CO CO 'O CO CO CO © © © © co CO to © to © © © 00 4478 3315 7793 1163 Total. j Tnge. CO CM QO CS CM >0 © CM CN CM 1— 1 i— 1 CM 1— ' 8389 CO © © CO © © © rH CO CM © © CO to © CM CO Tfi CN CO 16536 8389 to CM © Tf CM 8147 Vess. CM CS l-» CO CO CD to to Tf Tfi r- rH CM rH CM Tf CO © Tf CM Tf © Tf M Foreign Trade . H bn "3 O Vess. Tnge. CO Tt< >o © © cn co r~ >o CM CO — co CC CM © CO CO CM — CO © © CO © Tf O rH 1— 1 CM rH © rH >o CO CO rH 4873 2251 CM CM r—i i-H CO CM CO © r-i t — CM 00 CM © CO Tf British. Tnge. O CO © 00 00 ~* © — « CM GO © CM © 1— 1 l^. HHHCI 7078 O -f TOON 1- CM OO Tfi >o © Tf; 00 -f) >0 CM CM CM CM CM Tf CO © © CM t- 20052 © © CO to Vess. © t^- CD CM 'O 1— 1 1— ( © Tf CM CO CO N CM © N- Tf CM CM CO aurpna 8JV9 x i^h^-h^-m .h* h* -f 10 "giPril* is 5 5 *tDOfiJ)2(l)rl ^ * to 2? a fit^ r->+3 g S r^ O § O _^_-» rt g ej S3 ■ 3 SP D S ° ££.5 5^ J a - aPfioa 2tJ ' 5 ^ -;n fl c-l BP ig rH g p „rC:rJ ®hH oc p O o x o" c =3 *- c 4) CS r r — " br cc • f .-x IS oj c co rr. " S S>'S CTO 9 Ko-S rH cc •« jz si ifi Sr rl •c^^o:-£a)?-H -c c tl £ IT 1 a - a r E§*o g r, 3 -r'St- csco c a s a ^-<5u-tici3 co eci_ , -:J2 C fl°.C J CSC - ° jo a « .a - .-a - 5 E . cp 111 H a to o to 3 'S £ I g " ^.fl J -f-ril^r-^ - d h 3 E « o f tO tO CP r% & -H 5 5 2 ? S * *i cu^cc Sr2r5H* g «s| g 8 iiliirMiii cc g § e gj-o x f I DROGHEDA. 265 The tonnage entering inwards, and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwards. Regis- Customs' Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties Tears. British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping Collected. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 18ol..2,164 1,180 124,279 .. 226 155 108,500 .. 7,000 12,234 1852.. 5,146 2,302 134,687 .. 714 944 115,638 .. 6,499 11,676 1853 . 6,409 1,660 131.010 .. 517 418 113,737 .. 6,439 18,935 1854.. 4,417 3,028 122,702 .. 507 684 113,899 .. 7,146 16,744 The trade of this port, therefore, for the year ending 5th January, 1851 was, Foreign 3725 tons, and British and Coasting 232,779 tons. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 9,106 tons, and the British and Coasting 250,325 tons, leaving an increase on the former year of 5,381 tons of Foreign, and 17,546 tons of British and Coasting shipping. In 1853, the Foreign trade was 9,004 tons, being a small decrease of 102 tons, and on the British and Coasting trade 578 tons. In 1854, the Foreign trade was 8,646 tons, and the British and Coasting 236,601 tons; there would, therefore, be a decrease in the former of 358 tons, and in the latter of 13,146 tons on the pre- vious year. Notwithstanding this decrease, there is every reason to believe that the trade of this port is in a healthy and prosperous state. In the registered shipping is included five splendid steam vessels measuring 1,787 net tons, and including their engine rooms must amount to near 3,000 tons. They are employed in the Liver- pool trade, and are severally owned by Messrs. T. Carty, William Cairnes, Sir George Smith, and the Drogheda Steam Packet Com- pany ; but they are all under the excellent management of Mr. P. Ternan, and have but one interest : they produce large remunerative profits, and their shares, originally of £20 each, are at a handsome premium, being now worth £32 in the market. Previous to 1830 vessels drawing more than twelve feet of water could not pass the bar even at spring tides ; but from recent improvements, and par- ticularly the operations of a dredging machine of sixteen-horse power, there is now thirteen feet of water on it at the lowest neap tide. An ingenious barrier of wicker net work has been constructed 266 DE0GHEDA. under the superintendence of Mr. P. Donor, harbour engineer, which has kept the channel free of the sand raised by the dredging machine, and when the works in progress are completed in the ensuing spring, vessels drawing from sixteen to seventeen feet will have water in ordinary spring tides, not only over the bar but up to the Quays, which display a fine line of wharfage, 720 yards on the north, and 107 yards on the south side of the river. The pre- servation and improvement of the port and harbour are under commissioners constituted by an Act 5th of Vict., and who have discharged the trust reposed in them with great ability and eco- nomy : much has been done here for a moderate sum. They keep their account with the Belfast Banking Company which discharged a debt of £11,294 previously advanced by the Board of Works, charges them 5 per cent, on its advances, and there was due to it on the 31st December, 1853, £4,831 10s. The total debt due by the Harbour on the 6th April, 1854, was £5,219 lis. 4d. The har- bour dues for the year ending 31st December, 1853, amounted to £3,690 19s. 6cl., derived from a tonnage duty of 6d. per ton on vessels with cargo inwards and outwards ; those in ballast pay no duty : there was also incidentally received £55 9s. 9d. : total receipts £3,746 9s. 3d., and the expenditure was £3,603 lis. Id. Balance in favour of the port £142 18s. 2d. There is a small ship- building yard and patent slip here, fifty-three pilots belonging to the port, and a steam-tug for towing vessels into and out of the harbour. There is also an extensive gas works, which lights the town, harbour, and factories. The amount of postage collected in the town, and of stamps and excise in the district, for the three years ending 5th January, 1853, was — The Bank of Ireland, the Hibernian and Provincial Banks of Ireland, and Belfast Banking Company, have branches established here. The principal streets are West Street, Fair Street, and Shop Street ; but, with the exception of the extensive improvements in the harbour and on the quays, the town has changed its appearance but little for the last half century. The Fostage of Drogheda Stamps, including Mcatk Excise of the District . . . 1851. £810 2,344 170,057 1852. £958 2,464 170,710 1853. £931 2,600 161,618 DROGHEDA. 267 The Public Buildings are — The Tholsel, where the assizes, quar- ter sessions, and mayor's court are held ; the Linen Hall, Corn Market, Custom House, Infirmary, Gaol, Barracks, Savings' Bank, News Room, and the Union Workhouse. The Houses of Religious Worship are — St. Peter's Church, re- built in 1753 ; St. Mary's Church, a modern edifice erected in 1811 ; the Church of St. Mark, which is a chapel of ease to St. Peter's, towards the erection of which the corporation in 1829 contributed £300. The Catholic Church of St. Peter, a handsome and commodious edifice erected at an expense of £12,000, raised by subscription : the parish in which it is situated is the benefice of the Catholic primate and archbishop of Armagh. The Church of St. Mary, towards the erection of which the late Michael Duff contributed £4,000. This parish is an Union, and there is another church or chapel at Mornington. There are three Franciscan, Augustinian, and Dominican convents ; two nunneries, one dedi- cated to the Blessed Virgin, the other to St. Dominic, called the Sienna Convent, which has a department for the education of young ladies. Drogheda was celebrated for the number and importance of its ancient religious establishments : the ruins of the Augusti- nian Priory, called the Old Abbey, from the supposition that it was founded by St. Patrick, are still to be seen ; it was suppressed by Henry VIII., and granted to the mayor and corporation. The St. Mary's Hospital, founded by Ursus de Swemele, suppressed and granted to the mayor at a yearly rent of £1 14s. 4d. The priory of St. Lawrence shared the same fate. A priory of Hospitallers, endowed by Walter de Lacy, suppressed, and granted by Edward VI. to James Seagrave, at the yearly rent of 10s. lOd. A Fran- ciscan Friary, founded in 1300, suppressed and granted by Henry VIII. to Gerald Aylmer, at the yearly rent of 3s. 6d. A priory of regular Canons — Houses dedicated to St. John, St. Bennet, and St. James, were all suppressed, and their revenues granted to the corporation or some minion of the Crown. The present Presbyte- rian church was erected in 1827, at a cost of £2,000, towards which the corporation gave £300. The Wesleyan Methodists have also a house of worship here. 268 DROGHEDA. The Educational Institutions are — the National Schools ; St. Peter's Parochial School, one of Erasmus Smith's, to which there is a grant of £280 per annum ; a School, superintended by the nuns of the Presentation Convent; one large private and three Sunday Schools, giving education to more than one-third of the juvenile population. The Union Workhouse accommodates 940 inmates, and was opened 16th December, 1841 : the Union contains 98,~848 acres, and a population of 52,251 persons, in 12 electoral divisions, repre- sented by 25 elected and 25 ex-officio guardians, who meet every Thursday : the property valued under the 6th and 7th William IV. c. 82, amounted to £108,761, and the expenditure in 1852 was £3,959 7s. 6jd., and the rate in aid levied in 1851-2 was £1,012 16s. 4d. The terminus of the Dublin and Drogheda Rail- way is on the south side of town, and its station is also used by the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway which joins it here as well as the Branch to Navan and Kells. There are two weekly newspapers — The Argus, and Conservative Journal, published on Saturdays. The market is held on Saturdays, and there are also eight fairs held annually. Proceeding down the Boyne, the magnificent Viaduct, already described as forming part of the Dublin and Belfast Junc^ron Railway, is passed ; and proceeding northward, and doubling a bold promontory, the spacious Bay of Dundalk is entered, on the south side of which is Clogherhead, close in with which there is deep water at all times of tide. On the north side of the head is a small natural cove or dock, to which a passage for small craft has been cut through the beach. A moderate sum expended on a pier, and in otherwise improving the great natural advantages that present themselves here, would make this a first-rate safety harbour for vessels navigating the Irish Sea, which is so much required between Kingstown harbour and the lough of Belfast. In proof of which, in gales of wind fishing-smacks run from all quarters to it, as it affords them shelter from every wind except the north-cast. DUND ALK. Dundalk, which in Ossian's poems is called Dundalgan, is situated on Castletown River, on the east coast of Ireland, being the chief town of the county Louth, formerly described as part of Ulster, but is now in Leinster, and is 53° 59' N., and 6° 25' W. Previous to the formation of the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway, it was by the old coach road 40 Irish miles distant from either place ; but by rail it is 54J statute miles from Dublin, 58| from Belfast, via Portadown, and about thirty miles from the ancient city of Armagh. The parish of Dundalk comprises 6,202 statute acres ; but the town stands on an area of 450 acres. The population in 1841 consisted of 10.782 persons, inhabiting 1,798 houses ; and in 1851, of 9,995 persons, inhabiting 1,679 houses, being a decrease of 119 houses, and 787 persons; but in the workhouse of the Dundalk Union, which is just without the borough, there were, in 1851, 988 inmates, a great portion of whom came from the town. The house should have been built within the borough, or the boundaries of the borough should be so extended as, even now, to take it in. Dundalk is a seaport town of great antiquity ; and ages before the Danish, or Anglo-Norman invasion, was celebrated in Irish history. It was the favoured resort of the knights of the red- branch, an order created by King Kimboath, who erected the splendid palace of Emania, near Armagh, which continued for so many ages the regal residence of the kings of Ulster. Attached to it was the extensive quarters of the Craobh-ruadh, and many regal and warlike relics of antiquity have been picked up, even to the present day, on the Rath, on which these edifices stood. The deeds of these martial knights were triumphantly sung and com- memorated by the bards and senachies in the seven years' war be- tween Connaught and Ulster ; and in which the young Cuchullen, 270 DTJXDAT/K. in whom they took especial delight, particularly distinguished him- self with Conal Cearnachj and other heroes of this order. The origin of this famous septennial war, which occurred in the first century of our era, arose from an incursion of the troops of Miebhe, Queen of Connaught, into the county of Louth, in which they possessed themselves of innumerable herds of cattle collected at Cuailgne, in that county, which gave the name of Tain-bo-Cuailgne to the war. This spoliation roused the ire of the knights of the red-branch, who retaliated, and the queen marched an army to attack them, commanded by Feargus, the dethroned King of Ulster. The queen herself accompanied it in all the panoply of regal state. The names and deeds of the heroes on either side, and all the cir- cumstances of this memorable contest, are detailed in the songs and romances of the Irish bards, from which James Macpherson deduced his poems of Ossian ; this contest, in particular, forming the ground-work of his poem of Fingal and Temora, in which Swaran is substituted for Feargus, and Ossian for Oisin, a bard and hero who did not nourish until the third century, and which, not- withstanding the sublimity of the composition, does not save it from being recognized and pronounced a gross and impudent forgery. Had Macpherson, when indulging his muse in a poetical flight of fancy, selected his time some five or six centuries earlier, when Irish history was involved in some obscurity and doubt, he might have imposed on the credulity of the public, and have convinced his readers of the reality of his heroes, as he has unquestionably delighted them with what may be in some degree considered a translation of these sublime poetical effusions of the Irish bards. Notwithstanding the bravery of the Craobli-ruadh, the queen's forces devastated the province of Ulster ; without, however, being able to restore Feargus to the sovereignty, from which he had been ejected by Connor, and returned to Connaught with an immense booty. Although the head quarters of the knights of the red-branch were at Emania, their great captain, Cuchullen, spent much of his time at Dundalgen, his native place, which, with the county of Louth, composed a portion of his princely territory, and where tradition even at this remote period fondly indulges in the recital of the ex- traordinary feats of arms performed by this ancient Irish hero, DUNDALK, 271 which Dundalk has the proud prerogative of claiming as her own. The Queen of Connaught, still intent on restoring Feargus, who had gained her affections, to the throne of Ulster, took advantage of the absence of Conal Cearnach, who with many of the knights of the red- branch, and the flower of the youth of Ulster, were on a foreign expedition to assist the Picts, or Gauls, against the Romans, entered into a coalition with Lugha, chief of the Munster, and Mac Nead, head of the Clana-Boisghne, or Leinster knights, for that purpose. A large army was assembled under the command of Lugha, who forthwith marched into Ulster. Connor raised what troops the extreme urgency of the time would admit, and sent an express to Cuchullen, then at Dundalgen, to take the command, but with strict orders not to engage the enemy, if possible, until the arrival of Conal, whose return was daily expected. For six days did Cuchullen resist his incitement to battle, and remained shut up in his camp ; but on the seventh, unable to restrain his natural courage and impetuosity, he resolved to wait no longer. Summoning the chiefs under his command to a council of war, and finding them averse to engaging the Connaught army at such fearful odds, he vehemently exclaimed, " Since the days that arms were first placed in my hands, I have not declined a battle, nor shall I now:" and marshalling his forces, he rashly attacked the enemy with inferior numbers, and fell by the sword of Lugha, whose father experienced a similar fate from the hands of Cuchullen in a previous engagement. Cuchullen, who had fought in a splendid war chariot, and performed feats of valour, finding himself mor- tally wounded, directed his charioteer to convey him to a curruig, (a large stone placed on one end,) and leave his body in a standing position against it, his sword in his right hand, his shield upraised, and his two spears by his left side. Thus perished the pride of Irish chivalry, in the prime of life ; and his followers, dis- heartened by his fall, and overpowered by numbers, fled from the field and sustained a total defeat. The plain on which this sanguinary battle was fought was called Muirtheimhne, in the neighbourhood of Dundalk, in the county Louth, and the relation of it is called in the Irish Bruislioch-more- Muirtheimhne, or the great defeat at Muirtheimhne. Dundalk, from its geographical 272 DUXDALK. position and open bay, so easy of access, and so well calculated for favouring a sudden descent and precipitate retreat, was early in- vaded by the Danes. In 839 a formidable Danish fleet infested the coast of Ulster, and landed a large body of troops at this port. After laying waste the country in their march to Armagh, that city, from its rich shrines, being always marked for pillage, was now taken by assault, and all its sumptuous churches, colleges, and public edifices burnt to the ground. The only important naval engagement recorded in Irish history Jtook place in the Bay of Dundalk early in the tenth century. It must strike the humblest comprehension with astonishment, that the Irish, although pos- sessed of an island abounding with forests of the finest oak, and other suitable material for ship-building ; enjoying also the most splendid rivers, loughs, and harbours, so admirably adapted to the accommodation of extensive fleets, should, notwithstanding, for so many centuries, allow the piratical ravages of the Danes, and sub- sequently the more dangerous subversion of their independence by the Anglo-Normans, without an effort to build a navy that could cope with these invaders on that element from which they could alone expect danger from a foreign foe. Had they turned their attention to the creation and maintenance of an efficient navy, neither the Danes nor Anglo-Normans could have prevailed against them, and their integrity as an independent nation might have been preserved even to the present day. The circumstances that led to this memorable sea-fight originated in Sitrick, Prince of Denmark, descended, both by birth and disposition, from the tyrant Turgesius, having arrived in Ireland with large reinforcements to the Danes from Norway. He reduced the city of Dublin — over- threw the armies of Niall in several engagements, in one of which the monarch himself was slain. Encouraged by these successes, he made several incursions into the province of Munster, where Ceallachan had been recently proclaimed king ; in one of these a battle occurred, in which Sitrick was totally defeated, and his wife and sister made prisoners and conveyed to Waterford, where they were treated with that respect and politeness due to their rank and sex, for the observance of which the Irish are proverbial. They were soon after set at liberty; but during their short stay at mrsDAJLK. 273 Ceallachan ? s court, the charms of the Danish princess made a deep impression on his heart, whilst his manly form and personal accom- plishments had a similar effect on that of Sitrick's wife. With their enlargement, the Danes evacuated the kingdom of Munster, and Sitrick retired to Dublin, where he meditated the most perfidious and malignant designs against the life of Ceallachan, to whom he chiefly attributed his recent defeats. Being informed of his attach- ment to his sister, he devised a plan to assassinate him in the most cowardly and atrocious manner, to which the pitiful Irish monarch Donogh, who, being offended at the Munster king refusing to pay him tribute, and too weak to enforce it, gave his willing and guilty concurrence. Sitrick despatched a messenger to Ceallachan, offer- ing him his sister in marriage, and proposing a treaty defensive and offensive between them. This proposal rekindled the love that Ceallachan entertained for the lady, and without reflecting on the dishonour of marrying into the family of the inveterate enemy and invader of his courtry, and the enormity of acquiescing in his settlement therein, he was only guided by his passion, and deemed the alliance as likely to lead to the peace and prosperity of his own dominions. He therefore sent back the messenger to say. that he accepted the proffered treaty, and would be soon at Sitrick's court to ratify it, and the marriage with his sister. Preparations on a grand and expensive scale were made, and, independent of a princely equipage and retinue, the choicest troops of the province were ordered to attend him and conduct the queen to his palace, with all the pomp and magnificence suitable to the occasion. Kennedy, who had disinterestedly waived his right to the crown, and lived in strict friendship with Ceallachan, represented the impropriety of taking the flower of the troops, as well as his guards, for the sake of empty parade, and leaving the province open to any invader. Neither of them, however, had any suspicion of Sitrick"s treachery, but had some apprehension that Donogh might invade the province, and exact by force the tribute withheld. It was therefore arranged, that Ceallachan should only take a few of his body-guards, and some of the young nobility, and among others Dunchan, the son of Kennedy, was appointed to attend him, while he took charge of the province in the king's absence. 274 DUNDALK. Sitrick's wife, who, by feigning dislike to the King of Monster, as well as to the proposed alliance, had ascertained her husband's intention of sacrificing him and his followers to the manes of those renowned Danes whom he had slain in battle. Struck with horror at his cowardly purpose, she had sufficient presence of mind to appear delighted with it. But as soon as she found that Ceallachan was approaching the environs of Dublin, she left the palace in disguise, and awaited his arrival at a point by which he had to pass, and communicated the vile intentions of her husband towards him," advising him to retrace his steps precipitately. Love may have influenced the heroic conduct of this noble lady, and it must be admitted that it is a powerful incentive with her sex particularly ; but as she was descended from a distinguished Irish family, and had been treated by Ceallachan with the greatest respect and attention when a captive in his hands, gratitude and humanity would have naturally dictated it. Ceallachan, who im- mediately resolved on following her advice, found his retreat impeded by two divisions of Danish troops, who remained in am- bush until he had entered Sitrick's territory. They now attacked his body-guard with great violence, who retaliated with such effect, that, had not the Danes been reinforced several times in the course of the engagement, from the city, he must have effected his retreat; but overpowered by numbers, he and his friend Dunchan were taken prisoners, and led in triumph to Dublin. Sitrick would have been better pleased had they been among the slain, but as prisoners of war he had no feasible pretext for putting them to death. He was bound by the laws of honour to reciprocate, in some degree, the courtesy shown his wife and sister by Ceallachan in their captivity, and he feared that any flagrant violation of these laws would be resented by the whole Irish nation, and retaliated with a vengeance on himself and his people. He, therefore, offered them such terms of ransom as he knew would be indignantly rejected : — these were, to deliver into his hands the cities of Cork, Cashel, Limerick, and Waterford, with an erick or fine for every Dane that fell in the late invasion of Munstcr. Ceallachan suppressed his indignation at these exorbitant terms, and asked permission to send one of his domestics who had escaped the recent carnage to know if their liber- DUNDALK. 275 ties could be purchased on such terms ; but he privately instructed him to assure Kennedy that, whatever fate awaited him and Dunchan, these proposals should be rejected. He requested that Donough, his general, might be -dispatched with whatever troops could be got together on the emergency, and march to Armagh, where they expected to be removed, and if the conditions were not complied with, to be shipped on board the Danish fleet, then lying in the harbour of Dundalk, and thence transported to Norway ; and, lest the army should not arrive at Armagh in time to rescue them, that all the ships in the Munster ports should proceed to Dundalk Bay, to intercept them there. Kennedy, who had previously received information of Sitrick's treachery, had anticipated the messenger, in making the necessary preparations to rescue the royal prisoners. Nothing could exeed the indignation and resentment of the people of Munster when the terms of the ransom were made public. An army of 6,000 Dalgais and Eugenians was promptly assembled under Donough and Kennedy's three brothers, who were joined by other divisions on their march to Connaught ; where, being obliged to levy contributions of provisions and forage, the prince of that province, who should have aided them against the common enemy, threw every impediment in their way, and actually sent in- telligence of their approach to the Danes at Armagh. While the army was proceeding to its destination by land, the order for pre- paring a naval armament to co-operate with it by sea was obeyed with an alacrity and promptitude that was truly surprising, con- sidering how little accustomed the Irish were to naval operations. Sixty ships, such as were then used in war, were soon equipped, armed and well manned, and the command conferred on Failbhe Fionn, Prince of Desmond, who set sail from the Munster ports with all expedition for Dundalk. Sitrick, who in the meantime had removed with the royal captives from Dublin to Armagh, was anxiously waiting Kennedy's answer to the proposed terms of ransom : he no sooner heard that the army of Munster was approach- ing, than he conveyed his prisoners rapidly to Dundalk, ordering the Danish earls, with the main body of his army, to give battle to Donough, who almost immediately after appeared before Armagh, and attacked the Danes with such impetuosity that they were soon i 2 276 DUN'DALK. overthrown and the city stormed ; when, finding that the king and Dunchan had been removed, and in retaliation for Sitrick's perfidy, no quarter was given, and few escaped the carnage that ensued. The army then, by forced marches, reached Dundalk, where it was thrown into the greatest sorrow and consternation on finding that Sitrick and his guards had embarked, taking the royal prisoners with them, and that the Danish fleet lay proudly out of reach, at anchor, in the bay. While all crowded to the shore, deploring an event that then appeared irremediable, they descried a number of vessels under full sail entering the bay, and steering directly to where the Danes were anchored. A moment of breathless anxiety ensued, and then a shout of joy arose along the shore. It was the gallant fleet of Munster ! The Danes were surprised and alarmed at the sight of an unexpected enemy on their own clement, for when they embarked they considered themselves as much out of the reach of the Irish as if they had landed on the coast of Norway. As soon as Sitrick had recovered from his astonishment, he ordered Ccallachan and Dunchan to be ignobly tied to the mast of his ship. The Irish admiral, filled with indignation at this sight, soon had his vessel alongside that of the Dane, and overthrow- ing all that opposed him, sword in hand, reached the captive monarch, and cut the cords that bound him and Dunchan. Hurry- ing them on board his own ship, he returned, and continued the contest on his opponent's deck, supported by a few but gallant followers, where they performed feats of valour : but being sur- - rounded by the Danish guards, they were overpowered by numbers, and the valiant Failbhe, fighting to the last, fell in the unequal com- bat covered with wounds. Sitrick, in order to intimidate the Irish, had his head cut off and exposed to view in a conspicuous part of his ship. It had, however, a contrary effect, for Fingal, the second in command, determined on revenging the death, and the indignities perpetrated on the remains of his brave admiral, re- newed the combat with increased fury. Calling on his men to follow him, he boarded Sitrick's ship, when another sanguinary conflict ensued ; but the vast naval superiority of the Danes, and their most distinguished and experienced captains being present in the fight, left the brave Irish but little hopes of success. In this DUXPAI.K. 277 emergency Fingal, who was a powerful man, formed a resolution which, for heroism and patriotism, has probably no parallel in history. Singling Sitrick out, he rushed suddenly upon him, grasped him in his arms, and leaped with him into the sea, where both perished. Fired by the example, two other Irish chieftains seized on Tor and Magnus, brothers to Sitrick, and perished in the same way. The Danes, appalled by such heroism, and the loss of their commanders, gave way on every side, and few escaped the carnage to tell the tale in Scandinavia. Great was the joy on board the Irish fleet as the last dark ship of these marauding in- vaders sunk in the eddying vortex of the briny water of Dundalgen Bay. Great were the rejoicings that night in the old town itself, and hearty the gratulations with which the victors were saluted by their brethern in arms, and the whole population of the district as they reached the shore. Nor were Ceallachan and Dunchan less delighted, who had so much more reason to be thankful for their providential deliverance from death or slavery. Thanksgivings were offered up in all the churches and other religious establishments in the town and neighbourhood : and there was but one alloy to the general exultation — regret for the loss of the brave men, to whose courage and patriotism they were indebted for these glorious re- sults. The King of Leinster, envious of the glory and fame that Ceallachan and the Momonians had acquired by these victories, actually made preparations to obstruct their return to Minister ; but his subjects discountenanced them, and his own apprehensions of their courage and prowess, deterred him from the attempt. This was the third instance of the bad faith, want of unanimity, and total dis- regard of consequences, and love of country, that those petty Irish kings had manifested during the brief war between the King of Munster and the Danes. Donogh, the chief monarch, as has been already shown, encouraged Sitrick in his base and infamous designs against Ceallachan. The King of Connaught, if he dared, would have opposed the march of the Momonians, but fearing to encounter them, he secretly informed the Danes of their approach to Armagh ; and now the King of Leinster could with difficulty be restrained from attacking an army which had rendered the nation such essential service, by the destruction of the common enemy. Xo 278 DUNDALK. wonder, then, with such disunion, feuds and jealou^ existing among these provincial kings, who had been so long the curse of Ireland, that it should have fallen an easy prey to the Anglo- Normans ; whereas, had it been governed by a single monarch, or a republic, it would have been impossible to effect its conquest, or hold it long in subjection. Dundalk was taken possession of almost immediately after Strongbow's invasion of Ireland by John De Courcy, the bravest and most formidable of all the Anglo-Norman knights in his crusade against Ulster. Notwithstanding his immense strength and prowess, his retention of this town, from the warlike and in- dependent character of the inhabitants, was attended with con- siderable difficulty ; and being defeated in a battle which took place in the neighbourhood, he evacuated it, and tried his fortune with more success in reducing Down. Bertram Dc Verdon, however, soon after obtained a grant of it from Henry II., and had it walled round and strongly fortified, it being the northern barrier town of the pale, and the key to the province of Ulster. He also endowed an Augustinian priory, which, with its revenues, were subsequently seized on by Henry VIII., as well as those of a monastery of grey friars, founded by John De Verdon, on the east side of the town, some portion of which was standing in 1770, and is probably that which is now called Seatown Castle ; but if so, the east window, which was then described by Ware as large, and composed of beautiful stained glass, is no longer to be seen. From this ancient tower there is a splendid view of the bay, and far out to sea, and when a gale sets in from the east, or south-east, the billows run mountains high, and the scene is wildly grand and picturesque. A large vessel riding out a gale in this bay, where there is good anchorage, composed of stiff blue clay, renders the scene still more interesting and imposing. The monks who once inhabited this spot were celebrated for their hospitality to strangers in distress and shipwrecked mariners, in which their contiguity to the sea often gave them the opportunity of indulging. During the reigns of John, Henry III., and Edward I., Dundalk was strongly garrisoned, and became one of the most important towns of the pale. The country to the south and west, being composed of lands pro- DUNDALK. 279 bably the most fertile in Ireland, the ruins of numerous castles, still discernible throughout the county Louth, show the powerful exertions the first Anglo-Norman invaders must have made to retain possession of it. The town itself must have been a place of considerable strength, as it was generally here that the forces of the pale, when defeated in the field, took refuge : and it was here, that, up to the reign of Edward II., their Irish enemies, although previously flushed with success, were invariably repulsed. It was destined now, however, for a season, to change masters, and become the scene of an extraordinary event, which was calculated, if not to destroy the power of England over the independence of the country altogether, at least to place it in extreme jeopardy. The last ceremony on record of the coronation of a King of Ireland took place here. Edward Bruce, who invaded Ireland in 1315, and overthrew the Earl of Ulster and the Anglo-Norman forces that opposed him in the north, laid siege to this town, which, after an obstinate resistance, and being nearly reduced to ashes, at length surrendered to him. Here, or rather at Knock- nemelan, now Castletown, in the immediate neighbourhood (the town being in a ruinous state, the consequence of the late siege,) with the consent of the native Irish, and the powerful Anglo- Norman chieftains the De Lacys, he was solemnly crowned King of Ireland, and upheld the splendour of a court there for some time after. Although he had defeated the English in no less than eighteen general engagements, and had been aided by his chi- valrous and high-minded brother, Robert Bruce, in one of his campaigns, yet he was not able to bring the entire kingdom under his subjection : and now, after holding a considerable portion of it for three years, his usual good fortune seems to have deserted him, for on the 28th May, 1318, he was slain in the battle of Faughart, within two miles of Dundalk, the scene of his former glory, by Roger de Maupis, an Anglo-Irish knight, or as Lodge insists, a burgess of that town, who, disguised in fool's costume, en- tered Bruce* s camp in that character, and taking advantage of an unguarded moment, struck out the hero's brains with a plummet of lead. But this must be perfect romance ; as all the authentic accounts agree, that Maupis, whether knight or burgess, having 280 DUNDALK. • formed the idea that the death of Bruce would at once give victory to the English, rushed devotedly into the thickest of the enemies' ranks, and singling him out, slew him, but with the sacrifice of his own life, as, after the battle, his body was found covered with wounds, and stretched across that of the fallen king. Although Bruce, in all his victories, was ever courteous to his prisoners, and awarded funeral honours to the heroic dead — as at the Moate of Ascol, when the English retreated and left him in possession of the field of battle, he had the remains of their officers interred with the same military honours and religious observances as his own. And that his brother Robert also, after the battle of Bannockburn, showed how well he could respect a brave but fallen foe : — yet these instances of generous warfare appear neither to have been appreciated or reciprocated by their implacable and haughty oppo- nents. Descended from those Norman conquerors who, after subduing the northern provinces of France, and the whole of England, extended their ravages to Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, they made war their trade, and were ever ready to embark in any enterprise that had conquest or plunder for its object. They were unquestionably then the bravest and most formidable soldiers in Europe, and although repeatedly beaten by Edward Bruce, it must be remembered, that the De Lacys and some of the bravest of their warriors were to be found in his ranks. They were (notwith- standing their great military capacity) sanguinary, ferocious, and cruel. They never failed to trample on a fallen foe, to exult over his misfortunes while living, and even to revile his memory when dead. Sir John Birmingham, who commanded the English on this occasion, true to his origin and caste, treated the remains of Bruce with savage insult. He had his body quartered, and exhibited over the country the scene of his many victories, while he pre- served the head, to be presented by himself to the English monarch, which procured him the Earldom of Louth and a grant of the manor of Ardee. Some historians, however, contend, that his remains rest in the cemetery of the Convent of St. Bridget, on Faugharthill, and the spot that contains them is still pointed out by the surrounding peasantry. Sir John MacNcile, who was born in the neighbourhood, made an attempt in 1821 to ascertain the / DUNDALK. 281 fact, and opened the supposed resting-place of the monarch, but had not proceeded far, when many persons, the bones of whose ancestors lay near the spot, evinced so much discontent and uneasi- ness, deeming it a species of desecration to disturb the ashes of the dead, that he was unwillingly obliged to desist ; and it is still a matter of doubt whether any portion of Bruce's mortal remains lie there interred or not. But it is not likely, that if his implacable enemies had lopped off the members for the purpose of exercising their savage indignities on them, they would treat'the trunk or body with more respect, and assign it funeral honors in conse- crated ground. During the seven centuries that England partially or exclusively held sway in Ireland, no event occurred in that long period so dangerous to its power and authority as Bruce's invasion, and no doubt can exist, that if the native Irish Princes had united cordially in supporting him, and establishing the government of the country under one monarch, their proud and insatiable invaders must have shared the same fate as their predecessors the Danes, and would have been expelled the kingdom. The honours and territory conferred on Sir John Birmingham for this act of service to the English crown were viewed with envy and dissatisfaction by the first Anglo-Norman settlers in Louth, such as the De Ger- nons, De Verdons, and others, who considered themselves better entitled to them than Birmingham, who had more recently arrived in the country ; they therefore confederated against him, and in 1329, eleven years after this memorable event, while Sir John, then Earl of Louth, and suite were on a visit to Richard Talbot, Lord Mallahide, to spend the Whitsun holidays, they attacked them at Balbriggan on the eve of that festival, where both noblemen, with many of their kindred, and sixty of their English followers were slain. In 1338 Theobald de Verdon obtained a grant of a market and fair for fifteen days, to be held here. About this period O'Hanlon, Chief of Uladh, attacked the town, but was repulsed with the loss of two hundred of his followers. Richard II. con- firmed all the previous charters, and made the town a free borough by the name of " The Bailiffs and Commonalty of the Borough of Dundalk," to whom Henry IV. granted certain tolls and customs for building and repairing the walls against the attacks of the 282 DUNDALK. Irish. In 1558 the Lord Deputy Sydney solicited an interview here with Shane O'Neill, who refused, but induced the Deputy to visit him at the Fews, where he was regally entertained, and was present at the christening of one of his children. In 1560, the town was besieged by Shane O'Neill, but it was so valiantly defended by the inhabitants, that he was obliged to raise the siege. In 1563, it was again attacked by him, but was relieved by the Deputy Sussex, between whom and O'Neill a mutual restitution of plunder took place. In 1566, Sarsfield, the Mayor of Dublin, compelled him to retreat from before this town. In 1596, a conference was held by the English commissioners, Bourchier and Fenton, with Hugh O'Neill, outside the walls, when it was proposed making Dundalk the frontier between the English and Irish territories. In 164 f, the chivalrous Roger Moore, aided by Bryan Mac Mahon, took possession of this town with a force of 2,500 men, which they held for some time, but Sir Henry Tich- bourne besieged it, and, after a brave resistance, succeeded in taking it. The celebrated Colonel, afterwards General Monk, held the town for the king, but was forced to surrender it to Lord Inchiquin and Ludlow, Cromwell's lieutenant, who perpetrated several acts of cruelty, among which was hanging before his own house, Cashell, the principal inhabitant. Charles II. granted a charter to the cor- poration, which consisted of a " bailiff, sixteen burgesses, freemen, and commonalty of the borough of Dundalk," by which considerable properties were vested in it, for the use and benefit of the town : some of these are the north and south marshes, premises in Dundalk, Hainstown, the commons of Dromisken and Carlingford, Stonehouse, Churchtown, &c. But during the operation of the penal code, when the affairs of the corporation fell into the hands of a few individuals, the town was fraudulently deprived of the whole of these properties, so that not a particle of them remain for appropriation to the purposes for which they were originally granted by the crown. Early in 1689, Dundalk was strongly garrisoned for James II., but abandoned in the autumn, on the approach of Marshal Schom- bcrg with a superior Williamitc force. The town being incapable of accommodating so large an army, and the Irish being in force on DUN'DALK. 283 the heights over it, Schomberg most injudiciously formed an en- campment in the low marshy ground north of the town. Here, while he remained inactive, famine and pestilence set in, and made dreadful havoc in his ranks. To such a fearful extremity was he reduced, and so completely insensible and stultified were his soldiers, that they made seats of the dead bodies of their comrades to protect them from the moist ground, and complained, when de- prived of them for interment. In a short time 2,000 of his men died of disease ; a similar number of sick was shipped for Eng- land in the return vessels, which at length brought provisions to Carlingford, the greater part of whom died on the passage, and Schomberg was obliged to evacuate the place and retreat to Belfast in the depth of winter, having lost on this occasion 5,000 men, the flower of his army. Had James been more vigilant, and taken ad- vantage of this disaster, the tide of fortune might have then turned in his favour ; but he appears to have given himself up to empty parade in the metropolis ; and when urged by Marshal Rosen, previous to Schomberg' s retreat on Belfast, to attack his shattered forces in their intrenchments at Dundalk, he turned a deaf ear to his advice, which occasioned Rosen to remark, " that had he ten instead of three kingdoms at issue on the contest, he would lose them all." It appears that the mortality was confined to the Eng- lish troops, whom historians relate were so careless and dirty in their habits, that Schomberg was heard to say, " the English will fight, but they are too lazy to work:" an observation that the English of the present day, with less truth, are too much in the habit of using towards the Irish. The Dutch soldiers, who had kept themselves clean and warm by their own exertions, only lost eleven men, while the English were carried off wholesale by the distemper. Immediately after Schomberg's departure, the Duke of Berwick, natural son to James II. by Arabella Churchill, sister to the great Marlborough, (by means of whose easy virtue, he ob- tained promotion in the army, and was one of the first to desert the cause of his king and benefactor,) with the van of James's army again took possession of the town, and occupied the heights to the south, called from that circumstance Ballybarrack, a more eligible and healthy position than that selected by his veteran 284 DUNDALK. opponent. The municipal body was favourable to James, who had granted the town a liberal charter in the fourth year of his reign, confirming that granted by Charles II., and increasing the corpo- rate body from sixteen to twenty-three burgesses, in order to introduce the Catholic party thereto. On the approach of William the following summer, the garrison again vacated the place, falling back on the main body of James's army, then encamped at Ardee. After the battle of the Boyne, and that William had established his government in the country, the corporation again became ex- clusively Protestant ; and a portion of the demesne was granted to Lady Anne Hamilton, the greater part of the 274 acres of which it consists being then corporate property. It was by means of this small grant that the family of Hamilton had first a connexion with the borough of Dundalk. James Hamilton, late Earl of Clanbrassil, as well as Lord Limerick who preceded him, succeeded to this pro- perty in right of relationship to her. In the reign of George II. an Act was passed rendering non-resident Protestants eligible to fill situations of burgesses and other offices in the corporate towns of Ireland, on the ground that there were not a sufficient number of resident Protestants therein to discharge these duties. This gave an opportunity to the leading members of the Dundalk corporation, to whom its affairs were confided, to satisfy the infe- rior burgesses and freemen with some nominal favour, and divide the rich spoil that the town properties afforded among themselves. The charter of Charles II. is explicit in describing these properties by name, and they now constitute the most valuable portion of the estates of Lords Rodcn and Clermont. From the time of Lady Anne Hamilton the situation of bailiff was invariably in the family, and about a century ago the legal adviser of the corporation was a Mr. Fortescue. To retain not only possession of the property, but also to monopolise the representation of the borough, Lords Clanbrassil and Roden appointed none but members of their own family, or retainers on whom they could rely, to the situation of burgess or freeman. About the year 1784, a Mr. Read, who had been agent to the former nobleman, and who was a burgess of the corporation, attempted to open the borough, and wrest the repre- sentative power and property out of the hands of his Lordship, DUNDALK. 285 but, after considerable excitement and several suits at law, he was defeated, and the consequence was, that the corporation became every day more close and corrupt. In 1798, Dundalk was placed under martial law, and the inha- bitants were for a season at the mercy of a brutal soldiery, such as the Welsh horse, and of a bigoted and vindictive yeomanry. Jonathan Seaver, with his ribald crew, the scum of the Killeavy bogs and mountains, took possession of the town. Although the Association of United Irishmen was originally formed by Protes- tants and Presbyterians, yet the name of Catholic in Dundalk was synonymous with that of rebel, and the pitch-cap and triangle were exerted with more than ordinary severity there : one instance will be sufficient to demonstrate the disorganization that existed, and the tortures that were inflicted by armed mercenaries on a de- fenceless people. — James Kieran, a Catholic youth of seventeen or eighteen years of age, afterwards one of the most extensive mer- chants in Ireland, had returned from Newry in the month of May, where lie had been to purchase English bills to remit 'his father's London correspondent : after dispatching his letter he was retiring to rest, when his room was entered by an armed soldiery, who dragged him to the guard-house. The Carlow militia, commanded by Colonel Latouche, was passing through the town, and he presided at a court-martial on this young man the following morning, and for the offence of having a candle to light him to bed, he was sentenced to receive three hundred lashes : one hundred and fifty of which were inflicted forthwith. Another attempt was made in 1824 to open the borough, and the excitement that was created, and con- tinued up to 1826, was even greater than on the former occasion. Lord Roden had assumed the power of disposing of the represen- tation of the borough as he thought proper, or of selling it, as he frequently did, to the highest bidder. On the occasion of returning a member in the room of Mr. Hartop, who had suddenly died in 1824, the corporate body was found to have dwindled below a majority. All that could be mustered were five burgesses and two freemen to return Lord Roden's nominee, Sir Robert H. Inglis. Notwithstanding, this defunct body made a return on the writ, which the House of Commons would have pronounced illegal, 286 DUNDALK. had the petition against it been properly followed up. Although this second attempt at opening the borough was not more suc- cessful than the first, yet it had a beneficial effect in practically exposing the corruption that existed in the Irish borough system, and in aiding the efforts that were then making to obtain an exten- sive measure of parliamentary reform. It had also the effect of rousing, not only the people of the borough, who had been so long and so shamefully misrepresented, from their apathy, but also the county, which had been for half a century a close borough in the hands of two aristocratic families, the Fosters and Jocelyns, who neither represented the feelings, opinions, or interests of the people. The general election of 1826 found the county thus circumstanced, and when the assertion of its independence was considered more than problematical, a man whose memory should be ever dear to the people of Louth was induced in this emer- gency to come forward as a candidate for its representation ; and his advocacy, in the most unlimited sense, of the principles of civil and jeligious liberty was his claim to the support of its constituency. This man was Alexander Dawson, a banister by profession, but who had for some time retired into private life, where he devoted himself to literary and philosophical pursuits. A sacred duty to his country now impelled him from these studies, which he loved so well ; and no man could have been better qualified for the task he had undertaken : — open, generous, liberal and sincere, he had been long popular with the people, and was venerated by the poor, whose liberties and interests he invariably protected in his magis- terial capacity. Nothing could resist his eloquent appeals to the national feelings and patriotism of the Louth electors ; — personal considerations were flung to the winds. The devotion of the forty- shilling freeholders, in particular, was above all praise ; and, although he had only nine days to canvass the county, he was triumphantly returned at the head of the poll by a majority of 341 votes : from that moment the independence of the county was secured ; — not so, however, the borough, which required the interference of parliament to reform it, as well as the others, similarly circumstanced, through- out Ireland. By the Act of the 2nd of William IV., c. 88, the ex- clusive electoral power which the corporation had assumed was now DUNDALK. • 287 annulled, merely reserving the votes of the resident burgesses and freemen, who were then very limited, and extending the elective franchise to £10 householders. The number of registered electors under this Act in 1834 was 376; in 1849 they were 426. Under the Act of the 13th & 14th Vic, c. 69, which vested the franchise in rated occupiers of £8 per annum to the poor, the number had de- creased to 267, showing that this qualification, which was intended to extend the borough constituencies, was more stringent than that which preceded it under the statute of William, and had reduced the number from 32,648 to 28,301 — being a decrease of 4,347 in the 33 boroughs. If the rate to the poor is to regulate the franchise at all, £5 would be quite ample in the Irish, and fully equal to £8 in the English, boroughs. In 1853, the number of rated occupiers of £8 in the borough of Dundalk was 290, and 4 burgesses or free- men, the staff remaining of the defunct corporation : total 294. Under the head of Representation of Ireland, it has been shown that the borough comes within the range of the new ministerial scheme of disfranchisement by 5 persons in the population and 6 in the constituency, although it has now 62 rated occupiers more than Dungarvon, 21 more than Tralee, and 68 more than Wexford — boroughs which are to be saved by having constituencies of more than 300, made up of other superficial qualifications. This borough returned members to parliament as early as the year 1374, and up to the time of the Union continued to send two to the Irish, and since then one to the united parliament. The present member is George Bowyer, Esq., son of Sir George Bowyer, Bart., Radley Park, Abingdon, Berks, a barrister, and a Roman Catholic. There being neither lands nor tenements left, as in Drogheda, out of the extensive properties granted by the Crown for the use and benefit of the town, fifteen Commissioners are appointed under the 9th George IV., c. 82, who levy, by an annual tax on the inhabitants, the expense of lighting, paving, and watching the town. By a recent parliamentary return, (No. 678, dated 28th June, 1853,) there were 205 householders eligible to be elected Commissioners, 634 qualified to vote, 735 householders rated at £4, 500 at £8, 396 at £10, 348 at £12, and 269 at £15 : but this must be erro- neous, as the number of houses of every description in the town, returned by the Census Commissioners of 1851, was only 1,679, 288 DUNDALK. whereas, according to this return, they amount to 2,247, being an increase of 568 since 1851, which is by no means probable: the rates levied for 1851 were £641 — £358 of which M as appropriated to lighting, paving, &c, and the remainder to salaries, &c, of municipal officers. The town was well lit with gas until very recently, when, to lessen the local taxation, the Commissioners were obliged to reduce the number of lamps. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — In the reign of Charles II. the linen trade had been extensively established here by Lord Dungannon, who had then a considerable interest in the town, and more recently the cambric and muslin manufacture was introduced, and those extensive buildings which are now occupied as cavalry barracks were built expressly for the weavers employed in that manufacture. It was then called the Parliament Square, from the circumstance of the legislature granting bounties to encourage the trade, but it did not succeed, and it was said that Thomas Gatta- ker, an English gentleman, subsequently surveyor of the port, had sunk a considerable sum in the business there, and at the Scotch Green, a short distance from the town, where he had established a bleach green and other works. The linen trade was, no doubt, carried on to some extent, from the circumstance of a Linen Hall being built, which still stands in Bridge Street. There were also, until within a recent period, several extensive bleach greens at Ravensdale. Sugar-baking was carried on to some extent here about the year 1784. A large sugar-house, lately in the pos- session of Mr. James Knowlcs, and converted by him into corn stores, was worked for many years by the late Mr. Zachariah Maxwell. Salt works were long established in the town, and also at Castletown, by a family of the name of Byrne ; but these, with their dwelling-house, after plundering it, was burned down, in 1798, by the Dundalk yeomanry. For the last half century there has been an extensive distillery in the town, which, in the hands of the late Messrs. Malcolm, Browne, & Co., produced that firm considerable profits : it is now worked by Mr. Robert Haig, and the whiskey distilled by him is highly and deservedly esteemed. The Messrs. Russells have also a rectifying distillery, which did DUXDALK. 289 considerable business during the prevalence of the total abstinence system inculcated by Father Mathew. Mr. P. Wynne's brewery- is now the only one in operation, and he turns out about 300 barrels of porter and ale weekly. Mr. M'Alester, however, is pre- paring the Cambrickvilie brewery, which he expects to be working in the month of September. One of the most important concerns in the town is Mr. James Shekleton's foundry and engineering establishment, which affords constant employment to one hundred operative mechanics and labourers ; the former are paid from 25s. to 40s., and the latter from 7s. to 12s. a week. He constructs boilers, mill machinery, and castings of all descriptions, and his operations are of great benefit to the town. There had been, until very recently, two extensive tobacco manufactories, which contri- buted materially to increase the customs' duties of the port. The death of Mr. James Carroll, who was the most extensive manufac- turer in the north of Ireland, has been the principal cause of the decrease in them for the last two years of from £12,00C to £13,000. X : : withstanding that, his relative. Mr. Patrick Carroll, is doing an increased business, and employs from forty to fifty men and boys. The other manufactories are four tan yards — the most extensive are Messrs. T. Coleman's and T. Marmion's ; two salt works; three malt houses ; two steam corn and flour mills ; the largest windmill in Ireland, but now in a dilapidated state : one starch and three soap manufactories ; two rope walks ; and one pin factory. There has been also a flax-spinning mill on a small scale, which has been discontinued for the last year. And here surprise may be well expressed that Dundalk, with all its advantages for manufacturing purposes, has not been able to sustain this solitary attempt at introducing flax spinning into the town. After much delay, the embroidering light cottons and muslins now employs upwards of two thousand females in the Dundalk district. Independent of the corn and flour mills in the town, there are others in the neighbour- hood, at Chanonrock, Waterlodge, Scotchgreen, and particularly the Philipstown Mills, erected by the late Mr. James Kieran, which cost upwards of £30,000, and are not now producing more than one-half per cent, on the investment. There are two spade and shovel manufactories in the neighbourhood ; and Sir John u 290 DUXDALK. MacNeile's flax scutching mills at Mount Pleasant, about two miles from Dundalk, were well calculated to afford accommodation to the Louth flax growers ; they have been, however, recently de- stroyed by fire. It is to be hoped the premises were insured, that they will be speedily rebuilt, and operations again resumed. Forty years ago Dundalk had comparatively an extensive foreign trade to what it has at present. It imported hemp, flax, and tallow from St. Petersburg and Riga ; timber from Memel and Dantzic ; bar iron (in considerable quantity) and deals from Stock- holm and Gottenburg ; deals from Drontheim ; bark, flax, flaxseed and cloverseed from Rotterdam ; barilla, wine, and cane reeds from Alicant ; wine from Oporto ; timber and deals from British Ame- rica. From 1802 to 1824 Mr. James Kieran was the principal merchant engaged in this foreign trade. About the year 1808 his brother, Mr. William Kieran, commenced curing beef and pork, and during the three succeeding years the greater part of the govern- ment contract for supplying the navy with provisions, which was then very large, was made up in this port. The trade was subse- quently carried on less extensively by Messrs. William James Hogg, Martins and Fitzpatrick, Anthony Marmion, John Chambers &. Co., John Robinson. &c. Dundalk, as well as Drogheda, for the four years previous to 1854, has had numerous cargoes of wheat and Indian corn from the Black Sea. The returns of the Railway Commissioners in 1835 make the exports, which consisted of flour, meal, malt, butter, beef, pork, cattle, sheep, pigs, linen, flax, eggs, and poultry, amount to £452,813. The imports were coal, bark, soap, oil, tallow, hemp, rock salt, tea, sugar, and iron, from Biitish ports, and timber, tallow, wine and bark, &c, from foreign ports : valued at £107,053. The number of persons employed in collect- ing the Customs' revenue of this port in 1849 was 17, and their united salaries amounted to £773 7s. Formerly the excise for the district was collected here, but the office for some years has been removed to Drogheda. The postage collected in Dundalk for the years ending 5th January, 1851, was £1,068; in 1852, £9G8 ; and in 1853, £1,052 : and the amount of stamps distributed for the county Louth, was, in 1851, £1,857 ; in 1852, £1,831; and in 1853, £1,949. The following tables will exhibit the trade of the port for the ten years ending 5th January, 1850 : — ^> si r^ • r O ^ CO ^ CJ s "*° s2 t5s s3s S .8 •HO .CO ^ 5s r< 5s S Q e S s> < I I 8 P c | Is I So ►22 t S «a *> > 00 SP^ ^ ^ r- so cS S^ Os ~ • •8^ •» s * « >° Cr, 8 "2 52 8 8 ^ *S • >§ sss | 1 S •pajoaiioo sat^iiQ pH tJ( ic N C5 CS CO CO CO CO N (N (M «N CM 121826 CO CS Tf< CO r—i io cm cs cs c-q i ^- co co co CCJOOt?H CO -^f 201190 121826 323016 79364 Incr. o bo o S Si £•» p. CO CO CO O M CS F-H r-l O CS CO M O CN N CO tJ< co 216633 1 *0 O 1 GO 1 O O — i C: —i ^(NOHCO r-t r-l CO CO CO O >-0 CO N O 315542 216633 532175 98909 Incr. Clearing Outwards. eg O Vess. cm cm co os -i? H^ H^ CM CO t^I 1981 GO I ^- CO GO CO O CS r- -^JH CO CM CO 1817 1981 3798 164 Deer. British and Coasting Trade. V fc/5 c H CO H/i GO 00 CO O O H M O 1>C5 ^ C co i— i cs cm co Tt< TJ1 CM TJ4 CO 213706 CO T^H -Tjl CO CM CS CO —1 CO CO i—i CS CO CO r-l O CO io co r-~ co 304556 213706 518262 90850 Incr. Vess. CM H^ I ^" CO H CM CM 0O CS rfi CM W t)< 1969 "^f CO CO CO r—i co cs co o ^ ^*i CM CM CO 1765 1969 CO ts co 204 Deer. Foreign Trade. Total. Tnge. CM CM CO CM CN^CSCO r-l IO ts 2927 CS r-H CO CO -rf 00 •— 1 CO O o co co co cs CO CM r—i CM 10986 2927 13913 8059 Vess. CO 1 «* CO -rj< "<4< CO T-i 00 Tt< CM CM British. Tnge. H/i CM CO OO CM CO CO CS CO -H rt< CM o os co t^. I co -H O CS O CO CM CO CM CM i— i \ r-l OS o cs X) ts co co co > CM rH i-l rH CO CO -HtsO CO ■»H GO CO CM CO CM Entering Inwards. Total Inwauds. Tnge. CS CO »o N 'C CN CN lO CM CO CO O CO MS O i-C-N 310451 CS cs cs i-^ CO CM O GO CO 00 CN CM CO 00 00 -^i CO OO r-- oo cs co 425167 310451 735618 114716 Vess. >o - * OO ^ CM r-l ,— IQ tsCDl>CC tD 3352 co co co oo -m Ol —< CO Tj< co CO CO 3481 3352 6833 cs CM British and Coasting Trade. V be H CM -!J( rp |-. CO CO r-H CO 00 CS ts* CM CO CO CS «* 0 CO 299631 C CM Tfi is i—l CO CO CO is CO Is CM CM Is cc oi o o s* ts Is GO CS 0O 401867 299631 701498 102236 Vess. 00 — i CO 0C O CM r—i O O —P NCDN<00 3290 N H G5 t? CO CS CS O CM CO CO CO CO ts CO 3354 3290 CO CO CO Foreign Trade. Total. fcc a M X -f CO CO CO 00 00 O CO i-i CM r— i CM i— t CM 10820 CO OS Js CO CO r-l -+i CM CM CO O CO O O CO CO CO CO 00 23300 10820 34120 12480 Vess. O -H O CM CO OQ ts Js r-l CM CM CM CM CM ts CM CM CO OS 00 CO CO Foreign. cj be H i— < CO rt< •— 1 CO CO CS CM CO o t co eo «5 2802 r-l CM CO CS o *o CO OS O CO r- CO CO 7207 2802 60001 «5 o DO > r ~ cc n cm >c OS t^ 00 OS CM OS . i* r-l 3 CO CM British. j Tnge. CO CO CO »-f '-"3 8018 ^ CO CO i—l o CM tt* I - CO CS OS r— i 0C i— 1 OS CO -rf i—l CO CM 16093 8018 24111 8075 i '& O ts OS CO OS > 1 CO i—l OS CO IO ts CM r— 1 1— 1 r— 1 r— 1 CO CO co 00 CM CM Suipiia s.iua ^ w CM M tH If? O N x r. C «S>^ O t" 0OCO00 00 0O CCCCCCCCCO Sc«)©So 53 .2 7 ps >o 53 DCskj 5 = s --3 a a B 43 t> H co . „ CO ^-j r J5 S a°." ? ac ® « £2 -still r-i a s>* n^s *f &J. ^ c -g i£^5 SltS l.a - tx^s^^i - 1 cc — C — co OJ 2 CO . cSs;|f.r3^~il 83 r ? o b cc j? o _ -^*-_.C0_-i-;o5ce CS -till If 1515 ^ Is u 2 292 DUNDALK. The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwakds. Keg-is- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851 .. 1,401 1,151 75,604 ..509 .. 55,873 .. 2,964 38,956 1852.. 3,454 2,428 77,290 .. 603 1,025 55,132 2,859 38,846 1853.. 5,055 1,170 77,485 ..1,441 624 61,244 .. 2,715 28,807 1854 . . 4,065 1,164 89,059 . . 179 98 69,287 . . 2,480 26,297 The Foreign trade of this port for the year ending 5th January 1851, was 3,061 tons, and British and Coasting 131,477 tons. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 7,510 tons, and the British and Coast- ing 132,422 tons : leaving an increase on the former of 4,449 tons, and on the latter of 945 tons. In 1853 the Foreign trade was 8290 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 138,729 tons : being an increase on the previous year of 780 tons on the Foreign, and 6,307 tons on the British and Coasting trade. In 1854 the Fo- reign trade was 5,506 tons, and the British and Coasting 158,346 tons : being a decrease on the former of 2,784 tons, and increase on the latter of 19,617 tons. The registered shipping, which con- sisted of 28 vessels and 2,964 tons in 1851, declined in 1854 to 26 vessels of 2,480 tons — being a decrease of 2 vessels and 484 tons : and the Customs' revenue, as compared with 1851, shows a de- crease of £12,659. In the registered shipping is included two very superior steam vessels, the " Pride of Erin," and the "Dundalk they are owned by the Dundalk Steam Packet Company : their net tonnage is 844 tons, and including their engine rooms, amounts to 1,364 tons. They cost about £25,000 each, and have paid on an average 20 per cent, per annum, and are employed in the Liver- pool trade. Messrs. Napiers of Glasgow are now building another and a much larger steamer than either of these, which will be ready in May, to meet the anticipated increase of trade when the line of railway from Dundalk to Enniskillen is completed. The pro- prietors, however, have the interests of the port to consult, as well as their own, and the accommodation and convenience of the shippers should have their marked attention, as they have a well- I DUNDALK. 293 regulated competition in the Drogheda Company to contend against, which has not only already interfered with the cattle shipping trade of Dundalk, but with that of Dublin also. The Harbour Improvements. — The harbour of Dundalk possessed so many natural advantages, that with a moderate outlay it could have been made a place of considerable nautical importance, but until very lately it has been grossly neglected. Under the pretence of improving it, public money was certainly obtained, but it has been appropriated to private or individual purposes, as almost all the parliamentary grants of the last century have been. In 1767, the Irish parliament voted, for the improvement of this harbour, £2,000, and £400 a year, which was paid for eight years, and amounted to £5,200 ; this money was entrusted to Lord Limerick, who had possessed himself of the Dundalk property in right of the small portion vested in Lady Anne Hamilton, and about the year 1747 appears to have first exercised a right over the corporate pro- perty by removing the remains of twenty old castles in the town, and replacing them by modern structures. It was about this period that the act of spoliation alluded to must have taken place, and the grant subsequently obtained, instead of being laid out on quays, or in deepening the channel, was expended in constructing a ram- part extending from Soldier's Point towards the black rock, which effectually secured the south marsh, one of the properties so acquired from the encroachments of the sea. The harbour, up to 1837, was left to the operations of nature, and it is only surprising that, without the aid of man, it afforded so much accommodation. In that year an Act was passed, 3rd & 4th Vic, c. 119, for "regu- lating, preserving, and improving the port and harbour of Dundalk/' Commissioners were appointed under it, with power to raise money on the security of the revenues of the port, to be expended on deepening the river, and otherwise improving the harbour. A dredging machine of 17-horse power was purchased, and ponts constructed, which cost a large sum ; and a contract was entered into with a Mr. MacCormack, to effect the improvements under a plan laid down by Sir John MacNeile, which changed the course of the river from the south to the north channel by means of a solid 294 DUNDALK. embankment, which runs from Soldier's Point to the steam packet quay, being a distance of more than a mile, and which cost £10,000. Previous to the purchase of the "James Watt" steam tug, this embankment was used for towing vessels to and from the quays. It is also a splendid walk in fine weather when the tide is in. But still it is more than probable, that the whole of the large sum expended on its construction has been thrown away, and that the south channel should have been preserved and deepened, not- withstanding its circuitous course at the bight of the point. That, however, could have been obviated by cutting a canal through the narrow neck of land which separated it from the deepest part of the river, on the east side of the point, and which would have made the south channel a straight line from thence to the quays. The whole of the land on the north side could then be reclaimed at a trifling expense, and would have been a most valuable property in the hands of the Harbour Commissioners, sufficient, in fact, to pay the expense of the proposed cut. The present channel, from the Soldier's Point to the bar, has been improved by the removal of several weirs, and it has been deepened considerably by the ope- rations of the dredging machine — at low water there is not more than two or three feet of water on the bar, but there is a rise of from twenty to twenty-five feet at high water, and vessels drawing sixteen feet can come up to the quays. The whole of the channel is well defined with buoys and perches, and it and the bar are capable of being deepened still more. Just within the bar, on the south side, a light-house, forty-five feet high, has been recently erected on the screw pile principle, which will be most useful in marking the en- trance to the harbour. The Steam Packet Company have built a fine warehouse, and otherwise improved their quay ; and Mr. P. Russell, who has taken the old custom-house quay, has extended it to Martin's quay, and filled up an extensive mud bank, which had a most objectionable appearance at low water. There is now a fine line of wharfage, and the distance from the lower part of the town to the harbour has been considerably shortened by Mr. Russell's improvements. The Harbour Commissioners have raised on their debentures £20,150, which has been all expended on its improve- ment. 01 this sum £9,500 lias been advanced by the Belfast •2 r JD Banking Company, £4,000 by the Earl of Roden, £2.000 by Mr. E. J. Smith, and the remainder by sundry persons. This con- stituted in 1853 the entire funded debt of the port, on which the Commissioners pay 5 per cent, per annum, with the exception of £1.000 from the Belfast Banking Company, which has been ob- tained at 4 per cent. There is some portion of the cost of the "James Watt" steam tug also due, but which will be paid off in the course of this year. This is a fine boat for the purpose, and, including her engine-rooms, measures 103 tons. The revenue of the port is derived from a tonnage duty of 6d. per ton on sailing Tessels, and 3d. on steamers, dues on goods inwards and outwards, pilotage, ballast, towage and lighterage. The following are the receipts of the harbour revenue, and the expenditure thereof, at intervals of four years from 1S40 to 1853 : — Receipts. Expenditure. Years Gnn Portion de- Cost of Interest Casual Expen- euj-ru PpTpnnp lived from Pen:. z.i-: on ses and general 15 Oct. " Tonnage. Establi sh ment. Debt. Improvements. £ s. o >o -f CO c ^ x n CM O »b •0 I CM I— ib~os 1 oxocoh I h - 13 C) C5 CM OI f-H CM co to CM OS CM 10 10 CO CI CM »o •o .«? "a* *S s § § ■2 • nioacoo N « M M (N CO — Ol CO I- O OI CM — 1 O O CM CM CM CM CO co >o CO CO cs CM cc CM ►J «d H 03 a Pi CO CO *o CO CO NWNXO CO 1.0 iH KJ f- O o >o CO CO CO f-H c; = O H >> 0) co 'O co 1— CO ^ (M CO O — ' <-< 01 CN lO CO >o cs ■O CM 01 1- lO C l>" cc TjH cs 10 CM OS .. II £l2 IB Q < bo c an S • IJi a bn H C: C XN(N CO o i.O CO >o m n C i - CO CO X— t~- 1 ~ CO I— CO CO 1 - co to to 10 I ^ O a f-H 73 r—i a i 09 O > CO — r— 1 O) — 1 CN ~f O O co C ^ -h M Cl cc CM t^. X O CO »* co co cs — 1 Hl'NHllON CO cs CO X CM *o Ol OS to OS to Q t- &s CO S H 13 O a "3 V fco c H ~* — " CO O CO C5 1~- Ci CO CO CO CO CO 1^ CM to CO CI Ol CO "* CO CM >C CC CO CO CO CO CO O CM >C N C C X CO f-H 'H CM CO CO «o J— co cc co r, CI t ci a *E ^ ?° r* 6c v. w H oj > c. >o l ^ w ^ ■«*< xbX cm cn X CO cs >o CO cs l-H f-H CO CI f-H -HH cs CO :c co co 1.0 5 a CO 153 H d to c bn r O ■S be B H O >0 M CO >.o CO -co •— 1 • CN 10 CM 'O O CO to 0. >o CO • C ^1 X cs 10 »o CM >o cs OS CS tn to ci s "3 ■ CO CO H . f-H CI CO cs to " CI - 10 _ o7^ CI > Entering Inicara nbcr and Tonnagi K and contrasting c H T CO f O CO i< O M C5 « co 'O^ co a co CfAO a « N O OS »# CO 1- CM 'O CC 00 CS O CJ »C CO CI CI CO — CI IC CS CS CO CM OS co cs CO OS CO . ■Q = §3 tO O 'f w to CO !N C-) CO i-H CO CO CI cs -H f-1 CO CM f-H "X* CO CI cc CI O < ^* bn c H tO C5 CN rl 1^- 00 «^ 1 CO O CN CO CO CO CO O r-> o ci Oi CO C5 CM »o I- CS CO CS cc O CO t— CM r- f-. — < 10 t-~ CO »* f-H 10 30 co co f— c f-H CO CI co CO to CS cc cs CI ua 'Q CO co CO oi CO rt O "r- to - cs co »g «o co O CN C^ CO to -f ut ~p >o O O C (M tO N CC CO CS TH t« to cc to f-H -h< cs cs CO to cs to co h Q "** *" S3 U rt u bn a oj bn C >C ~ c 1 X irt -*f •— 1 »o C5 CO H< 10 — ^ O CO OJ C5 i-H CO 06 •* CS -H* — CI f-H Ci ' ** t^" 1 1- CS f-H O CS N M f - f-H Ol CS CS -H l>. cs cs co CO to CO to CI QO u CO « 10 E 10 5 c ft < pq at rt O U CO > CM »0 CO O CM <0 C5 CM CO 1? cc ■* -co CM CO C 'C h O CI tO'CC-- CO CS CM co co ■ 00 ■ CI >5 to 1 Q z O g OJ to c H >C O O CO CM CO CO CO -f 'O to 1- — 1 ih r>\ as co ,_!_,_( ~o CM CO 1- »o "00 K5IMNN cs cc 10 CS --H CO Hf t — 1OON1HN "ds" to d to CI CO up " cs - to CI CI "OS OJ u O u Si G "5j H fc H cc VI t» 00 ^ >C CO CO to CO CO >o CO -f CO <0 «0 to IO *# CO CO CM CO Ol >o co OS cs to eo Z « |ll i 53 ^ < ai W 6 rz cS H 5) ■53 u O ~7 e "8 ■1 bn a> co ih co cc — -f — •-H CM rtH CO »o IC »C OS CO CM -f — CO f- t> IQ CO tO CO CM fH fH 1- fH CO 'O CI X— to 10 'f> CO *>. , to « ccovnl of the from the Briti. therein for the ^4) t-H -rf «5 CO CO 1—1 to r-H CO OS C5 Tfl f-H r-H CO to CI CI O c co '- 1 "35 bo r- >o — * co — 1 CO CO 'O 'O C5 C O 'O as — 1 30 — ■ CO CO co co -<#< 10 CO CO CO 1— CO CO x to to hi CO CS O CS t-r »o to w» co "0 CO U9 CO I- CO 00 . tQ d gg 1 CO CN f^- CO N 'O C>C 'O >c CO CO 10 tO to CM -ff CO -t" CM CI CM »o co 1^ 1^ CO J CO — »1 « f -t< -t" -f f -* 1 cc ao 00 co oc to N x -r -f -i" •hh »o ao a 00 cc co oc a iO r m -0 or> r 53 x 01- a - 1 £ □ o • cr-r ,0 CS hj I = C; CJ5 to g § ;r — = . i 'CM S 5 t 05, 5 5 0*3 » f J « 1 o . C •- d r g = § □ ss i-h 3 f° 3 '- ■ S.JI a c- .-8 go s = a t* s ■= a 1 l)Ht> CO fjCj ? QJ S 2 3 ■ vc = — - 10 3 is ( 3 5 £ JS H~ rJa - d 2 9 « ^ »- ° -A ~ S £~T. O T x; C i ->h w -1. 1 , — C3 ¥ co of iiffsg.jco" i' - i 8 1 « > to .„ d o o ^ c co F/o-^ 2 Ho ,t . S I M C4 g t»f*g.So»iJ>"-. a % a s ~ ^ '5° = 2 ^. S 3 £ ■ - S « = l r C — s ? — ■ a sitlliii NEWRY. 311 The tonnage entering inwards, and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwabds. Regis- Customs* Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties Years. British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851.. 5,387 2,150 95,677 .. 6,720 854 60,480 .. 9,568 34,356 1852.. 6,599 7,146 110,305 .. 3,639 3,643 70,957 .. 8,256 36,632 1853 .10,542 7,541 91,089 .. 6,587 1,224 61,297 .. 8,508 37,619 1854.. 6,281 6,605 83,673 .. 1,771 4,535 50,057 .. 8,567 35,361 The Foreign trade, therefore, for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 15,111 tons, and the British and Coasting 156,157 tons. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 21,027 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 181,262 tons : being an increase on the former year of 5,916 tons in the Foreign, and 25,105 tons in the British and Coasting trade. In 1853, the Foreign trade was 25,894 tons, and the British and Coasting 152,386 tons: being an increase on the Foreign trade of 4,867 tons, but on the British and Coasting there was a decrease of 28,876 tons. In 1854 the Foreign Irade was 19,192 tons, and the British and Coasting 133,730 tons : leaving a decrease on the former of 6,702 tons, and on the latter of 18,656 tons, being a serious falling off in the Channel trade since 1852. There has been also a decrease in the registered tonnage since 1851 of 28 vessels and 1,001 tons, but an increase in the customs' revenue of £1,005. Notwithstanding the decrease in the registered shipping, it appears that two new iron steamers, one on the screw principle, have been put in the Liverpool trade by Mr. William Dargan, in whose name they are registered 29th April, 1853, and their net tonnage is 670 tons. The old company still continues the Fingal, 203 net tons, registered in G. MacTear's name : there are now trading to the port three steamers of 870 tons, and, includ- ing their engine rooms, must amount to 1,400 tons. With an additional steamer, it does not look well for their profitable em- ployment to witness so serious a decrease in the tonnage of the port since 1852. Nexory Harbour, and its Improvements. — Formerly Newry was only considered a creek of Carlingford harbour, but during the 312 NEWRY. reign of William III. and that of his successor, grants were made to embank the river, and improve that portion of it in con- nexion with the town : it being also found inconvenient to its merchants, who principally used the custom-house of Carlingford to transact their business there, it was removed from thence to Newry in 1 726, from which period that town progressed in trade and Carlingford declined. The imposts then on trade were so moderate, that the first year's collection of the customs' revenue of this port only amounted to £1,069 12s. The whole of Carlingford Lough, however, and more particularly that portion of it at and near "Warrenpoint, may properly be called Newry harbour, where vessels of the largest tonnage can come opposite and ride in perfect safety in six fathoms water. But the river thence to Newry Mas so shallow, and the obstruction of rocks and mud so considerable, that after the canal from Lough Neagh to Newry had been com- pleted in 1741, it was deemed expedient, as already shown under the head of Inland Navigation, to extend it to Fathom. But this cut was defective, as it only admitted vessels of a moderate draft of water ; it has been therefore deepened and extended, and vessels drawing fifteen feet have water to the Albert Basin in Newry, which is five miles from the Lough. The toll exacted from vessels with cargo entering the canal inwards is one shilling per ton, and only one penny per ton outwards : for the year ending 5th April, 1846, they amounted to £4,059 is. Id., and in 1852, exceeded £5,000. Not- withstanding these improvements, and the additional accommoda- tion they afford, Greenorc point, near the bar of Carlingford, where, after it is passed, the water deepens rapidly, until it reaches up- wards of sixty feet, is the spot that nature intended for a spacious dock, and a railway from thence to Newry would have been more serviceable to that town than even its canal. The inhabitants of Newry have been shamefully treated by the proprietors or directors of the Dublin and Belfast Junction Rail- way. Of the possibility of bringing the line much nearer, if not into the town, there cannot be a doubt; but placed as it is, to have no station south of the town, where there are several points which approximate it more closely than Mullaglass, three or four miles further north, and more distant from the town, is an arrangement NEAVRY. 313 that must have proceeded from sheer ignorance or intentional annoyance to its inhabitants. The number of persons employed in collecting the customs' reve- nue here in 1849 was thirty-four, and the cost thereof£2,181 19s. 4d., being twice the number of persons employed at Dundalk, and three times the sum that a much larger amount of revenue was collected for there ; and at Drogheda also, where the tonnage of the port is considerably more than that of Newry, the collection only costs £848 4s. 8d. Ship building was introduced by the late Mr. Francis Carvill, a gentleman of considerable enterprise, who built some splendid vessels here. Newry has produced some men of great mercantile capacity : among those who took the most prominent lead in commercial enterprise, and was most distinguished for his extensive knowledge of mercantile affairs, his sound judgment and superior intelligence, was the late Mr. Denis Caulfleld : born in Newry, he early in life embarked in commercial pursuits, and from, 1790 to 1818, was one of the first merchants in Ireland. The extent of his transactions, his probity, his faithfulness in all his engagements, and the estimation in which he was held by foreign and English houses, tended materially to raise the town of Newry in the scale of commercial importance, and enabled himself to acquire a large property, which his nephews are now in the enjoyment of. In private life he was an instructive and agreeable companion ; hospitable in the most unbounded sense of the word ; his friendships were sincere and lasting, his enmities stern and in- exorable. Possessed of a strong and vigorous mind, a quick com- prehension, a firmness of purpose, and unwearied application to business, had he been a public man, he would have distinguished himself in politics as much as he certainly did in commerce. The Public Buildings are — The Assembly Rooms ; the News Room built in 1794, where formerly the Exchange was held, and which is now well furnished with newspapers and periodicals, and open to strangers even without the introduction of a subscriber; the Custom House, the Union Workhouse, Hospital, and the Infantry Barracks, which afford accommodation to forty-four officers and 1,100 soldiers, and an Hospital for forty patients. They were 314 NJEWKT. originally built for a Linen Hall by a company "who sold their interest in it to the government for £14,000, not more than one- half its cost ; the Court House for the County Down district, and another Court House at Ballybot for that in Armagh ; the Bride- wells for both Counties, the New Savings Bank and Assembly Room on Sugar Island; the Butter Crane, where there is also a Flax Market, and the Corn Exchange. TJie Houses of Iielvjious Worship arc — The Church of St. Patrick, on the most elevated part of High Street Hill, built by Sir Nicholas Bagnal in 1578, said to be the first Protestant church erected in Ireland for the service of that religion, those used previ- ously for the purpose being catholic houses. This was formerly the parish church, but is now a chapel of ease to St. Mary's, which was erected in 1811, under an act of parliament that constituted it the parish church : it is a fine building in the gothic style, its spire is 190 feet high, and it cost £12,566 15s. 4d., exclusive of £2,469 4s. 7d. paid for the site, and the expense of obtaining an act of parliament authorising a tax of four-pence in the pound on houses, and nine-pence on lands for five years, which, with bequests from Mr. William Needham of £3,738, and £1,346 from Sir Trevor Corry, and subscriptions of £1,500 from Lord Kilmorcy and General Needham, made up the required sum. The Catholic Cathedral of St. Patrick, also in Hill Street, is of the same style of architecture ; its front cornices and battlements are composed of chissclcd granite, and the other exterior parts of similar stone hammered, from a design by Mr. T. J. Duff, and bears a strong resemblance to the Dundalk edifice, of which it has probably been the model. There is also the old Catholic Chapel of St. Mary, erected by sub- scription in 1789, and another chapel attached to the Convent of the order of Poor Clares. There are four Presbyterian Churches, a Covenanting Meeting House, a Primitive Wcslcyan, a Wcsleyan, and Ebcnezcr Meeting Houses, and there has been recently erected in Hill Street a very handsome Unitarian House of Worship. The Educational Institutions are — The National Schools both in the town and at Grinane ; the Hibernian Society Schools ; the NEWHY. 315 Catholic School in one of the towers of the Cathedral, where 100 poor children are educated ; the School at the Convent of Poor Clares, where there are 300 girls in daily attendance, and some- times 400, whose education is presided over by the sisters of the order, and about 100 of the poorest of the children receive a sub- stantial breakfast at the Convent every morning ; there is also a Work School for about fifty girls of sixteen years and upwards, who are taught plain and fancy needle-work, and the profits of their industry given to them. There is a School on the Lancaste- rian principle in "Windsor Street ; one in Chapel Street, which, inde- pendent of the grant from the National Board, has the interest of a bequest of £600 from Dr. Lennon, a former catholic bishop of.Dro- more, who deposited this sum in the five per cents, to endow this school ; there are also private schools in the town affording educa- tion to other portions of the juvenile population of both sexes. The lighting, paving and cleansing the town is vested in twenty-one commissioners under the 9th Geo. IV., c. 82, and by the parliamentary return of 1853 the number of persons eligible to be elected to that office was 334, and to vote for same 1,065: of these there are 264 householders rated at £4, 142 at £8, 79 at £10, 122 at £12, and 458 at £15 and upwards. The value of pro- perty rated in 1853 was £25,917, and the rate levied £1,154. The Bank of Ireland, the Provincial Bank of Ireland, and Belfast Banking Company have branches here. The Savings Bank esta- blished in 1821 had 1,280 depositors in November, 1852, whose lodgments amounted to £32,399 lis. 6d., at the rate of £2 18s. 4d. per cent. There are two Constabulary Stations : one for the liathfriland district, county Down, and the other at Ballybot for Armagh. The Union Workhouse is situated on a hill west of the town, and was built to accommodate 1,110 paupers : it was opened 13th December, 1841. The Union contains an area of 137,875 acres, and a population of 84,576 persons in 23 electoral divisions, represented by 31 elected and 10 ex-ojjicio guardians, who meet on Saturdays : the property, valued under 6th & 7th William IV., c. 84, amounted to £127,752 ; and the expenditure for the year ending 29th September, 1852, £2,775 16s. 2d; and the rate in aid 316 NEWRY. contributed same year £646 lis. lOd. Extensive Water Works have been recently erected, which contribute much to the conveni- ence and comfort of the inhabitants. Leaving Newry by the ship canal, thcLough of Carlingford is again entered near Omeath ; and, coasting along the northern shore, Warrenpoint, situated where the river Clanrye mingles its waters with those of the Bay, Rostrevor, with its enchanting scenery, the pretty village of Kilowen, and Greencastle, where the ruins of its ancient castle still seem to frown over the entrance to the Lough, are passed successively. The Bar is now recrossed, and after entering the Irish Sea, the first object that presents itself is the small town of Kilkeel, situated on the open shore, a short distance from the sea; proceeding still north, the Mourne mountains, with Slieve Donard towering in majestic grandeur over the group, present themselves to view. Newcastle, a modern watering-place, having some export trade, and Dundrum Castle, of great antiquity, with its dangerous bay — where the Great Britain steamer, whose timbers must have been as strong as iron, lay em- bedded for two winters, and, contrary to all expectation, was at length got off — are also passed, as well as Killough, a small seaport, with a good pier, a ship-building place, and having some export and import trade in grain, timber, and coal. About two miles fur- ther north is Ardglass, which at one time ranked in trade only second to Carrickfergus of all the Ulster ports ; it subsequently dwindled into insignificance, but has again, in some degree, revived: it now exports cattle, corn, linen, flax, and butter. It is one of the ports considered by nautical men as adapted for the much-required harbour of refuge in the Irish Sea ; and if free ingress and egress at all times of tide, and great depth of water, there being eighteen feet at low water within the harbour, are the necessary requisites, it certainly possesses these advantages ; but there are other consi- derations, the most important of which is, that the harbour should be in a central position between Belfast Lough and Kingstown, which excludes it altogether, it being too far north, as Skerries is too much to the south, for the purpose. Circumstanced as it is at present, Ardglass is a safe harbour of refuge for that part of the STRANGFORD. 317 coast : there is a good pier and a light-house at its head, both erected chiefly at the expense of the late propritor, Mr. Ogilvie, It is also the most extensive fishing station on the coast, employ- ing nearly 4,000 tons of shipping, and 2,500 men and boys. Strangford Lough is next entered, and the port of that name, although included up to 1850 in the official return with Newry, is a separate maritime port, having a custom-house and exclusive revenue establishment, where not only its own business is trans- acted, but that of Downpatrick, Killough, Ardglass, and other neighbouring places. STRANGFORD is most eligibly situated on the S. W. part of the Lough, near its entrance. It is 80 miles N. E. of Dublin, and 6 of Downpatrick. It consisted, in 1841, of 119 houses, and 583 in- habitants ; in 1851 there were 130 houses, and 571 inhabitants; increase 11 houses, and a decrease of 12 persons. It is a small, handsome town, and is said to have derived its present name from the strong ford or current in the Channel to the Lough which separates it from Portaferry. This current is caused by the tide, which runs so strong in and out of the Lough, that vessels have been carried with it against the influence of wind and sails. John de Courcy early took possession of this town, and studded it round with no less than twenty-seven castles, four of which are still extant — Kilclief, Portaferry, Audley, and Walshestown Castles. Its exports consist of oats, meal, flour, kelp, linen, butter, cows, pigs, and horses ; the imports are coals, iron, timber, bark, &c. In 1835 the former amounted to £79,633 6s. 4d., and the latter to £20,498 8s. The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, are as follows : — Inwards. Outwards. Regis- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreig n Trade. Brit, and tered duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ s. d. 1851 . . 318 20,519 . . 408 9,400 . . 1,754 29 8 5 1852 . 475 24,139 . . 318 9,968 . . 2,505 141 1853 . . 466 21,837 . . 331 8,678 . . 2,562 52 1854 . . 330 22,944 . . 330 6,762 . . 3,459 39 2 6 318 STItAN GFO IIP. The Foreign trade of this port for the last four years consisted only of one or two vessels annually entering inwards and clearing out- wards ; last year there was only one. The British and Coasting trade for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 29,919 tons. In 1852 it was 34,107, being an increase on the former year of 4,188 tons. In 1853 it again declined to 30,515 tons, being a decrease of 3,592 tons on the tonnage of 1852. In 1854 it still further declined to 29,706, being a decrease of 809 tons, which arose from the limited tonnage outwards. In the registered shipping it is gratifying to find so great an increase in so small a port. In 1851 there were only 37 vessels of 1,754 tons belonging to the port; in 1854 they had increased to 53 and 3,459 tons, being an increase of 16 vessels of a larger size, and the tonnage nearly doubled in four years. The customs' duties also increased £9 14s. Id. compared with 1851, but in 1852 they were £141. The number of persons employed in collecting the customs in 1849 was eleven, and the cost thereof £527 12s. 6d. There is a small quay, which is principally frequented by fishing vessels and boats, that convey passengers across the sound to Portafcrry, which lies on the opposite side. The houses of religious worship are — the Protestant Chapel of Ease to Ballyculter Church, a Catholic Chapel, and a Methodist Meeting-House. There is also a School, at which two hundred children are educated. It is a police station ; and there are fairs held on the 12th August and 8th November. The Lough of Strangford, formerly called Lough Coyne, is seventeen miles in length from Killard Point to Newtown-Ardes, and in some places five miles in breadth. It contains four or five islands ; some of them upwards of one hundred acres in extent, and in general arc well cultivated. Some of the land in the country of the Ardes cannot be excelled in Ireland. Once entered, this harbour is deep and safe, but owing to the great rapidity of the tide, and the rocks near its entrance, it is not safe for vessels to attempt without a pilot. There are two passages to it, divided by a reef half a mile long, called Rock Angus, on the south side of which there is fifteen feet of water, and is the only channel navigable for merchant vessels. Proceeding northwards from the Lough, Portafcrry, Bally- LOUGH OF BELFAST. 319 halbert, and Ballywalter, are passed in succession, and the ancient town of Donaghadee, so long the northern packet station for the mails between Great Britain and Ireland, via Portpatrick, on the Scottish shore, and where it is now intended to re-establish the communication by means of the submarine telegraph. About two miles from this harbour, and in the approach to Belfast Lough, near the south entrance, are the Copeland Islands : they are three in number, and are distinguished as the Copeland, Light-house or Cross Island, and Mew Island. About half way between Cope- land, the largest of these, and the main land, is the Deputy rock, on which there is a buoy, and at the west end is the Katikern rock, which always shows above water. There is safe anchorage here, and in Chapel Bay, south of it, in two to three fathoms water, in all winds but the south-east. This is a dangerous locality, however, and in the approach to this magnificent harbour vessels not only trading with Belfast, but those bound to or coming from northern latitudes, trading with Liverpool and other English and Irish ports south of Belfast, must pass it, and it is the narrowest and most intricate part of the sea. The Deputy rock is particularly danger- ous, and should be removed, cost what it may. The Belfast Harbour Commissioners are of opinion that, after the expenditure of nearly half a million in improving that harbour without receiving a shilling of public money by way of loan or grant, that now, when the light dues are consolidated under the control of the Board of Trade, and that there is a large surplus in favour of Ireland, £20,000 of which has been collected in the port of Belfast, it is only just and reasonable that a portion of it should be appropriated to the removal of this rock, and the improvement of Donaghadee sound. On the occasion of the Merchants' Shipping Bill being before the Legislature, Messrs. Davison and Cairns, members for Belfast, were instrumental in obtaining a modification thereof, by the extension of power to the Board of Trade, to remove impedi- ments to navigation, which should now be exercised in improving this part of the Irish channel, which would not only be serviceable to the general trade thereof, but render Belfast Lough an important harbour of refuge, and, in this point of view, the outlay must be considered more of a national than a local benefit. Light-house 320 LOUGH OF BELFAST. Island is about a mile from this, and comprises an area of twenty- four acres : the light-house, from which it takes its name, is a square tower 70 feet high, which displays a light to the south-east, to guide vessels from the North and South Rocks, about three leagues distant, and to the north-west, to guard them from the Maiden Rocks. The Light-house is situated in lat. 54° 51' 15" N., and long. 5° 31' W. The lights are plainly seen at Portpatrick, and even at the Mull of Galoway, ten leagues distant. Mew Island is only a quarter of a furlong from Light-house Island, and comprises about ten acres ; it lies very low, and is extremely dangerous. In the sound between it and Copeland Island there is a flat rock called the Pladdens, on which there is only three feet of water ; and the tide runs through it with great velocity, particularly near Mew Island. Some years ago the Ballast Board erected a fog bell on Light-house Island, to warn vessels of their approach to the Cope- lands ; but the site selected is not considered the most eligible for the purpose, and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, who should be the best judges of the matter, are of opinion that it should be placed on Mew Island, where the principal danger lies. Belfast Lough now presents itself, and is a noble arm of the sea, forming a safe and commodious harbour, well sheltered, and easy of access. Its entrance is about six miles across from a point between Grooms- port and Ballyholm Bay on the county Down side and Whitehead on the Antrim coast, where there is from 50 to 70 feet of water, the average rise of spring tides being 10 feet 10 inches. In the Lough there is good anchorage ground composed of stiff blue clay in from 2 to 10 fathoms water; the width of the river is about GOO yards at low water, and the distance from the entrance to the town twelve miles. Two objects extremely interesting are situated on the margin of the Lough near the entrance : Carrickfergus on the Antrim, and Bangor on the Down side. Cariuckfergus is a fortress of very ancient date, and holds a conspicuous place in the page of Irish history. It was early in the seventeenth century the most important place of trade in Ulster, and Belfast the most insignificant. Its commerce, however, lias now merged into that of Belfast. The town derives its name from CARRICKFERGUS. 321 Currig, a rock, and Fergus, an Irish king, who was iost in a storm off the coast three or four centuries anterior to' our era. The Castle is said to have been erected by the Anglo-Xorman chieftain John de Courcy, in the twelfth century. In 1315, Edward Bruce, who had previously landed at Larne with a Scotch force of 6,000 men, laid siege to this fortress, which was bravely defended by Thomas, Lord Mandeville, who, in a sortie, lost his life. Soon after the garrison agreed to deliver up the place on an appointed day, and thirty Scots having advanced before the main division into the town, the besieged, instead of surrendering, drew up the bridge and made them prisoners, declaring their intention of defending the place to the last extremity. On the arrival, however, of the celebrated Robert Bruce, with large reinforcements, some time after, the garri- son surrendered to the Brother Kings. In the reign of Elizabeth it was an important stronghold in the English interest. In 1641 it was alternately in the hands of the English, Irish, and Scotch, and there are some frightful records of that period, too voluminous for insertion in this work. In 1689 William III. landed here, with a large force, preparatory to the battle of the Boyne. Commodore Thurot, the descendant of an Irishman of the name of Farrell, one of the officers in the army of James II., who, after the siege of Limerick, entered the French service, arrived off Carrickfergus in 1760, with three frigates, and seven or eight hundred men; the attack being quite unexpected, and the castle indifferently garri- soned, after an ineffectual resistance it surrendered. Thurot only held the place for a few days, having re-embarked his troops ; and his squadron was subsequently captured off the Isle of Man, and himself killed during the action. The last scene connected with this fort was the action and capture of the Drake sloop of war in the roads by Paul Jones, in the American ship Ranger, 24th April, 1778. Some interesting remains of the ancient fortifications still exist, and the north gate is almost perfect. The present structure rises gradually to an elevation of thirty feet towards the sea, mounts twenty-five pieces of cannon, and is the most extensive depot for small arms in the north of Ireland : these are kept in a square tower in the upper yard ninety feet high. The mansion of the Marquis of Donegall was formerly a Franciscan Abbey, founded Y » 322 BANGOR. a.d. 1232 by Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, and granted to Sir A. Chichester by James I. Carrickfergus was one of the few Irish Boroughs whose right to send a representative to the united parlia- ment was recognised by the Act of Union — by the last parlia- mentary return it had a constituency of 1,195, of whom 806 were freemen. Bangor (county Down). — Its name is derived from Banehor or Bane Ckoraidh " the White Choir," and was originally called " the Vale of Angels," as well as " the City of the Saints." It was founded by St. Congall, a.d. 555, who established here an Abbey of regular Canons, whose fame for learning spread throughout Europe, and its School, over which St. Carthagus presided, became so celebrated, that students from all parts of the world resorted to it. When Alfred, the most renowned of all the Anglo-Saxon Kings, founded the University of Oxford, he procured the principal professors from this great seminary. Alfred, in his adversity, visited Ireland, and no doubt at this University, or that of Lismorc, acquired those sound philosophical lessons which fitted him so admirably for governing, and to the introduction of whose laws and institutions England is so much indebted even to the present day. St. Columba and the arch-heresiarch Pelagius, were also educated here. The Danes despoiled and pillaged this place several times, and on one occasion, a.d. 823, massacred the Venerable Abbot and about 900 of the monks, the community then consisting of 3,000. The town is seated on a cove of Belfast Lough, and is a favourite retreat in summer, owing to its contiguity to Belfast, its pure atmosphere, strong clear sea water, and excellent bathing ground. Its trade is limited, but its cotton manufacture is considerable, there being two extensive cotton mills in full operation, and numbers of females, both here and in the neighbourhood, are employed in flowering and embroidering muslin for the Belfast and Glasgow houses, BELFAST. Belfast is a handsome modern built seaport town, situated in the N. E. part of the island, on the river Lagan, which has its source in Sliabh Croob Mountain, in the centre of the county Down, and, taking an extensive circuit by Dromore, divides the counties of Down and Antrim in its course from the neighbourhood of Moira, to Belfast, where it discharges itself into the Lough. It is 102 statute miles north of Dublin, but by railway, vid Portadown, it is 113. It lies in lat. 54° 36' 8", long. 5° 55' 53", and from its present commercial and manufacturing importance, may be well styled the capital of Ulster. It comprises an area of 1,872 acres, of which 1,296 are in Antrim, and 576 in Down; the latter being the suburb of Ballymacarret, which was formerly united to the town by along narrow bridge of twenty-one arches, erected in 1682, but which has been recently replaced by a splendid new bridge of five arches, each 58 feet span and 9 feet 5 inches above high water : it is composed of granite, and called the Queen's bridge. There are also two other bridges, and two boat ferries over the Lagan. There is no town in Ireland, or indeed in the United Kingdom, that has risen so rapidly from comparative insignificance to vast importance as Belfast. In 1757 it contained only 1,779 houses, principally thatched with straw, and 8,549 inhabitants. In 1782 the houses were 2,026, and the population 13,105. In 1791 it was 18,320. In 1816 the houses were 5.578, and the inhabitants 30,720. In 1821 the population was 37,117. In 1831 it was 48,224. In 1834 it was 60,813: composed of 23,576 Presbyterians, 19,712 Catholics, 16,388 Protestants, and 1,137 of other religious persuasions. In y 2 324 M BELFAST. 1841 and 1851 the population (including Balhmacarret) was as follows : — Houses. , Population". Years. Inhabited. Uniuhab. Bldg-. Total. Males. Females. Persons. 1841.... 10,903 1,916 63 11,885 .. 34,858 40,450 75,308 1851 13,806 1,131 72 15,009 .. 46,847 53,453 100,300 Being an increase on the ten years of 3.124 houses, 11,989 males, 13,003 females: total 24,992 persons; the females on the popula- tion of 1851 exceeding the males by 6, GOG, or 14 per cent. The parish contains 19,599 statute acres, and was anciently called Shankill, which signifies the Old Church ; but there being no church there for two centuries, it is now designated the Parish of Belfast, in the diocese of Down and Connor. The living is in the gift of the Marquis of Donegall, who is the lay proprietor, and de- rives £950 a year out of a portion of it called the Upper Falls, £630 of which he reserves, and the remainder goes to the vicar, who has also a glebe house and twenty acres of land. The municipal w r ards are five in number — St. George's, St. Anne's, Dock, Smithficld, and Cromac, each of which returns two aldermen and 6 councillors ; from the former the mayor is chosen annually. The old corpo- ration was formed under a charter granted in 1G13 by James I., which was confirmed by James II. and George II. The corporation was styled " the Sovereign, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Belfast," and consisted of a sovereign lord of the castle, twelve other free burgesses, and an unlimited number of freemen, a town clerk, and two Serjeants at mace. The sovereign was chosen annually by the free burgesses out of three of their body nominated by the lord of the castle, or in default of such nomination, a circumstance that of course never occurred, they might nominate as well as elect the sovereigns themselves. The lord of the castle was always a burgess by tenure of it, and the office was held by the Marquis of Donegall, in whose family it continued since the date of the charter. The freedom of the bo- rough was only acquired by gift of the sovereign and burgesses, but during the memory of man there were no freemen. In fact, there could be no borough more close or corrupt, the whole elective and representative power being in the hands of the Marquis of Donegall. Posterity will stand amazed, when it reflects that the people of BELFAST. 325 Belfast, who have displayed so much energy, enterprise, and intelligence in all their other affairs, should have allowed their immediate political rights and privileges to be usurped so long without making more resolute and vigorous efforts to shake off the yoke, and assert their independence. The borough, or rather the Marquis of Donegall, returned two representatives to the Irish parliament from the date of its incorporation to the passing of the Legislative Union, after which it sent one to the United Parliament until its original number was restored, having obtained one of the five additional members distributed in Ireland under the Reform Act. The elective franchise was also extended to £10 household- ers, reserving a vote to each of the burgesses. The first constitu- ency registered under this Act was 2,137 ; in 1849 it increased to 4,701. In 1851, under the. loth & 14th Vic. c. 69, it decreased to 2,697, and by the last parliamentary return furnished, 1852-3, of the number of electors in Ireland, the constituency of this borough had increased to 3,283, all rated occupiers ; notwith- standing which, it was 1,418 less than the number it had under the Act of William IV. The present representatives of the borough are Richard Davison, Esq., a resident solicitor, who has been most zealous and active in promoting the improvement of Belfast, and Hugh MacCalmot Cairns, Esq., a barrister practising at Lincoln's Inn. The lighting, watching, and paving of the town is not regulated under the Act of 9th George IV., it having obtained a separate Act for that purpose, which vested the power in a police committee chosen by the town council, the average rates levied under it being about £9,000 per annum. The history of Belfast furnishes but few materials to record its fame or importance in the olden time, and even its origin and the derivation of its present name are involved in obscurity. In a map laid down in the thirteenth century it is named Bealafarsad, which is interpreted by some as LIurdlesford Town, and by others as the Mouth of the Pool. But it is more than probable that, even long after the Anglo-Norman invasion, nothing more than a few rude dwellings of ferrymen, or at most a village, existed where Belfast now stands. There is no account to be relied on, that even John de Courcy, who raised so many castles in Ulster, erected one here. The first historical notice taken of the town 326 BELFAST. is its destruction by Edward Bruce in 1316, and it is from this circumstance inferred that it must have been in the hands of the English. But although this is probable, it is no positive proof, as Feidlem O'Connor, King of Connaught, joined the Earl of Ulster in the outset with all his forces against Bruce, who signally defeated them both. It is supposed that it was after this event that the Castle of Belfast was built, as there is some account of its having been repaired by the Irish chiefs in the fifteenth century. But nothing of importance occurred until the reign of Henry VII., when Gerald, Earl of Kildare, made two in- cursions into Ulster: in 1503, and again in 1512, and on both occa- sions destroyed it with little or no opposition. It is probable that the Castle remained a considerable time after these events uninhabited, as in 1545 there is a record of the Earl of Ormond crossing the ford between Carrickfergus and Belfast, but there is no mention made of a town or castle, although one must have sprung up very soon after, as Sir James Croft repaired and garrisoned it in 1552 ; and the same year it was granted to Hugh MacNcill Ogc, with other possessions, on his tendering his allegiance to Henry VIII. This chieftain, however, was slain in 1555 by a body of Scotch maraud- ers. The sept of the O'Neills were allowed to keep possession of his other properties, but Lane, an Englishman, was placed in com- mand of the castle, which, in a short time, again fell into the hands of the Irish. In the thirteenth year of Elizabeth it was granted, with several valuable tracts of land, to Sir Thomas Smith and his son, who were soon after forced to abandon it. In 1575 Sir Henry Sidney had some skirmishing with MacNcill Brian Ertaugh during Smith's possession of the castle. In 1582 Sir John Pcrrot established shipwrights at Belfast, influenced by the extensive forest then in its neighbourhood. Hugh O'Neill's successes about this period again placed Belfast in the hands of the Irish, and Carrick- fergus was the only place in the northern part of Ulster which held out for the English. In 1612 Sir Arthur Chichester was Lord Deputy, and having required from Sir Thomas Smith the levies of horse and foot, the furnishing of which to assist the Deputy in Antrim constituted the conditions on which the castle and town of Belfast were granted to him. but not being responded to, these possessions were forfeited to the Crown. James, who had in 1610 BELFAST. 327 made a grant of the Castle of Dungannon and 1,320 acres of land, and other escheated property of great value in the province of Ulster, to Sir Arthur Chichester, now conferred on him the castle, town, and manor of Belfast, with the title of Baron Chichester of Belfast. Two patents were granted by the Crown confirming him in all the properties, both lay and clerical, that he had taken pos- session of. One of these conveyed the Barony of Innishown, the Islands in Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle ; the patronage, pre- sentation, and advowson of all the rectories and vicarages in O'Dogherty's county ; the Dungannon property, and several other manors adjoining it. The other consisted of the Belfast property, the territories of Tuoghnefall, Tuogmoylone, Tuogeinament, Car- nemony, Carntall, and Monksland, with all the rectories therein, as well as that of Shankill ; the entire fishing of the river Lagan ; fourteen rectories in Antrim, and the Friary of Masseryne ; the exclusive fishing of Lough Sidney, Lough Neagh, or Lough Chi- chester ; and in the river Bannc to the Salmon Leap, &c, kc. Arthur Chichester, who contrived to possess himself of these im- mense properties and immunities, without having fulfilled the conditions imposed upon the other undertakers, was the son of Sir John Chichester, of Raleigh in Devon. After spending some time at the university, he entered the army, and signalized himself by robbing the queen's purveyor — obliged to fly England for this offence, he joined the army of Henry IV. of France, where he served with courage and ability, and was knighted. On obtaining a pardon from Elizabeth he returned to England ; but having lost caste by his misconduct, and being destitute of fortune, he repaired to Ireland, then the theatre for reckless and needy ad- venturers. After serving with reputation under Mountjoy, he succeeded Sir Henry Davis as sergeant-major of the English forces in 1602; was admitted a privy-councillor, and appointed governor of Camckfergus Castle in 1603, and Lord Deputy in 1604. In this office he gained the king's favour by the spirit in which he ap- plied himself to the Ulster plantation, and in assisting him in other acts of spoliation. He had witnessed, however, sufficient to con- vince him of the uncertain tenure of patents and grants from the Crown, and that what the king once gave he might easily take 328 BELFAST. back again. He therefore resolved on obtaining a specific Act of the legislature to ratify his title to the properties he had thus acquired. With the assistance and under the advice of his legal friend and adviser, Sir John Davis, a parliament was convened in 1613; and although he succeeded in obtaining an Act confirming the Ulster confiscations and grants, in which he was so vitally interested, yet, from the circumstances attending the assembling of this parliament, it would not have been difficult to prove the whole of its proceedings illegal. Presbyterianism was first esta- blished in the counties of Antrim and Down about the year 1611. Chichester neither encouraged it nor the Scotch settlers who pro- fessed it ; those whom he imported in his character of undertaker were English Episcopalians, who were equally opposed to them. But notwithstanding the persecutions the Presbyterians endured as non-conformists, they gradually established themselves in Bel- fast, and M'ere the most numerous portion of the population at the commencement of the civil war of 1641. Although they espoused the covenant, they were opposed to the fanaticism and extreme measures of the Puritans, a proof of which is to be found in their published declaration, denouncing, as abhorrent to their feelings, the decapitation of Charles I. This declaration elicited from the poet Milton an answer full of invective and bitter irony. He ridi- cules the idea of their calling themselves " Watchmen in Sion," and does not hesitate to call them " false prophets, unhallowed priestlings, egregious liars and impostors, blockish presbyters o^ Claneboy, who from their unchristian synagogue at Belfast, in a barbarous nook of Ireland, meant to stir up the people to rebellion, being ignorant of history sacred and profane, and in their genera- tion Highland thieves and redshanks." This is language not very select for one so accustomed to the sublime. In the civil war of 1641, the Irish, under Sir Con Magcnnis, meditated an attack on Belfast, and subsequently under Sir Phclim O'Neill, but being re- pulsed at Lisburn, the town remained in the hands of Sir Arthur Tyringham and Colonel Chichester, who were well affected towards the royal cause ; and in 1642, Robert Monroe, with 10,000 Scotch, favourable, as it was supposed, to the cause of Charles, but with a secret understanding to support the designs of the Parliament, BELFAST. 329 landed at Carrickfergus in April, 1642. A considerable detach- ment of these formed a junction with Lord Conway and Colonel Chichester, at Malone, near Belfast, and for some time agreed in their operations against the Irish ; but the breach between Charles and the Parliament having now become an open rupture, Munroe declared for the latter, while Chichester, Conway, and other Protestant leaders, adhered to the king. Chichester was appointed, in 1643, Governor of Belfast, with a grant of £1,000 for better fortifying the town, and Monroe was invested by the parliament with the command of the English and Scotch in Ire- land, and that all should receive the covenant, and submit to his authority. In 1644, Chichester issued a proclamation against the covenant, stigmatising all those who took it as traitors, but his men deserted him; and Munroe soon after, with 2,000 Scots, sur- prised and held the town for the parliament, who appointed Colonel Hume governor, with a stationary garrison of 400 men, for the maintenance of which the inhabitants were obliged to contribute each every ten days, 14 lbs. of meal, or one shilling in lieu thereof. In 1645, some disaffection appearing among the Scotch troops towards the parliament, commissioners were sent by that body to arrange the differences existing between the Scotch and English, and, as a preliminary step, Munroe was ordered to deliver up the town and castle, which he refused, and the commissioners directed that some troops should be sent from England to enforce their de- mand, which was accordingly complied with in 1646 ; but Munroe refused to admit them either into Belfast or Carrickfergus. A good understanding, however, must have prevailed about this period between Munroe and some portion of the English forces, as, in conjunction, they fought the battle of Benburb, near Armagh, against Owen Roe O'Neill, where they were signally defeated, with the loss of Lord Blayney and 3,243 men killed on the field of battle, and Lord Montgomery, with 22 officers and 122 men, made prisoners, Munroe himself with difficulty escaping the slaughter. In 1648, when the Scotch invaded England in support of royalty, Munroe and the remains of his forces in Ulster offered their services to the lord-lieutenant, and their hostility to the par- liament being no longer concealed, Colonel Monk marched on 330 BELFAST. Carrickfergus, which he surprised, and sent Mvmroe a prisoner to England. Belfast was also obliged to surrender, and Colonel Maxwell was appointed governor by the parliament. The death of the king, which was most unpopular with even the most rigid covenanters, soon changed the aspect of affairs. The renewal of the covenant was universally demanded, which, it was insisted, that event had violated and broken. The province of Ulster now rose in arms against the parliamentarians, who were dispossessed of every place they had previously taken. Charles II. deputed Sir George Munroe, brother to Robert, to assume the command of his adherents in Ulster. After reducing Lisburn and Antrim he laid siege to Belfast, and Colonel Maxwell, aware of his inability to defend it, sent a pressing message to Lord Montgomery for assist- ance, who entered the town with a considerable force, which, to the governor's surprise, took possession of it for Charles II., Montgomery producing the king's commission appointing him General Governor of Ulster, and commanding Maxwell and the garrison to submit, to which they had no alternative. The Irish Presbyterians were now considerably embarrassed as to the course they should pursue : they had opposed the parliamentarians, who had refused the covenant ; but they had as little confidence in the king, who M as not only unpledged to it, but to any form of govern- ment whatever. Their doubts and indecision, however, were soon dispelled by the arrival of Cromwell, in 1649, with an imposing force. After storming Drogheda, he dispatched Colonel Vcnablcs with a division of his army, to reduce Belfast and the other north- ern towns with royalist garrisons. It was the fourth time in six years that this town was besieged, and the first in which it offered any material resistance ; and even on the present occasion it capi- tulated four days after it was invested by Vcnablcs. It was in this neighbourhood, and about this period that the notorious Owen Connolly, who gave information of the meditated attack on Dublin Gratis by the Irish leaders in 1641, -was killed in a skirmish be- tween a party of royalists under Sir George Munroe and a division of Cromwell's cavalry, in their way from Belfast to Antrim. Crom- well's successes had now completely broken the spirit of the royalists, and the country was obliged to yield once more to the BELFAST. 331 authority of the parliament. During the Commonwealth, nothing of importance occurred in Belfast, and at the Restoration several of the inhabitants pleaded the general pardon, who were by no means cordial in their support of the previous government. The accession of James II. in 1685 was not palatable to the inhabitants of Belfast, and they had some apprehension of an invasion of their chartered rights. James, however, granted the town a new charter, confirming that granted by James I., but increasing the corporate body from twelve to thirty-five burgesses, nineteen of those nomi- nated being Catholics. The military in the service of the Crown quartered at Belfast were principally Catholics, who solicited the corporation, through the Lord Lieutenant, to be allowed the School-house or Town-house for the celebration of mass, which was refused. Although as an armed body they might have accommodated themselves without asking, their forbearance showed a respect for the civil power which was seldom reciprocated by their opponents under similar circumstances. The Protestants and Presbyterians now sank their mutual differences, and a project was formed to disarm the Catholic military quartered here, and take possession of Carrickfergus ; but it proved abortive, in consequence of the defection of some of those most prominent in devising it — at the moment it was to have been carried into effect. An address, however, was subscribed to by the inhabitants, and messengers dispatched to the Prince of Orange, congratulating him on his arrival in England, and with a tender of their services in support of his designs on the throne. This address was acknowledged after William and Mary's accession. Belfast having declared for William, and the military in the service of James having with- drawn, the defence of the town was entrusted to Sir A. Rawdon ; but a stratagem to surprise Carrickfergus having failed, and a con- siderable body of James's troops being directed against Belfast, he retired to Coleraine, the Irish army again taking possession of the town, which some writers say suffered seriously from plunder, while Leslie shows, that the government of James issued protections, and took such measures for the preservation of property, that the merchants on their return, many months after, found the goods they had left in such an uncertain state, safe and untouched. The 332 BELFAST. successful resistance of Derry, and the arrival of Schomberg at Bangor in August, 1689, with 10,000 men, again placed the town in the hands of William's adherents, and after the surrender of Carrickfergus, the whole army encamped within a mile of Belfast. From thence it marched south on that disastrous campaign, the remnant only returning, in the depth of winter, infected with a frightful disease contracted at Dundalk, which carried off in a few months 3,762 of the military located in the Belfast hospital, and a great number of the inhabitants also, to whom the infection had spread. William's army was, however, strengthened by reinforce- ments, which daily arrived from England during the spring of 1690, of which a considerable portion were Dutch and Danish cavalry, under the Prince of Wirtemberg, some of whom were quartered here. William arrived the 14th of June at Carrickfergus, and immediately proceeded to Belfast, where he was most cordially received by the corporate authorities, and by the inhabitants at large. Addresses were presented to him from the episcopal and presbyterian clergy, and after remaining five days, he proceeded to Lisburn, where Schomberg had fixed his head quarters. Previous to his departure, he issued an order to the collector of customs to pay the Presbyterian clergy £1,200 a year, which laid the founda- tion of the Regium Donum. The military or warlike character of the town closed with these events, and the inhabitants were enabled to direct their attention to the establishing of manufactures, and the extension of the commerce of the port, which lias gone on gradually increasing, until it has now reached the enviable posi- tion of being one of the first towns in the United Kingdom. It is not to be inferred that, in cultivating the arts of peace, there was any diminution of the public spirit and independence of the inhabitants ; on the contrary, with the extension of their trade, their intelligence and devotion to the cause of civil and religious liberty kept pace. In 1696, printing was introduced, which must have given a zest to literary attainments, and may have led to its being subsequently called the "Athens of Ireland." In 1708 the castle was destroyed by an accidental fire, and has not been since rebuilt. About this period the Sovereign of Belfast was summoned before the House of Commons, charged by Lady Doncgall with BELFAST. 333 permitting Dissenters to fill corporate offices in the borough, with- out .subscribing to the Test Act, of which he was satisfactorily acquitted by the House. Another extraordinary charge was brought against the Presbyterians, that they had monopolized the trade of the port, which, however, was refuted by a declaration of eighty of the principal Protestant inhabitants of the town. In 1715, and again in 1745, on the news of the invasion by the Pre- tender, the inhabitants formed themselves into a volunteer corps : and, apprehensive of an attack on Carrickfergus by a Scotch High- land force, they marched to that town, and did duty there until the alarm had subsided. In 1757, the Antrim Patriot Club was formed, of which several of the leading members were inhabitants of Belfast. Thurot's descent on Carrickfergus three years after, had nearly afforded them an opportunity of displaying their courage as well as their loyalty. He, however, abandoned the place after holding it for a week, and levying contributions of wine, spirits, and provisions from the inhabitants of Belfast, who furnished them, although there was a volunteer force in the town of 5,352 men, lest he should put his threat in execution of burning Carrickfergus. In 1771, the leases of one of the Marquis of Donegall's estates in Antrim having expired, large fines to the landlord and fees to the agent were demanded on their renewal. The tenants in general, unable to comply, were ejected from their farms, and others placed in them, which so enraged the original occupiers, that they com- mitted numerous outrages on the lands and cattle of the new tenants, and formed themselves into an association called the l * Hearts of Steel/' One of these having been arrested on a charge of felony in Belfast, was sent to the barracks pending his transmission to the county gaol. The discontented peasantry, however, armed with various offensive weapons, assembled in thousands to rescue him. They attacked the barracks, burned a house, and would have proceeded to other acts of violence had not the prisoner been released. The effects of this agrarian insurrec- tion, which extended to the adjoining counties, seriously affected the welfare of the province of Ulster, and was instrumental in extending liberty to the whole human race. Thousands of men, driven from their holdings, dissatisfied with the country, and 334 BELFAST. expressing the deepest resentment against the Irish landlords, emigrated to America. Arriving there at a critical moment, and actuated by their wrongs, they joined the armies of Washington, then contending for independence, and contributed, by their num- bers as well as by their courage and conduct, to separate the United States from the British Crown. The emigration to America during the years 1771, 1772, and 1773 from the north of Ireland exceeded all former precedent. The emigrants were chiefly farmers and manufacturers, who, by converting their property into specie, which they took with them abroad, it was calculated deprived Ulster of one-fourth of its circulating medium, which then con- sisted altogether of specie ; and also a portion equal thereto of the most valuable part of its population. From Belfast there sailed with emigrants in these three years, 30 ships of 7,800 tons, from Londonderry 3G, of 10,350 tons; and from Newry 22, of 6,950 tons: total 25,100 tons, which most likely the number of passen- gers amounted to. The successes of the American colonists in their struggle for independence were hailed by the inhabitants of Belfast with every demonstration of joy ; and many of those who had so recently invoked " the glorious and immortal memory of William III.," " The Boyne Water,* ? and " Protestant Ascendancy all over the World," were now loud in their praise of Franklin, Paine, and Washington. In 1778, when a treaty of alliance, offen- sive and defensive against England, was formed between France and the United States ; the inhabitants justly feared that not only the trade of Belfast, but the surrounding coast, would be exposed to the ravages of these powerful enemies. The facility with which it could be accomplished had been already proved on a small scale a few years previously by Thurot, and more recently by Paul Jones, who entered and captured a British sloop of war at anchor in their bay. They therefore assembled and petitioned gevcinmcnt for a garrison, and received for answer, that half a troop of dismounted cavalry, and half a company of armed invalids had been ordered to occupy the town. The government having thus proved its inability to defend them, the inhabitants undertook to defend themselves. Those who were willing and able to bear arms, enrolled themselves in the volunteer corps, and fit persons were appointed to exercise BELFAST. 335 and discipline them. Other towns, and the country at large, fol- lowed the example of Belfast, and the government at the onset encouraged the movement hy distributing among them 16,000 stand of arms. The English cabinet early foresaw the danger of allowing armed associations of this kind to become general throughout the country, and remonstrated with the Irish govern- ment against it ; but the latter was too feeble to control this national movement. It had also been instrumental in creating it, by misappropriating the revenues that should have been reserved for the defence of the country. Neither government possessed a force adequate to the purpose, and they were, therefore, obliged to acquiesce in the measures of defence taken by the people. In the mean time the volunteers continued to increase in number, and rise in public estimation, until they amounted to 90,000 men ; and they were ultimately enabled to dictate to the government and the parliament the measures necessary to restore the country to free trade, and the parliament to legislative independence. They in- sisted on Ireland obtaining an equal degree of liberty, and similar institutions to those of Great Britain — that the connexion between the two countries should be held inviolable, but that no power on earth, except the king, lords and commons of Ireland, was compe- tent to make laws to bind the people of that country, and they publicly avowed their determination not to obey or countenance any laws otherwise enacted, and to support with their lives and fortunes the rights and privileges of the king, lords, and commons of Ireland. When language such as this was used by such leaders as the Duke of Leinster and the Earl of Charlemont, by Grattan and Flood, and other distinguished members of both houses of parliament, the result of the movement was no longer doubtful. Early in 1779, when a descent of a French force on the coast was daily expected, the Belfast volunteers mustered 340, formed into three companies, well armed and disciplined, and the total number in Down and Antrim at the same time amounted to 4,000. The sovereign, burgesses, and inhabitants of Belfast were early in de- claring their right to the privilege of free trade. The town had the merit of being the first in Ireland to form a volunteer associa- tion ; and some of the staunchest patriots connected with the cause 336 BELFAST. were inhabitants thereof. It was therefore held in the highest estimation by the leaders of the movement, as well as by the volunteers at large. Several imposing reviews were, consequently, held in the neighbourhood : the first on the 12th July, 1780, when 1,400 volunteers appeared on the ground, and went through various evolutions, in the presence of Lord Charlemont and 30,000 de- lighted spectators. Another took place the following year in the Falls meadows, where upwards of 5,000 volunteers occupied the ground, among whom were some of the most distinguished cha- racters of the last century. In 1783 an encamped review took place ; and during the existence of the volunteers, they were held annually, every succeeding review being remarkable for the in- creased military spirit and discipline of these distinguished corps. During the progress of these events, Ireland successively obtained free trade, a repeal of the Poynings' law, and the 6th of George I., and consequently a relinquishment of the assumed right of the British parliament and privy council to interfere in the acts or pro- ceedings of the Irish legislature ; the extension of the Habeas Corpus Act to Ireland for the first time ; the repeal of the Mutiny Act, and the substitution of a new one, with a declaration of rights — the first relaxation of the penal code against the Catholics, and other measures of reform, so ample as to satisfy Grattan, who had obtained a grant from parliament of £50,000 as an acknowledg- ment of his services. Not so, however, other leaders of the volunteers, who clearly saw that these reforms would prove but temporary as long as the seeds of the former corruption remained in the system. The aristocracy and landed proprietors still exer- cised unlimited control over the county constituencies, as well as in the boroughs, which they had in a great measure deprived of their franchises, as well as of their properties ; and the members returned to the regenerated parliament were as anxious to renew the corrupt practices with the government as their predecessors had been, which had proved so beneficial to themselves, and dis- astrous to the country. With few exceptions, the liberal party concurred in holding the immediate reform of the House of Com- mons indispensable, if the late concessions were to be rendered available or beneficial to the country. The inhabitants of Belfast, BELFAST. 337 and the volunteers of that town and neighbouihood, adopted these opinions, and supported them with superior spirit and intelligence. Public meetings were held, and petitions forwarded to the legisla- ture, demanding an extensive measure of parliamentary reform ; but although a convention was held in Dublin, at which delegates from all the volunteer corps in Ireland attended during the discus- sion of the measure in 1783, it was rejected by the Commons: and the disunion and differences which had previously set in among the leaders of the volunteers still further increasing, all hopes of obtaining reform through their exertions, or by means of the legis- lature, were abandoned. The great majority of the volunteers, and none more so than those of Belfast, still adhered to the cause of reform, and anxiously waited the march of events to practically demonstrate their devotion to it. The establishing of a free republic by the colonists of Xorth America, and the destruction of the Bastile by the French people in 1789, infused a spirit of democracy into Belfast, which was considered by Lord Charlemont and other late leaders of the volunteers as extremely dangerous to the existing institutions of the country. The Northern Whig Club was, therefore, established in 1790, to suppress or restrain these extreme opinions, which were rapidly taking root in the town. Lord Charlemont, and the other aristocratic leaders of the volunteers, had now, however, lost their influence, and on the occasion of the anniversary, in 1791, of the taking of the Bastile, the volunteers and inhabitants formed a procession, which marched through the town, bearing portraits of Mirabean and Franklin, with mottoes and emblems of a similar kind, and expressing by their words and actions the most excessive joy and sympathy with the French people. An address was also unanimously agreed to and forwarded to the National Assembly, congratulating it on the great events it had accomplished in the cause of civil and religious liberty, and the regeneration of France. Some of the passages ran thus — " It is good for human nature that the grass now grows where the Bastile once stood. And we rejoice at an event which seemed the breaking of a charm that held universal France in a Bastile of civil and religious bondage. We, too, have a country, and we hold it very dear ; so dear to us its interest, that we wish z 338 BELFAST. all civil and religious intolerance annihilated in this land ; so dear to us its honour, that we wish an eternal stop to the traffic of public liberty, which is- bought by one and sold by another ; so dear to us is freedom, that we wish for nothing so much as real representation of the national will, the surest guide and guardian of national happiness." This address was answered by the Nantes and Bourdeaux Societies in a tone equally nervous and elevated, and alluded particularly to the Volunteer Association to prove what armed citizens could accomplish. After the annual review in July, 1792, the French Revolution was again celebrated with similar demonstrations of enthusiasm — one of the flags prepared to be carried on this occasion was an insulting representation of the Dutch, whom it was alleged had engaged in the conspiracy of tyrants against the liberties of man. They were represented by a piece of coarse woollen cloth attached to a pole, with a flag bearing an inscription " Heavens ! how unlike their Belgian sires of old !" which was to be hooted by the populace ; but no man could be found to bear the ignominious burthen. Another, borne by the people of Carnmoney and Templepatrick, was inscribed with " Our Gallic Brother was born 14th July, 1789. Alas! We are still in embryo ;" on the other side — " Superstitious Jealousy the Cause of the Irish Bastile, let us unite and destroy it." The flag that represented Dr. Franklin had for its motto, " Where Liberty is there is my Country." The multitude which attended this pro- cession far exceeded any that had ever been witnessed in the town. Another address was adopted to the National Assembly, and one to the People of Ireland, declaring their attachment to the great cause of parliamentary reform, and repudiating the idea that reli- gious opinions should be productive of political inequality. The town of Belfast evinced an early disposition to effect a reconcilia- tion, and form a permanent and friendly coalition with the Catholics, that by their united exertions they might be able to accomplish these great measures of reform in which they were so vitally in- terested. Petitions were forwarded to parliament, urging the propriety and policy of granting the Catholic emancipation. But the Irish House of Commons this year, 1792, rejected their claims by a majority of 208 to 23. About this period meetings of the BELFAST. 339 volunteers and other inhabitants of Belfast attached to liberal institutions, were very general, and the first plan of the United Irish Society was promulgated in Belfast in 1791. In March, 1793, the Secret Committee of the House of Lords reported that a tumultuary spirit had been widely diffused in Belfast and the adjoining counties, kept alive by seditious pamphlets, and private military machinations, and that secret societies, of which there were several mentioned as existing in the town, instituted for the purpose of procuring subscriptions for purposes concealed from the knowledge of the government, were considered to be at variance with the existence of public tranquillity, — that arms and gun- powder had been collected in large quantities, and bodies of men exercised by night and day ; and that although the declared ob- ject was a redress of grievances, the real intention was to overawe the government and the parliament. A proclamation was issued the same month by the Lord Lieutenant dissolving the volunteers, and forbidding the raising of other armed associations, or that bodies of men should appear, either in Belfast or elsewhere, in military array. The Association, however, of United Irishmen continued to make rapid progress in the town, notwithstanding the arrests and prohibition of the government, and the large military force quartered there, which took every opportunity of annoying the inhabitants. Military riots and excesses were frequent, and the popular signs of some of the houses of entertainment, such as Dumourier, Franklin, and Mirabeau, were demolished. Towards the end of 1793 there were four Societies of United Irishmen in the town, nor did they take any precaution to conceal their num- bers or the objects they had in view. In 1794 several additional societies were formed. On the removal of Earl Fitzwilliam on the 28th March, 1795, the day was observed as one of national cala- mity, the shops and counting-houses being all kept closed. But with this event the Societies of the United Irishmen increased in the counties of Down and Antrim, and on the 10th May, 1795, delegates from 72 of these associations met in Belfast, and framed that extensive system of committees, so ingenious and effective, and which organized a tremendous power by the most secret and certain means of rendering it available. The total force enrolled under z 2 340 BELFAST. this system in Ulster was 95,973 men, of which 45,808 were inha- bitants of Belfast, or the adjoining counties of Down and Antrim. Their arms only amounted to 6,346 guns, 2,356 bayonets, 3,816 pikes, 456 pistols, 18 blunderbusses, and 8 cannon ; their funds were trifling, only £144 2s. Id. In Leinster the number was 70,733, and their funds £1,485 4s. 9d. In 1797 numerous arrests were made in Belfast of individuals charged with high treason, and the office of The Northern Star newspaper was attacked by a party of soldiers, who destroyed the type and demolished the house, without the slightest satisfaction being given to the proprietors. On the French fleet arriving at Bantry Bay, in December, 1796, a great number of the inhabitants agreed to arm as yeomen in de- fence of the country, but many more refused to co-operate without first receiving some satisfaction in respect to those political princi- ples for which they continued both openly and secretly to contend. During these operations some Orange and Masonic lodges took an opportunity of disclaiming all connexion with the " United Irish- men," and published their determination of "upholding the king and constitution." In May, 1798, martial law was proclaimed, and four companies of yeomanry commenced doing duty in the town ; the brass field pieces belonging to the volunteers were delivered to General Nugent, except one, which was captured subsequently at the battle of Antrim. The battle of Ballynahinch, in which some of the Belfast volunteers took part, was fought on the 12th and 13th June, 1798: the shops and places of business were closed during the action, and the cannonading was distinctly heard in the town. Arrests still continued, and many of those charged with participating in the insurrection, were shipped to Fort George, in Scotland; but seven persons were executed — one of them wantonly as late as May, 1799, when it was totally suppressed. The Marquis of Cornwallis visited Belfast in October, and was presented by the sovereign and burgesses with an address in favour of the legislative Union, although it was a measure unpopular with the great body of the inhabitants. The history of Belfast since that disastrous period, although devoid of military operations, or great political events, will be found most instructive and interesting in the rapid progress it has made in all the arts of peace : the improvement of BELFAST. 341 the town and harbour, the extension of its commerce, the increase and prosperity of its manufactures. Nor is the public spirit, or political independence, which distinguished the inhabitants of Belfast in the palmy days of the Irish volunteers extinct : in no town in Ireland has the cause of civil and religious liberty more stedfast and enlightened supporters. The more immediate history of the town will in some degree be found in the account of the Harbour Improvements, which are here given in detail. Trade and Commerce. — Harbour Improvements, Sfc. — The trade of Belfast was as insignificant as the town up to the begin- ning of the eighteenth century, and Carrickfergus stood in the same degree of importance relative to it as Carlingford did in respect to Newry. It is not, therefore, surprising to find the Earl of Strafford, in 1637, purchasing from the corporation of that stronghold one-third of the customs' revenue and other monopolies of that port. This circumstance was rather favourable to the trade of Belfast, where a custom-house was established for the first time, and the revenue business of the port removed from Carrick- fergus. In 1729, an Act, 3rd George II., appointed the sove- reign and free burgesses conservators of the harbour, on the principle " that the harbour had become shallow, prolonging voy- ages to the great prejudice of trade, and His Majesty put to more expense in keeping officers on board the vessels so detained, than when it was in its former condition." This Act was repealed by the 25th George III., which appointed a separate corporation in 1785 to manage the affairs of the .harbour, from which period may be dated the dawn of its improvement. This corporation removed several artificial fords, and deepened the bed of the river. In 1791 a platform was erected, and two graving docks commenced, one of which was opened in 1800, but the other not until 1826. The Marquis of Donegall also proposed constructing wet and dry docks at his own expense, if the corporation would deepen the river; — but no steps were taken to effect these objects. In 1795 a lease was obtained of the ground occupied by the grav- ing docks ; and up to 1814 the corporation expended on it, and in the construction of one of the docks, £13,500. About this 342 BELFAST. period the rapid extension of the trade of the port rendered in- creased accommodation imperative ; and Mr. Killally reported to the Commissioners of Customs two plans for. the improvement of the harbour, one to cost £99,690, and the other £122,600 ; these comprehended a ship canal to be made between the town and the mile-water reach, so that vessels of 400 tons could come up to the quays. In 1815 Sir John Rennie inspected the harbour, and made a report to Sir Robert Peel, then Irish Secretary, and again in 1821 to the Lords of the Treasury ; the first estimated the expense at £531,680, and the latter at £259,450, including the purchase of ground, and the cost of building a new custom-house. In 1826 he submitted three plans, estimating the cost (exclusive of the custom-house) at £131,674, £134,660, and £269,547. In 1829 Mr. Telford prepared a plan, the estimate of which was £404,310. The improvement of the port up to this period was retarded by two obstacles ; — firstly, the Marquis of Donegall and family, in whom was the fee of the property of the town and neighbourhood, were opposed to any improvements by the corporation, asserting their exclusive right to form the contemplated harbour; secondly, the government, whose interference was approved of by the in- habitants, held the matter for a considerable time in suspense, without coming to any definite conclusion, it now, however, aban- doned the undertaking altogether ; and the corporation having obtained copies of the reports and estimates in the possession of government, the amount of these prepared by Messrs. Rennie and Telford particularly alarmed the inhabitants, and a strong remon- strance was sent in from the leading merchants against them — at the same time the necessity was urged of recourse being had to some moderate plan of improvement, giving a less circuitous and a deeper channel. This led to another report from Sir John Ren- nie, whose estimate now amounted to £369,982 ; this, and all the other estimates, being exclusive of the amount of property to be purchased. About this period a plan, prepared by Messrs. Walker and Burgess, was adopted by the corporation, and an Act, the 1st and 2nd of William IV., cap. 55, passed (the 23rd August, 1831,) giving the necessary powers to carry into effect the long-desired improvement of Belfast Harbour. These consisted of deepening BELFAST. 343 the river from Garmoyle to the buoy of the flats near the mouth of the Seal Channel, and to make a new cut for its course from that point in the direction of the old north channel, and deepen it up to the mile-water perch, and form a straight cut from thence to the end of the ballast-bank reach, to be 12 feet deep at low water throughout — to form a recess 15 feet deep at low water, in which a few vessels could be moored — and to construct an entrance dock 1,200 by 400 feet, being an area of 11 acres, with quays 3,100 feet long, by 200 feet wide, the surrounding road to be 60 feet wide — and to cost £180,000. Another plan was submitted by them at same time, which was to straighten and deepen the river from Garmoyle to near the mile-water, this being common to both plans — to form a canal from thence, 250 feet wide and 12 feet deep at low water, to the proposed dock, a length of 400 feet — the entrance to be widened, and the depth of water to be 15 feet, forming a kind of tide basin in which vessels might safely ride — to construct an entrance-dock same as in first plan, and to make a wet dock 1,400 by 400 feet, being an area of 13 acres, with quays 3,500 feet long by 200 feet wide, the road and depth of water to be the same as in the first instance — the estimated expense to be £157,000, and with other additions would amount to £210,000. On the new corporation coming into office in 1831, a balance of £19.431 13s. 5|d. passed from the old corporation of 1785 to it, and a government order, dated 4th December, 1828, discharged that body from its responsibility for a deficiency by the then bal- last-master of £3,178 0s. 2jd. unaccounted for. In 1832, the corporation applied to the Board of Works for a loan of public money to enable it to proceed with one of Messrs. Walker's plans, but Mr. Halpin reported unfavourably of them, and approved of the plans prepared by Messrs. Rennie and Telford, and the consequence was that the intended improvements were suspended for some time. In September, 1834, Mr. Wodehouse, then resident engineer, made a report, and drew up a modified plan and estimate for a new cut from Dunbar's dock to the mile-water perch, to cost £30,053. In October he made a further report, keeping within £35,000, the largest sum the Board of Works would undertake to advance, and even that was suspended by an order of the Treasury, until an 344 BELFAST. engineer of experience had reported on the subject. Mr. Cubitt, at the instance of the Board of Works, reported in May, 1835, that he considered Messrs. Rerinie and Telford's estimates too large, and did not approve of the loan of £35,000 to carry into effect a portion of Messrs. Walker s plan, although he drew up two plans of his own, approving of it, combined with docks to be constructed on the river, circumstanced as it then was — one to cost £150,000, the other £125,000. In 1837, the corporation applied for a new Act, and for the sake of unanimity, abandoned Messrs. Walker's plan, and adopted Mr. Cubitt's ; but the bill founded on it was opposed by the present Marquis of Donegall, (then Lord Belfast,) who introduced another bill on Messrs. Walker's plan. The Cor- poration Bill, after having progressed through several stages in the House of Commons was withdrawn, Mr. Cubitt having expressed doubts as to the eligibility of his plan ; and Messrs. Walker's was again substituted, the bill of the opposing parties being withdrawn on the payment of £2,750 costs. This arrangement produced the Act 1st Victoria, cap. 76, (30th June, 1837,) and the corporation for preserving and improving the Port of Belfast received its authority therefrom. The works ordered to be executed were — to form a new channel from the river Lagan at Dunbar's Dock to Thompson's Tower, thus cutting off the first bend of the river ; the power to purchase the then existing quays and docks, either by agreement with the owners, or by the valuations of a jury, and widening and otherwise improving the same ; to continue the straight cut, if deemed necessary, as far as deep water, thus cutting off the second bend of the river, and effecting a straight channel to Garmoyle. At the same time, it was prohibited from applying the funds at its disposal to any other object, until the new channel was formed, and that accomplished, the purchase of all the quays from the long bridge round, was directed, but that neither quays, docks, or land, for the purpose of forming them, should be purchased, or any other act done to prejudice the then existing quays. The im- provements that were commenced in 1839 soon absorbed the surplus revenue of the corporation ; and it then negotiated a loan with the Board of Works to the amount of £15,000. Impedi- ments, however, were thrown in the way even of a limited ex- BELFAST. 345 penditure by this department, and it doled out in the most stingy and unsatisfactory manner this comparatively trifling sum. The corporation finding that it could neither obtain the necessary funds in that quarter, or in any other, as long as the government had the first security on the works, determined on getting rid of the incubus altogether, and the loan was paid off with interest in 1841, with another small one obtained from the Belfast Banking Company. The corporation now commenced borrowing on bonds, secured by the acquired property and the revenues of the port. And that which neither the Treasury, nor the great English capitalists were disposed to advance, was easily obtained at home. Even that portion of the Irish public who had money to invest in moderate sums accepted these securities with avidity, affording further proof that the introduction of foreign capital into Ireland is not so ab- solutely necessary to its prosperity as some have supposed it to be. Up to December, 1845, a sum had been thus raised, amounting to £155,470, and there was expended in the purchase of property alone £156,217. The first section of the new cut, which cost £42,464 16s. 9d., a sum solely derived from the current revenue of the port, was opened in 1841 ; and in course of its formation, the valuable property, the Queen's Island, containing seventeen acres of land, was created out of the material raised from thence. This island has been tastefully planted, and appropriated as a pleasure ground for the recreation of the inhabitants. A resident engineer was appointed in 1839, to direct the operation of these and the other contemplated works at a salary of £500 a year. In 1841, rates on goods were first levied, at the instance of the Board of Works ; which also insisted that an additional charge of 2d. per ton should be exacted on tonnage. In 1842, the old quays on both sides of the river, including Dunbar's Docks, timber pond, and nineteen acres of ground, the site of future docks, were pur- chased for £152,171 0s. 2d., so that quayage from that period became an important item of income. In 1843, the levy by the corporation was £13,506 14s. lid.; and by individual proprietors of quays, £5,015 5s. 6d. In 1844, the corporation, having ob- tained possession of all the old quays and docks, proceeded to provide ample accommodation for the trade, by the creation of new 346 BELFAST. quays. In Antrim, 713 feet of quayage was constructed, and 662 feet repaired. In Down a new quay, 2,400 feet long, was formed, and the river in front widened and deepened, which, with other improvements connected therewith, cost £40,853 8s. Id. A new scale of imposts was now formed by the corporation, which, calcu- lated on the rate of charge and extent of trade and tonnage for the year 1843, would show a reduction of £5,381 16s. 2d. Sand- ballast, which had been previously lowered from 2s. to Is. 4d., was now further reduced to lOd per ton. Tonnage dues on Irish coast- ers were reduced one-half. Quayage on ships considerably abated, and one uniform charge adopted, which, being levied on the inward entry of the ship, dispensed with numerous and expensive collectors. Quayage on goods, and profits on pilotage, both serious in amount, the latter in 1843 having produced £2,117 9s. 8d., were remitted. The result justified the course adopted. From the 1st October to 31st December, 1844, by these reductions trade was relieved to the amount of £3,265 13s. 2d., as compared with that which the former rate would have produced. The tonnage, which in 1843 was 363,038 tons, rose in 1846 to 543,862 tons — of this the tonnage of Irish coasters in 1843 was only 6,075 tons, but increased in 1846 to 1 1,663 tons; and the rate on goods which was not charged in the same pe- riod would have been £5,661 4s. 6d., as compared with £3,999 0s. lid. received in 1843, demonstrating an increase of goods very little short of tonnage. The corporation appointed under the Act of 1837 had great obstacles to encounter in the arduous task entrusted to its management, and Belfast owes it a large debt of gratitude, for the ingenuity, perseverance, and judgment it displayed in overcoming them. One of its first and most sagacious resolutions was to accommodate trade before it would tax it ; for it appeared unjust to burthen property so fluctuating and so little durable as shipping with the cost of prospective improvements. It is, however, to be regretted, that this consideration, and the necessity of restoring the quays with as little delay as possible, should have been the cause of substituting wood for stone in front thereof, contrary to the original intention. It is a remarkable fact, that while an ex- penditure of upwards of £240,000 was made under the Act of 1837, the taxation on shipping was reduced below the rate charged BELFAST. 347 previous thereto. The rapid growth of trade, however, and the great inconvenience already experienced, indicated the necessity of timely providing ample accommodation for it. Accordingly, appli- cation was made to Parliament, and the Act of the 1st Vic. c. 76, under which the affairs of the harbour had been so admirably managed for ten years, was now repealed, and its place supplied by one more adapted to the existing circumstances of the trust, which received the royal assent 21st June, 1847. Under this Act, 10th Vic. c. 16, three honorary members, and fifteen others to be elected, were to form a board, by the name of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners ; five of the latter to vacate in rotation the first Thursday in February every year, and to be filled up by a new elec- tion : to qualify a Commissioner he must reside within seven miles of the town, be owner of 100 tons of shipping for six months, or be possessed of £300 per annum freehold, or £5,000 chattel property, or pay £4 police tax which defines the property ; this board consisted of the Marquis Donegall, president, Rev. Lord Edward Chichester, and the Mayor of Belfast, honorary members ; Robert Boyd, John Clarke, Robert McDowell, John Dunn, David Grainger, Robert Grimshaw, John Harrison, Robert Henderson, James Heron, Hugh Magill, William Pirrie, George McTear, Samuel Thomson, William Valentine, and Valentine Whitla, Esqrs., were elected mem- bers ; and Edmund Getty, Esq., whose family was long connected with the commerce of the port, and whose talents and experi- ence eminently qualified him for the situation, was re-appointed secretary. When the Harbour Commissioners came into authority under the Act of 1847, various improvements, which had been commenced by the late corporation, were in a state of progress, and have been since finished. A new timber pond, on an exten- sive scale, which cost £1,878 0s. 4d. ; a patent slip, capable of receiving vessels of 1,000 tons burthen, cost £16,455 3s. 4d., were constructed on Queen's Island ; and since the opening of the latter, vessels of considerable tonnage have been repaired there. A light- house was erected at Holy wood bank, at an expense of £1,300, independent of which, a strong white light is exhibited at the N. W. bank of the Victoria Channel, and a red light in the bight immediately below it. The second section of the Victoria Channel 348 BELFAST. was completed at an expense of £42,701 4s. Id., thus rendering the river a straight line, having a depth of ten feet at low water, and 21 feet at high water," spring tides throughout, from Garmoyle to Belfast quays, being a distance of three miles. A sum of £65,456 15s. 9d. was also expended on the quays on the Antrim side of the harbour. The Commissioners now made good the pur- chases from the Cavehill Railway Company and from Mrs. Elizabeth May, for £13,500. By these purchases they obtained the entire possession of all the reclaimed land between Dunbar's late ground and the mile-water river, the Cavehill Company having surrendered the right of forming quays on that stream. In addition to the works already enumerated, the old timber pond adjoining Prince's Dock has been so improved that the timber therein is always afloat. The tidal docks at the foot of Waring Street and St. George's Street, have been filled up, and the spaces they occupied, with the site of one formerly in High Street, are to remain open for the use of the public generally. The whole space of the river, from the Bridge to Prince's Dock, has been considerably widened, and the depth of water increased five to seven feet. During 1849, 272,367 tons of sand and mud were dredged in the upper part of the harbour and docks, and 32,164 tons in the lower part of the Victoria Channel, being nearly 1,000 tons for every working day. The steam dredges, machines, &c, employed on this occasion, as well as in all the previous dredgings, cost £18,485 lis. 6d. The six harbour passage-boats produced a net revenue of £325 17s. Id., and at the same time afforded immense accommodation to the pub- lic. The Harbour Commissioners balanced their accounts up to the 31st December, 1853, and they appear to have been then possessed of a large and valuable property, amounting to £519,332 lis. 4jd., all of which has been acquired since 1837, with the exception of the two graving docks already alluded to, which descended to them from former corporate bodies. The following are the particulars of the Harbour Commissioners' affairs up to the 31st December, 1853. Their property consisted of the two old graving docks and adjoining premises, valued at £67,232 6s. 2d. ; property acquired under the Acts of 1 837 and 1 847 : consisting of the navigation, on which was expended £94,760 Is. 5d.; BELFAST. 349 docks and quays £266,271 13s. l^d.; tenements £17,057 19s. 2d.; land £54,909 15s. 5d.; new harbour office £5,674 7s. lOd. ; ship yard for building iron ships, Queen's Island, £1,110 7s. 5d. Ex- pended on coal yards, sheds, steam dredges, machines, harbour boats, &c. £12,316 0s. 10d.; accounts uncollected £805 lis. 7Jd. ; and cash in the hands of the treasurer, &c. £21,650 19s. 8d., amounting to £541,789 2s. 8d. They had, up to that period, issued bonds on the security of this property and the revenue of the port to the amount of £308,650, on which they paid 5 per cent., and £103,638 4 per cent, interest, and £93 7s. Id. at like interest, for which no security had yet been given : total amount of debt £412,381 7s. 8d ; there was also due to sundry persons, not bearing interest, £694 14s. 5d. ; amounting together to £413,076 2s. Id: thus leaving a surplus property in favour of the Commissioners over their engagements of £128,713 0s. 7d. With this immense property daily accumulating, the trade of the port has kept pace, progressing and increasing with a rapidity and a solidity that is truly astonish- ing, as will appear from the increase on the tonnage, and the dues received on it since 1789, at intervals of five years, as follows : — 7r%Z Tonnage. Tonnage. Y * ars Tonnage. 3Dec.31, Tons - Dues - Dec.31, Tons - Dues ' Dec.'fl, Tons - Dues ' 1786. .34,287 £267 1809.. 74,387 £610 1834. .284,601 £2,038 1789.. 41, 818 283 1814.. 90,486 626 1839 .. 354,542 2,954 1794.. 53,889 374 1819 .131,590 892 1844. .445,537 7,389 1799.. 58,058 437 1824. . 175,294 755 1849 , .555,021 9,179 1804.. 71, 173 513 1829. .257,522 1,498 1853. . 768,505 12,584 Thus, even within half a century, the tonnage has increased ten- fold, and the dues nearly twenty-five fold. For the five years ending 31st December, 1844, the tonnage dues amounted to £27,956 lis. 4d., and for the five succeeding years ending 31st December, 1849, they were £43,493 16s. lid., being an increase of £15,537 5s. 7d. on the five years. For the year ending the 31st December, 1853, the tonnage on which dues were charged was 768,505 tons, and the dues thereon was £12,584 2s. 2d. Com- pared with 1848 up to the same date, when the tonnage was 506,953 tons, and the dues £8,358 lis. 10d., there was an increase in five years of 261,552 tons, and £4,225 10s. 4d. in tonnage dues, and more than 50 per cent, on both. 350 BELFAST. < S N ° 10 os n n h -3 ° 5 * CO © © OS rH © CO *0 lO N U) tH N 00 W5 M fc«- CO CO O "<* IH * O « ^ CO • '2 • g ! f &< O M _l fcC O 3 a § § a a o A ** O. ■ fcc 8 3 •a sa . x CO . 00 CO CO *H -SI CO «D |>. 1— 1 o © •— I o 3 i i o of a *S « CO *0 £i o. 3 0) co 5 2 MS' * cn O OO 5 o O Ph ft «J I § I © ^7 * ft ' R-j Ph W Ph •5 I r C O b£ S .0 C O »H (3 3 a a W O (4 o S o * 5 III 60 ■6 € OB CO 73 O a ^ •3 2 o < I CN OS O CO 10 "« CM © «5 CO O CO OS CN CO <« CO 10 O CN iO OS co^ CN CM O CN CN CO CN eq »o CO CO GOO co CO CO CO CN f~ CO CO of of CO 00 CN CO CO O CO CO iO CD cs ^ CN 05 CN <# a CO to CO © CO O «3 CO CO t— CO © CO^ *o CO^ o_ «3 CO CN* «* CN* CO 10 t— *^ CO CN co rt 3! w »o to T3 tu § § 1 w » o a d o O g S bC ri ^ 3 |> CN 5 o 3 o _ 3 *^ ^o § Ph H Ph g § Ph -O »3 cks O SO CO 03 03 CO oT Ph bo 03 terag bour ra — CO r4 CO g CJ S!* S '2 bD ^ 60 a O^coO^^racoaJC" C?OPhPhWPhWOPh^ BELFAST. 351 From this statement it appears that, notwithstanding the very- large amount of money borrowed by the Harbour Commissioners, and that the interest on it amounted to no less than £18,975 4s. Id., their income exceeded their expenditure by £2,125 14s. 5^d., a portion of the money at 4 per cent., say £31,173 7s. 8d., was obtained during the year 1853 ; and after expending £4,601 3s. 2d. part of the cost of building a new, splendid and commodious harbour office, £1,110 7s. 5d. on a yard for building iron ships on Queen's Island, Clarendon Dock repaired, and splendid sheds erected there and at Donegall Quay, three new coal yards built, and paying engineers, solicitors, &c, in all £11,176 9s. Id., a sum of £21,650 19s. 8d. remained in the hands of the treasurer. The ship yard on Queen's Island is now occupied by Mr. Hickson, who has already built one iron vessel of 220 feet keel, and others of larger dimensions are on the stocks. Bathing ponds have been also formed on it which must be a great luxury to the inhabitants. The quays are now in a continuous line from Lagan bridge to the Mile-water, the length from the Queen's Bridge to the latter point on the county Down side of the river is 2,400 feet, on the Antrim side 4,820 feet, quayage of Clarendon dock 1,800 feet, and of Princes dock 1,730 feet, total line of quayage 10,750 feet. The Clarendon dock extends over a space of 161,500, and the Princes 161,000 square feet. Under the Act of 1847 the Commissioners have the power of charging tonnage at the rate of 9d. per ton on British, and Is. per ton on Foreign shipping, and 6d. per ton quayage on both ; but to the present time the rates charged are only 2d. on sailing coasters, and 4d. per ton on foreign as well as British ships, steamers included, for tonnage ; and 3d. on foreign, and l^d. per ton on all others, for quayage. The Bill of 1854, which has just passed the legislature, has given the Belfast Harbour Commissioners almost unlimited power to carry out their views in respect to converting a portion of the slob or mud banks of Ballymacarrett into docks and quays on that side of the harbour, to equal those on the Antrim side, as origi- nally laid down in the plan of Messrs. Walker and Burgess, and which in a short time the increased trade of the port will require for its accommodation. Independent of the harbour improve- 352 BELFAST. ments under this Bill, it is intended by the Commissioners to appropriate a portion of the property to the purposes of a public park for the recreation - of the inhabitants of the town and neigh- bourhood ; and also to reserve four acres as a site for a Marine School, an institution originally proposed in the reign of James II., afterwards attempted in 1792, and subsequently brought under the consideration of the Harbour corporation by the late Dr. Hanna. The present arrangement, it is expected, will be a great public benefit. It will not only increase the number of seafaring men belonging to the port, but they will be of a different stamp to those who have preceded them. Such an institution was much wanted in Ireland, and Belfast deserves great praise in having led the way, and by its model school shown the government and parliament what should have been done long since in establishing a national Naval College for the education of young Irish seamen. Mr. E. Getty, who was recently examined before a Committee of the House of Commons, showed that the tonnage of the port of Belfast in 1847 was more than that of Liverpool in 1812, and that it has since kept pace with the immense increasing trade of that port: Liverpool commencing its important era from 1812, and Belfast from 1847. The relative amount of tonnage entering these ports for seven years will best illustrate this point of view : — Liverpool. Belfast. Years. Tonnage. Years. Tonnage. 1812 446,788 1847 538,523 1813 547,426 I 1848 506,953 1814 548,957 ! 1849 555,021 1815 709,848 | 1850 624,113 1851 650,988 1852 .. .. 684,155 1853 768,505 In twelve years from 1818 Liverpool had doubled its tonnage, and in the next fifteen years it doubled again. Belfast has doubled its trade in the last ten years, and trebled it since 1837, and Mr. Getty in his evidence was of opinion, that Belfast will go on in- creasing in the same proportion as Liverpool did under similar circumstances. Belfast, in respect to its harbour debt, is more favourably circumstanced than Liverpool ; the debt of the latter 1816 774,243 1817 653,425 1818 754,690 BELFAST. 353 port in 1851 was £4,638,402, its income same year £235,527, its debt, therefore, as compared with its income, was as 19xV to 1. The debt of Belfast in 1851 was £380,564, its income £30,759, or as 12tV to 1. Comparing the official or parliamentary returns for fourteen years with those furnished by the Harbour Commis- sioners a very material difference exists, the former making the inward tonnage of Belfast 622,969 tons more than the latter. It is probable, however, that the official returns include the trade of the branch or outports of Belfast, such as Carrickfergus, Lame, Donag- hadee, &c, still it is impossible to reconcile those of 1853 with 1854, the difference between the official return for the former year and the Harbour Commissioners' accounts was 22,654 tons, while it amounts to 202,720 tons the following year, which, if correct, shows that these outports increased more considerably in their trade than even Belfast. The following will show the discrepancies alluded to. The official returns are made up to 5 th January, and those of the Har- bour Commissioners to 31st December in each year ; but this will not account for the difference, as both contain the same number of days — the year ending 5th January, 1841, in the official return represents the year ending 31st December, 1840, in the Harbour Commissioners' accounts, and so on : — Official Return. Hare. Comm. Acct. Official Return. Harb. Comm. Acct. Year Tonnage Year Tonnage Year Tonnage Year Tonnage ending Inwards. ending Inwards. ending Inwards. ending Inwards. 5 Jan. Tons. 31 Dec. Tons. 5 Jan. Tons. 31 Dec. Tons. 1841 .. 387,930 .. 1840. .361,473 1848 .. 566,380 1847 . . 538,-523 1842 .. 374,582 .. 1841 .. 357,902 1849 .. 554,114 1843 .. 375,356 .. 1842 .. 337,505 1850 .. 573,563 1844 .. 401,004 .. 1843. .363,038 1851 .. 651,866 1845 .. 481,607 .. 1844 .. 445,537 1852 .. 685,338 1846 .. 531,033 .. 1845 . .492,560 1853 .. 706,840 1848 .506,953 1849. .555,021 1850. .624,113 1851. .650,938 1852. .684,156 1847 .. 592,217 .. 1846 . .543,862 1854.. 971,225 .. 1853. .768,505 The system of making up the annual accounts in the public offices to the 5th January is very reprehensible. There is nothing to prevent their being furnished in a plain intelligible manner, year by year, up to the 31st December, a system which is pursued in all well-regulated mercantile establishments. The following Tables are from returns ordered to be printed by the House of Commons, No. 171, 2nd April, 1851, and No. 250, 16th May, 1854, which give officially the trade of Belfast since 1840, 2 A is «0 s>> Si 1-1 .1*1 CO 5s Q ^ © Ps. «sS «» Js %s. k O .3 is , Si !s e s> -2 ^ ■** 5 Si g r © 00 ^ Sf- ^ cS ,o ST* hi ,smoisnrj X CO Ci o CO -H X ^ Cl CO O Ci CO ^(NOCC CC CO t>- cc CO CC CO CO CO CO 1793820 372853 363289 333996 341114 346202 1757454 1793820 3551274 36366 Decrease. 5 .2 x 'br. -~ CJ ~ « 08 i c H 45114 ■19620 50514 49552 50391 © Cl © CO IO © © *o © <4)OC<9 >c t-~ Cl X — 1 -+i »o © © r~ t— 331174 245491 CO © © © ts CO 85683 01 > eo *Q o •— i *o CC CO CC CC CC — CO X Cl CO «* «3 © © Cl © I- © eo tj< -rr 1 2223 1824 4047 © © eo Clearing Outwards. Total Outwards. be H CC OS I- CI iO CO CO «Q CO CO. Cl — O r - —i pH ts CO ^ CO Tf ^ J-l >C C CO Cl CO CO CO 1270431 X X © t— CO IO X ~* CO i-i cc © 'C © ko © cc — cc CO CO t CO CO 1860133 1270431 © © CO 589702 w ' CO CC Cl o CO CO ''f ts, CO CC CC >C CO cc 8767 2036 2124 2154 1970 1673 10263 8767 19030 1496 British and Coasting Trade. be 202494 204548 189800 220421 204220 CO X X © CC © -c © © cc © © © — i >-C © © © © Cl © 'C Cl CO © Cl © © — i CO CO CM CO CO 1530900 1081483 © CO © Cl eo X © Vess. © co co t- >c CC CC Cl CO CO CO CC > C 1- ********* X © t^ t^ © ^ iO © CC © r-+ x »o X ©. © I H 9001 7984 CO X © © 1017 B fcO co ci >c — co Is CO Cl CC Cl CC Cl >C — ' I- CC «*< CO CO CO CO © X X »o X — «0 X © »C X © — © — — >o «# CC Cl — © © i.C '-C © >c >o 329167 188948 518115 140219 Foreign Trade. H Vess. «00)>0« Cl CC «* CO CO eo X t- © 'C C rt ts © — >* © — 1 — CO *-* CO 1262 783 © CO © ts Foreign. » be c H Cl © © X — re XX O Cl 'C CC Cl CO CO 20897 CO ©-<*<■<* © X >o — © «c © -r CC © CC c co x n n 100896 20897 CO © Is CO G666i 2? | »C ~- OS t>- CO «J O M H > 1 ■«*< © © X © © kQ t^ © 'C ts X ~f © >c Cl CO © eo British. tt) be C H lO CO ts. CO t» CO —i - CC CO CO CO 168051 eo QO i s» f-H ci CO © © — < © © © X T*< © eo © 'O is co CO l-O Tf TT 228271 168051 3963220 60220 Vess. OS OS O X CO CO CC CO O CO © CO CO © © CO »o X tj< eo cc co HHflH- •p © © Cl Is CO 1423 165 Entering Inwards Total Inwards. Tnge. C Cl 'O N CC X >-C 3 O OS IQ CO o cc t- *IOHH X t- t^ o X co n co re © © CO © CO 531033 592217 566380 554114 573563 28173071 2020479 4837736 796828 ■ CD TJH ,_| ^ CO Cl CC CO cc o —i X X Cl CO 20385 © CO -X Is EO Cl CO Cl © © X © © © © -f ko — CC X X CO tH © ci ci 44869 4099 British and Coasting Trade. H ~. O ' C 1- Cl Cl Cl CC CC Cl Cl >-o O — < Cl X t - cc — -f CO CO CO CC CC CC CO tji © SO Is. © CO 477203 533189 405221 492879 511981 2480476 1829700 CO CO © co © ts © © Vess. cc ci — > ci 'C Cl 'C 1 - >o X OS CO CO 1- cc co w co eo © I ci © x -r t 1 CO I © t- »-C CO o -t 'ON'CO-f © Tfl Tj< 22988 19460j X CO X CO co Foreign Trade. Total. be C H _ Cl —' X CC Cl CO CO cc Cl Ci CO X CO X CO O I— CO co cc co eo 190719 © X © *C CO eo ci >o co x X © ■— < CO >o eo © i-h — i .— < »C iO © © © 336831 190719 527550 146112 i > — Cl CC >C 1 - O X vc 1^ —i M - H H CN CO © x eo © eo ci Cl © ts -}< ci CO CO CO CO 1496 925 CO ■*¥ CO Is CO British. j Foreign. ci be r- CC CC X OS i— ' »o CO CO X Ci X -i (M CO ■* lO CD N X C. O O lo © 22222 22222 »o»e *o c M «CJ CO a cc -M- 1 2 oco g = I = 2 - s ^ o r- c — © H ^©P ■ S -v - O CC -1 >-S > © -PH . DC — < — a -s? O - +- — •O «M ^ g - f •- = - r> o 4j ; l v ; ^ O co -h - x S E a S S S * 2 . £ af ffs 2 «g _ — sj< - *" c co B§ S ^ l = as • ° § 13 g 5 ! S SI = 5 3 - . S O tf .1'- c; ca 3 x _ « i° 41 M - 2 C ^ „ U ■g J^^ljg-S I - r © - 2 = * "3 c r: ■ gO Q ■ I - a •» "H = 3 T) fi g 2 3 $1^1 S S el _ -r/-00-l g ^ ir ^ © cu ^ ^ e, 2 S^pHri Set © 1 K S © . 2 .„ . ^ o •« -a e 2 * v -tj Cfr2 :© 5 ~ £3* V o s ~- S is tc » I ♦3cJco^ u (Cij2o« crogc.SesOxn 5'* £ * - go"" 8 cs s, ci . p -ci "« \. g - t; a, see? » * ^ g ff © a) (..a ^ L _. E H § s .s S a .2 • s cv A tt | p -Tp hi : U T BELFAST. 355 The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, the registered shijjping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwards. Kegis- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Jnge. Tnge. Tuge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851.. 44,226 21,210 586,430 .. 34,945 23,831 378,454 .74,770 352,658 1852.. 53,399 36,399 595,630 .. 37,107 37,178 351,382 .. 76,940 369,146 1853.. 40,910 26,745 639,185 .. 27,572 27,137 386,354 .. 78,873 377,329 1854. .40,571 41,078 889,576 . .23,812 43,912 611,165 . .83,178 395,497 The trade of this port, therefore, for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 124,212 tons Foreign, and 964,884 tons in the British and Coasting trade. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 164,083 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 947,012 tons ; being an increase on the former of 39,871 tons, and a decrease on the latter of 17,872 tons. In 1853 the Foreign trade was 122,604 tons, being a decrease of 42,219 tons on the previous year, but the British and Coasting trade amounted to 1,025,539 tons, being an increase on 1852 of 78,527 tons. For the year ending 5th January, 1854, the Foreign trade was 149,373 tons, and British and Coasting trade 1,500,741 tons, being an increase on the former of 26,709 tons, and on the latter 475,202 tons, or 43 f per cent, on the general trade of the previous year. The registered shipping, which con- sisted of 462 vessels and 76,940 tons in January 1851, had increased in 1854 to 493 vessels and 83,178 tons, and the customs' duties, which were then £352,658, had extended to £395,487, being an increase of 31 vessels and 6,238 tons on the former, and of £42,839 on the latter. And the trade of the port for the six months ending 30th June, 1854, has increased considerably on those that preceded them. Although there are forty steamers, almost all of large tonnage, employed in the trade of Belfast, only twelve of them belong to the port, and three of these, the property of Messrs. Valentine and Dargan, from their small tonnage must be either tug or river boats. The other nine are iron built vessels, five of which are screw impelled, and three of these are the property of the Belfast Screw 2 a 2 356 BELFAST. Steam Company. The registered tonnage of the twelve steamers is included in the general tonnage belonging to the port, and amounts to 2,214 tons, and, including their engine rooms, to 3,660 tons. Belfast, as a ship-building port, has been long in advance of any other in Ireland, and latterly it has been directing its atten- tion particularly to the construction of iron ships. There are some very extensive ship owners in this port; the first on the list is Messrs. J. and T. Sinclair, who were owners on the 1st January, 1854, of twelve large vessels measuring 10,013 tons, one of these, the America, 1,683 tons, and all engaged in Foreign trade ; next in importance are Messrs. J. Dunn, who own eight vessels, 6,424 tons; Hugh Wardlow six vessels, 5,582 tons ; John Martin and Co. and James Ireland eight vessels, 5,200 tons; D.Grainger six vessels, 4,513 tons, one of these the Dalriada 1507 tons, and connected with S. Mac Causland and James Lemon, owns the Epaminondas, a fine ship of 1,195 tons ; Mr. Lemon also owns several other fine vessels; Messrs. John Harrison three vessels, 3,041 tons ; Robert Corry, G. Heyn, W. C. Heron and Co., and a number of other respectable houses, are owners of a considerable amount of tonnage belonging to the port. There were seven vessels of 1,696 tons in the Foreign trade, and twenty- two of 1,747 tons in the British and Coasting trade, whose owners reside in Carrickfergus ; one vessel of 356 tons in Foreign trade, and nine of 404 tons in the British and Coasting trade in Larne ; one vessel of 302 tons in Foreign trade, and two of 106 tons in the British and Coasting trade in Porta- ferry ; eleven vessels of 400 tons in the British and Coasting trade in Donaghadee ; six vessels of 392 tons in Bangor ; thirteen vessels of 426 tons in Island Magee, and eight vessels of 415 tons in Cushendall, all registered in Belfast, but very likely trading with the ports in which their owners respectively reside. The first account on record of ship building in Belfast occurs in 1636, when a vessel of 150 tons was built by the presbyterian clergymen there. In 1682 the largest vessel belonging to the port was the Antelope, of 200 tons, a Virginian trader. In 1700 the Loyal Charles, 250 tons burthen, the property of some merchants of the town, was launched. But up to 1791 there was no regular place for laying down a vessel, and all those belonging to the port BELFAST. 357 were built and repaired in England or Scotland. The cross channel trade of Belfast, which is now the most important of all its branches, in 1811 did not employ more than two or three regular traders in the London, and in all not more than twenty vessels in the trade between Belfast and Great Britain, while its merchants, under the most disheartening and embarrassing restric- tions, devoted themselves to the pursuit of foreign commerce. The trade between Belfast and the British West Indies commenced as early as 1740, and up to a recent period some extensive houses and superior ships were engaged in it : as late as 1835 there were nine large vessels entered inwards, and fifteen cleared out of this port from and to the West Indies. The trade of Belfast with the United States and British North America was also of early origin, and its foreign exports direct were then very considerable, consist- ing of linen and cotton manufactured goods, provisions, starch, blue, and whiskey. The imports were tobacco, ashes, cotton, flax seed, clover seed, timber, staves, rosin, &c. In 1682 there were only sixty-seven vessels of 3,307 tons belonging to the port, and fifteen of these traded with France. It subsequently had consider- able trade with the Baltic, Archangel, and Holland. From the former the imports were tallow, hemp, flax, timber, ashes, mats, tar, pitch ; from the latter flax seed, clover seed, flax, bark, and madder. From the Mediterranean it imported barilla, wine, fruit, oil, &c, and latterly from the Levant and Odessa bread stuffs, tallow, &c. It has also opened a considerable trade with India and China. To all these countries it exports its manufactured linens, and more particularly its linen yarn, but, with the exception of a fractional part direct, the whole of these immense exports are transmitted through English ports. Much has been already said on the subject of general trade and manufactures under the head of Statistics in this work, as to the extent and value of the Belfast exports. The railway commissioners, in their returns for 1835, make the imports £3,695,437, and the exports £4,341,794. The Admiralty has since then furnished a document on harbours for 1850, in which they calculate the amount of the Belfast imports for that year at £6,938,238, and its exports at £4,632,082 ; but this return must be looked on with considerable doubt, as in the imports it has linen and cotton yarn to the amount of £870,260, 358 BELFAST. although linen yarn constitutes one of its leading and most valuable exports. It has also on the list of imports, bread stuffs to the amount of £2,147,157, which appears rather heavy for one year, and that year the third after the famine. The first steam boat that arrived in Belfast was from Liverpool in 1819, but merchandize was not transmitted by steam until 1824. There are now five steamers dispatched regularly twice a week for Liverpool ; five for Glasgow, one of which proceeds daily with the mail, Sunday excepted ; four for Dublin and London once a week ; three screw iron steamers for London and Plymouth direct once a week ; two for Whitehaven twice a week ; two for Androssan three times a week ; one for Stranraer, and one for Londonderry weekly ; three for Fleetwood, and two for Morecambe twice a week. Vessels formerly only discharged the north side of the harbour, which is now reserved for steamers and vessels on the Foreign trade ; the south side is occupied by coasters and colliers, where there is a Coal Exchange, Factors' Offices, and every accommodation for the trade. The Manufactures of Belfast may be considered the Manufac- tures of Ireland, and under that portion of this work which treats of Statistics, their history has been in a great degree recorded. The spinning of flax and cotton are the two principal manufactures of the town, or rather flax spinning, which has in a great degree superseded the other branch — Messrs. Mulholland's extensive mills have been already described. In 1832 there were eleven bleach greens in the parish of Belfast, where 260,000 pieces of fine linen cloth were annually bleached, valued at a million. In 1840 there were fifty steam engines of 1,274 horse-power, exerted in spinning linen or cotton yarn, or in weaving, bleaching, printing, or dying the fabrics. In 1854 the number of flax spinning mills, which had been twenty-nine in 1850, increased to thirty-three. The trade is in a flourishing condition, and a good understanding exists be- tween the members of its various branches. The country spinners and manufacturers meet those of the town on Fridays in the Com- mercial Buildings, where the Exchange is held, and where the affairs connected with the trade are arranged. There are several flax scutching, oil, alabaster, and barilla mills, chemical works. BELFAST. 359 saw mills, tan yards, a felt manufactory, and several hat, soap, and candle manufactories. Up to 1841 there were two ex- tensive distilleries in the town: since then there has been only one of these worked by Messrs. Mackenzie, whose spirit is in con- siderable repute — there are six breweries. The manufacture of canvass was established here in 1784, when there was only six looms at work, now there are two or three large manufactories, besides a great number of rope walks, the most extensive of which belong to Mr. James Lemon ; six large ship-building yards, two of these appropriated exclusively to the building of iron ships — Messrs. Coates and Young have upwards of 300 men employed in building vessels of this description. There are four foundries : the Belfast and Lagan are very extensive, and those at Ballymacarret have been long established ; in the same neighbourhood are two glass houses, and one in Belfast — their manufacture is confined to white flint glass ; there are also two manufactories of vitriol, bleaching smalts and manganese; two extensive salt works, built on ground reclaimed from the sea. There are several manufactories of starch, glue, and logwood; a flour mill on the Falls Road ; and the burning of bricks and lime are on a very extensive scale, and afford employment to a considerable number of the rural population. There are five banking establishments in Belfast: three of these, the Northern, the Belfast, and the Ulster Banking Companies have been already fully described under the head of " Banking " in the portion of the work devoted to " Statistics." The establishments from which these joint-stock banks emanated were long and inti- mately connected with the town, and in their original formation, as well as after they became joint-stock banks, have been principally instrumental in sustaining and encouraging that commercial and manufacturing industry and enterprise which has raised Belfast to its present unrivalled state of prosperity. The others are branches of the Bank of Ireland, and of the Provincial Bank of Ireland. There are nine Newspapers in the town, the Belfast News Letter having its origin as early as 1737; the Commercial Chronicle, Mercan- tile Journal, Mercury, Weekly Mail, Northern AVhig, Ulster General Advertiser, Banner of Ulster, and the Ulsterman — two of these are published twice ; four, three times; and three, once a week. 360 BELFAST. The appearance of Belfast is cheerful and prepossessing : it is formed into streets, terraces, and squares ; some of these spacious and handsomely constructed, particularly the more recently built part of the town : all the houses are built of brick with slated roofs, and the foot-paths well nagged ; it is well lit with gas by a company formed for the purpose under an Act passed in 1822. Previous to 1795 the town was indifferently supplied with water : to remedy this defect, the late Marquis of Donegall gave the Trustees of the Charitable Society a lease of the springs on his estates for sixty-one years. In 1805 water was brought from the Malone springs, at an expense to the town of £3,650. In 1817 an act was passed appointing water apploters, who took the manage- ment into their own hands, and allowed the society £750 per annum for their interest in it. Belfast, although situated only a few feet above the level of the sea at spring tides, is healthy, and the air pure and salubrious — the environs are remarkable for beauty. The bold range of mountains north of the town, and skirting the western side of the valley of the Lagan, is picturesque and grand, and strongly contrasts the fertility of the valley itself, which exhibits a variety of hill and dale, wood and water ; natural beauty and rich cultivation that cannot be surpassed. On the south is Cave Hill, an object of considerable attraction : Mac Arts Fort, on the apex, is distinctly seen, from which descends a range of precipitous cliffs, in which are those caves said to have sheltered this Chieftain and his followers in their uttermost extremity, while a portion of the sum- mit of this hill, viewed horizontally, bears a strong resemblance to the profile of the late Emperor Napoleon. About a mile from the town are the Botanical Gardens, comprising seventeen acres, con- taining many rare exotics. Public Buildings. — The Commercial Buildings are situated in Waring Street and Bridge Street, and were built in 1822 by subscription; £20,000 having been contributed in shares of £100 each — the proprietors have been formed into a corporate body by Act of Parliament — they arc built of granite, and ornamented in front by eight Ionic columns, supported on a broad cornice above the windows of the first story. An area in the interior and a BELFAST, 361 piazza are appropriated to the use of the merchants who assemble here on change days to transact their business. There is a news- room, an assembly-room, and numerous shops and offices, the rents of which go towards paying the interest on the investment. The Chamber of Commerce holds its sittings here: it was originally formed in 1783, but its meetings were suspended from 1794 to 1802; its duties are to protect and preserve the rights and privileges of the commercial community, and to collect valuable information connected with commerce and manufactures. The White Linen Hall is a large quadrangular building, situated at the termination of Donegall Place ; this edifice is extremely light and handsome, and its spire, built in proportion, has a pleasing effect; it is enclosed in an extensive area by a handsome railing, and is one of the prin- cipal promenades of the town. The building contains numerous offices and warerooms, which are occupied by drapers and factors, who receive the cloth from the bleachers, and prepare it for sale or exportation. It was built in 1785, at a cost of £10,000. The Brown Linen Hall is on the south side of Donegall Street : con- nected therewith there are platforms erected for the buyers who attend on Fridays ; the brown cloth brought for sale here is gene- rally of the finest texture. The Corn Exchange in Victoria Street : the market was formerly held in Smithfield Square, where cattle and hides were also sold four days in the week. The New Harbour Office in Corporation Square, formerly Ritchie's Dock, a splendid building. The Savings Bank, established in 1816, had, in November 1852, 5,124 depositors, whose lodgements were £113,900, at a rate of £2 18s. 4d. per cent. The Custom House, situated on Hanover Quay, is an old, gloomy, and confined edifice; and it is only sur- prising how the extensive business of the port is carried on in such a building ; its appearance is a disgrace to the town, and more par- ticularly so to the Treasury, which has allowed the increasing com- merce of the port to remain so long without suitable accommoda- tion. It has at length determined on building a range of public offices, in which the department of the customs, inland revenue, and post office are to be established. The County Antrim Court- House is a fine modern building, in the Italian style of architecture ; opposite which is the County Gaol, capable of containing 300 362 BELFAST. prisoners. There is a subterraneous communication between them, and both cost upwards of £80,000. The County Antrim Assizes which had been, previous to the summer of 1850, held at Carrick- fergus, were then removed to Belfast, where they have been since held. The Lunatic Asylum for the counties of Down, Antrim, and Carrickfergus, which contains 281 patients, at an annual expense of £3,459. The Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Asylum : a light handsome edifice, built in 1845 by private subscription, and cost £11,000 ; it is capable of accommodating 100 patients. The Charitable Societies'' Poor House, for the reception of aged and infirm persons, and support and instruction of destitute children. It was erected in 1774 by subscription, and the produce of a lottery, since then it has been the means of preserving from destitution, misery, or vice, 300 individuals annually. It was in this institution that the juvenile inmates tried their hands in producing the first cotton yarn spun in Ireland. The House of Industry in Smithfield, founded in 1809, for supplying the indus- trious poor with the means of contributing to their own support. The House of Correction, erected in 1817 by Grand Jury present- ment: there is a spacious hall here for the Quarter Sessions, and where the mayor holds his court ; a house for the governor, and cells and yards for the convicts, where they are obliged to work at their trades, or other laborious duties during the terms of their im- prisonment. The Fever Hospital in Frederick Street : connected with this establishment, which has effected so much good during the visitations of typhus fever, was a dispensary, both supported by a Grand Jury grant of £400 a year ; but the Medical Charities Act of 1851 will have the effect of dispensing with both. There is the Lying-in Hospital; societies for clothing the poor, and other charitable institutions. Hie Places of Entertainment are — the Theatre in Arthur Street ; the Music Hall in May Street ; and the Museum in College Square, erected in 1830. There are two in- fantry, and one artillery barracks in the town ; one of these built as far back as 1737. The Houses of Religious Worship are— Nineteen Presbyterian, twelve Protestant, four Catholic, three Unitarian, one Baptist, r BELFAST. 363 three Wesleyan Methodist, one Independent Methodist, one Mor- mon, and eight Quakers. The Presbyterians of Belfast are divided into several congregations, each having a handsome edifice for religious worship, independent of supernumerary meeting houses. That of the first congregation in Rosemary Street was rebuilt in 1783, of brick, of an elliptical form, and is much admired. Con- venient to this is the Church erected by the second congregation in 1708, and rebuilt in 1790. In 1722, another Meeting House was built by the third congregation, also in Rosemary Street, being the oldest place of worship in the town, and frequented by the most numerous congregation, the country Presbyterians of the parish being members of it. The fourth congregation established their Meeting House in Donegall Street, in 1792. Two other houses were built in 1827 and 1829 : that in Fenwick Street cost £7000, and the other £9000. In 1831 the most splendid Presbyterian Church in the kingdom was erected from a design of Mr. Millar, a resident architect; it is of the Doric order of architecture, and cost £10,000. The old Protestant parish Church stood on the south side of High Street, but in 1777, it being found unsafe and inconvenient, it was pulled down, and St. Anne's, which is now the parish Church, was erected in Donegall Street the same year ; its elevated and handsome spire contributes to give it a grand and imposing effect. The Chapel of Ease was erected in 1811, on the site of the old Church, in High Street; its portico is a splendid piece of architecture, composed of six lofty massive pillars, and four fluted pilasters of the Corinthian order ; it formerly formed the front of Ballyscullen palace, erected by the celebrated Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry, and presented as a gift to the Protestants of Belfast by the late Bishop of Down and Connor ; the Church is capable of accommodating 1,200 per- sons. Previous to the old Catholic Chapel of St. Mary's being erected in 1783, the Catholics of Belfast had no house of worship, and Divine Service was celebrated in the open air, in the old grave yard of Malone, called Friar's Bush ; and sometimes in a small waste house in Castle Street. In 1811, a Catholic Church was built in Donegall Street: the style of architecture isgothic, and it is one of the finest edifices in the town. The largest of the Metho- 364 BELFAST. dist Chapels is in Donegall Street, where the Independents have also their meeting house, and the Society of Friends have a hand- some house in King Street, erected in 1812. The Educational Institutions are — The Royal Academical In- stitution or College, founded in 1810, is already fully described in this work under the head of Statistics. The Belfast Academy, established in 1780, which has acquired considerable celebrity as a classical school. The Queen's College, situated near the Botanical Gardens, a very fine building in the Elizabethan style, from a design by Mr. C.Lanyon, opened in October, 1849. Queen Victoria, on the occasion of her visit to Belfast in the previous month of August, expressed herself much pleased with the architecture and general arrangements of this College, which was to bear her name ; its organization and discipline will be found under the head of " Queen's Colleges," in the Statistics to this work. There were twenty-eight National Schools in the town and its vicinity in 1848, and the number of pupils attending 4,334, but which are now estimated at upwards of 6,000. The Lancasterian School, now a Ragged School, the first established in Ireland. Two Sunday Schools. The School of Design, endowed by Government with a parliamentary grant of £600 per annum, in addition to local sub- scriptions ; Lord Dufferin, who has been a liberal contributor to the funds, is President; and Mr. R. Davison, M.P., and Mr. C. Lanyon, Vice-Presidents to this Institution. There are several private Seminaries which educate a considerable portion of the juvenile population, male and female. There are four News Rooms : in the Commercial Buildings, the Corn Exchange, the Peoples', and the White Linen Hall, where there is also a Public Library containing 10,000 select volumes : the Society for the Promotion of Knowledge meets here. There are also Public Libraries at the Colleges, and Belfast Academy, &c. The other Institutions arc — the Mechanics Institute, the Working Class Association, the Chemico-Agricultural Society, Literary Society, Essayists' Club, Social Inquiry Society, Harmonic Society, &c, &c. The Union Work House was built in 1841, to accommodate BELFAST. 365 3450 inmates. It contains an area of 47,592 acres in the counties of Down and Antrim, population 125,668 persons, in twelve electoral districts, represented by twenty-two elected, and twenty-two ex officio guardians ; the property subject to the poor rate is valued at £284,596, and the rate in aid levied in 1851 and 1852, was £2,277 17s. 8d. This was a tax levied off those Unions in Ireland which, after providing for their own poor, were compelled to con- tribute to the support of the Unions in Munster and Connaught, which were either inadequate to the purpose, from there being no available property therein, or the rate being so enormous that it was found impossible to levy it in the respective Unions. It was a most unjust impost, and the town of Belfast was strong in pro- testing against it. It was also enforced at a time when there was at least £2,470,367 4s. 4d., of the eight million loan voted by par- liament for the relief of the Irish poor unappropriated, and which in fact was never expended, but was further increased by repay- ments to the extent of £868,818 7s. 7d. The amount of the rate in aid levied in 1851 and 1852, in Ulster, was £29,753 Is. 5jd. ; Leinster £36,980 14s. lOd. ; Munster £37,012 17s. 3d.; Con- naught £11,637 12s. 8jd. In Ulster there was no portion of it issued for the support of its poor; in Leinster there was only £962; in Munster there was £96,218 16s.; and in Connaught £33,904 0s. lid. By a parliamentary paper emanating from the Poor Law Commission, 16th March, 1853, it is stated, that there was of this fund £78,161 15s. 6jd. on hand 31st December, 1852, of which £59,783 12s. 9d. was paid 31st January, 1853, into the Exchequer for advances made by it on the credit of the rate in aid, and that there remained a balance on hand of £18,378 2s. 9|d. ; but how this conclusion is arrived at by the document furnished, is a perfect mystery, as it states that in the two years £115,384 6s. 3d. was levied, and £131,084 16s. lid. issued, being £15,700 10s. 8d. more than was levied. This, like almost all the public documents, is a regular jumble ; something is withheld, or something extrane- ous is introduced, to render them as unintelligible as possible. In this instance, if there is a balance on hand, it should be refunded to the Unions in Ulster and Leinster, in proportion to their contri- butions to the rate in aid. 366 BELFAST. The amount of postage, excise, and stamps collected in Belfast for the four years ending 5th January, 1853, was : — 1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. Postage £6,934 7,2-46 7,415 7,642 Excise 192,645 206,278 222,357 242,004 Stamps 26,525 * 26,991 29,653 34,887 The number of persons employed in collecting the Customs' revenue of this port in 1849, was 133, whose united salaries amounted to £9,242 15s. 2d. Leaving Belfast by the New Cut or Victoria Channel, the vast improvements on both sides of the harbour excite universal admi- ration, and strongly contrast the reminiscences of half a century, when there was nothing to be seen at low water but mud banks, and only nine or ten feet of water to the quay, even in spring tides. This fine channel, by cutting off the bends in the river, has lessened the distance more than a mile from the town to Garmoyle, where vessels of a large draught of water were obliged to moor and discharge their cargoes. The Lough now becomes a magnificent sheet of water, and the views, particularly to the N. E., are strikingly grand and picturesque, and the country on both sides studded with handsome villas and rich plantations. That part of the Lough is now passed opposite Carrickfergus roads, where the royal squadron which attended Queen Victoria in her visit to Belfast in August 1849, anchored. Clearing the Lough of Belfast, and proceeding northwards, Blackhead and Cobbins Cliffs are passed on the Antrim coast, and Island Magee presents itself near the southern entrance to Lough Larne, where, in 1G42, Robert Munroe and his adherents deliberately put to death, in cold blood, the whole Catholic population of the place, in retaliation, it is sup- posed, for a similar atrocity committed on the Protestants by the Irish party at Portadown the previous year. It has some trade and shipping, the land is fertile and well cultivated, and traces of coal have been found in it. Lough Larne has good anchorage ground, and is a safe harbour of refuge for vessels not drawing more than twelve or thirteen feet of water. The town of Larne is delightfully situated; some fine vessels belong to the port, and it exports grain, flour, cattle, and lime. It is extensively engaged in the manufac- BELFAST. 867 lure of salt, which it exports to some extent to Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Its imports are timber, slates, coal, and latterly wheat and Indian corn. On the northern side of the harbour are the ruins of Olderfleet Castle, where Edward Bruce landed in 1315. Between Lough Larue and Glenarm are the maiden rocks and light houses, sixty feet high, displaying a red and white light, seen in clear weather thirteen or fourteen miles to sea ; the lanterns are eighty- four and ninety-four feet respectively above high water. The coast to Glenarm is bounded by Agnews mountain, 1,500 feet above the level of the sea ; while on the east the Isle of Arran, and other smaller isles, and the distant Scottish coast terminate the extensive sea view. From Glenarm to Cushen- dall is about thirteen miles, and the romantic beauty and variety of scenery along the coast cannot be excelled. Cushendall is another of these small branch ports to Belfast, and has some trade and shipping ; it is on the sea coast, and its fine bay affords good anchorage in from three to nine fathoms water. Cushendun, another small port is also passed, and Benmore or Fairhead, the most northerly point of Ireland, is now attained. This bold, com- manding promontory is about four miles from Ballycastle, and rises perpendicularly to the height of 631 feet above the level of the sea ; it is formed of a number of basaltic colossal pillars, many of them exceeding 200 feet in length, and five in width ; one of these forms a quadrangular prism, said to be the largest basaltic pillar yet discovered, exceeding in diameter the pedestal that supports the statue of Peter the Great, at St. Petersburg, and considerably higher than the shaft of Pompey's pillar at Alexandria. At the base of this magnificent colonnade are immense masses of rock, which have been dislodged from their more elevated original posi- tions by storms, or other more violent operations of nature, and appear like the ruins of some ancient fortress, toppled clown with the ocean wave beating hoarsely against them. The entire line of coast from Magilligan to Portrush may be properly called the Giant's Causeway. The view from the sea is grand in the extreme, comprising Fairhead, Carrick-a-rede, Bengore, and the whole ex- tent of variegated limestone and basaltic coast. The beautiful white-robed promontory of Kenbaan is a most interesting object; 368 BELFAST. at some distance is Sheep Island, and more immediately in front, is the Island of Rathlin or Raghery, which afforded an asylum to that heroic chieftain, Robert Bruce, in the winter of 1306-7, when an exile from Scotland ; on a rugged perpendicular rock, near the northern angle of the island, are the ruins of an ancient fortress, called Bruce's Castle, and near it on the Beach is a cavern, which is also called Bruce's Cave. While sailing along this coast the mind is filled with sublimity and awe, and sometimes with delight, in witnessing those stupendous works of nature which are occasionally interspersed with the most enchanting scenery. Ballycastle is now approached, a place of great antiquity, as its coal mines are sup- posed to have been worked, even as early as the time the Phoenicians traded with the country. In 1770, during the operations of modern coal mining there, in a portion of the cliff which was considered un- explored, was discovered the remains of a mine containing galleries and chambers, which had been worked in a most scientific manner, pillars being left at proper intervals to support the roof, and some of the tools and baskets used by these ancient miners were also discovered, but on being touched crumbled to pieces. This affords another proof that civilization and the arts and sciences had existed in Ireland long antecedent to the time that some sage writers con- tend they were first introduced there. Formerly these colleries were worked to some extent: the coal is found about 120 yards from the entrance of freestone rocks, which are situated on the sea coast. Ballycastle has great natural advantages, and at a moderate ex- pense could be made a fine harbour. Every attempt, however, made by the respected family of the Boyd's to constitute it a port, was effectually resisted by the Irish Society, and the consequence is, that the pier and quay, which was constructed by a grant of the Irish parliament to the amount of £13,290 19s. 6d., are now in ruins, the harbour choked up, and the colleries, which used to ex- port 15,000 tons of coals annually, are no longer worked. The splendid harbour of Portrush, situated on the north Atlantic, near the entrance to the Bann is next passed, and four miles higher up the river stands the town Coleraine. CO LERAIN E. Coleeaine is a very ancient maritime town. Some suppose it derives its name from Cuel JRathuin, in reference to the numerous forts in its neighbourhood, while others identify it with Rath-moi'-tnidghe-linc, the Royal palace of the Kings of Dalnaruidhe. It is 145 miles north of Dublin, and 36 miles east-north-east of Londonderry by rail- way, and is situated 55° 8' latitude, 6° 29' longitude, on the river Bann, which has its source in the northern extremity of the Mourne Mountains, and, making a circuit to the north-west by Banbridge, it meets the Newry Canal at Portadown, a short distance from which it falls into Lough Neagh, from whence it escapes at Toome, and after forming Lough Beg, it waters the town of Coleraine, and dissolves itself in the North Atlantic at Portrush. It is seventy miles in its course, which is so smooth, and its waters so clear, that it is called the " Silver Bann," and esteemed superior to any other in the Island for bleaching purposes. Coleraine is a parliamentary Borough in a Barony of the same name, in the county of London- derry, which was formerly the county of Coleraine, and extended from the river Bann on the east to Lough Foyle on the west. Its municipal boundary contains 963 acres. In 1814 the town and liberties contained a population of 8,817 persons; in 1831 there were 7,646 inhabitants in the parish, of which 5,668 were in the town; in 1834 it increased to 6,143, of which 1,441 were Protes- tants, 877 Catholics, and 3,825 Presbyterians and other Protestant Dissenters. In 1841 there were 6,255 inhabitants, occupying 1,132 houses; in 1851 the population was only 5,920, and the number of houses 1,063, being a decrease of 69 houses, and 355 persons, but this was exclusive of 342 persons in the Union Workhouse. It returned two members to the Irish, and is still permitted to return one to the United parliament : its present representative is the Right Hon Lord Naas, late Secretary for Ireland in the Derby 2 B 370 COLERAINE. administration. In 1834 the constituency registered under the Act 2nd William IV., ch. 84, was 320 ; in 1849 it increased to 369 ; in 1851, under the Act 13th and 14th Vic, ch. 69, passed with the avowed intention of increasing the constituencies, but it had the contrary effect, and that of Coleraine decreased to 222. The last parliamentary return of 1853 gave 246 as the number on the registry, of which twenty were burgesses or freemen of the old corporation. Killowen, which is that part of the town on the western bank of the Bann, is of great antiquity, and was at one time the chief town of the county of Coleraine. In 540 a priory of regular Canons was founded by St. Carbrcus, a disciple of St. Finian, and first Bishop of Coleraine. In 930, Armedius, the abbot, and a number of monks were butchered by the Danes. In 1171 it was pillaged by Maurice MacDunlevie. In 1214 the build- ings of the town were demolished to furnish materials for a castle erected by Thomas MacUchtry and the Irish ; but the priory was respected. In 1244 a Dominican Friary was founded by the O'Cahans ; Shane O'Boyle, the last abbot, surrendered it to the Commissioners of Henry VIII. in 1542. Previous to the confisca- tion of Ulster, the O'Cahan's were possessed of the town and county of Coleraine ; they were faithful adherents of the O'Neill's, to whom they were tributary, and supported them through centu- ries of civil strife and in defending their rights and liberties against foreign aggression. It is asserted, however, that the last of this family gave such information to Montgomery, Bishop of Deny,' and the council in Dublin Castle, of Hugh O'Neill's having entered into a fresh conspiracy to overthrow the English power in Ulster, that it had the effect of forcing this chieftain to expatriate himself, and seek safety in foreign lands, abandoning his immense possessions, which Chichester, and the other greedy adventurers who acted with him had long marked for spoliation. Had O'Cahan been instru- mental in producing these long wished-for results, it is not probable that his property would have been involved in the general confisca- tion that followed. On the accession of James I. to the throne, Hugh O'Neill, and Roderick O'Donnell, who had succeeded Red Hugh in the principality of Tyrconnell, accompanied Lord Mountjoy to the English court, where they were well received by the monarch, COLERAINE. 371 and O'Donnell created Earl of Tyrconnell, as O'Neill had been pre- viously made Earl of Tyrone. They were dismissed apparently with every mark of distinction and confidence, and sent home to resume possession of their estates, and with a guarantee that the free exercise of the Catholic religion should be tolerated ; and now the Province of Ulster, so long agitated by civil war, for a season enjoyed the blessings of profound peace. But this state of things sadly disappointed the English expectants, both lay and clerical, and several plans were devised to entrap these chieftains into some plot against the state, or drive them again into open insurrection. In 1605, the King's Councillors suddenly published in Dublin the Act of Uniformity, the 2nd of Elizabeth, which strictly prohibited attendance on Catholic worship, and a proclamation was issued by the King soon after, which declared to his " beloved subjects of Ireland that he would not admit any such liberty of conscience as they were made to expect," and commanded that all Catholic clergymen by a certain day should depart the realm. These measures it was supposed would have roused the northern chief- tains to resistance, but they failed to do so, and others were had recourse to. An anonymous letter about this period had led to the discovery of the gunpowder plot; and as James had shown some sagacity in elucidating its dark intent, it was supposed that a similar instrument would be favourably entertained by him. Ac- cordingly, early in 1607 a letter was concocted, without signature, addressed to Sir William Usher, Clerk of the Council, and deposited so conveniently in the chamber that the door porter picked it up, and carried it to the Lord Deputy, then sitting in Council. This letter disclosed a plot which it stated had been formed by some popish gentlemen to seize on the castle of Dublin, and the military garrisons in the North, to poison the Lord Deputy, and cut off Sir Oliver Lambert and other officers ; that the Pope, the Jesuits, and the Catholic King were to supply them with men and means to carry their intentions into effect. And the writer concluded by stating that, " although he reverenced the mass and the Catholic religion, yet he preferred the good of his country to every other consideration." Cecil, the late Queen's artful adviser, and who now directed the councils of James, got the credit of devising this 2 b 2 372 COLERAINE. plot, and of employing Lord Howth to entrap O'Neill, O'Donnell, Lord Delvin, and other Irish chiefs in another, which was to be divulged by him to the government. Whether James had origi- nally entered into this scheme of depriving these chieftains of all their possessions, or had become alarmed by the rumours of plots, and the intrigues that the real plotters about his person were now engaged in, to accomplish their purpose, is uncertain ; but he now appears to have countenanced and encouraged those claims made by the Bishop of Derry and others, to a considerable portion of O'Neill's property. The Irish government subtilely declined to interfere in this suit, and O'Neill was summoned to England, to answer those claims which had been there speciously urged against him. While preparing for his departure, he was informed that these were only pretexts used for the purpose of decoying him thither, and that witnesses were suborned to prove his participa- tion in plots and conspiracies already invented by his enemies for his ruin. He had already witnessed the persecution which was now in full operation against his religion ; he had sufficient experi- ence of what he was to expect from the justice of English law, with the tide of courtly favour setting in strong against him : he was aware that he could only negotiate with effect with an imposing force at his disposal, and unwilling, probably, to involve his devoted countrymen in the horrors of another civil war, he rashly adopted the resolution of expatriating himself and family, taking with him O'Donnell and his family, and other faithful friends, resolved to share their exile, rather than endure the degradation and oppression that too evidently awaited them at home. They embarked in the autumn of 1G07, on a French ship which had conveyed two Irish chieftains back to their native country, and was lying in Lough S willy. This ship landed them safe in Normandy, where, soon after their arrival, the English ambassador at the court of France exhibited a proclamation drawn up by the drivelling, pedantic, bewitched King, charging these noble exiles with being " base and rude in their original, and that they had not their creations or possessions in regard of any lineal or lawful descent from ancestors of blood or virtue." James little reflected, in his anxiety to cover the Irish chiefs with obloquy, that a considerable COLERAINE. 373 portion of it must fall to his own lot, as he and O'Neill were de- scended from the same ancestors, which he termed "rude and base ; " and although he could trace his descent in right of his mother, through a long line of distinguished kings, his paternal ancestry, and his own immediate birth, was of the most equivocal character. Mary, Queen of Scots, was probably the most beautiful and accomplished woman of her age, but she was not devoid of those frailties and weaknesses, of which the loveliest of her sex have been but too frequently susceptible. She was educated in the gay, voluptuous court of France, and was married to the Dauphin Francis ; by whose death she became a widow at the early age of nineteen. Soon after her arrival in Scotland she espoused the Earl of Darnley, but their conjugal felicity was of short duration, she soon became disgusted with the frivolity of his character, and placed her affections on David Rizzio, an Italian artiste, to whom, in all probability, this English monarch, so tenacious of ancestry, was himself indebted for his origin. The proclamation indulged in other shameful falsehoods, and that, too, after pledging itself on "the worde of a Kinge," as to their truth, it proceeds to say: — that not a shadow of molestation was intended against these noble- men in respect to religion ; when it was notorious that two years previously the King's Council in Dublin forbade attendance on Catholic worship under severe penalties, and a proclamation was issued by himself, commanding the Catholic clergy forthwith to leave the kingdom. But, forsooth, O'Neill and O'Donnell professed no religion, they were denounced as murderers, rapparees, and fornicators, and therefore not to be troubled in respect to religious ceremonies or opinions. The English ambassador demanded from Henry IV., then King of France, that they should be given up as traitors to their sovereign, but that illustrious monarch discredited the improbable falsehoods with which they were charged, and re- fused to compromise the honour and hospitality of the nation, by surrendering them into his sanguinary and despotic hands. The other foreign courts followed the example of France, and they were everywhere received with the greatest distinction; O'Donnell, and Maguire of Fermanagh, who accompanied him, died soon after their arrival, and O'Neill proceeded to Rome, where he lived on 374 COLEKAINE. the bounty of the Pope. Becoming old and blind, and worn down with care, he died there in 1616, regretting in his last moments that mistaken policy which induced him to abandon his country. Immediately on the flight of the Earls, as it was called, being announced, James laid claim not only to the immense estates they were possessed of themselves and their feudatories, but also to those belonging to Irish chieftains allied or in friendly intercourse with them. By these sweeping forfeitures, 500,000 acres of land in the counties Tyrone, Donegall, Coleraine, Fermanagh, Armagh, and Cavan, were placed at the disposal of the Crown, which was confirmed in 1609 by a mock inquisition, at the head of which was the Deputy Chichester. James had now full scope to indulge his hobby for reforming Ireland by the introduction of English law, civility, and the protcstant religion, among a barbarous people. The means devised by this clement monarch, and the hungry adven- turers who had long thirsted for a consummation such as this, was to rob, dispossess, and root out the natives by the sword, and plant Englishmen and Scotchmen in their homes, and those of their fathers, to which they had an hereditary and inalienable right. These properties were parcelled out in lots of 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 acres ; the undertakers to be of three sorts : first, English or Scotch, who were to plant their portion with their countrymen ; second, servitors of Ireland, who might plant with Scotch or Irish tenants ; third, natives of Ireland, who were to be made free- holders. The rent exacted by James for every 1,000 acres occupied by the first class was £5 6s. 8d. per annum, no rent to be paid for two years. The larger portions to be held by knights-service, in capite ; the latter in common soccage. Undertakers of 2,000 acres were to build a castle and bawn ; of 1,500 acres, a stone or brick house and bawn ; and those of 1,000 acres to make at least a court or bawn ; the under-tenants to build their dwellings as near the castle house or bawn of the original undertaker as possible, who was at all times to have a sufficient store of arms therein for their mutual defence. Previous to the delivery of the letters patent, every undertaker was obliged to take the oath of supremacy, and they were prohibited from devising any portion to persons refusing to take the same ; this effectually excluded the native Irish, and it COLERAINE. 375 was a mockery to introduce them at all in the arrangement. How- ever, should any of them who escaped transportation take the oath, and be admitted as freeholders, they were to hold their portion in fee-farm, at the yearly rent of £10 13s. 4d. for every 1,000 acres : that is, double the rent of the English or Scotch undertakers ; and while they had their lands rent free for two years, the Irish were subject to pay the excessive rent at the end of one ; they were also prohibited, on pain of forfeiture, to exact cuttings or coshering, &c. The servitors in Ireland had their holdings in fee-farm, and were to pay £8 for every 1,000 acres inhabited by Irish tenants, but only £5 6s. 8d. if planted with English or Scotch. Subsequently there were other arrangements made as to the precincts or districts in which these respective undertakers were to be located, and those portions allotted to Trinity College and the Protestant Church were denned. James was now possessed of an extraordinary whim, he conceived that the Corporation of London was the ablest body he could select to carry his views in respect to the Ulster plantation into effect, and communications were made by Cecil to it, to show the great advantages that would result to the City of London from sharing in the spoliation. The Privy Council and Corporation soon came to an understanding, but the cunning citizens would not seal the agreement until they had ocular demonstration of the promised land ; four of their body therefore went to Ireland, and on their return reported favourably of the plantation. The agreement was now entered into, by which the Corporation bound itself to levy £20,000, whereof £15,000 was to be expended on the plantation, and £5,000 to satisfy private interests. That in Derry 200 houses should be built, and room left for 300 more ; and that 4,000 acres, no part of which was to be bog or mountain, was to be appropri- ated as waste land for the city. That the town of Coleraine should be erected on the Abbey side of the Bann ; 100 houses immediately built, and room left for 200 more, and that 3,000 acres of land ad- joining the town should be appropriated thereto ; these 7,000 acres to be held in fee-farm at a rent of £2 13s. 4d., and the liberties of both places to extend three miles. That the remaining portion of the county of Coleraine, estimated at 12,000 acres, except the Bishop and Dean of Derry' s inheritance, and a small portion to be assigned 376 COLERAINE. to three Irish freeholders, be cleared and possession given to the Corporation, with the woods of Glanconkine and Killetrough. That the duties, tolls, and customs of Deny, Coleraine, and Portrush, should be enjoyed by the Corporation for ninety-nine years, on the payment of 6s. 8d. yearly to the crown. That it should have the Castle of Culmore, and the lands attached to it in fee-farm, and the fisheries on Lough Foyle and the Bann, as far as Lough Neagh, in perpetuity ; and the Corporation on its part agreed that the houses and fortifications which it undertook to build in Derry and Cole- raine were to be completed on the 1st November, 1611. The agreement being now perfected, the Corporation decreed that a company should be formed and established in the City of London, to consist of a governor, deputy governor, and twenty-four assist- ants, the recorder to be one, and the governor and five of the assistants to be aldermen ; the deputy and twelve of the assistants to resign annually, and others to be elected in their stead ; and that nine of this body, including the governor, or deputy governor, should have full power and authority to hold a court, to determine and direct all matters connected with this plantation. This was the origin of the Irish Society, of whom William Cockaine was elected the first governor, and Tristram Beresford and John Rowley were appointed its agents, who proceeded to Ireland and took possession of the estates for the society ; soon after it exchanged with Sir Thomas Phillips the Castle of Limavaddy, with 3,000 acres of land adjoining it, for other lands belonging to him. In 1603, at a court of common council, the governor of the Irish Society reported that a division of the Irish estates had been made into twelve parts, to suit the twelve principal companies, which were the goldsmiths, grocers, fishmongers, ironmongers, mercers, mer- chant tailors, haberdashers, clothworkers, skinners, vintners, drapers, and salters — who, with the exception of the grocers and merchant tailors, had minor companies connected with them — the proportions, inspected by Pynnar, consisted of 3,210 acres each : but the total was upwards of 200,000 acres, independent of the towns of Londonderry and Coleraine ; and the lands, woods, ferries, and fisheries attached thereto, which not being sus- ceptible of division, were retained by the Irish Society, and the COLEHAINE. 377 rents and profits accounted for with the twelve companies, each of whom had contributed £3,333 6s. 8d., in all £40,000, which had been already disbursed on the plantation. James the same year granted a charter to the town of Coleraine : and having ascer- tained that the plantation entrusted to the society was making but indifferent progress, he wrote to the Deputy Chichester to inquire into the matter and report thereon; Sir Josias Bodley was appointed to inspect the works, and he having reported most unfavourably of the progress made, James issued a manifesto, stating, that he would seize into his own hands all lands on which the terms of the planta- tion should not be performed before the last day of August the following year, 1616. In 1619, Nicholas Pynnar, who was ap- pointed in the room of Sir Josias Bodley, to make a survey of the Ulster plantation, represented Coleraine to be in a most unimprov- ing state : only three houses building, and the town so dirty and thinly inhabited, that if the ramparts were capable of defence, there were not men sufficient to man the sixth part of them. In 1622, Sir Arthur Chichester granted his interest in Lough Xeagh to the Society for ever, at the yearly rent of £100; and Sir Thomas Phillips made another survey of the plantation in the hands of the Society and the London companies, with a sinister intention. In 1624, the year before James's death, the whole of this property was sequestered, the monarch, no doubt, intending to seize it into his own hands, on the plea of breach of contract. James, who professed such liberality in his distribution of the Ulster escheated properties, nevertheless made the plantation indirectly a source of considerable revenue to himself ; his prodigality towards his favourites, and his other excesses, had exhausted his English ex- chequer, and no expedient for raising money was considered too outrageous or mean to supply the defect. It was not difficult to foresee that a plantation formed in the midst of a plundered and indignant people would require considerable military aid, and James made this a pretext in 1619 for instituting a new order of nobility to rank between a knight and a baron, to be styled a baronet, and confined to 200 gentlemen. The cost of the patent was £1,095, estimated at the charge of keeping thirty men in Ulster for three years at eight pence a day, which was paid into the exchequer 378 COLEEAINE. on the delivery thereof, and which replenished it to the extent of £218,000. But neither men nor money ever found their way into Ireland ; on the contrary, the military force, which had "been at the commencement of his reign 20,000 men, had dwindled down in 1622 to 2,000, and these were supported at an annual cost of £52,000, paid, or rather compromised, by their commanders, who deducted the amount from the rents reserved by the Crown, out of their immense estates. They were principally privy councillors, and all leagued in supporting a system of peculation and mis- government of the most frightful character. The success that attended the crown in the confiscation of the estates of O'Neill and O'Donnell, induced James, and his unscrupulous advisers, to have recourse to the most daring acts of spoliation ; the keenest arts and distortions of the law to invalidate titles, and deprive the rightful owners of their estates were resorted to : Protestants and Catholics, English and Irish, friends as well as foes, were alike the victims of this legal persecution, which, with some abatement of violence, was quite as effective as those that had been previously accomplished by the sword. James expected to derive an immense revenue from the resumption of grants previously made by the Crown, in which he was confirmed by Chichester and the other members of the Irish government, intent on participating in the plunder themselves. Possession of property for centuries, or titles as far back as Henry II., were declared bad in law, and wdien jurors had the nerve or moral courage to decide against the Crown and in favour of the defendants, they w r ere summoned before the Irish Star Chamber, reprimanded, fined, and sometimes imprisoned. Every project for discovering defective titles was entertained, if put forward under the pretext of improving the King's revenue ; property was every- where disturbed, and the most flagrant robberies committed. Those who issued out commissions to inquire into defective titles obtained grants of the properties themselves, the King taking a portion in money or increased rents. Among these were a class of men called " discoverers," who rummaged the records of the Tower of London, to ascertain the original rents reserved to the Crown on Irish pro- perties, the possessors of which, aware of the folly of contesting their rights, no matter how sacred, in opposition to the royal will, COLEBAINE. 379 considered themselves fortunate if allowed to compromise by the payment of exorbitant fines for their estates, which had been, in many instances, in possession of their families for centuries. These were the most moderate of the many flagrant modes of oppression resorted to by the hirelings and favourites of government to carry their iniquitous designs into effect. The case of the Wicklow Byrnes, two old and unoffending proprietors, will best illustrate the cruelties that were perpetrated in furtherance of these objects : descended from an ancient independent Irish sept, they still re- tained a considerable landed property, a valuable portion of which Sir William Parsons, James's surveyor-general, and Lord Esmond, conspired to rob them of. The Byrnes, informed of their design, and having powerful interest at court, obtained a grant from the King confirming them in the property, but these officials refused to. pass the patent, and thus rendered the title a nullity. Concluding that their designs on the property were likely to be frustrated as long as the Byrnes lived, they had them arrested on a charge of treason. A farmer of the name of Arthur, of English descent, who had been induced in the first instance to join in the conspiracy, subsequently refused to come forward as a witness ; to overcome his scruples he was subjected to the most dreadful tortures : he was burnt with hot irons, flogged, and his body placed on a gridiron on a charcoal fire, until nature gave way, and he consented to swear to any thing. He was then sent, with two convicted thieves, before the grand jury of the county Carlo w, to support bills of indictment against the Byrnes, which were ignored ; the jurors for this were summoned before trie Star Chamber in Dublin, and heavily fined. The two felons, who were not considered sufficiently pliant, were executed at Kilkenny, and in their last moments declared the Byrnes innocent. These persecuted men were still detained in custody, and the court of King's Bench refused to discharge them : during the two years they remained in prison, orders were fre- quently sent from England that these scandalous proceedings should cease, and the prisoners be restored to their estates, but they were disregarded by the government officials. On the death of the Duke of Richmond, who had warmly interfered in their behalf, Parsons and his confederates determined on bringing the plot to 380 COLERAIXE. issue ; grants of portions of the Byrnes estate were made to some landowners in the county Wicklow, who were then placed on the grand jury, and on the -depositions of four paid criminals taken in Irish, and translated by one of the prosecutors, none of whom personally appeared, the Bills were found. The evidence, however, to satisfy a petty jury was still considered incomplete, and even more atrocious acts were perpetrated to obtain it. A number of persons were seized and tried by court martial, charged with parti- cipating in the Byrnes treason, those -who refused to sustain the conspiracy against them were tortured, and others put to death ; ultimately the fortitude and address of the Byrnes saved their lives. The affair had made some noise in England, and the King was at length obliged to actively interfere. Commissioners were sent over to investigate the various accusations brought by Parsons and the other officials against their intended victims, who, on being brought to trial, were honourably acquitted ; but Parsons and his accomplices having obtained by patent a great portion of their pro- perty, were most shamefully allowed to retain it. The documents connected with this atrocious act of spoliation are preserved in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. This is only a solitary instance of the official rapine and cruel oppression perpetrated under the forms and sanction of the law. James was peculiarly adapted for the part he acted in this most villanous scheme to rob a nation ; he was an arch hypocrite who assumed a bold address, but was nevertheless cowardly, mean, cunning, and avaricious ; his appetite for plunder was insatiable, it increased with his years, on it he fed, and just before death put an end to his career, he meditated devouring his own offspring, by confiscating the Ulster plantation which he had created himself. The unjust and vicious acts of this bad and selfish King produced a civil war in both countries, and brought his unfortunate son and successor to the block. Charles I., who ascended the throne in 1625, acting on the suggestions of his predecessor in respect to the plantation formed in Ulster by the London companies, the sequestration of the county of London- derry was resumed, and the rents were levied to the King's use. In 1637, the letters patent granted by James of the city and county of Londonderry were cancelled, and both seized into the King's COLEHAINE. 381 hands. In 1639, commissioners were appointed to make grants cf these lands, as well as those belonging to the London companies. In 1641, Charles having returned from Scotland, and being enter- tained by the City of London, directed that their Ulster possessions should be restored to the Irish Society and the companies. The parliament also revoked the sentences of the courts and of the Star Chamber, and decreed that the property should revert to those in possession when it passed, but the civil war of 1641 prevented its being carried into effect. At its termination the Society and the companies came again into possession, and the former renewed the leases in Derry and Coleraine. In 1656, Cromwell confirmed them in the same rights they enjoyed under the letters patent of James I. On the restoration of Charles II. the Corporation of London ob- tained a new charter, 10th April, 1662 (14th Charles II.), being that under which the Irish Society act to the present day. The customs, tonnage, and poundage of Coleraine and Londonderry being granted to the society by this charter, and it being deemed prejudicial to the interests of the Crown to carry it into effect, the Society accepted £6,000 as compensation for the same ; £2,000 of which was then paid. From this period the records of the proceedings of the Irish Society have been kept in the Irish Chamber, Guildhall, London. In 1675 the site of the citadel of Coleraine was let to improving tenants. In 1685 James II. having previously ascended the throne, a quo warranto issued against the cor- poration of Coleraine. In 1689, Colonel Rawdon, who was obliged to evacuate Belfast, Lord Mount Alexander, and Lord Blaney, concentrated their forces here, about 4,000 strong, but James's army having crossed the Bann, and attacked them in considerable force, they were obliged to retreat on Londonderry. In 1709 the corporation of Coleraine solicited the Society to encourage the establishment of a linen manufacture in the town, with which it did not comply. In 1713 considerable differences existed in the cor- poration, and on the complaint of some of the burgesses, the mayor was ordered to appear before the Irish, Privy Council, to answer the complaints preferred against him. In 1714 and 1715 the disputes still continued in respect to corporate rights, and one of the con- tending parties carried off the sword and mace. In 1718 it was 382 COLEEAINE. determined to build a new bridge over the Bann at Coleraine ; the Society recommended that it should be built of stone, and not of wood, as originally intended. In 1727 the corporation returned two members to parliament not nominated by the Society, which displeased it much. In 1730 the Society contributed £500 to commence the bridge of Coleraine. In 1740 the corporation, as well as that of Londonderry, agreed to pass bye-laws recom- mended by the Chief Justice Singleton, which being approved of by the Society, it voted him a service of plate, value one hundred guineas, but although the most frequent and earnest solicitations were made to induce him to accept it, he invariably re- fused, leaving on record almost a solitary instance of the dis- interestedness of public officials. In 1742 the Society enclosed the quay, and granted £700 and thirty-five tons of timber towards building the market-house of Coleraine ; and in 1 745 it contributed £2,050 additional towards building the bridge, which was further improved in 1806, at the expense of the corporation of Coleraine : it is a splendid structure, consisting of three arches, the pillars and buttresses of hammered stone; it is ninety-six yards in length, and thirty-two feet in width, and cost £14,500. In 1765 the govern- ment, in consideration of £4,000 due to the Society for surrendering its rights to the customs, &c, of the ports of Londonderry and Coleraine, agreed to exonerate it from maintaining a garrison in the fort of Culmore, which it was bound to do by the original letters patent, and that in future it should only keep it in repair, and pay the governor yearly £200. In 1770 a lease was granted by the Society to the corporation of their holdings for fifty years. In 1820 it was recommended by a committee of the Society, emanating from a deputation which visited Coleraine, that a public sewer should be constructed, the streets widened, the gaol repaired, the bowling- green kept open, and that cottages should be built, and a public walk or mall made on the banks of the Bann. The corporation, which was styled the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the town of Coleraine, has become extinct, and its property, which in 1844 amounted to £1,335 per annum, principally arising from rents and tolls, is now vested in the town commissioners, under the act of 9th George IV., ch. 82 : they are twenty-one in number, and the COLERAINE. 383 year previous to the corporate property falling into their hands a rate of £177 was exacted for the purpose of lighting, paving, and watching the town ; the paving, however, is done at the expense of the county. The number of persons eligible to be elected to that office in 1853 was sixty-nine, and to vote for same 239; there are 151 householders rated at £4, forty-two at £8, twenty-nine at £10, thirty- three at £12, and one hundred and thirty-six at £15 and upwards. The town is handsomely built, and, although its growth in population has been slow, it is increasing in import- ance. It is composed of a square, called the Diamond, and several streets emanating from it: there are still some timber houses stand- ing, composed of cage work, framed in London, and sent over by the Irish Society. The scenery in the neighbourhood is delightful, to which the fine river, the Bann, and some handsome country villas, materially contribute. The air is pure and salubrious, and during the visitations of typhus fever and the cholera, the number of deaths, compared with the population, was far below the average. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — Although the Irish Society in 1709 declined to encourage the manufacture of linen cloth in Coleraine, yet the population of the town and neighbour- hood, as well as at Ballymoney, Mullamore, and in fact throughout the whole range of the London companies estates, applied them- selves strenuously to the pursuit. This district soon became famous for producing linens of the finest fabrics, which were known in the English and foreign markets as " Coleraines," a name which guaranteed their superior quality. The first bleach green esta- blished in the neighbourhood of Coleraine was in 1734, by Mr. John Orr, but others soon followed ; and the quantity of linen bleached here annually, some years ago was estimated at 200,000 pieces, valued at £800,000. At Saturday's market in Coleraine, 1,000 webs of brown cloth was about the average sale. The other manufactures are soap, candles, hats, bleaching salts, leather, and paper. A large brewery was established here as far back as 1770. There is also a distillery, and one at Bush Mills ; the whiskey distilled in both is held in high estimation. The commerce of Coleraine has been long retarded by its 384 COLERAINE. harbour being so difficult of access. At the mouth of the Bann there is a bar of shifting sands, on which, during the prevalence of neap tides, there is only five or six feet of water, and at spring tides not more than ten feet. This obstacle excludes the tide in a great measure, and it rushes by the entrance of the river with great velocity. Its rise in the Foyle, to which it has free access, is consequently much more considerable than in the Bann. This impediment, however, is in some degree obviated by the splendid harbour constructed atPortrush, a small town built on a peninsula of basalt, jutting a mile into the sea, and situated near the entrance to the Bann. This harbour is formed by two moles or breakwaters, one 800, the other 650 feet in length ; the entrance is 200 feet wide, on which there is twenty-seven feet of water at ebb tide ; it covers an area of eight acres, and vessels drawing from fifteen to twenty feet of water can lie afloat alongside the wharf. It cost £1G,256, which was raised by shares of £100 each, under an Act of Parliament, and to which the revenue of the port is liable. Notwithstanding Port- rush is so contiguous to Coleraine, and is also a branch of that port, yet it would be most desirable if this fine river, the Bann, was made navigable for large vessels to come up to the town. If the bar was removed, the river could be deepened by dredging at a moderate expense, and Coleraine would, from its natural position, lying so well for foreign trade with the north of Europe and Ame- rica, and at home with the counties of Antrim and Deny and the extensive country to the north and north-west, would soon become a place of great commercial importance. John Boyd, Esq., the late active and intelligent representative of the borough, in 1850, intro- duced a Bill into parliament to effect this object, as well as for the improvement of Lough Neagh, but it was withdrawn, probably with an understanding that the government would ascertain if the intentions of the Bill could be carried into effect in a national point of view. An Admiralty survey of the Bann to the sea has been recently completed, and the Board of Works has been engaged in some extensive operations connected with Lough Neagh. It would be an undertaking of the first importance to open a commu- nication between this inland sea, which occupies such an imposing position in the centre of Ulster, and the Atlantic Ocean, by means OOLERAINE. 385 of the Bann, which appears to have been formed as the natural channel, requiring but a moderate amount of manual exertion to unite them for naval purposes. Under the difficulties which this port has to contend with, the imports and exports are but of limited amount. In 1832 it exported 36,888 barrels of wheat, oats, and barley, and 3,491 pigs; the follow- ing year the grain decreased to 27,132 barrels, but the pigs increased to 6,340, and there were also exported 9,000 firkins of butter. It has some foreign trade, principally with the Baltic, Archangel, and North America. For the five years ending 5th January, 1845, it imported foreign 3,173 pieces of square timber, 758 hundreds of deals, 528 hundreds of staves, 54 fathoms oflathwood, 3,037 hhds. flaxseed, 20 sacks of cloverseed, 101 bales of flax, 107 bales of hemp, 2,475 quarters of grain, 165 barrels of tar, and two hhds. of tallow. For the five years ending 5th January, 1850, it imported 4,741 pieces of square timber, being an increase of 1,568 pieces on the five previous years ; 860 hundreds of deals, increase 102 hun- dreds ; 338 hundreds of staves, decrease 190 hundreds ; 76 fathoms of lathwood, increase 22 fathoms. There was no flaxseed imported foreign during these five years, which is very remarkable, and the cultivators of flax in the Coleraine district must have been supplied from Belfast or Londonderry, or the quantity of home-saved seed may have been sufficient for their purpose. The import of cloverseed was ten sacks, being a decrease of ten on the previous five years; 435 bales of flax, increase 334 bales ; 756 bales of hemp, increase 649 bales; 36,458 quarters of grain and flour, increase 33,983 quarters; 620 barrels of tar, increase 455 barrels ; 50 hogsheads of tallow, increase 48 hogsheads ; and 250 tons of ice : this large quantity of ice is required for preserving the salmon taken here, which are exported chiefly to London and Liverpool. There was nothing exported foreign during these ten years; and to Great Britain the exports consisted of linen, linen yarn, flax, butter, salmon, and cattle. The imports were teas, sugars, coals, bark, hardware, earthenware, woollens, cottons, &c. Agreeable to the returns of the railway com- missioners, the exports in 1835 amounted to £105,685, and the imports to £65,900. The general trade of the port, including Port- rush, since 1840, will be shown by the following Tables : — 2 c 8 ^ S>i cu ^ ^ ©^ - jl 5 S - © © 00 © CC © UO OI CO CO cm co rt< co 141444 40093 51911 24370 37234 36450 190058 141444 331502 48614 CO o > © © CC © © © © CO CO HHHflM CO © t~- © © ►O © VO © CO CO CO i—i CO OI 1158 1021 2179 1^ CO British j and Coasting Trade. §> H © © © t~— CO -* VO © GO VO - 5799 2869 8668 © CO © CO to ■ > CO co co vo co eo CO OI CO ~H CO © Foreign. V bo c H . • • . © © CO • VO • • ■H ■ VO • • CO vo © I- © 1- © fr- ee Vess. -H CO • • Tj< 1-1 VO CO British. Tnge. 1117 730 947 © CO oi © 'o eo © 'O CO oo t- — o cc t ^ — CO — i 1^- o © VO CO 7901 2313 Vess. eo ^ • • <4i CO CN eo CO 00 r—l iH r-l © CO 5 W O £ H w Total Inwards. Tnge. CO CO CO ^< CO © © vo © CO 1— lO r-l © CC CO CO vO CO CO CO CO VO 175680 00 © 00 CM © iH — i CO 1— 1 Tt< Tt< —i © OI ^-l VO vo CO Tt< VO 230481 175680 © © © © CO -f VO Vess. CC CO i— < ■— i o co >o oo eo co CO CO CO CO CO 1 © © CO OO lO r-l CO © CO © CO io eo eo co ^ c*o 1875 1512 00 CO eo eo © eo British and Coasting Trade. bo C H 18504 26879 31720 38197 53765 »o © © © © O HNIOO) © © eo co t— r-l CO © CO © cc eo co © © rf VO CO CO 219997 169065 3S9062 50932 Vess. © >o © © CO CO -t< 1- OI r- 1 CO CO CO CO 1482 © >o © ^* © CO i— 1 00 1^- eo eo co co co 1828 1482 3310 © CO Foreign Trade. Total. be H 2438 1345 1074 371 1387 © © CO © CO CO © VO © vo O « NIC N CO r—t i-H CO 1-H 10484 6615 17099 3869 Vess. X N «3 M X © eo r— ' VO GO CO »—i © ^ eo c .2P "3 S Vm bo a H »o t— ~f CO • • CO • eo 00 CO 00 00 © oo • © CO • 00 © 2514 843 VO eo eo 1671 oi CO a > i— i eo co • • CO • OI British. V bo C H CO>ONX co © i^- co co CO r-l 5772 N -i kO CO r—l VO r—l r—l t~- eo © © eo 7970 5772 13742 219S Vess. Tj< c-t CO CO CO CO eo co CO CO © •o © •qiQ LraiMRf Saipua pj^a^ h (M n io ©t^oo©© =5 o o ^ ^ -i< -*Tj 00 O - =- 3 ■> ^ rt a a: ^ Eh *3 «<- « So' o -g Jr o a s ^ 0> c o 3. a ♦a CO 8 BD ">< - -~ a) g o o > S •a S. s — 2 «o 5 * e I -2 5 g,0> eg - "> ^ x 4) U o tc ■ g j 3 *- E PS i go o O r-4 o ,-( 5 S OD 5 © g rfj O ° 3 = 1 ^ "S — " J£ S 9 — © s ^ *j g CO g r g - 1 ^ I £ ■ 5 J O 1 Art d Q .. w 35 a a« as „ g t-'— 3 ** r? ® .9 ia 2 cj S a 2 22 * S <2 2 ^3 ~ CJj co r2 . i~a 43 ■ - _ ■ 3 £ "3 r-l W ' 1 J". fDw*K" ■•3 vO 'cm " CS 2 -r« 5 oo - d o|.2° 3 2 ^ OS I * ^^.5^ a til .I l.a ?i 3 3 ^ l-s I f| J £t«2J2j|J I a §-sf s-ifl ^ c -h'-'> - Pi c 1 COLERAINE. 387 The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwahds. Regis- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851 .. 2,142 988 79,796 .. 1,166 568 46,145 .. 377 6,535 1852 .. 2,176 2,217 87,516 .. 789 1,847 55,688 .. 377 6,733 1853 .. 1,500 879 111,777 .. 1,017 206 57,803 .. 355 6,080 1854 .. 1,104 1,446 89,961 .. 865 1,453 4,637 .. 272 6,905 The Foreign trade therefore for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 4,864 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 125,941 tons. In 1852, the Foreign trade was 7,029 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 143,204 tons : being an increase on the former of 2,165 tons, and on the latter 17,263 tons. In 1853 the Foreign trade was 3,602 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 169,580 tons : being a decrease of 3,427 tons on the Foreign, and on the British and Coasting trade an increase of 26,376 tons. In 1854 the Foreign trade was 4,868 tons; being an increase of 1,266 tons on that branch ; but the British and Coasting trade was only 94,598 tons ; being a decrease of 74,982 tons, which arises from the official return of the outward tonnage for this year being stated only at 4,637 tons, although the inward tonnage was 89,961 tons, and there is little doubt the outward has been returned in error. There has been also a decrease in the registered shipping since 1851, of one vessel and 105 tons, and there are eleven vessels to claim the 272 tons that remain, which would lead to the conclusion that they are fishing smacks, or at least not larger. The Customs duties had increased £370 as compraed with 1851. Steamers ply weekly be- tween Portrush, Liverpool, and Glasgow. The Fisheries. — The salmon and eel fisheries on the Bann, from the sea to the salmon leap, a mile above Coleraine, are a source of considerable profit to the Irish Society, to whom they exclusively belong. In the original grant from James, all the fishings on the Bann to Lough Neagh were conveyed to the corporation of London, with those on the Foyle ; and what is very remarkable, 2 c 2 388 COLERAINE. three years after, the Society was offered by the parties in posses- sion £1,000 per annum for them : an immense sum considering the then value of money, and that a large salmon could be pur- chased at from four-pence to eight-pence in Coleraine; the quantity then taken must have been very considerable. In 1691 these fisheries were let to Lord Massareene for two years, at £1,050 per annum. In 1708 they were let as high as £1,600 per annum. In 1722 the Society had the fisheries in their own hands, and disposed of all their salmon in London at £14 lis. per ton : the following year the produce, which in 1721 had been 120 tons, was now only 97J tons, which was also sold in London at £15 per ton; but the charge attending that portion taken in Lough Foyle exceeded the proceeds. The Society finding the management of the fisheries not so profitable in their own hands, let them in 1729 to Alderman Jackson for twenty-one years, at £1,200 per annum. In 1735, however, they were again in the hands of the Society, and, strange to say, the London market not holding out a sufficient inducement to send the salmon there, the Society cured and packed it in casks with ice, and shipped it to Venice and Leghorn, where it only sold for £1,028. The following year another cargo was dispatched to the same markets, but the vessel was lost in the Adriatic, and only a portion of the fish saved in bad condition; the Society, how- ever, was insured to the extent of £1,000. In 1755 the fisheries were let to Henry Hamilton for £910, who, as well as the tenant that preceded him, constructed traps on the rock called the salmon leap, which in 1771 were objected to by the Marquis of Donegall, in whom was the right of fishing on the Bann from the west side of the leap to Lough Neagh, and he instituted a suit at law to remove them, which continued for thirty years, in which time both plaintiff and defendant died, and left the question in dispute as it had been previous to the litigation. In 1811 these fisheries were let on lease, to expire in 1847, to Sir G. F. Hill for £1,250 per annum, and subsequently to Messrs. Allan and Gordon for £1,200 a year. The number of salmon taken in the Bann in 1843 was 21,660, but in the following year they decreased to 15,011, of which 13,464 were exported to England, and 1,545 sold in Coleraine. The fish, from their size and flavour, are held in high estimation. The rock, COLEEAINE. 389 or salmon leap is a mile from the town, in the direction of Lough Xeagh, and where the fish were taken in traps, is called the cuts ; but the principal place or cranagh where they are taken in nets, is two miles from the town in the direction of the sea. There are 300 persons appointed as water bailiffs in the protection of the river and its tributaries. _ The Public Buildings are — the Town Hall, the Custom House, the Market House ; the Union Workhouse, built to accommodate 920 inmates, was opened in April 1842 : the Union contains an area of 112,365 acres, and a population of 42,841 persons ; in twenty-two electoral divisions, represented by twenty-seven elected and twenty-seven ex officio guardians ; the property subject to rates is valued at £77,394, and the rate in aid levied in 1851 and 1852, was £768 lis. 3d. The Houses of Religious Worship are — three Presbyterian, two Protestant, and two Catholic Churches ; one Independent, one Baptist, and one Wesleyan Meeting Houses. A presbytery of the general assembly of sixteen congregations hold their sittings here. The Educational Institutions are — the National Schools, one of these, a Model School, has been recently opened at Killowen ; a free or endowed School by the Irish Society, originally erected in 1705, was rebuilt in 1821 at its sole cost; and a boys and a girls school in Killowen, supported by the Society and the Clothworkers' company. The amount of postage and excise collected in Coleraine for the four years ending 5th January, 1853, was — 1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. Postage £938 996 996 1,088 Excise 27,799 35,981 37,240 39,328 "The number of persons employed in collecting the customs' revenue of this port in 1849 was eleven, whose united salaries amounted to £663 3s. 6d. The Provincial Bank of Ireland, the Northern Banking Com- pany, and the Belfast Banking Company, have branches of their establishments here. The Savings' Bank, established in 1832, had 1,088 depositors in 1852, who had lodged £26,867 10s. 7d., at the rate of £2 18s. 4d. per cent, interest. There is a Newspaper, the Coleraine Chronicle, published here every Saturday. LONDONDERRY. Londonderry, previous to planting " English law and civility" in Ulster, was simply called Derry, derived from the Irish word Doire, the place of Oaks. It was also called Derry Calgach, "the Oak wood of Calgach," as well as Derry Columb- kille, from that saint having founded in 546 an abbey there. On James I. assigning it to the Corporation of London it was trans- formed into Londonderry, a name which was also extended to the county of Coleraine. It is a city and parliamentary borough, in the parish of Templemore, in the county of Londonderry, in lati- tude 54° 59', longitude 7° 19', and lies 118J miles N.N.W. of Dublin, and 69f of Belfast. It is situated on a hill, 119 feet high, over the river Foyle, which has its source in Lough Finn, and is called the river Finn until it reaches LifFord, where it is joined by the Mourne from the east, and flowing on, after forming the capa- cious harbour of Londonderry, falls into the Lough at Culmore, about four miles from the city. It is surrounded by a rampart a mile in circumference, with six gates, which is called the city within, but the most considerable part is outside, the walls. Its present municipal boundary contains an area of 497 acres within and without the walls, and 12,118 acres within the district, which constitutes the city and liberties of Londonderry. In 1831 the population of the city was 10,131 persons. In 1834 it had in- creased to 12,614, comprising 2,571 protestants, 7,098 catholics, and 2,945 presbyterians and other protestant dissenters. In 1841 the number of houses was 2,409, and the inhabitants 15,196. In 1851 the houses were 2,779, and the population 19,888 : being an increase of 370 houses, and 4,692 persons. The total population of the city and liberties in 1851 was 23,772, against 20,379 in 1841 — increase 3,393 persons. The charter granted by Charles II., LONDONDERRY. 391 in the 14th year of his reign, confirming that of James I., con- stituted the inhabitants a body corporate, to be styled the mayor, commonalty, and citizens of Londonderry, who returned two repre- sentatives to the Irish, and subsequently one to the United parlia- ment. The present representative is Sir Robert Ferguson, residing near Derry. By the 2nd and 3rd of William IV. c. 88, the elective franchise was extended to £10 householders, and in 1834 there were 703 registered electors in the city, in 1849 they decreased to 568. In 1851 under 13th and 14th Vic, c. 69, they increased to 724, and in 1853 they still further increased to 823, of whom 100 were burgesses or freemen. This city and Belfast are the only boroughs in Ireland where an increase occurred in the con- stituencies since 1834: the others show a serious diminution, caused by the £10 rent qualification having been changed by the last act to an £8 rate to the poor. Belfast has, of course, increased its constituency with its population, which has more than doubled since 1831. Derry owes its ancient importance to the abbey established there by Columbkille. In 783 the town and abbey were both destroyed by fire. In 812 they endured the same fate at the hands of the Danes, who massacred a number of the monks and students. In 832 they again attacked the place but were routed with great slaughter by Niall, the Irish monarch. In 983 they carried off the shrine of the founder of the abbey. In 1095 it was again destroyed by fire. In 1100 Murtogh O'Brien attacked Derry with a large fleet of foreign ships, but was defeated with considerable loss by O'Loughlin, Prince of Aileach, who was himself slain in an assault on Derry in 1124. In 1135, and again in 1149, it was destroyed by fire. In 1158 Flaherty O'Brolchain, abbot of the Augustine monastery, was raised to the episcopacy, who removed eighty houses in the town, and erected the Teampol- more, or great Church, which was 240 feet in length, and was esteemed long after one of the most splendid edifices in the kingdom. The original abbey was subsequently distinguished as the Black Church. In 1166 a considerable portion of the town was destroyed by Rory O'Morna. In 1195 the abbey was plundered by De Courcy's Anglo-Normans, who were, however, intercepted and cut off near Armagh. In 1197 a similar force 392 LONDONDERRY. plundered the town and churches, but was attacked by the Hy Niall at Faughanvale, where it was defeated with great slaughter. De Courcy soon after, in person, took the town, plundered the churches, and laid waste Innishown, but was called away by the defeat of a division of his troops by Hugh Oge O'Neill at Larne. In 1211 it was attacked by Thomas MacUrchty and the MacDon- nell's, with seventy-six ships, who plundered the town and churches, and laid waste the whole peninsula. In 1213 the MacRandalls plundered the town and carried off the church plate from the cathedral. In 1218 a Cistercian convent was founded on the south side of the city, but the four masters say an establish- ment of that kind existed there long previously. In 1222 Neal O'Neill plundered the town. In 1274 a Dominican abbey was founded on the north side of the city. In 1311 Edward II. granted the city to Richard de Burgh, but from that period to the reign of Elizabeth the English had no settlement in Derry. In 1565 England, being in close alliance with Shane O'Neill, under the pretence of chastising the Scots of the Glynn's, and the Western Isles, dispatched a force of 1,000 infantry and 200 cavalry, under Colonel Randolph, which landed in the Foyle, and took possession of Derry. As the real intention of this force was to curb the power of O'Neill and introduce the protestant religion into Ulster, those who composed it had little respect for the abbey or sacred groves of Columbkille — the former they used as a depot where they lodged their powder and other military stores, and fortified themselves in the town. O'Neill became alarmed ; he marched a force to the Foyle, and while deliberating on the course he should pursue, some of his men advanced towards the English quarters and provoked Randolph, who sallied out on them, but was himself killed in the skirmish. Notwithstanding the difficul- ties the garrison had now to encounter, it maintained its position until by an accident the powder lodged in the Tcampolmorc blew up with considerable loss of life, and those w r ho survived the disaster abandoned the place as untenable. The vulgar, however, attributed this explosion not to accident, but to the indignation of Columbkille at the desecration of his holy places, according to whom " a huge wolf issuing from the neighbouring woods with a LONDONDERRY. 393 burning torch in its mouth rushed into the church and flung the brand amidst the powder, which exploding, blew up the church and the soldiers who were in it." But the designs of the English government to form a strong garrison on the northern coast of Ulster were not to be thus thwarted. The benefits resulting to England from such a fortress as Carrickfergus, on the north-east coast, were but too apparent. This stronghold had been almost invariably in the hands of the English from the date of the Anglo- Norman invasion. A constant communication was kept up be- tween it and Chester, from whence it derived its supplies of men and military stores, and it often occurred that the garrison held out for the English when they had not another inch of territory in Ulster. The successes of O'Neill and O'Donnell towards the close of Elizabeth's reign, rendered such a garrison on the north coast absolutely necessary to favour her designs in subjugating Ulster. Accordingly, in 1600, a powerful armament, destined for Lough Foyle, was fitted out at Chester, consisting of 3,000 infantry and 200 cavalry, under Sir Henry Docwra, which were embarked on sixty-seven vessels, and arrived in Carrickfergus Bay, where it was joined by 1,000 additional troops, and, having taken on board some pieces of ordnance and military stores, proceeded to Lough Foyle and effected a landing at Culmore, where Docwra commenced building that fort. O'Neill and O'Donnell were fighting their last fight at the Moyry pass when this armament arrived in the Foyle, and O'Dogherty and O'Cahan, the more immediate chieftains who might have been able to repel a smaller invading force, were quite astonished at the magnitude of this armament, and offered no resistance until Docwra commenced for- tifying the hill of Derry, when he sent armed parties into O'Cahan's country to cut down his timber for the purpose ; and then, accord- ing to Sir Henry's own account, " there was not a stick of it brought home that was not well fought for." Docwra so effectually removed the ruins of the Teampolmore, and the other ancient churches, which Randolph had previously occupied, to make good his fortifications, that the sites can scarcely now be traced, but it is supposed that the present Catholic church and cemetery outside the walls, have been erected thereon. Docwra's instructions were, 394 L02CD0NDERRF. that, as soon as he had established himself in Derry, he was to detach 1,000 foof and 50 horse, under Sir Mathew Morgan, to effect a landing at Ballyshannon ; but he found his position so difficult that he could not spare this detachment, or attempt, even with the immense force he had at his command, any military operations to- wards reducing the surrounding country. During the three years he held possession of Derry, he appears to have devoted himself to rendering it a place of commercial importance. He obtained a charter for the city, which extended many valuable rights and pri- vileges to the inhabitants, and patents for holding markets and other advantages ; and modern Derry may be said to have derived its origin from his exertions. On the termination of the war in 1603, O'Neill and O'Donnell having rendered fealty to the English monarch, the troops in Derry were withdrawn, with the exception of 350 foot and 100 horse. Whether Docwra expected a renewal of hostilities, and that a force so small was inadequate to the defence of the place, or that he was influenced by other motives, in 1604 he sold to Sir George Powlett of Hampshire, his commission, with his house and lands ; and having appointed him vice-provost of Derry returned to England. Powlett had neither time or disposi- tion to follow up the prudent policy observed by his predecessor ; he was a rough soldier, and the flight of O'Neill and O'Donnell rendered him still more imperious to those Irish chieftains, who still clung to their native land. Among these was Sir Cahir O'Dogherty, the young and valiant prince of Innishown, whom he personally insulted, and who, indignant at his brutal conduct, in 1608 attacked and took the fort of Culmore, as well as the city of Derry by as- sault ; putting Powlett and his garrison to the sword, and reducing the lately formed city to ashes. For five months O'Dogherty carried on a successful warfare, taking several English military stations ; but in one of these engagements he was shot through the head and his followers dispersed, many of whom fell by the hands of the executioner. This was the last blow struck for independence in Ulster, and nothing now stood in the way of James introducing at his leisure his favourite plan for the reformation of that province. The circumstances which led to the flight of O'Neill and O'Donnell, and the confiscation of 500,000 acres of land in six of the northern LONDONDERRY. 395 counties, a considerable portion of which, including Derry and Coleraine, had been assigned to the corporation of London, have been fully detailed in the preceding history of Coleraine. It will only be therefore necessary to refer to the most remarkable events that took place in Londonderry, under its new masters, the Irish Society. The first act of the Society in respect to Derry, was to obtain the surrender of the charter granted to Docwra, and the ex- tension of a new one forming a corporation there, but reserving to itself almost unlimited control over its proceedings. The repre- sentatives of both Derry and Coleraine were appointed by it, and their expenses paid for attending parliament. In 1615 the Society sent precepts to all the companies, " requiring each of them to send into Ulster, one or two artisans and their families to settle there ; and also in order that Derry might not in future be peopled by Irish, that twelve poor children of Christ's Hospital, and others should be sent there as apprentices and servants, and the inhabitants were to be prohibited from taking Irish apprentices." In 1616 the twelve children from Christ's Hospital arrived, ten of whom were apprenticed in Derry, and two in Coleraine. The Commissioners appointed by the Society granted 500 acres of land, formerly the property of Rory O'Kane, forfeited under a criminal conviction to the Recorder Carey during his life, at a rent of £5 6s. 8d. in lieu of salary, and allotted 300 acres of land for a free school to be built at the expense of Mr. Springham. In 1617 the corporation of Londonderry presented a petition to the commissioners appointed by the Crown, to inquire into the affairs of the plantation, complain- ing of numerous grievances which it sustained by the conduct of the Society. In 1618 Nicholas Pynnar made a survey of the London companies plantations in Ulster. In 1619 he reported that " the city of Londonderry was encompassed with a strong w r all 24j feet high, well and neatly made of good stone and lime, being 284f perches in circumference, besides the four gates, which con- tained eighty-four feet. The gates were all battlemented, but there was no access to two of them, neither w r ere there any leaves for the gates, but two drawbridges served for two of them, and two portcullises for the other two. The bulwarks were good and large, being nine in number, besides two half bulwarks ; eight of which 396 LONDONDERRY. were fit for the reception of a cannon each. The rampart within the city was twelve feet thick of earth : all things were well and substantially done, but there were required a house for the soldiers to watch in, and a sentinel house for the soldiers to stand in, to pro- tect them from the weather at night, which was most extreme in these parts." In 1622 the town-house of Derry was erected by the Society. In 1632 Londonderry was sequestered, and Dr. Bram- hall, Bishop of Derry, was appointed to receive the rents for the King's use. In 1637 Charles I., by letters patent, passed a portion of the seven quarters of lands called the 1,500 acres, reserving out of part thereof, a rent of £90 10s. to the mayor and commonalty of Londonderry. In 1638 the city was seized into the hands of the King, and the Bishop of Derry applied on behalf of himself, the corportion, and two other persons for a licence to grant leases, which was complied with, and the Bishop made a lease of the 1,500 acres to the corporation for sixty years, at the yearly rent of £50. A civil war, or as it was called, the Irish Rebellion of 1641, ensued, the natural consequence of the hopeful schemes that James had in- troduced for the settlement of LTlstcr, and the unsettled state that property in every other part of the kingdom had been placed in, by the legalized robberies committed by himself, his officials, discoverers, and other spoliators. It w r as a war commenced by a nation of men, against whom had been perpetrated the mostdreaful enormities, who had been stripped of their properties, the inheritance of their fathers, and driven to the woods, the mountains, and the wilds, to associate with beasts and birds of prey ; and with the most superlative hypocrisy these atrocities were committed under the pretence of civilizing them. During the progress of this rebellion, the city of London sent four ships to Londonderry, with provisions, clothing, and munitions of war. The twelve companies sent each two pieces of ordnance : there were besides, twenty pieces of artillery there, which the Irish Society had provided the city with some years pre- viously, and which, in all probability, saved it, when besieged, from falling into the hands of the Irish. In 1687 the Bishop of Derry laid claim to the quarter-lands, which became the subject of a long and expensive litigation, that terminated in the rejection of his claim. A quo warranto was this year brought against the corpora- LONDONDERRY. 397 tion. In 1689 Londonderry was besieged. The inhabitants of this city viewed with considerable discontent the accession of James II. to the throne : and their disaffection increased when Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnell, was appointed lord-lieutenant. Tyrconnell, however, although a rigid catholic was no bigot ; he was greatly attached to his sovereign, but still more to his country ; he pos- sessed considerable talents and address, and was well suited to figure in the times in which he lived. He was born sometime pre- vious to the war of the confederates, and when a mere boy he had a commission in a regiment of horse, which escaped from Drogheda when it was sacked by Cromwell. The cruelties he witnessed there and on subsequent occasions inflamed him with a spirit of hostility to English tyranny, and an abhorrence of religious fanaticism, which powerfully influenced him in his subsequent career. When the cause of the Stuarts was lost in Ireland through the pusillanimity and bigotry of the Duke of Ormond, he joined his sovereign in exile on the Continent, and made the friendship of his brother in the days of their mutual adversity. At the restoration he took a leading part in the ranks of those who relied on the ful- filment by Charles II. of the articles of peace promulgated by Or- mond in 1648, as the just reward of the loyalty of the Irish catholics to his father, but that monarch became the patron of the English protestant interest in Ireland, and the rights of the catho- lics were held in abeyance. Talbot was one of the agents appointed by his suffering countrymen to appeal against the intended act of settlement. Perceiving their suit ill received, his party came to the reasonable conclusion that Ormond was privately using his influ- ence against them. Talbot remonstrated with him, and finding that his arguments made no impression on the wily courtier, he taxed him with his duplicity, and sent him a challenge, which Ormond declined accepting, and complained to the privy council, by whom Talbot was immediately committed to the Tower, and was obliged to make an humble submission before he was restored to liberty. Subsequently he was arrested as one of the conspirators in the Titus Oates plot, but so little could be adduced against him, that he was allowed to return to Ireland, where he gave every opposition to Ormond' s government; and on the prompt removal 398 LONDONDERRY. of that nobleman by James II., who was replaced by the Earl of Clarendon, Talbot was made Earl of Tyrconnell, and lieutenant- general of the army in Ireland. Clarendon did not continue long chief governor, and on his retirement Tyrconnell was appointed thereto, being the first Catholic lord-lieutenant since the reforma- tion. Anonymous letters, although the weakest of all devices, were favourite auxiliaries with the Anglo-Irish protestants to favour their designs. One of these had been instrumental in forcing O'Neill and and O'Donnell into exile, and another was now concocted and addressed to Lord Mount Alexander, and to others in the north, announcing that a general massacre of the protestants was intended by the Irish on Sunday, 9th December, 1688. The style was coarse and vulgar, and evidently fabricated for a sinister purpose, but they were found useful in spreading terror and alarm among the pro- testant population not immediately in the plot. It was about this period that intelligence arrived of the landing of the Prince of Orange in England, and that James had fled to France. Tyr- connell on the occasion showed considerable address by expressing a desire for an amicable arrangement with William, by which means he allayed the fears and alarms of the protestants, while he continued to strengthen the army with his catholic adherents. He opened negotiations with both James and William, and appears to have been disposed at one time to surrender the government to the latter, who offered the catholics full pro- tection of person and property, equal civil rights with the protestants, and possession of one-third the churches for the celebration of their religious worship. Had these terms been made by an agent more devoted to William's interest than Richard Hamilton, they would, in all probability, have been accepted. Hamilton, who was a man of ability and a most efficient officer, was liberated from prison by William, and dispatched from London to negotiate with Tyrconnell and offer him these con- ditions. On his arrival in Dublin, however, he formed an opinion that the Irish party favourable to James was sufficiently strong to restore him, and he dissuaded Tyrconnell from submitting to William. To show his sincerity in the cause he entered the Irish army, and commanded James's forces in the north in 1089, and LONDONDERRY, 399 subsequently a division of cavalry at the Boyne, where he made those brilliant charges which compelled the Danish horse to recross the river, and strange enough, was, later in the action, taken prisoner by William in person. Londonderry, towards the close of 1688, was garrisoned by a regiment principally composed of protestants, commanded by Lord Mountjoy, son of Primate Boyle. Tyrconnell, without replacing it by another in which he could confide, had it recalled to Dublin; he soon, however, perceived the error he had committed, and detached the Earl of Antrim's regiment, 1,200 strong, composed of Irish and Scotch catholics, to take their quarters in Derry. On its march it arrived at Limavaddy at the time that Lord Mount Alexander's anonymous letter had obtained publicity, and the proprietor of the village, no doubt well informed on the subject, dispatched a messenger express to the citizens with the most alarming and exaggerated account of this force, and recommending them to shut their gates against it. The inhabitants had already collected in the street, and were de- liberating on the propriety of having recourse to this step. Some were resolute, some wavering, and others anxious to exclude it without compromising themselves in the attempt. The bishop was consulted, and he recommended peace and submission, and some of the graver citizens concurred with him. The troops in the meantime approached: two of their officers were already in the town to provide quarters, and their advanced guard appeared within 300 yards of the ferry gate. At this critical moment nine young men of the assembled populace, with enthusiastic ardour, snatched up the keys of the city, raised the drawbridge and locked the ferry gate, and were soon joined by numbers of their towns- men. These assembled in the square, and deaf to all timid councils and entreaties, seized the magazine ; and their numbers hourly in- creasing, both in the town and from the neighbouring districts, they selected as Governor, Phillips, of Limavaddy, who first encouraged them to the enterprise, and declared for a resolute defence. The magazine afforded them arms and a small quantity of ammuni- tion, and they threatened to fire on the King's troops should they approach the walls. They transmitted an account of their proceed- ings to the Society in London ; and Cairnes, the most considerable 400 LONDONDERRY. of their party, was deputed to solicit succour from the Prince of Orange. At the same time the magistrates and graver citizens, apprehensive of the consequences of an enterprise commenced under such disadvantages, addressed themselves to Mountjoy to mediate with Tyrconnell. They represented their inability to re- strain the populace, terrified by the rumours of a massacre and the outrages attributed to the newly-raised regiment, and declared their resolution to confine themselves to self-defence, without violating their allegiance to their sovereign. Tyrconnell dispatched Mountjoy, with Lundy, his lieutenant-colonel, and six companies, with orders to reduce the city : after various conferences Mountjoy was admitted, on condition that a free pardon should be granted within fifteen days, and in the meantime two companies only should be quartered in the city ; that the forces admitted should be composed, at least, of one-half protestants; that until the pardon arrived the citizens should keep the guards, and all persons be allowed to depart who wished to do so. The lord-lieutenant had now the mortification to see that the people of Derry were assuming a spirit of dictation as to the modelling of his forces, and he peremp- torily refused the conditions. Mountjoy, however, assumed the com- mand of the city, and by his advice the arms in it were repaired, ammunition purchased in Scotland, and Cairnes earnestly solicited to obtain supplies. It is strange, however, after these demonstra- tions, that he should have abandoned the command of the garrison, which was now confided to Lundy ; who flattered the protestants by declarations of attachment to their cause, but he was suspected, notwithstanding, of being favourably disposed towards James. An officer of the name of Hamilton arrived in Derry with arms, am- munition, and money, and a commission from William to Lundy appointing him to the command of the city, and ordering him to administer the necessary oaths to all the officers, civil and military. Some refused to take the oaths : Lundy himself would not consent to take them publicly, alleging .that he had already done so on board of Hamilton's ship. Considerable discontent was thus excited, and many prepared to abandon a city about to be betrayed. Their confidence, however, was restored by the arrival of Cairnes, with assurances from William that troops and supplies were prepared LONDONDERRY. 401 for their relief, and conjuring them by no means to desert a cause so glorious, and which must soon prove triumphant. The arrival, however, of James in Ireland early in 1689, and the flattering re- ception given him by all classes of -his Irish subjects in the south, as well as in the metropolis, created considerable alarm and paralyzed the recent spirit infused into the garrison. James, after creating Tyrconnell a duke, and performing some other formal^acts of sovereignty, among which was summoning a parliament to assemble in the capital on the 7th May, now directed his attention to the reduction of the northern province ; and as Londonderry was considered the focus of rebellion, he determined to appear before it in person, and awe the stubborn and refractory insurgents into sub- mission. Hamilton, who had the command of James's forces in the north, had cleared the whole of the province of William's adhe- rents, with the exception of Enniskillen and Londonderry. He was now approaching the latter place, and Lundy, who had posted his troops on the Finn to intercept him, was obliged to retreat, and enclose himself within the walls of Derry. James now joined the army with Marshal Rosen, who was appointed to conduct the siege. Among those who had taken up arms against James was George Walker, a protestant clergyman of the county Tyrone : he ' raised a regiment, which he commanded, and was enthusiastic in the cause he had espoused. He was now shut up in Derry with Lundy, whose sincerity he doubted, notwithstanding his profes- sions and affected vigour. At this critical moment two English regiments arrived in the Foyle : their commanders communicated with Lundy, whose orders they were instructed to obey : he invited them with their officers to land, but to allow the troops to remain on board. A council of war was held, consisting of eleven officers from the ships and five of the garrison, who pronounced the place untenable, and that landing these reinforcements would be only placing them in the hands of the enemy, and that the principal officers should withdraw and leave the inhabitants to make the best terms they could with the besiegers. These resolutions were com- municated to the town council, where it was resolved to offer terms of capitulation to James, who was advancing slowly towards the city. These proceedings incensed the majority of the inhabitants ; 2 D 402 LONDONDERRY. they saw the reinforcements about to return to England, with the provisions intended for their relief, and their leaders preparing to leave them to their fate. They vowed vengeance against the governor, the council, and every suspected officer : one of these they slew as he was hastening from the city, and wounded another. In this moment of distraction, Murray, a brave and popular officer, arrived with some troops, and although Lundy ordered him to retire, he entered the city amidst the acclamations of the people, and of the military. While he expostulated with Lundy against the baseness of surrendering the place, they rushed to the walls, and fired upon the advanced guard of James's army, which had ap- proached to take possession of the city. The more cautious and timid of the inhabitants, however, sent a deputation to the monarch to apologize for this violence, which they attributed to a headstrong and ungovernable populace. But the governor, council, and magis- trates had lost all authority, and the garrison now appointed two new governors : the Rev. George Walker and a Major Baker, that if either should fall they might not be left without a commander. By their direction the garrison was formed into eight regiments, amounting to 7,020 men, and341 officers. Lundy had already escaped to the ships in disguise, and all those disposed to follow were allowed to do so without molestation. The stores were viewed, and it was found there was not a supply of more than ten or twelve days provisions in the city, for the garrison and inhabitants. Among the besieged there were no less than eighteen protestant and non- conforming clergymen, who in turn daily collected the people in the cathedral, and exhorted them to resistance ; but their common danger could scarcely prevent religious dissension from creating disunion, and one of the non-conformists pronounced from the pulpit all those unworthy to fight for the protestant cause who would not take the covenant. James remained only eleven days before this city, in which time a succession of assaults were made, which were bravely repulsed by the garrison ; but the besiegers must have been destitute of artillery, even of ordinary calibre, or a place so ill-conditioned for a siege could not have held out so long; and it might be pronounced, without any treachery on the part of Lundy and his council of war, as untenable, which it would have LONDONDERRY . 403 unquestionably proved to be, had it been properly invested. James returned to Dublin with the empty honour of having reduced the fort of Culmore, and the garrison of Derry continued to defeat every attempt of the besiegers to take it, and to harass them by successful sallies. But it was now threatened with more destruc- tive and formidable foes — disease and famine had commenced their ravages ; the summer heat operating on men worn down by watch- ing and fatigue, and an unwholesome and scanty supply of food, brought on diseases of the most virulent character. In their afflic- tion, and with the most melancholy forebodings of the future, they discovered a large fleet in Lough Foyle, which they doubted not had been sent from England for their relief — nor were they wrcng in their conjectures, as that was indeed its destination, and contained troops, arms, ammunition, and provisions, under the command of Major- General Kirk, who, however, considered relieving the city imprac- ticable, as the enemy occupied both sides of the river, and from two opposite forts stretched a boom across formed of beams of timber, joined by iron chains, and secured by strong cables. The answers he returned to the signals of the besieged were most discouraging, and in a few days the fleet disappeared from the Lough altogether. This was most disheartening to the garrison, which was still further discouraged by intelligence from Kirk, to the effect that, finding it impossible to force the passage of the Foyle, he had sailed to Lough S willy to supply, if possible, the garrison of Enniskillen, but on the arrival of vessels from England, better suited for the purpose, he would again endeavour to relieve Londonderry, and recommended the garrison to husband its provisions, and hold out with resolution. Every day, however, it was lessened by disease, and the wretched survivors more and more enfeebled by fatigue and hunger. Baker, one of the governors died, and Michelborne, an officer of some note, was chosen to succeed him. When num- bers were scarcely able to support their arms, they threatened death to any who should offer to surrender. General Hamilton from without endeavoured to move them by persuasion, while Rosen menaced them with the severest punishments. Incensed at their obstinacy, he declared that if they did not surrender by the 1st July, all the protestants of the district should be driven under 2d 2 t 404 LONDONDERRY. the walls, where they might allow them either to perish, or admit t"hem into the city where their fate was equally certain, and would hasten the catastrophe, to which the garrison was fast approach- ing. The appointed day arrived, but the defence was still con- tinued; and on the following morning Rosen put his threat into exe- cution. A confused multitude of men, women, and children were driven under the Avails, and the besieged, infuriated by the afflicting spectacle, threatened to put to death the prisoners in their hands, if they were not allowed to depart ; but Rosen continued unmoved. The intelligence, however, of his intention had been transmitted to Dublin, and James sent orders that the people should be released, and allowed to proceed to their homes. Some of the ablest men, however, were allowed to enter the city, and several useless persons passed with them, notwithstanding the vigilance of the garrison, which contributed still more to its embarrassments. The situation of the besieged became now most awful : their scanty rations had been exhausted for some time, and they were re- duced to feed on the flesh of horses, dogs, vermin, hides, and tallow. Horseflesh was sold at Is. 8d. per lb., a quarter of a dog at 5s. 6d., his head at 2s. 6d., a cat 4s. 6d., a rat Is., a mouse 6d., a pound of salted hides Is., a pound of tallow 4s., a quart of horse blood Is., a handful of seaweed 2d., and of chickenweed Id. On the 30th July there were only nine lean horses left, and one pint of meal for each man of the garrison, when Kirk, who had abandoned them from 13th June, at length thought fit to make a hazardous attempt to relieve them : two armed ships, laden with provisions, and conveyed by the Dartmouth frigate, advanced to force the boom. On the success of this attempt, the fate of the besieged depended, and they witnessed it with the most breathless anxiety, while the besiegers kept up an incessant fire from their batteries, and from the troops along shore. One of the vessels ran against the boom and broke it, but rebounding, struck the ground, and James's soldiers prepared to board her: the garrison was crowded on the walls, and now stood paralysed with despair. The vessel, by firing her guns, was extricated, and she was again afloat, and soon passed the boom, followed by her companions. The garrison was thus relieved, and the besieging army retired to Strabane, LONDONDERRY. 405 having sustained a considerable loss in men, and more in military reputation. When the garrison, which had distinguished itself so much by its vigorous defence, under such appalling circumstances, was relieved at the end of 105 days, hunger and disease had so re- duced it, that of 7,361 men and officers regimented at the com- mencement of the siege, only 4,300 survived, and of these more than 1,000 were incapable of service. On the 12th August, 1689, William addressed a letter to the Rev. George Walker and Captain Michelborne, the governors, complimenting them on their resolute defence of the city. Walker was subsequently appointed to the bishopric of Derry, with a present of £5,000, and received the thanks of the House of Commons for his conduct of the siege, and the Uni- versity of Oxford created him a D. D. On his return to Ireland he joined William's army, and was killed at the battle of the Boyne. In 1690 the Irish Society and the London Companies contributed £100 each towards repairing the injuries sustained by the city during the siege. In 1695 the Society served an ejectment on the Bishop of Derry for the resumption of the 1,500 acres, of which it had been deprived in the reign of Charles I., and obtained possession of them the following year. In 1697 the bishop appealed to the Irish House of Lords from the decision of the chancellor, and an order was obtained for re-establishing him in possession, which was opposed by the sheriffs, who were taken into custody and brought to Dublin. In 1703 this suit was compromised by the bishop accepting £250 a year, and the fee of the bishop's house and gardens to him and his successors, from the Society, who now resumed pos- session of the lands in dispute. In 1736 the differences between the Irish Society and the Corporation of Londonderry in respect to its bye-laws first manifested itself, and the Society threatened to withhold the annuity of £90 10s., which the corporation received out of the quarter lands. In 1739 the Society ruled that only four honorary freemen should be elected yearly by the corporation. In 1740 the corporation repealed the obnoxious bye-law, which being approved of by the Society, the payment of the £90 10s. was resumed. * The quays were repaired by votes of the Irish parliament in 1765, 1767, and 1771, which amounted to £4,590 15s. In 1773 the Society and London Companies became alarmed, and prepared to* oppose a 406 LONDONDERRY". tax then intended by the Irish parliament against absentee land- lords. In 1778 volunteer corps were formed in Londonderry. In 1779 the Lords and Commons of Ireland passed votes of thanks to the volunteers, which were communicated to the Londonderry corps by Mr. Thomas Connolly of Castletown, one of their mem- bers, and by the sheriffs of the city. In 1780 the Society contri- buted £100 towards the volunteer association. In 1788 the Society gave £50 to celebrate the centenary of closing the gates of Derry, 7th December, 1688, and the corporation solicitited the Society to concur with it in erecting a triumphal arch in memory of William III. In 1789 the Society granted the corporation a lease of the tolls of the ferry in perpetuity, to enable it to borrow money thereon to build the proposed bridge across the Foyle, which was constructed at Boston, in the United States, at a cost of £11,000, and was brought to Londonderry the same year, and opened for passengers in 1791. It is composed of wood, 1,068 feet in length, and 40 feet in breadth, and connects the city with the village of Waterside, on the east bank of the Foyle ; on the city side is a turning bridge, which was subsequently substituted for the original drawbridge, and regulates the free navigation of the river : the total cost of these works amounted to £16,594. In 1814 a portion of 850 feet of the bridge was carried away by large masses of ice floating down the river, urged forward with great force by the ebb tide and a strong wind. The repairs amounted to £18,208, being more than the original cost ; the government advanced on loan £15,000 of the latter sum. The average amount of tolls from 1831 to 1834 was £3.693 per annum. In 1828 the Walker testimonial, on the central western bastion, was completed at an expense of £1,200 raised by subscription ; it consists of a column of Portland stone of good proportions, in the Doric style of architecture, sur- mounted by a statue of the governor, nine feet in height, including which the column measures ninety feet. It Is rather an extra- ordinary circumstance connected with the siege of Londonderry, that distinctions, honours, and emoluments were heaped on one of the governors while living, and testimonials and monuments erected to his -memory 140 years after his death, while the other governor, Michelborne, who lived as well as Walker to see the siege raised. LONDONDERRY. 407 and by whose skill, in all probability, the place was so ably defended, he being a military man by profession, that little compensation was made him when living, and no tribute of respect paid to his me- mory when dead. William advanced him merely to the rank of colonel, and on his applying to the Irish Society to recommend him to that monarch, to appoint him governor of Culmore Fort, it peremptorily refused to do so, under the flimsy excuse that no fort would be required there for the future ; notwithstanding that, sub- sequently, it agreed to pay a governor £200 a year, and allow him 300 acres of land attached to this fort, which it continues to pay even to the present day. The Corporation of Londonderry for two centuries had been nothing more than the nominal creation of the Irish Society, and impelled only as its interests or policy dictated. It is true, it had a charter granted by James I., and confirmed by Charles II., but the corporate body had scarcely any real power under it. By this charter the corporation was styled " the mayor, commonalty, and citizens of the city of Londonderry," and consisted of a mayor, a recorder, twelve aldermen, and twenty-four burgesses, two sheriffs, who were also sheriffs of the county, and a chamberlain. This body, with the freemen, returned to parliament the nominees of the Society. But with the spirit of reform, which dictated so great a change in the corporate monopolies of the country, the Irish Society was obliged to relax its authority over the corporation, which now consists of a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors elected from the three wards, north, east, and south, into Avhich the city is divided, under 3 and 4 Vic, c. 108. The mayor is annually elected by the aldermen and councillors ; twelve borough magistrates, appointed by the Lord Lieutenant, and the magistrates of the county, whose jurisdiction extends to the city. The mayor, while in office, is a magistrate of the county. The jealousies and disputes which from time to time occurred between the Society and the cor- poration appear latterly to have widened into a complete breach, and accusations and recriminations have been profusely resorted to by both. Times have greatly changed when a mayor of London- derry dared to publish such a statement, or the corporation to follow it up by such charges against the Society as the following : — 408 LONDONDERRY. " At a time when an incapable government is allowing a people to starve before the eyes of the civilized world, and when agrarian murder is scattering destruction through the land, why do they not sequestrate the possessions of the Society — it was done before by Charles the Martyr — and divide them in fee farms among the people, of course giving the London shopkeepers what their prede- cessors paid for the estates, and the value of their permanent improvements ? But let me be understood to speak only of an absentee corporation of English traders, men who confer on our country no protection by their power and no glory by their station. I do not speak of those descendants of the original planters, who, born on our soil, have a title that no human being can question or doubt, and amongst whom have been found some of our most distinguished patriots, orators, and soldiers. But the incongruity of a set of London tradesmen squandering our revenues upon their city or their appetites is too great, and the injustice too monstrous, to be endured by any but a nation of the most spiritless slaves. Do the Irish people deserve the name?" And the corporation, following up these opinions, charges the Society with being incapable, from the nature of its constitution, of rendering the country any permanent benefit ; that, by its own published accounts, it admits having received for the nine years ending March, 1833, a sum of £77,000 from its estates in Ireland, while not more than £8,000 was expended in it, which is stated to have been appropriated to schools and public charities, but not a shilling expended on improving the farm offices or houses of the tenants on its estates. The Society has published a reply to these charges, to the effect, " that whether the colonization of the County Deny from the City of London, and the ramifications of the plan pre- scribed by the charter were theoretically wise, is not to be argued ; it is obvious that it has been practically beneficial, and the present state of that county, which is the most peaceable and orderly in its conduct, and is an example to be pointed out to all the other parts of Ireland, plainly shows the benefits which have resulted from it. The present unfortunate situation of the corporation of Deny is certainly an exception, but it has been clearly shown not to have been produced by the Society, but by their own profuse expendi- LONDONDERRY. 409 ture and gross misapplication of the funds confided to their management. The nine years" accounts referred to, instead of £8.000, show that upwards of £35.000 have been expended in Ireland by the Society, and their lands are let upon such easy terms and upon such leases, as to make it the interest of the tenants to build." There can be no doubt of the short-sightedness and stupidity of James L when he assigned to the London com- panies and their representatives the Irish Society (who must of necessity be absentees), such immense properties as those which they now possess, or have sold their interest in for valuable con- sideration ; such as the Goldsmiths" Company, who, as early as 1730, disposed of their manor of Goldsmiths" Hall to the Earl of Shelburne for £14.100; the Vintners, who, in 1736, sold their portion of Ballaghey to Mr. Connolly of Castletown for £15,000 : and the Haberdashers' and Merchant Tailors, who, for equally large sums, sold their proportions to the Beresfords. the Richard- sons, and Alexanders. The Ironmongers" and the Skinners' too, contrived to obtain immense fines, and still kept the fee in their own hands: the former, in 1767, were paid a fine of £21,000 for a lease of their estate for three lives or sixty-one years, by an India nabob who never saw it, and the latter even exceeded them, by obtaining a fine of £25.000 on a terminable lease of theirs, from a Mr. Ogilvie. a Dublin linen factor. These sums remunerated them handsomely for their original investments of £3.333 6s. 8d. But as it is not in the nature of absenteeism to produce good landlords, how was it possible for the Society to escape the common lot of all : The question now resolves itself into this consideration — Is the Society even among the better or more liberal description of absentee landlords : It takes merit to itself for letting its lands upon such leases, and at such easy rents, that it is the interest of the tenants to improve them. But since the publication of this controversy with the corporation, it has been asserted, " That no lands in that part of the country are more highly rented, and no tenantry more disposed to speak unfavourably of land- lords. " ? And this is an evil of long standing, if the autho- rity of a former secretary to the Society, who wrote a narrative of an excursion he made in 1803 to the North of Ireland, is to 410 LONDONDERRY. be relied on. He states, that " having arrived at Kilrea, a market town, and a portion of the Mercers' Company's estate, held by a Mr. Stewart under them, and being struck with the poverty of the place, he communicated with the master of the inn as to the cause, who observed, ' that it could not be otherwise in a part of the country where they never saw the face of the owner of the soil, or even his under-tenant;'" and Mr. Secretary Slade continues to say that " this is a grievance greatly felt in the north of Ireland, but more particularly in those parts which belong to the city com- panies, and he became impressed with a greater degree of indul- gence for the poverty, ignorance, and laziness of the lower order of the people, who toil for a miserable subsistence, and see the fruits of their labour carried off from time to time by an agent of their landlord, to be spent in"a foreign country ; while the same descrip- tion of people in England are cheered by a hospitable reception in the hall of their landlord when they come to pay their rent ; derive benefit from his expenditure and example; and in case of petty disputes find an honest magistrate, a kind landlord, and a well-informed neighbour to reconcile their differences and prevent little misunderstandings from growing into rancour and the spirit of revenge." The Derry corporation could scarcely say more against absenteeism than this, or adduce stronger proofs of the in- competency and grinding disposition of the London companies to rack-rent their tenants without the slightest consideration for their personal comfjrts or the improvement of their own estates. But the sleeky secretary could not tell a little truth without varnishing it with the favourite English calumny, attributing lazitttss to the Irish people; although he, in the same breath, contradicts himself, by stating that they toil hard, and see the fruits of their labour carried off by the agents of absentee landlords. The Society, as far as in it lay, early attempted to extinguish the Irish population on its plantation of Londonderry by its precept, directing the several companies to not only send over English artizans, but also the children from Christ's Hospital, and other charitable London Institutions, as servants and appi entices, and prohibiting the inha- bitants from taking Irish apprentices. But on this particular plantation the Irish* like Sampson's hair, grew thick and strong ; LONDONDERRY. 411 and not only has the city been peopled by the Irish, but, sad to relate, in 1834 a majority of the whole population were Irish catholics, and even within the walls they exceeded in number the protestants. Notwithstanding that these London companies have been enriched, and now derive such immense incomes from the partition of the once princely properties of the O'Neills and O'Donnells, they have no feeling for Ireland or for Irishmen. To no national undertaking or individual enterprise likely to benefit the country do they contribute a shilling. There may be men among them of liberal dispositions, but their affairs are managed and regulated in a great measure by their secretaries, who are neither drapers, skinners, or ironmongers, but crafty,, plodding attornies, who contrive to enrich themselves out of the funds and properties, these companies have acquired. They are sumptuously lodged in their halls, which are stately mansions, situated almost in every street of the old city of London. Their hauteur and arro- gance, and their hatred of every thing Irish, except the incomes derived from the companies' Irish estates, is but too apparent ; in- deed, they take so little trouble to disguise it, that one of these worthies on the application of an Irishman, in respect to what could be scarcely termed a favour, declared that " he and the com- pany did not care a rush if Ireland was at the bottom of the sea." He would not, like the late Sir Joseph Yorke, have limited the sub- mersion to twenty-four hours, nothing less than making it a per- manent submarine fixture would satisfy his ire against poor Old Ireland. In this category there are three honourable exceptions ; Messrs. Robert and William Beckwith Towse, secretaries to the clothworkers' and fishmongers' companies, and Mr. J. Davis, secretary to the Irish Society. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — The Linen trade took root early in Londonderry and the neighbouring district, and a great portion of the population was through a series of years, and is still, beneficially employed in the manufacture. There are now two large flax spinning mills in full operation, employing upwards of 800 hands, principally females. Previous to 1825 the quantity of oatmeal manufactured here was inadequate to the home con- sumption, but the introduction of improved machinery enabled the 412 LONDONDERRY. Irish millers to manufacture oatmeal to suit the English and Scotch markets, and it soon became an article of very considerable export; there are now eight oatmeal and flour mills in the city and neighbourhood driven by steam. Up to 1839 there were three large distilleries, but one of them was then discontinued ; there are three breweries, one foundry famous for its brass castings and copper works, five tan yards, three soap and two canvass manufac- tories, and 2 rope-walks. In 1774 there was a sugar baking esta- blishment, which continued working until 1809, when it was con- verted into a glass manufactory, which was also discontinued in a few years. The commerce of this port for some years has gone on steadily increasing. In 1834 the tonnage inwards was only 63,726 tons, and outwards 62,502. In 1854, the tonnage inwards was 223,606, and outwards 184,213 tons : the former having in less than twenty years nearly quadrupled, and the latter trebled their amounts. Its foreign trade consists chiefly of its imports ; its exports are con- fined to the human species, and as an emigration port at one time exceeded Belfast. Its imports are square timber, deals, staves, tallow, hemp, flax, flaxseed, tar, &c, from Archangel, the Baltic, and British America ; barilla, oil, and cane reeds from Spain ; sugar and rum from the West Indies ; tobacco, ashes, staves, and flaxseed from the United States ; bark, flax, and flaxseed from Holland : of the latter article it imported in 1835 from all parts, 12,400 hogsheads ; since the famine it has also imported wheat and Indian corn from the Levant and the Black Sea. Its trade with Great Britain is very considerable: for the year ending 5th January, 1835, it ex- ported thence 9,642 boxes and bales of linen cloth, 29,940 barrels of wheat, 14,900 barrels of barley, 119,000 barrels of oats, 69,000 loads of oatmeal, 3,654 tons of flax and tow, 52,842 firkins of butter, 11,580 barrels of pork, 1900 bales of bacon, 590 hogsheads of hams, 147 hogsheads of lard, and 3,050 tons of eggs, hides, skins, &c. Its imports consisted of the usual commodities : tea, sugar, coffee, coals, iron, tin, slates, bark, hardware, eathenware, printed cottons, woollens, herrings, kc. The railway commis- sioners' returns for 1835 estimate the amount of the exports at £1,040,918, and the imports at £708,054. The trade of the port since 1840 will be best shown by the following Tables: — SS ^2 I ^ ^ O c^ .« .3 *S lis js co e CO rw, CO CO K 8 § co 55 ^ J S ^ go ^ SS to ►X co ,. CO ^ V* "** 1 8 g co 5 3 N g ^ -E ■v. « .s ss £ S S5 SS V. o © S ss •papajjoo ,siuo}sn'j 103531 108026 108518 105224 524564 108685 125270 105401 IlMyy 1 111431 555778 524564 1080342 31214 Registered Sliipping. Tnge. CM CO CO O CO CO © CO to CO eo oo *- t>- 38409 rjn 00 CM -rH CM CM © UO rH o N CO O N h CO © © OC CO 43900 38409 82309 © to Vess. O O hi CO CO hi hi CO CO CO VO CO © CO to CM rH CO HI -rH ^ © to r-H CO CM rH to CO CO to CM Clearing Outwards. Total Outwards. Tnge. co o to co NOCCO C N X K O >C (N r-l » 402665 119556 112871 109278 122029; 122058! CM to © © t- © tO CM co © tO HI 988457 183127 Vess. Ol 00 O >0 O) O hi CO co »o >5 «3 'O l!3 N 2941 CM 1>- © © © © CO CO © CO O © © © lO rH lO ^ rH Ci CO CM 9609 HI CM British SD n 6 ■i -j = ci 2 J- 2 j be C H 00 © © CM O CS -t O 'f N CO Ci CM O »0 iO CO CO Ci 331328 © to © CM CO CM CO © to CO 00 tO CM © © © © © 474559 331328 805887 143231 Vess. CO hi rH Ci CM k"<- rH .— 1 CM CM ^i «3 « ^ N 2749 •CM CO CO © © CM © rH CO CO © to to © to 111233 2804 71337 2749 co to to »o o I— to CM CO to to Foreign Trade. It p CJ be a H lO p-O T!< rH 1>- r-H Ci CO Ci NOONO r-< CO Ci CO CO co co t-~ t^- CO r-H CO CO rH H, Co © to Foreign. bo C N«3 -Ji -i O C CM tJh l> lO r-H CO r-H 7547 CCCOOt^H CO © OO © CO © CO © © rH CO CO CO UO rH HI © -rH to oo r~ CM 36311 21217 Vess. CO rH r-H 00 l-H CM GO %0 CO fc» J* r-H lO rH CM -h CM © © British. Tnge. CO CO CM CO r-H ' O © © CO tO — ' CO CM Ci to © CM O r-H CM 63790 11529 18648 20761 13056 18475 © © © © HI 1— CM CO 00 © © ^O CM © HI 18679 Vess. © CO CO 00 CO CO CO CO CM CO »o CO CM © rH CO © CO Hi CO HI HI tO CO © CM rH © © CO © © Entering Inwards. Total Inwards. Tnge. 84087 88574 91926 83818 111591 459996 140195 149484 135899 151123 149406 726107 459996 1186103 266111 Vess. Ci Ci CM t>- Ci cm co co r-— cm t-^ CO CO 00 3656 r-H O © CO t — lO 00 to CO © CO © © © © © © rH »0 00 © HI CO 8466 1154 British and Coasting Trade. Tnge. 73678 76119 81475 74709 100000 CO © to © 127179 128750 101228 134622 122731 614510 405981 1020491 2085.9 Vess. © hi .o © :o CO hi Ci CO © © © © 3428 © © hi GO CO © CO — rH t— © co © oo 4334 3428 7762 © © © Foreign Trade. Total. cp be a H © to i— i Oi — i © to to © © © CM © Ci r-H to © to HMNON © © to © CO © hi CO © rH CM CO rH CM 111597 54015 CM © to © 57582 Vess. CO to t-» t"— © Tf HI CO HI lO 00 CM CM CM © to tO hi tO © HI CO CM © CO 1— CM HI CM © CO HI CM Foreign. be S H hi co 00 to hi CO hi © Ci r-H CO © CO © CM r-H 5980 rH © © © 1>- © © CM © lO 00 CO © © CM CO hi 32676 5980 38656 26696 Vess. CM © 1>- t~— to © © CO r-H © -H CM © rH CO © © tO HI © © © itish. I Tnge. CM — 1 tO r-H © © r- © © © CM © to CO CO 0O r-H © CO © 48035 tO CM © HI CO © © Hi Ci CO Hi © © © CM CO rH rH CM rH rH 78921 48035 126956 30886 H a $ > rH © © © r-H CO CO CO ^ to CO 00 CO t-- © W CO © 00 HI CO co rH CO to © CM •qcjg A\renui3f Suipua r-HCMCO-rHtO © t-. CO © © OO © . - rH-HH-^-rH-^ -^-r^-rjl-HHlO 52 i:" ^ SlJP 3 CO00COCOCO O0COCOCO0C » -50 ^ S o rl rfl«« Slj" ■a o « +3 M c x H § Ph cj g CO *a .00^ 5 O-H - g ^-r i '-* - _i x — s SB * 5 S3 ? _TrH n ■ — — — C3 G>? > Z> SZ, Z WJrCl f) CO "2 d fl J > -s ri.ftrS « s BH . . > ,3 «M .o 9 • S >-d •g gfcg © fl 2 g I § QiO-a ai'" h ffl 3 -rH » «1 S O! ' rt cS ^ 72 CD > ™ ^ o g O kh cj © ^ a5 h— 1 o ^Scird co S Or c 73 nj O' CO -n w -5 rH 1 -r - >- O *I3 H CO H > 3 bo2R S .2 "43 j3 3 ° g o ^-3 tx 2 co 3 S *l O 3 an O O CD 414 LONDONDERRY. The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. OVTWAXDS. Regis- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered duties ending Briti-h Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tuge. Tnge". Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851.. lo,128 7,349 144,499 , . 10,821 3,043 113,400 .. 7,403 108,194 1852.23,393 26,445 150,392 .. 13,648 12,178 124,302 .. 7,878 110,535 1853.-23,033 15,055 183,462 .. 14,565 6,605 156,626 . . 7,010 116,799 1854. . 13,299 22,492 187,815.. 9,924 12,276 162,013 .. 5,891 123,224 The trade, therefore, of this port for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 36,341 tons Foreign, and in the British and Coasting trade 257,899 tons. In 1852 ths Foreign trade was 75,6b4 tons, and the British and Coasting 274,694 tons : being an increase on the Foreign trade of 39,323 tons, and on the British and Coasting 16,795 tons. In 1853 the Foreign tonnage was 59,258 tons : being a decrease on the previous year of 16,406 tons ; but the British and Coasting trade was 340,088 tons, having increased 65,394 tons. In 1854 the Foreign trade was 57,991 tons, and the British and Coasting 349,828 tons, being a decrease on the former of 1,267 tons, and an increase of 9,740 tons on the latter. The tonnage of the registered shipping of the port in 1851 was thirty-eight vessels of 7,403 tons, which diminished in 1854 to thirty-one vessels of 5,891 tons: decrease seven vessels and 1,512 tons; and the Customs' revenue of 1854, as compared with 1851, shows an increase of £15,030. The decrease in the registered shipping of such a port as Londonderry, extending as it has done in every branch of commerce, is most unaccountable. Small as that amount of shipping comparatively is, there arc seven steamers included in it, whose united tonnage is 1,464 tons, and including their engine rooms 2,680 tons. Two of these belong to the Glasgow and Londonderry, and two to the North- West of Ireland Steam Packet Companies, one of the latter iron built ; and three to Mr. W. Coppin, two of which are also iron built. These steamers are employed in the Liverpool, Fleetwood, Glasgow, Greenock, and Belfast trade. The Glasgow and Londonderry Company have two other iron steamers, the Rose and Thistle, LONDONDERRY. 415 which are registered in the former port. The Rose is at present employed between Belfast and Morecambe, and the Thistle between Glasgow and this port. Previous to the construction of a patent slip in 1830. which cost £4.000. vessels were sent for repairs to Liverpool or the Clyde : several fine vessels have been since built here, and vessels of 500 tons burthen repaired. In the ship-yard, on the strand, there have been two steamers recently built, one for Liverpool, and the other for foreign trade, besides some first-class Ea-t Inf.ianier.. Harbour and City Improvements. — The number of local Acts of Parliament obtained by the citizens of Londonderry towards im- proving their city and harbour is very considerable, and must have cost no trifling sum. They commenced with two acts, 30 and 40 Geo. III., relative to building the bridge ; 48 Geo. III., c. 136, for supplying the city with pure water, for registering pilots, and extending the jurisdiction of the court for the recovery of small debts : under this act water was conveyed by pipes constructed along the bridge from a reservoir at Braehead. at an expense of £15.500 : 54 Geo. III., c 231. for repairing the bridge, and to enable the corporation to borrow money for that purpose, £15,000 of which was obtained out of the consolidated fund; 5 Geo. IV.. c. 122. for watching, lighting, and paving the city: 6 Geo. IV.. c. 180, which repealed portions of the original acts, and of that passed the previous year, in reference to appointing the gas light committee; 2 and 3 William IV.. c. 141. a very important act. empowering the mayor and twelve other resident inhabitants, rated at £20 under this act, to form a police committee to regulate the watching, lighting. Sec. And under the same act the ballast office committee was created, to be composed of the mayor and seven other citizens, whose qualification consisted in being the owners of shipping registered in the port to the extent of £250 ; importers or exporters of goods to the amount of £2,000, or who paid £200 freight, or occupied premises rated at £30 a-year. The electors to be inhabitants of six months' residency, who were owners of vessels to the amount of £100, or who imported or exported goods to the value of £500, paid £50 freight during the year, or occupied 416 LONDONDERRY. premises rated at £10 or upwards ; the commissioners to be elected by ballot, two of the senior commissioners to vacate annually. This act also regulates the payment of the £15,000 Irish currency, obtained from government for the repairs of the bridge, and which was fixed at £16,338 9s. 6d. English currency, one instalment of which had been paid 1st January, 1852, and similar sums were agreed to be paid until the whole was liquidated. The ballast office committee under this act has the power of improving, preserving, and regulating all matters connected with the Lough and river — port and harbour of Londonderry. The revenues of the port consist of tonnage dues, pilotage, and a charge for ballast to vessels requiring it. All foreign vessels are subject to Gd. a ton on their registered tonnage. For pilotage they pay £1 Is. if they draw only seven feet of water, which, on a graduated scale, runs up to 6s. a foot should they draw sixteen feet : outwards it is only 5s. British or Irish vessels in the cross channel or coasting trade pay 2d. per ton on their registered tonnage, and 14s. pilotage if they draw only seven feet, and 4s. 8d. inwards and 3s. 9d. outwards a foot if it runs up to sixteen feet. For gravel ballast they pay Is. 3d., and for sand Is. per ton. Vessels under forty tons pay less pilotage, and those not exceeding twenty tons pay no tonnage dues ; vessels bark laden pay extra. There are harbour, pilot, and ballast masters, and twenty-nine pilots under the commissioners. The revenue of the port in 1845 amounted to £1,990, but it must be now, with its great increase of trade, considerably more than £3,000. The ballast commissioners derive no income from wharfage. The corporation up to 1831 exercised the exclusive right to quayage: it then sold its interest in the custom house and merchant qua}s, and the monopoly being destroyed, a great number of private quays were constructed, but the charges are moderate, and on most arti- cles even less than those of Belfast. Connected with the municipal arrangements and improvements of the city, another act was passed, the 11th and 12th Vic. c. 141. In all these acts the rights of the Irish Society are well protected. It claims jurisdiction, and appoints a vice-admiral in the Lough and adjacent coast. The power, however, is virtually exercised by the ballast commissioners, who have materially improved the harbour since they came into 417 office. The river Foyle properly commences at Culm ore fort, three miles from the city, in which there is at low water, from nine to twelve feet throughout, and vessels drawing eighteen and nineteen feet have been brought up to the quays. There is no im- pediment, except a narrow ridge at Ross Bay scarcely perceptible, which could be easily removed by the operations of the dredging machine belonging to the harbour ; vessels of light burden have sufficient water to St. John s town, seven miles up the river, and there is a canal which continues the navigation to Strabane, fourteen miles from the city. The Foyle Salmon Fishery. — The Society claims the exclusive right of fishing in the Foyle as far as Lifford, a distance of about thirteen miles up the river ; but the Marquis of Abercorn and the Earl of Erne have fisheries on it below that town. This fishery is not so productive as the Bann : it averages about 130 tons annually, the salmon is principally shipped to London, Liverpool, and Glasgow. There are 120 men employed in taking the fish, and as many more to watch their preservation. The fishing off this coast, which James I. described to the London corporation when pointing out the advantages it would derive from the Ulster plantation, as having then employed 140 to 160 sail of Irish, and a number of Dutch vessels in taking herrings at the close of the season, appears to be altogether neglected. In 1835 the Derry merchants cured 5,800 barrels of herrings in the Orkneys : the quantity imported annually averages about 12,000 barrels, one-half of which are cured by vessels fitted out from this port. Without sending their vessels so far, the probability is, if they fished their own coast as far as the Rosses, they would be able to cure their whole consumption at a less expense than they can import them from the Orkneys. The Public Buildings are — The Town or Corporation Hall, situated in the centre of the Diamond, was built by the cor- poration on the site of the original town-house erected by the Society in 1622, and rebuilt in 1825. It was also called the market-house, and previous to 1825 the lower part was used for ::r s^e z: ine?.'.. k:. I: vr^s rr.er. as a news r::rr. by 2 z 418 LONDONDERRY. the corporation : in the upper part there is a room for the common council, and an assembly room. The Public Library and News Room is a plain building, formed "of Dungiven stone, established in 1819 by proprietors of transferable shares of £21 each, and is provided with upwards of 3,000 volumes of select works. The County Court House. — A handsome building, also composed of white Dungiven stone, 12G feet long by 66 feet in width. It exhibits a facade judici- ously broken by a tetrastyle portico, with enriched Ionic columns of Portland stone modelled from the temple of Erecteus in Athens. It was built from a design of Mr. John Bowden, and cost £30,479 15s. The County Gaol was commenced 1819 and finished in 1824, at a cost of £33,718, under contract by Messrs. Henry Mullins and MacMahon. It is partly cemented, and partly built of Dungiven stone, and is 240 feet in front, the total depth of the building, including the yards, being 400 feet. It contains a house for the governor, in which is the chapel; 179 cells, twenty-six work and day rooms, several yards, and an hospital. The silent system was introduced some years back, and there is one good resulting from it here, all the prisoners are employed at some trade or occupation, and* receive one-third of their earnings on being dis- charged. The County and City Infirmary. The Custom House. — A small and inconvenient building, first taken by the government as a bonding store, but since 1824 it has been occupied as a custom house; the premises comprise some extensive stores and timber yards, 4.30 feet in front but varying in depth : the government has a permanent tenure of it, for which it pays £1,419 4s. 6d. per annum — a nice income for somebody. The Lunatic Asylum for Londonderry and Donegall cost in the erection £25,678 : it accommodates 234 patients, whose maintenance, in 1851, cost £3,752. The Bishop's Palace, built on the site of an Augustinean Monastery : it was re- built by the Earl of Bristol, but was occupied as a barrack in 1802. It has been subsequently repaired ; the gardens are well laid out, containing two acres. The Barracks. — Although the city is head quarters for a regiment of infantry, they have only accommodation for 320 men and four officers, and an hospital for thirty-two patients. There is, however, more extensive quarters at Glender- mot, in the neighbourhood. The Union Workhouse was built in LONDONDERRY. 419 1840 to accommodate 1,100 inmates. It contains an area of 139,360 acres in the counties of Londonderry and Donegall, and a population of 62,241, in twenty-two electoral divisions, represented by twenty-nine elected and twenty-four ex officio guardians, who meet on Saturdays. The property subject to the poor rate is valued at £113,096; the expenditure in 1852 was £3,683 9s. 5d., and the rate in aid levied in 1851 and 1852 was £938 2s. lOd. The Houses of Religious Worship are — The Cathedral of the See of Derry, and two other Protestant Churches, six Presbyterian, and two Catholic Churches, the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, one Independent, and two Methodist Meeting Houses. The Cathe- dral, which Lewis says was built in 1633 by the Irish Society, at a cost of £4,000 ; and Carlisle, by Bishop Barnard, who did not live for a century after, was erected by Bramhall, who was then Bishop of Derry, and in receipt of the rents of the London property, which had been sequestered to ,the King's use in 1632. It is 240 feet in length, by 66 in breadth, and the spire is 288 feet high. It is seated on the summit of the hill on which Londonderry is built, and being surrounded by battlemented walls, it has the ap- pearance on the approach to the city of a strong fortification. In 1788 the Earl of Bristol had a steeple erected on the old tower, but the latter becoming so dilapidated in 1802, it was obliged to be taken down, and the present spire erected at an expense of £2,600, of which the Society contributed £200, and a further sum for the embellishment of the Cathedal. In the west end of the town is a Chapel of Ease, erected by Bishop Barnard, and a Free Church on the north side, by Bishop Knox, in 1830, which cost £760. The principal Catholic Church or Cathedral of St. Columb, it being in the benefice of the catholic bishop of Derry, is built outside the walls, on the site of the ancient Teamplemore, erected in 1164, adjoining the original Abbey founded by St. Columbkille, which was subsequently called the Black Church. The present edifice was erected in 1786, and, including some additions in 1811, cost £27,000, which was raised by subscription. Towards the original building, the protestant bishop, the Earl of Bristol, contributed £200, and the Cor- poration £50. The most considerable of the Presbyterian Houses is 2 e 2 420 LOXDCiNDERRY. in Meeting-house Row, it is a handsome structure, the front com- posed of Dungiven freestone; it was built in 1750, and, with repairs in 1828, cost £4,700. The Covenanters have a house which cost £450 in 1810 ; and the other Presbyterian Places of Worship are in connexion with the seceding synod, one of which in 1783 cost £450. One of the Wesleyan Chapels was originally a store, and was used by John Wesley himself in 1763 for religious purposes; and another was built in 1783, which cost £1,100; and the Independents erected a Chapel in 1824, which cost them £500. Educational Institutions. — The National Schools, connected with which is St Columb's School, established in 1825, which cost £1,000 in the erection. The National Board of Education grants it £30, and the Irish Society £10 per annum ; the remaining ex- pense is made up of collections and subscriptions, which are applied to the education of upwards of 300 boys and girls. In 1852 there were in the county 177 National Schools, attended by 12,962 pupils. The Diocesan School, which cost £13,714, is a grammar school, to the support of which, the Irish Society and Diocesan Protestant Clergy subscribe £200 a year. It has accommodation for eighty pupils, twenty of which were to be educated gratis, but in 1852 it had only sixty-eight scholars, and ten only on the free list. The Gwyn Charitable Institution, established in 1833 by Mr. John Gwyn, a merchant of this city, who bequeathed £41,757, producing annu- ally £1,882, which is appropriated to the maintenance, clothing, and educating orphan boys of the city, who are taken in between the ages of eight and twelve years, and afterwards apprenticed : there were recently upwards of eighty boys in this Institution. In con- nexion with the Presbyterian Meeting House, there is a school established in 1820, in which there are upwards of 200 boys and girls educated, who pay one penny weekly, and contributions from the corporation of £10, and the Society £20 per annum. The Bishop's School on Erasmus Smith's plan ; a boarding and day School at the convent of the Sisters of Mercy, in Pump Street, where poor female children are educated. There is a benefit School attended by sixty or seventy pupils. At Templemoyle there is an LOUGH FOYLE TO SLIGO BAY. 421 Agricultural Institution, established in 1827, for giving practical instruction to farmers' sons ; there is a model farm of 1 70 acres, cultivated on the most recent improvements discovered in agricul- ture : Sir Robert Ferguson, M.P. for Derry, is chairman, who re- sides here. The amount of postage, excise, and stamps, collected in Lon- donderry for the three years ending oth January, 1853, was — 1851. 1852. 1853. Postage £2,616 £2,811 £3,102 Excise 51,821 57,415 72,685 Stamps 7,023 7,570 8,618 Previous to the penny postage being established, the receipts for the year 1834 amounted to £4,047 17s. 8jd. The number of persons employed in collecting the customs' revenue of this port in 1849, was fifty, whose united salaries amounted to £2,601 7s. 2d. The Bank of Ireland, the Provincial Bank of Ireland, the Northern, the Belfast, and Ulster Banking Companies, have branches of their establishments here. There are three newspapers published weekly: the Londonderry Journal, on Wednesdays; the Standard, on Thursdays ; and the Sentinel, on Fridays. George Farquhar, the celebrated dramatic writer, was born here in 1678. Leaving Londonderry and proceeding down the Foyle, the Lough is entered below Culmore Fort, and passing Quigley point on the west, and the River Roe on the east, which falls into the Lough, its entrance from the Atlantic is attained, which is seven miles in width, and is formed by Magilligan point on the east, and Innishown or Ennishowen head on the west; on the latter is a light- house at Donagree point, the lantern of which is sixty-seven feet above high water, and exhibits a white fixed light seen thirteen miles to sea, and serves to guide vessels past the Great Tun bank, lying near the entrance to the Lough. Proceeding along the Donegall coast, Innistrahul Island is made, in 55° 26' north, 7° 14' west, on which there has been a lighthouse since 1812; the lantern is 167 feet above the level of the sea, and exhibits a first-class revolving light, seen at a distance of eighteen miles. Passing Dunaff Head, Lough Swilly, a splendid arm of the sea, with deep water and safe 422 THE ATLANTIC FROM anchorage, is entered. From 1724 to 1766, various attempts were made to constitute Rathmullin, on the west shore of this Lough, a port which was successfully opposed by the Irish Society : Rath- melton, however, is now a place of more importance ; it is situated on the river Lennan, which discharges itself into the Lough, and in which pearls of exquisite beauty have been found : it has great capabilities for commerce and manufactures. At the extremity of the Lough, is Letterkenny, situated on the river Swilly, which is navigable for vessels drawing ten feet of water. It is an improv- ing little town, although the population has decreased since 1841. There is an extensive slate quarry in the neighbourhood. On leaving the Lough on the west, near the entrance is Fannat point, on which there is a lighthouse erected in 1816, the lantern ninety feet above high water, and exhibits a fixed white light seen fourteen miles to sea. Malin Head, the most northerly point on the Donegall coast, with Mulroy Bay, Sheepshaven, and Horn Head are passed in succession; and Tory Island, in 55° 16' N. 8° 15' W., on the N.W. of which there is a lighthouse, the lantern 125 feet above the level of the sea, and exhibiting a fixed light, seen at a distance of sixteen miles. On this island there are some interesting remains of antiquity. The Foreland, and Arran- ranmore, the largest of a group of islands called the Rosses, are now passed. Some years ago a most profitable and exten- sive herring fishery was carried on here, which employed 400 sail of fishing vessels, and 1,000 small boats. Passing several small islands and bays on the coast, the island of Rathlin O'Birne is made, on which a lighthouse is now erecting ; this island lies well into the Atlantic, near the entrance to Donegall Bay, on the north side of which is Killybegs, formerly one of the principal Irish sea- ports, and still deserving of being such from its fine and safe har- bour, and elegible situation for commerce and manufactures. The harbour is nearly circuitous, well sheltered, and accessible to ships of any burden. Vessels not drawing more than ten feet may anchor near the town, but on the west side, where there is good anchorage, they may safely ride in fifty feet of water. There is a lighthouse on Rotten Island, showing a fixed white light, and another on St. John's Island, on the S.E. of Mac Swcncy's Bay, LOUGH FCYLE TO SLIGO BAY. 423 which lies, as well as Inver Bay, between Killybegs and Donegall ; the latter town is situated at the N.E. extremity of Donegall Bay, on the river Esk. The harbour is formed by a pool on the east side of Doorin Peninsula, where, at a distance of two miles below the town, vessels may ride in sixteen feet of water, quite near the shore. It was to this port that Perrott sent a ship, purporting to be from Spain, with choice wines, on board of which Red Hugh O'Donnell, Prince of Tyrconnell, was treacherously entrapped. A Franciscan monastery was founded here in 1174, where the annals of the four masters were compiled. There is good fishing in this bay, herrings visiting it in the summer and autumn in great abundance. Manganese has been found in the Esk Demesne, and splendid pearls in the river. On the S.E. side of the bay, on the river Erne, stands the town of Ballyshannon, formerly called Athseanaigh, and was the principal seat of the O'Donnells, and where Hugh O'Donnell received his son Red Hugh, after his escape from Dublin Castle. The Erne, in its course to the Bay, is crossed by a bridge of fourteen arches, which divides the town ; that on the south side is called the Purt, which is the harbour. The salmon fishing here is the most extensive in Ireland, with the exception of Coleraine and Ballina ; the principal part of the fish is shipped to England. There is an old established distillery here, in which there are 100,000 gallons of whiskey distilled annually. It has some im- port and export trade with Great Britain, and both it and Donegall are branch ports of Sligo. The harbour was formerly obstructed by a bar, which has been removed, and other improvements made by the late Colonel Connolly at his sole expense, and vessels drawing twelve feet of water can now come up to the town. Copper, lead, and zinc have been discovered in the neighbourhood, and it is admirably circumstanced for manufactures, there being on the river a succession of falls of 140 feet from the grand cascade, about four miles from the town, where the navigation is abruptly stopped by the immense column of water from Lough Erne, descending perpendicularly about twenty feet, which is called the Falls. This, although a splendid object to view, is a serious injury to the trade of Ballyshannon, and it has been long in contemplation to construct a railway between that town and Belleek, near the 424 SLIGO BAY. entrance to Lough Erne, which is navigable to Enniskillen and Belturbet. From Ballyshannon to Dundalk is the narrowest part of Ireland, being only sixty-seven miles from the Atlantic to the Irish sea, and Lough Erne occupies, in a direct line to Belturbet at its eastern extremity, half the distance. Ballyshannon is the last town on the Donegall coast, a coast well known to the ancients, and the N.W. boundary of that extensive territory over which the O'Donnells ruled for centuries. Niall, of the nine hostages, granted to his son Conall Golban the county of Donegall, formerly better known as Tyrconall, and his descendants as the Kinel Conall, the whole of which James I. deprived them of in 1607. Proceeding from Donegall Bay, and entering the Atlantic, Innismurray Island is passed : vessels should steer outside of this island, as there are dangerous reefs of rocks between it and the main land : it is the property of Lord Palmerston, and contains about 100 inhabitants, who exist by fishing. The entrance to Sligo Bay is formed of Augris head and Rinoran point, and is about five miles at the entrance, and the same distance to the harbour, the upper part of which is divided into three inlets, but the centre only leads to the town. On the north side is Raughly ? a small peninsula ; and on its S.W. is the AVheat Rock, nearly half a mile in extent, partly dry during the influence of the tide ; and at its south end are the Bird Rocks, from which, about half a mile east, a vessel may safely ride, in moderate weather, in fifteen feet of water. There is a small pier admitting vessels drawing twelve feet of water within this point. About one mile south of Raughly is the Bungarr, or Blackrock reef, extending to the north end of Coney Island, the western part of which is dry at low water. A lighthouse has been erected on it since 1835, and the channel into Sligo lies close along its north side, and becomes shallow from thence to Lissadill. On the bar of Sligo there is only ten feet at low water : vessels drawing twelve feet should take it at half flood, for with westerly winds there is generally a heavy sea between Raughly and the point of Rosse. There are two light- houses on Oyster Island, erected in 1837, which lies opposite Coney Island, and both define the channel well. The harbour of Sligo ex- tends properly from the Old Bridge to the Wheat Rock in Sligo Bay. SLIGO. Sligo is a considerable maritime town and parliamentary borough, in Carbury Barony, and county of Sligo, situated on the river Garogue, 131 miles X.W. of Dublin, in 54" 22 latitude, 8° 22' longitude. It contains an area of 3,001 acres : 417 of which are in the town, and 2.584 in the rural district. In 1831 the population of both was 15,152 persons. In 1841 there were in the town 2,083 houses, population 12,272; and in the rural district 266 houses, and 2,046 persons: total 2,349 houses, and 14,318 inhabitants. In 1851 the houses within the town were 1,840, and the population 11,104, being a decrease of 163 houses, and 1,168 inhabitants. The corporation is styled the mayor, free burgesses, and commonalty of the borough of Sligo: it is now, however, com- posed of a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors elected annually for the three wards, northern, eastern, and western, of which the borough consists. It formerly returned two members to the Irish, and since the Union, one to the united parliament ; its present representative is John Sadlier, Esq., a Dublin solicitor, and for a short time one of the lords of the treasury. Previous to 1832, the member was returned by a provost and twelve burgesses, who as- sumed the power, or who rather obeyed the dictates of the late Mr. Owen Wynne, of Hazelwood, who virtually represented the corpora- tion in his own person. The only property now belonging to the cor- poration is about twenty acres of land, formerly a common, let at £98 3s. 4d. ; and a plot of ground used as a pound, but now built on, and producing £10 10s. per annum. But the 2nd of William IV., c. 88, extended the franchise to £10 householders, under which in 1834 there were registered 694 electors; in 1849 they increased to 715; in 1851, under the 13th and 14th Vic, c. 69, they decreasd to 336, less than one-half the former number; and in 1853 they increased 426 SLIGO. to 351 — of whom there were 2 burgesses of the old corporation, 337 rated occupiers, and twelve of other qualifications. Sligo must have been a place of little. or no importance previous to the Anglo- Norman invasion. The first historical account of the town after that event occurred in 1242, when Maurice Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, erected a castle, and in 1252 founded a monastery here, which he dedicated to the Holy Cross, for Dominican friars. In 1270 the town and castle was destroyed by O'Donnell, but he spared the monastery. The castle was rebuilt by Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, in 1310. In 1360 the town was destroyed by fire. In 1394 it was burnt down by Mac "William Burgh. In 1414 the monastery was also destroyed by fire, and in 1416 it was rebuilt by Bryan Mac Dermot Mac Dunchaigh, or Mac Donagh, Prince of Toroilill, who in 1454 was interred therein. It continued to flourish until its dissolution in the reign of Henry VIII., when it was granted to Sir W« Taaffe. The town was made a parliamentary borough by James L, and in 1621 obtained a charter of the staple. In 1627 Sir James Craig obtained a grant of two markets and two fairs, to be held in the town. In the war of 1641 it was taken without opposition by Sir Charles Coote, and an imposing force of 4,000 foot and 500 horse. But the Catholic Archbishop of Tuam having collected a considerable body of men, and being joined by Sir James Dillon, who was dispatched by the confederates then sitting at Kilkenny, they attacked the town, and were in the act of expelling the parliamentarians, when an alarm spread that a large force was approaching to relieve it. This induced the confederates to abandon the siege, and on their retreat, being attacked by Coote, the archbishop was killed, and on his person was found those im- portant documents which exposed the secret communications that took place between Charles I. and the Irish Catholics. Coote after- wards evacuated the town, which he attempted to regain on his advancing against Limerick, but the catholics held it until the end of the war. Charles II. granted the town a charter, confirming that extended to it by the 11th of James I., which incorporated it under the name of the provost, twelve free burgesses, and the commonalty of the borough of Sligo. The provost was elected annually by the burgesses, and they for life by each other. Charles SLIGO. 427 constituted the corporation a guild of trade. The provost presided over the borough court, where debts to the extent of £3 6s. 8d. were recoverable, and a court of record to the extent of £100. In 1689 a body of Enniskilliners took possession of Sligo, but were soon after forced to abandon it by Sarsfield, and it was finally reduced by the Earl of Granard. By 39 George II., c. 21, it was enacted that the corporation should be conservators of the port, and should maintain a ballast office for improving and preserving it. The town is watched, lighted, paved, and cleansed under the 43 George III., c. 60, regulated by commissioners composed of the representatives of the county and borough, and twenty-four resident inhabitants of the town, or within five miles of it, to be elected by householders of premises valued at £20. Their duties were to regulate the markets, carriages, porters, &c. ; to improve the port and harbour ; to construct new docks and quays, and repair the old : to regulate the pilotage ; and to assess towards these objects a rate on all houses of the annual value of £5, not to exceed 2s. 6d. in the pound. The commissioners were also empowered to raise a fund of £2,000 for the improvement of the town, and £6,000 for that of the harbour. A more recent act was obtained, 9 Victoria, c. 24, for maintaining and improving the port and harbour, and which repealed that part of the 43 George III. which constituted the county and borough members, harbour and town commissioners, and appointing in their room the town council, constituted under the municipal act 3 and 4 Vic, c. 108. This act gave the commis- sioners considerable powers, and they extended and improved the quays, particularly the Bank Ballast quay, which is 2,248 feet long, and cost £2,704. The income of the port in 1847 arising from tonnage, ballast, quayage, and pilotage, amounted to £2,800. The quays are very commodious ; vessels drawing thirteen feet of water can come up and moor close to them. Those of a larger draught have good and safe anchorage in the pool. The town of Sligo con- sists of two parishes : St. John's on the south side, which is the most considerable and opulent, and Calry on the north side, which is the smallest portion. They are connected by two bridges over the river Garogue, which has its source in Lough Gill, and is navigable to the town, a distance of about three miles, and then falls into Sligo Bay. 428 SLIGO. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — Formerly Sligo had a considerable trade in the manufacture of linen cloth of the coarser qualities called narrows, but it has almost ceased, and the hall erected for its use is now vacant. There are a few weavers who still persevere, but they are principally employed in weaving stockings. The embroidering and sewing muslin and light cottons employ the female population to some extent. Several mills are engaged in the manufacture of flour and oatmeal. There are also manufactories of soap, candles, tobacco, hats, ropes, &c. Messrs. Martin and Madden have an extensive distillery, long established, which distils annually upwards of 120,000 gallons of whiskey, and there are also three breweries in full operation. The commerce of Sligo has increased considerably within the last half century. In 1800 the number of vessels that entered the port was 65, of 4,100 tons. In 1830 they increased to 540, of 57,015 tons. The customs' duties in 1826 were £33,565, and in 1836 they were £35,864. The returns of the railway commissioners in 1835 estimate the exports for that year at £330,000, and the imports at £115,000, exclusive of ite branch ports of Ballyshannon and Donegall, or even Ballina ; the trade and customs' revenues of which, for some incomprehensible reason only known to those who furnish the official accounts, are sometimes capriciously included in those of Sligo, and at other times given separately, as they should be, there being a distinct custom house for many years established in that port. The principal exports are grain, butter, linen, and provisions. Previous to the famine of 1847 the exports of oats and oatmeal were very considerable to London and Liverpool, and more particularly to Glasgow. The imports consist of timber, iron, coal, salt, tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco, and British manufactured articles, and for the last few years, wheat, and Indian corn from the Black Sea, the Levant, and Liverpool.. The general trade of the port, including Ballina, agreeable to the official return, No. 171, dated 2nd April, 1851, for the ten years ending 5th January, 1850, will be shown by the following Tables 8 « Cj r O S3 .§ Q ^ 2 co co • 3 CO » CO ^ "£ « < CO 40 ^ § |g £ ~ KVs « ■? ^ 8 s I I § ^ 1^1 § < 't « cu ^ 0£ O ^ sd V§ls ca .fs*<-s» 5>>r< i ^ St r° .§ •§ fc-i VB cc S 8*3 £ 1 1 s f sg eq v ! rH t>» H CO N •pa;oanoo j _ i-h — co .suiojsno oo w co cN M 161682 tO 'O 'O rH © ^ CO CO © CO CO CO rH tO CO O 'O to O 00 CO CO CO CO CO 159586 161682 321268 2096 Deer. Registered Shipping. oj 1 cc co co to r— be 1 © tO © rH 00 a Hcocoi-iffi H rH rH CO CO 18960 CO © CO to >o r-H tO © i>- CO CO CO © CO CO CO © 22142 18960 41102 3182 Incr. Vess. COOiNO)t> CO CO CO CM CO © © © © © CO CO CO CO CO CO —1 © © © © CO CO oo S Q Clearing Outwards. Total Outwards. Tnge. CO CO r-H >0 CO ■— i CO — H to >— < OOffiONH to OS co to to rH CO CO rH to 224208 tO OO CO © © C5 'O CO CM iQ CONNNO © r-l © CO CO tO to © TP ^ 260967 224208 to ir— to 00 rH 36759 Incr. > o o -t< co o H CO M O H to rH rH rH © 2515 CO ^ r- © © CO CO CO © CO tO rfi CO CO 1933 2515 4448 582 Deer. British and Coasting Trade. Tnge. N CO H ^ N CO >o CO rH CO CO CC CO CO CO r— ■© © © © CO CO CO rH 188255 © CO r-l r-l ■rjH CO © © CO CO to ^fi CO ^ CO © r-l © CO CO CO CO 175244 188255 363499 13011 crease. to CO > rH CM 00 CO © NHXN05 rH rH CO rH to 2336 © CO r— 1 i>» GO © tO CO to t— Tt* CO CO CO i— 1 1564 2336 3900 CO CJ Foreign Trade. Total. Tnge. © © rH © O) CM H H t - ■^H > — i CO © CM co © oc rH to co to © to CO 8351 17178 36240 12335 11619 85723 35953 121676 49770 Vess. to X CO ^ o rH rH CO CO CO © CO © © © rH TH tO "HH lO © © © I- CO rH 00 r* to © © Foreign. co be a H CO t^CN H CONH iO l>- CO r-i CO CO 2620 00 CO CO © © © © © (?. H O X o rH © CO rH CO © CO CO © © t ~ CO 19652 14412 Vess. tO t^rH CO CO © rt< CO CO to ^H rH t~- rH © to British. Tnge. CM <-> CO © OO © to © to CO © CO © CO © t-~ f ^- 00 rH to CO CO CO CO CO © 00 00 rH «5NNCO CO CO © CO Tf to © to © © rH CO rH 68691 33333 102024 35358 Vess. © — 1 to CO rH rH CO CO CO CO © CM 1^ © © oo i>- © co ^ to CO © © CO rH to CO CO Entering Inwards, Total Inwards. oi bo C H lO N H N » © to to i— i J>. to co © cm r— — i to to to co CO CO CO r)< CO © © lO CO -rH ^t 1 to to © CO © CO to CO © CO © "HH CO CO ■"if to © to © 313930 191498 505428 122432 Vess. l O © © *o CO © © © © to <* CO CO rH 2088 NOlNHN © t-— CO hh C75 co co to 2541 2088 4629 CO to rH British and Coasting Trade. Tnge. © © W © rH co © rH © to © © © rH rH IONOHN CO CO CO CO CO 162790 H © O Ttl CO CO © rH tO © CO CO © tO tJh CO CO U5 rjl 227827 162790 390617 65037 Vess. N CO «5 to rn CM © l-^ rH CO Tt< CO CO CO xfl 1931 lO © CO rH CO TH O •* CO M CO to CO 2102 1931 4033 t- Foreign Trade. Total. Tnge. Q N Tfi H N © © © r-l CO to CO lr— CO CO © rH CO © 28708 CO -"HH O CO CO CO I>- to CO © © 00 © 00 -HH CO © i-< CO r-< r-l 86103 28708 114811 57395 Vess. 00 CO © CO CO C I CO CO t- tO CO CO © © to «5 NNCON © CO to r* rH © © to CO 00 CO j Foreign. Tnge. ^ CO X CO H CO t~-» CO ^ t-» CO CO r-l CO © Ol 00 © © CO CO CO CO © i— i -HH io © rH CO © CO CO 29877 2767 32644 27110 Vess tO CO rH CO O O O CC t« rH -H rH 00 to rH CO British. Tnge. tO r-l © CO © CO CO CO 00 oo © co © © to © ^ CO © 25941 © © © rH CO H CO T« H M 00 CO -h>i © 00 N Ol N CO H 56226 25941 82167 30285 Vess. CO © CO © © CO CO CO r-H CO © CO -rh © CO -H \ ^ © 00 t(< © © © © rp CO rH © CO © to £uipua s.reajt i— 1 CO CO lO ©t-~CO©© ^lO o ^-*^^t)h ^ ^ ^ ^ lo 2 5P s! :?* =2 S= o ~ ° ^© 2©"tS Sf/d 9 flS C . dH Q ^ n! ■5 n as cc 9 X 0,50 Brg^grg rH ^ .3 S ^ « "2 § l-t h •- t i-i & o & g jj -oc c p -h ^ CO S O . X 1 1 § 5 §rq6f| t S r SrCj= S cq U cS ^^2!>Sccrj-; 2 o S.§ C 3-° g g CO . . .3 QJ O CO O CO "S CO^_S© 03 S.S'S ^ S rH OJ CO ^h w C8 f_( x a S r* 2f a *• c? - S CCO " v CjrJ ,&r'S« O § S-s & h gj I -°© o o h- 1 CO C3 - rH M * aero: a, ^ •H 'S ^ r=) 03 X 3 ^ H £ | ^5 ^ 5 S rH | r3 ^ 9> «r 2 S w> ^ 5 CO H rH £ ^ O? 2 £©2 ©"^» fl ^ ^ rt( .S *H .5 ^ hj 3 «r > -°- i s lo |§' ^ ° o 'S pi -S bo to 1 ^3 S .h O S S B"3rScd'ar3'«2 I o c 3 - af r»" «J IK'S '"S 3 53 .2 «o^^SrH-S,a 430 SLIGO. The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, excluding Ballina, but including Ballyshannon and Donegall, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Octwakds. Regis- Customs* Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851.. 5,638 2,968 34,563 .. 4,649 155 28,953 .. 4,789 20,490 1852.. 11,800 5,786 38,908 .. 5,791 4,734 30,467 .. 4,062 21,371 1853 . 9,490 4,988 38,243 .. 6,354 4,796 36,775 .. 4,288 20,576 1854.. 6,796 3,622 34,313 .. 3,974 3,059 32,829 .. 4,251 18,902 The trade of this port for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 13,410 tons Foreign, and 63,516 tons in the British and Coasting trade. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 28,111 tons, and in the British and Coasting trade 69,375 tons: being an increase on the former of 14,701 tons, and on the latter 5,859 tons. In 1853 the Foreign tonnage was 25,628 tons, and the British and Coasting 75,018 tons : being a decrease on the former of 2,483 tons, and an increase of 5,643 tons on the latter. For the year ending 5th January, 1854, the Foreign trade was 17,451 tons, and the British and Coasting 67,172 tons: being a decrease on the former of 8,177 tons, and 7,846 tons on the latter. The registered shipping, which consisted of thirty-five vessels, and 4,789 tons in 1851, decreased in 1854 to thirty-four vessels and 4,251 tons, and the customs' duties also decreased £1,588. In the registered ship- ping there are two steamers included, the Commerce, 44 tons, owner Mr. W. Middleton, and the Dolphin, 67 tons, belonging to Mr. W. C. Tate : the tonnage of both, including their engine rooms, is 189 tons. There is a considerable salmon fishery on the river, the pro- perty of Mr. Abraham Martin : the number taken in it in 1845 was 2,240, weighing 7 J tons : the preservation of the fish employs thirty-eight water bailiffs. The Sligo coast fishery extends from Ballina bridge to Mullaghmorc : in 1851 it employed 475 registered vessels, and 2,724 men and boys, but in 1853 the vessels decreased to 216, and the men and boys to 1,269 — a serious falling off in two years. In 1845 there were two acts passed, the 9th Vic, c. 343, SLIGO. 431 and c. 353 : the first authorised the construction of a railway from Sligo to the Shannon, which has been properly abandoned, as it would only unite Sligo with the Atlantic and the western coast, where it is placed already ; but a railway that would connect it with the eastern coast is what it requires, to forward expeditiously its light produce, such as butter, linen, spirits, and even meal and flour to England. A short line to join the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway at the latter place, is one that would be of the greatest benefit to the commercial community of Sligo. Dundalk, on the Irish Sea, and Sligo, on the Atlantic, are the two ports, with the exception of Ballyshannon, between which there is the shortest span ; and it is surprising that, even before the introduction of railways, there was not some attempt made to unite these seas. The latter act was to extend the harbour to Lough Gill, and to form a canal, which has not been acted on either. The Public Buildings are — the County Court House, a well arranged building, but of limited dimensions. The County Gaol, erected at a cost of £'30,000. The Infirmary, a handsome building of hewn limestone, containing six wards for thirty patients. The Custom House, attached to which are the bonding warehouses. The public Library, and two News Rooms. The Cavalry and Constabulary Barracks. The County Lunatic Asylum, inde- pendent of the accommodation it affords, Sligo has a right to send forty-six patients to the Connaught Provincial Asylum at Ballin- asloe. The Union Workhouse, opened in 1841, to accommodate 1,710 inmates : it contains an area of 143,523 acres, and a popula- tion of 58,565 persons, in twenty-nine electoral divisions, repre- sented by thirty-four- elected and twenty-eight ex officio guardians, who meet on Tuesdays ; the property rated to the poor for 1852 was valued at £91,026, the expense of maintenance, kc. £6,659, and the rate in aid, levied in 1851, was £1,145 19s. S~d., of which £874 12s. 6d. was issued in support of this union. There was no rate in aid levied or issued in it for 1852. The Houses of Religious Worship are — two Protestant, two Catholic, one Presbyterian, one Independent, and two Wesleyan 432 SLIGO. Methodist. The protestant church of St. John is an old cruciform building, with rather a heavy stone tower at the west end. The other church, in the parish of Calry, is a modern structure, built in 1822, at a cost of £3,500. The Catholic parish church of St. John is an edifice of spacious dimensions. The other house is a Dominican Friary, called the old Abbey Church. There are also two Convents of the Sisters of Mercy and Ursuline Nuns. Some interesting remains of the once splendid monastery of Sligo still remain. They consist of three sides of the cloisters, with a fancy vaulted roof, supported by a series of pillars sculptured and arranged agreeable to the early style of English architecture. The east window and high altar, on the right of which is the tomb of the O'Connor, bear evident traces of their original rich designs. The central tower is complete, with the exception of the battlements, which have long since toppled down. The Educational Institutions are — the National Schools for boys and girls. The St. John's Parochial School, supported by the proceeds of charity sermons. A School supported out of Erasmus Smith's charitable bequest. The St. John's Female School, in which there is also a Sunday School, both supported by subscrip- tion ; and there is another Female School in the parish of Calry. In 1852 there were in the county ninety-three National Schools, attended by 11,211 children. The Bank of Ireland, and the Provincial Bank of Ireland, have branches here. The Savings Bank, established in 1820, had 520 depositors in 1852, whose lodgments amounted to £13,390, at £2 18s. 6d. per annum. The amount of postage, excise, and stamps collected in Sligo, for the three years ending 5th January, 1853, was — 1851. 1852. 1853. Postage £1,214 £1,232 £1,260 Excise 19,893 20,996 24,047 Stamps for the District 1,543 1,636 1,838 The number of persons employed in collecting the customs' revenue of this port in 1849, was forty-eight, whose united salaries KILLALA. 433 amounted to £2,020 13s. 8d., a large sum compared with the amount of its customs' revenue. In the neighbourhood of Sligo there is some splendid scenery, particularly Hazelwood demesne, on Lough Gill, the residence of the Right Honourable John Wynne. It is situated on a peninsula, which stretches into the Lough, and commands some beautiful views over its waters, and of the richly wooded islands it contains. The regattas on it, for which it is well adapted, are very attractive and numerously attended. Proceeding from Sligo Bay, Kennisharrack Point on the north, and Kilcummin head on the south, forms the entrance to Killala Bay, where General Humbert, with two frigates of forty-four, and one of thirty-eight guns, and a small force of seventy officers and 1,030 men, dispatched from Rochelle, and destined for the coast of Donegall, arrived in the autumn of 1798. Humbert immediately took possession of the town, and the Irish peasantry, to an incon- siderable amount, joined this force, clearly showing that Connaught, where there were few or no united Irishmen, was not its intended destination, it being designed for Ulster, where the strength of the Society chiefly lay. It had only a single piece of ordnance, and was deficient in small arms to accommodate a numerous body of insur- gents. Humbert, however, showed himself an able tactician, and with so small a force, resolute in the extreme. The Bishop's Palace was formerly situated here, and Humbert's officers took up their quarters in it during their short occupation of the town. Killala is situated at the extremity of the bay, on the west bank of the river Moy. It contains about 200 houses, and had some trade in the export of grain, &c, from 1800 to 1835, but the rising importance of Ballina about that period almost entirely deprived it of its trifling commerce. The harbour affords good anchorage in about ten feet of water, but vessels drawing twelve feet can come up during the influence of the tide. There is good fishing here, and about 300 persons are employed in the pursuit annually. Six miles higher up the river, delightfully situated, stands the town of Ballina. B A LLIN A. Ballina, anciently called Belleek, is a maritime port and market town in the barony of Tyrawley, county Mayo, 54° 6'N.,8° 59 'W., is 125 miles N.N.W. of Dublin. It comprises an area of 164 acres, and in 1831 contained 1,200 houses, and 5,510 inhabitants; in 1841 the houses increased to 1,364, and the population to 7,012 persons j in 1851 the houses were 1,116, and the inhabitants 5,230; but there were 1,339 inmates in the workhouse, and including them there would be still a decrease on 1841 of 247 houses and 443 persons. Ballina is indebted to one of the Lord Tyrawlcys for its origin, who more than a century ago commenced building the town, which consisted for a considerable time of only one street, but has now several, composed of well-built houses. On the 23rd August, 1798, General Humbert, who had the previous day taken Killala, sent forward an advance guard towards Ballina, and the Rev. J. Fortescue, nephew to Lord Clermont, having volunteered his services to accompany a military force sent out to meet them, was shot on the occasion. Humbert having left a few of his officers and a body of Irish insurgents in possession of Killala, marched on Ballina, which he took without firing a shot : Colonel Sir T. Chapman and the carbineers retiring with great precipita- tion to Foxford, eight miles distant, pursued by Humbert, who marched on Castlebar. At this point General Hutchinson had arrived from Gal way and was joined by General Lake, who had succeeded Carhampton as Commander-in-Chief, and, if possible, surpassed him in the tortures and cruelties he inflicted on the unarmed people. Their united forces amounted to 6,000 men, and fourteen pieces of cannon advantageously posted, while Humbert had only 900 French, and about 1,000 raw and undisciplined Irish, and one curricle gun. On the very first onset, however, the BALLINA. 435 British army gave way on all sides and fled in the utmost dis- order through the town of Castlebar, the carbineers trampling down the infantry in their retreat, in which Lake, so valiant against unarmed foes, resolutely joined, demonstrating that cruelty and cowardice are closely allied. The flight was continued to Tuam, which they reached the same day, it being thirty-eight miles from the scene of action, and which was continued to Athlone, where some of the fugitives arrived after retreating eighty miles in twenty-seven hours. In this disgraceful engagement, which was more properly called the races of Castlebar, the British army lost fifty-three men killed, thirty-four wounded, and 279 missing. Lord Cornwallis had now collected an army of 30,000 men, and had reached Kilbeggan on his march to Castlebar; Humbert, however, abandoned that town on the 4th September, and marched towards Sligo, with the intention of entering Done- gall, where he expected reinforcements from France. On his way he was met by Colonel Vereker, with the Limerick militia, and two curricle guns, which, after a smart skirmish, fell into the hands of the French, the Colonel retreating on Sligo. Humbert, under- standing that Longford and Westmeath were in open insurrection, changed his intention of proceeding to Donegall, and marched into Leitrim, and from thence to Ballinamuck in the county Longford, where he arrived on the 8th September, but found himself hemmed in by the whole British army under Lord Cornwallis, and after an ineffectual contest, which lasted for some hours, during which Lord Roden was a prisoner in his hands, he and the French force, now amounting to about 800 men, surrendered as prisoners of war, leaving his Irish auxiliaries, who were excluded from quarter, to be cut down by the British army, which was done without mercy. This small division under Humbert was only the vanguard of a more considerable force which had been promised for the invasion of Ireland by the French Directory to the indefatigable and talented but unfortunate Theobald Wolfe Tone. The delay, however, that occurred in dispatching this second armament, and at such distant intervals, proved as fatal to it as the storms and other casualties had been to the first. On the 16th September an armed brig arrived at Rutland Island, on the coast of Donegall, 2 f 2 436 BALLINA. with a small reinforcement under James Napier Tandy, now invested with the rank of General of Brigade in the French service, but hearing of Humbert's defeat it did not land, but returned to France. It was not until the 11th October that the principal armament, consisting of the Hoche, of the line, and eight frigates, with 4,000 men on board, made their appearance off Lough Swilly, closely pursued by Sir J. B. Warren with a superior British squadron. The French Admiral, whose object was to land the troops, reluctantly came to an engagement ; in which, however, the French displayed the greatest valour, but were defeated with the loss of the Hoche — the frigates, attempting to escape, six of them were taken in the pursuit — three other frigates of this expedition, with 2,000 men on board, subsequently arrived in Killala Bay, but hearing of the fate of the fleet, and of the division that had landed, they returned home. On board the Hoche was the man by whose personal and untiring exertions, and at whose instance these arma- ments were equipped, in furtherance of the views he had so long and so fondly indulged in, and which he hoped to have made instrumental in accomplishing the independence of his native land. Tone, now a prisoner, was dispatched to Dublin, where he was tried by court martial, and made a manly and eloquent defence, neither denying, extenuating, nor excusing himself from the charges brought against him, but contending that as a denizen of France, the country of his adoption, and in whose service he was then as an officer engaged, he no longer owed allegiance to the British Crown, and should be treated as a prisoner of war. These arguments had no weight, and he was sentenced to be executed. He solicited strenuously to be shot as a soldier, which was even denied him, and he committed > suicide in prison ; thus relieving the government from the embar- rassment in which his French naturalization would have otherwise placed it. With his death the cause of Ireland was again doomed for a season to slumber in oblivion. The town of Ballina, which Humbert had left in charge of the Irish from the neighbouring districts after his surrender, was retaken by Colonel French, as well as Killala; and the Irish, who in both places fought resolutely, were defeated, and put to the sword without mercy. Ballina is situated on the west bank of the river Moy, on which there is a BALLINA. 437 considerable salmon fishery, which let as far back as 1776 for £570 ; the Messrs. Little's some years ago laid out £1,500 on it, and for several succeeding years it was let for a similar sum per annum. The salmon is sent to the Dublin and Liverpool markets for sale. This fishery, so profitable to the owners, is injurious to the naviga- tion of the river, which would have been otherwise improved under an Act passed in 1838 for that purpose. The inhabitants of Ballina have been active and liberal in their exertions to improve the trade and commerce of the town, by constructing new roads, bridges, &c. : one of these, which connects the quay of Ardnaree with Ballina, cost £1,500, the half of which was paid by them: and another, commu- nicating with the quay of Belleek, which cost £700, was principally raised by subscription in the town. A bridge constructed over the river at the lower part of the town cost £1,200, which was called Arran bridge, from the circumstance of the Earl of Arran contri- buting £100 towards it. A ship canal was formerly commenced by Mr. Nimmo, to admit vessels of heavy burden to the town, instead of discharging their cargoes at Ardnaree and Belleek, but it was discontinued after expending £1,000 on it, and the works have since fallen to decay. By means of the bridge over the Moy, Ardnaree and Ballina are connected, and maybe considered as one town. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — As early as 1729 the cotton trade was introduced here by Lord Tyrawley, who erected a factory in the town, which occupied a considerable portion of the population in the weaving of muslin, kc. There were also some coarse linens manufactured here. In 1801 an extensive tobacco and snuff manufactory was established by Mr. Malley, which continued to increase until 1809, when it principally contri- buted to swell the customs' revenue of the port in that year to £8,000. In 1834 Mr. J. Brennan. a Belfast merchant, introduced the provision trade, and erected premises for the purpose, in which 10,000 pigs were annually cured, and other merchants followed his example, so that Ballina' for some years was a considerable provi- sion port. There are two large ale and porter breweries, two ex- tensive meal and flour mills, and soap and candle manufactories in the town. Its foreign imports consists of a few cargoes of timber 438 BALLINA. and deals from British North America and the Baltic ; and latterly, of foreign wheat and Indian corn from*the Black Sea. Its imports from Great Britain are tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco, coal, iron, salt, and British manufactured articles ; and latterly, Indian corn from Liverpool. It has no foreign export trade, and that to Great Britain consists of bacon, pork, butter, salmon, flour, meal, wheat, barley, and oats. In 1829 it exported 10,831 tons of oats, 130 tons of wheat, 106 tons of barley, and 30 tons of oatmeal. The railway commissioners in 1835 return the amount of its imports for that year at £16,500, and its exports at £89,000. The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwards. Reg-is- Customs' Years ending 5 Jan. Foreign Trade. British Foreign Tnge. Tnge. Brit, and Coasting Tnge. Foreign Trade. British Foreign Tnge. Tnge. Brit, and Roasting Tnge. tered Shipping Tnge. Duties collected, £ 1851 . . 576 438 2,845 . . 371 131 1,423 . . 81 4,999 1852 . . 1,834 1,284 4,689 . . 271 836 3,647 . . 17 5,680 1853 . . 2,113 296 3,466 . 296 4,613 . 17 4,980 1854 . . 1,017 1,044 3,057 . . 535 797 4,424 . . 251 4,805 The Foreign trade therefore of this port for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 1,516 tons, and the British and Coasting 4,268 tons. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 4,225 tons, and the British and Coasting 8,336 tons : being an increase on the former of 2,709 tons, and on the latter of 4,068 tons. In 1853 the Foreign trade was 2,705 tons, and the British and Coasting 8,079 tons, being a decrease on the former of 1,520 tons, and on the latter of 257 tons. In 1854 the Foreign tonnage was 3,393 tons, and the British and Coasting 7,481 tons ; being an increase on the former of 688 tons, and a decrease on the latter of 598 tons ; but an increase on the general trade of the port of 90 tons. The registered shipping, which consisted of two vessels of eighty-one tons in 1851, had increased to three vessels of 251 tons in 1854; and the Customs' duties, although they increased in 1852, decreased £194 in 1854. The number of persons employed in collecting the Customs of this port in 1849, was six, whose united salaries amounted to £404 3s. 6d. The Court House is a handsome building, the BROADHAVEN AND BLACKSOD HARBOURS. 439 erection of which cost £1,000, and where there are quarter sessions held in July. There are Houses of Religious Worship for the Baptist and Wesley an Methodists in the town, and the Protestant as well as the Catholic Churches are at Ardnaree ; the latter is the Cathedral Church of the diocese of Killala, and is a spacious, elegant structure, ornamented with minarets ; it was built by sub- scription, and cost £9,000. The Catholic Bishop also resides there; the parish of Kilmoremay, in which Ballina is situated, being one of his benefices. There is a convent also of the Sisters of Mercy established here. On the east side of the river are the ruins of the extensive Monastery founded by St. Olean, a disciple of St. Pa- trick : a spacious doorway of beautiful design is yet discernible. The National School is well attended; and in 1852 the number of schools in the county Mayo, deriving support from the Commis- sioners of National Education, was 173, and the children instructed 18,698. The Union Workhouse was opened in 1842 to accommo- date 1,400 inmates, and there are two auxiliary Workhouses capable of containing 2,000 more. The Union comprises an area of 150,415 acres, partly in Mayo and partly in Sligo ; and a population in 1851 of 35,226 persons, in twenty electoral divisions, represented by twenty-one elected, and twenty-one ex officio guardians, who meet on Saturdays. The property rated to the poor in 1852 was valued at £33,787, the expenditure for the year £5,700 ; the rate in aid levied 1851 and 1852, was £281 4s. 9d., and the amount issued to relieve this Union £530. The Provincial Bank of Ireland has a branch of its establishment here. There are two Newspapers published in Ballina : the Connaught Watchman on Wednesdays, and the Tyrawley Herald on Thursdays. From Killala Bay there is no port or harbour of any importance along the north coast of Mayo until the Stags of Broadhaven and Bimvy head are made at the N. W. extremity of the land, which now takes a westerly direction, and stretches broadly into the Atlantic. Broadhaven, a fine harbour, is then entered between Kid Island and Errishead : it is seven miles in breadth, and four to five in depth, and has good anchorage at its entrance in upwards of four fathoms water. It branches into two channels, which are 440 BBOADHAVEN AND BLACKSOD HARBOTTKS. not adapted for the reception of large vessels, one of these to the S. E., after passing Inver, runs to the extremity, which is opposite the town of Belmullet, situated on Blacksod Bay. That portion of the isthmus called the Mullet, which separated these bays y was only about 200 yards, and it has been insulated by a ship canal cut through it by the Board of Works, which unites the two bays. Vessels drawing 10 feet at high water, ordinary neap tides, and 13 J feet at ordinary spring tides, have now ingress and egress to either, as the wind may prevail. Belmullet about forty years ago was almost inaccessible, but the fine roads constructed by Messrs. Nimmo, Knight, and Bold, and the canal recently made, have tended to make it a place of some commercial importance. Broadhaven is the most northerly of those harbours on the western coast, so admirably adapted for transatlantic packet stations ; and although a good and safe harbour, it is not so eligible for the pur- pose as Blacksod Bay, which is esteemed by many superior to any on the western coast. On Eagle Island, in the Atlantic, about two miles from Errishead, off the western shore of the Mullet, in 54° 7' N.; 10° 6' W., two lighthouses were erected in 1835, at a cost of £30,000, the lanterns of which are 220 feet above high water, and display two fixed white lights, seen twenty miles to sea. Between the extreme southern point of the Mullet and Saddlehead, on the north of Achill Island, is the entrance to Blacksod Bay, a capacious and safe harbour, stretching boldly out into the Atlantic, and affording shelter within to innumerable vessels requiring the greatest depth of water. The best anchorage is on the south-west side of the bay, near Barnach island, where there is twenty-five to thirty feet of water.; and the best point for a packet station, or pier for large vessels, is Termon, at the south-west extremity of the Mullett, and near the entrance to the Bay. But a fatal objection exists to it as a transatlantic packet station, it being at a greater dis- tance from the east coast than any other western port, and no rail- way nearer than the Midland Great Western at Mullingar, or the Dundalk and Enniskillen at the latter place, both being at a dis- tance of from eigty to one hundred miles ; indeed, with the excep- tion of the former from Gal way to Athlone, there is not another mile of railway in the province of Connaught. South of this bay NEWPORT. 441 is the island of Achill, the largest on the Irish coast, containing 46,401 acres, being the property of Sir R. A. O'Donnel and the Marquis of Sligo. This island is formed by Blacksod Bay on the north, and Clew Bay on the south ; and a channel com- municating with both divides it from the main land, and forms its eastern, as the Atlantic does its western boundary. Clare Island is next made, lying well out in the Atlantic in 53° 59' N., 9° 58' W., and in front of the entrance to Clew Bay, one-third of which it covers, and, from its great height, forms a splendid breakwater against the swell of the vast sea, which sets in here with westerly gales. On the north side of the island stands a light- house, erected in 1806 : the tower is only twenty- six feet high, but the lantern, from which is exhibited a fixed white light, is 349 feet above the level of the sea, and is seen at a distance of twenty-seven miles. Clew Bay is an expansive sheet of water, twelve miles long, and eight in breadth, and is entered by two channels, north and south of Clare Island. Inside the bay there is a lighthouse on Innisgort Island, erected in 1827; the tower twenty-six feet high, and the lantern, which exhibits a fixed white light thirty-six feet above high water, is seen at a distance of ten miles. This bay possesses many picturesque and imposing views, among which the conical peak of Knock or Croaghpatrick, the lofty moun- tains of Erriv and Baribola on the south, Naphin and Cartinarry, with the hill of Achill, on the north, and Clare Island rising majestically on the west, are the most conspicuous. The eastern estuary is occupied by a great number of small islands, creeks, and inlets, which afford safe refuge to vessels of every class. There is on the line of beach six navigable openings, the most important of which are those which lead to Newport on the north, and West- port on the south ; some rich veins of copper and sulphur have been recently discovered at Currane in this bay. Newport, called Newport Pratt, is situated in the parish and barony of Barrishoole, county Mayo, 140 miles north-west of Dublin, and was formerly the most considerable port in the county Mayo. It is intersected by a fine river, which has its source in Lough Beltra, and falls into Clew Bay. The river of 442 NEWPORT. Barrishoole also flows through the parish, and both abound with salmon, for taking which wiers are placed about half a mile from the town. Formerly the trade of this town was more extensive than at present, but the difficulty of communication with the interior has, in a great measure, transferred it to Westport, where its custom house business is now done, and its trade included therein. Its exports consist principally of grain to Great Britain, which does not amount to more than 1,000 or 1,200 tons an- nually. The quays are extensive and conveniently situated, and a pier was erected at the expense of Sir R. A. O'Donnell and the merchants of the town. The channel from the bay is safe and the harbour commodious, and vessels drawing ten feet of water can come alongside the quays. The Court House, in which sessions are held, is a small neat building, and there are Protestant and Catholic Houses of Worship in the town, as well as a National School. The Union Workhouse was opened in 1852 to accommo- date 500 inmates, and there are two auxiliary houses which would contain 750 more. The Union comprises an area of 159,510 acres, population 15,379 persons, represented by ten elected and seven ex officio guardians ; the property rated to the poor was valued at only £8,275, and the expenses for 1852 were £5,685 13s. 2| d. The rate in aid levied in 1851 and 1852 was only £69 Is. 8d., but there was issued of that fund to this Union £4,000 10s. 8d. Newport House, the seat of Sir R. A. O'Donnell, Bart., is in the vicinity of the town; and about three miles from it, on the sea shore, is Rock- fleet Castle, formerly Carrick-a-Uile, built by the celebrated Grace O'Malley, better known as Gramia Uile: she was the daughter of MacWilliam Outlier, one of the De Burgh family, who in the reign of Edward III. threw off his English dress and allegiance, and assumed the Irish language, costume, and manners. In 1575, however, he submitted to Elizabeth's deputy Sir Henry Sydney, but Granua Uile scornfully refused to be included, and a body of troops were sent to storm her castle, which she defended so valiantly that the besiegers narrowly escaped being made prisoners. Grace was celebrated for her maritime exploits, and so attached to the sea, that it is said when she deigned to sleep on shore she had a rope from her barge fastened to her bed post. WESTP0RT. Westport is a maritime town in the parish of Aughaval, and barony of Marrisk, county Mayo, in 53° 55' latitude, 9° 45' longi- tude. It is situated on a small river at the S.E. extremity of Clew Bay, into which it falls. It is of modern date, and consists of three principal streets, and a mall on the banks of the river, which is well planted and affords an agreeable promenade. It comprises an area of 104 acres, and in 1831 contained 617 houses, and 4,448 inhabitants. In 1841 the houses were 654, and the population 4,365 persons. In 1851 the houses were 717, and the inhabitants 4,815: being an increase on 1841 of 63 houses and 815 persons; independent of which there were 2,991 inmates in the Union Workhouse. The town is greatly indebted to the late Marquis of Sligo for its present importance. The residence of the present Marquis is in the neighbourhood : it is a handsome and spacious structure, situated on the margin of a small lake. The demesne is beautified by the windings of Westport river, on which there are two picturesque cascades. It commands an extensive view of the bay, with its numerous islands and shipping. The river abounds with salmon, a great portion of which is exported to England. The late Marquis used to receive agricultural produce from his tenants in payment of their rents, and in the season exported a considerable quantity of oats. The port is advantageously situated for trade : vessels drawing thirteen feet of water can come to the quays. Spring tides rise to the height of fourteen feet, and neaps to eight feet. The Custom House and Queen's Stores are well suited for business, and the quays are commodious, being nearly a mile in length, and a good range of warehouses built thereon. There are fifteen Commissioners appointed under the 9 George IV., c. 82, for lighting, watching, and paving the town. There is occasion again to notice here the incorrectness of official returns, and the negligence of heads of departments, who place 444 WESTPORT. their names to documents which are intended for the information of parliament and the public, without taking the necessary precaution to insure their correctness. "A parliamentary return No. 678, dated 28th June, 1853, states the number of householders in Westport to be 1,113, rated at £4; 319 at £8; 231 at £10 ; 184 at £12; and 106 at £15: total 1,953, and of these 831 eligible to elect the town commissioners, although the census returns of 1851 have only 717 houses of all descriptions in the town. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — There is an extensive distillery established here since 1826 by Mr. A. Lcvingstone, which distils upwards of 60,000 gallons of whiskey annually, and also a brewery, built by his father many years ago : both esta- blishments employ about 150 men. The Messrs. Graham have another brewery and malt-house, and two salt works, and three corn stores on the quays, and a tan-yard in the town, employing about sixty persons. The marine flour and oatmeal mills were built in 1808, and are driven by water equal to thirty horse power. There is a cotton factory at Balcara, in which the power loom was introduced many years ago ; and about two miles from the town were the bleach green, and cotton and linen manufactory of Messrs. Pinkerton and Thompson. Within the last thirty years the trade of Westport has increased considerably, but as far back as 1780 it had a very considerable herring fishery, which was the means of establishing it as a port. Its exports consist principally of agricultural produce, and its imports, foreign, consist of timber and deals from North America and the Baltic, and since the famine Indian corn from the east, and from Great Britain coals, iron, bark, tea, sugar, coffee, Indian corn and British manufac- tured articles. In 1834 it exported 116,117 quarters of grain, and 5,140 cwt. of ilour and meal, and the customs' duties, in- cluding Newport, was only £508, while in 1847 they increased to £17,823; but for the year ending 5th January, 1854, they had again decreased to £7,073 10s. lid. The railway commissioners return the amount of the exports for 1835 at £84,500, and the imports at £28,000. The trade of this port, including that of Newport, will be best shown by the following Tables : — 1 *4 r- ii hi tit : n in it? fa 1 — H - if} i Ml saima eg .smo^sno '1 - £ 2 g GO 1 " 3 £ s 2 si ca CO — ' 19319 Incr. If i — w ~ ii Si 1 S i 1 > >Q O »C "O '-'S Total Outwards. i Eh £ - ^ - -O s gig IS 1 3 g £ 1 T< 2 CO c s £§ |g 1 it , ill 5 1 1 H IIIII 00 ■>* 1 pi si o I. 1 1 IS ii Clearing Outw Foreign Trade. i i HPS I 30 £: £ as i— i 11 1 CO 1 I CO o c 2 CO f § 1 -I 1 2 1 • y. I i EH lips I 11 — 1 O 1 -H i C N H M S a IIIII 1 HI ill 11 2 ! 1 I SSSSg IS SI 2 1 UDS. Bl itish and ( toasting Trade. 1 3 1 S 1 3 1 3 1 8SSS8 li 1— 1 z I -J s 1 IIIII I IIIII Si 1 1 I O Ci ^ s g i s§ . . . s 1 i > Ol 1 It sggss I P 1 1 « 1 > 2 lllll IIIII llll ll 1 ill* J I J 1 iiHlill illttlil |l!!Hi| PJJI1I1 "Hi fJllflfiJ 111 ■ QS «s - .« S § & >l g * si ^2 .CO S § co C 60 CS "XS ^ gs ■p *<5 • cs < 1i § o § 60 <( 60 . OS CS ^ 3s 8* «3 c2 ■§ -5 *3 s ? 1 OS *>- f-H »o 1 Ol CO © © -h CCMOO CO CO M3 00 CM CM Ol Ol Ol CD 1 O GO »C 'O *0 rH 1 asXNM i-H | O X >o O Hi 00 HI O S IO r-l CM j CO Hi CO CO CO 179033 128116 307149 50917 Incr. Registered Shipping. Tnge. tO Ol QO GO fc^ Ol CO GO CO r-t CM CM CO CM © I GO © CO hi >0 © kO —1 CO CS CD OS S © © GO CM CM CM CO CO CO HI 18466 12960 31426 © © to to Vess. rH CM Ol i-H r-H Ol OS CO © rW o CM r-l CM CM CM CM r-H CM © © CO © © Clearing Outwards. Total Outwards. Tnge. 16001 18719 13168 17904 23604 89396 1 © OO © OC © 1 © OC CO IO CM MHO 1 ?"* HI IO HI © GO 04 r-l CO r-H r^ 108590 89396 © 00 © to HI & >-• rH o © fi Vess. I © © >o r-- i-t> N "t O X >o 1>- © CM © © CO © r-l GO QC © 680 715 1395 35 Deer. British bo a o u 3) 13 o 9 i* a 3 Vess.j Tnge. os r— hi co Hi O GO CS CO lOtoosNoo TfCDCl'tO rH «H r-l CM 658 76820 21483 8875 4354 3116 3105 40933 76820 117783 35887 rease. CO r-l r-l CM l-H CM Hi CS CO I — S S -H O HI t- 00 Hi CO CO 369 658 1027 © a So Foreign Trade. otal. Tnge. 1454 2110 3181 3110 2721 12576 1^ CO © t-- HI © r-H S CO M © co © h. co CM © © CO 'O CM r-l r-l s © CD 'O t- CM © rH 80233 00 © to tO H Vess. CO GO 'O Hi CO IO 'O © © r-H CM HI IO © r-l S rH tO CO 00 © CO HI to Ol Foreign. Tnge. CS O CO CM Oh • r- co CM i-H • CS CM 1467 WSCNHCOHi I- —1 CS «2 HI CM © Hi IO CO »H CO 13978 1467 15445 12511 09 ■ 2 r— 1 r— 1 - O r-l CO l-H l-H CO CO Hi HI CM S 00 «o CO © CO British. Tnge. IQ O r-l HI CS hi © GO © CO NOrHHti i— CM CO CM (M 11109 2832 6101 20985 11981 11780 © © 1- © © rH CO rH tO r-H 64788j © 'O CM — Vess. r-l r-l r-l OS CM HI CM r-H >0 rH CM © *0 HI HI CS CO HI CM CO 00 Ol »o 00 Entering Inwards. Total Inwards. bo H Tjl CO CO rH © Hi O Hi © C M CO Hi M t— CO O CO CO 68958 •O © t- "M © © 00 CM CM r— i CO CM Ol CO *0 NMOCS r-H CM HI CO CM 145252 68958 1579;214210j 449 76294 Vess. fr"" CM CS OS GO CO r-H GO O r-l »o CO IO r-H © CM S HI CO I— i-H i-H 0O r-H r-H CO CM r-H 1014 565 British and Coasting Trade. CJ bo e Ch H H CD If} N "O f— CO GO N N CO O CD CO O CS O O © CO *o Ol W © CM 00 CM >0 © H* r-i Ol >0 © r-l S Ol Hi O 00 GO r-H r-l Ol rH 73705 55320 129025 18385 Ol V r> 'O to CO © © CM OS CO CS CS CO © HI 0C — ' CO — i-? © CO t~— 'O CO r-H 00 >o © © HI 1149 CO to Foreign Trade. Total. Tnge. KICNOCON IO N Hi IO H CM >0 rH Hi CM CO CO i-H CM CO GO co © CO CO CM rH © r-H I— CO © CO © rH — 1 CO CO VO GO © CM CO Ol rH rH 71547 13638 85186 © © © to Vess. CM 1^ CD CO OS 1 CO © © CO © © CM CO CO © © co r— CO © co 19418 1430 17860 [296 Foreign. o> tn H O MS • r-H • CO CO • r-l • CM HI © t- IO © © CO IO N CM O 00 CO iOChN CM © CM CO 18639 779 Vrss • r-l • r-H CM tH HO-*iHCO rH IO rH Ol Ol HI © © © CO © British. s> tn c H. 0> 0) r* cocnohio 'O CD -f CM GO CM hi i-H CM I— CO CO i-H CM CM 12859 CO CM tO 1— © © rH CO © CO © Ol © Hi o i O CD CO © tO 52908 12859 65767 © © © H! Ol © © Ol t— CO © CM © Ol CO CM Ol GO IO t— rH CO CD © Ol HI Ol CO QO © Strtptra Brtajt H M CO hj io CO SCO OS o o >2 © -H -rtl-r^T^-rtl'O S ? S ? Si « O 22r22r2 222r5r2 »0»0 WO S ^co^-r 5 ^ cn P cd Sh-| § 8**3$ * ts Z © m 9 a H .8 ? « "H 3 CS ^ ^ 60 i r| 1 a C Q o &a c co i a> a> *8 'X. a =3 =TH CT ■ B » - • -.S« SSI * cu-^-^S as - _gt-jo S Eh tcS © 0) 5 CO j ! CO - t; C c ° - 9 w "H3 5^3 .3*2 5 "3 £ rfi <» aj • - -g8 w S°m r= - 'a "IE V, C5 » >, .-- -i m a © ^ -h « 5 5 - = "r.'-^_- " ■fi "3 31 2 r° 'S «e "S "3 ^ --5^^rO j ^fl ^ rtf JS «S £ Lf*« *'!2 tM *H! i --riQ - fi M »H ^ « igf #|j ill* 2 o.£f > 3 u cs a 5P a o co -/i a* • • ^ o # g * 5 r? ' * 9 -J S S — a see d CO ie tc 2 if "'co ,a o rfi fi 'C „ -e" tcoo *^ o ** 'fir-i a o .a .5 «M O llalllgil ?s O 3 "3 -2 « o > * a o c a> 3 .B 1 ^ S fi P ^ ^ r" -fi .5 ft ••a 1. la's ?o § ^ rfi g 5 to - fi .E CU ^ -r-CS^a^^CUrCl ! tj" >o en r = 5 . •- ~ cj x > c3 ? ' 'a — Xr^CUccSer-i Sfil*l|-Sl ; ^ s sp S .§ s «S ■ a 5 .fi rfi . 2 : ^r- S cV2 5 < QO co _ 'fi - cs — . £ . te ft -a a> h cs S a ft S -• ~- S fi * -a fi « GAL WAY. 463 The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwards. Begis- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851.. 8,941 9,252 10,135 .. 7,725 6,660 2,548 ..4,036 30,035 1852 . 7,125 10,644 12,982 .. 8,946 11,600 3,871 ..3,869 28,568 1853.. 7,794 6,285 6,834 .. 4,655 5,680 4,432 ..1,647 26,461 1854.. 6,096 7,438 8,079 .. 4,027 7,614 5,858 ..861 26,090 The trade of this port for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was therefore 32,578 tons foreign, and 12,683 tons in the British and Coasting trade. In 1852, the Foreign tonnage was 38,315 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 16,853 tons : being an increase on the former of 5,737 tons, and on the latter 4,170 tons. In 1853 the Foreign trade was 24,414 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 11,266 tons: being a decrease on the former of 13,901 tons, and on the latter 5,587 tons. For the year ending 5th January, 1854, the Foreign trade was 25,175 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 13,937 tons: being an increase on the former of 761 tons, and on the latter 2,671 tons. The registered shipping, which consisted of twenty-two vessels of 4,036 tons in 1851, decreased in 1854 to fifteen vessels of 861 tons; but this looks like another official blunder, for the number of vessels re- turned for the former year was fourteen, and 1,647 tons, and it having increased within the year another vessel, it should be most likely 1,861 tons. The customs' duties, which were £30,035 in 1851, declined to £26,090 in 1854: decrease on the four years £3,945. There are no steamers belonging to this port, nor graving docks, or patent slips for building or repairing vessels, and the latter should be among the next improvements undertaken. There is a Chamber of Commerce established here, composed of the most respectable merchants and traders of the port. Salmon and Herring Fisheries. — There is abundance of salmon in Corrib river and in Gal way bay, the average quantity taken annually, since 1845, is ten tons. In 1853 the artificial propaga- 464 GAL WAY. tion of this fish was introduced for the first time both here and at Oughterard. Ling and codfish, lobsters and other shell fish, are also to be had in quantity in- the bay, and trawling has been recently resorted to with considerable success, the Claddagh fishermen using their own boats for that purpose. The herring fishery in 1845, and since that period, has been very successful, the fish frequenting the bay in immense shoals. The Claddagh fishermen claim the exclusive right of fishing in the bay ; they elect a mayor, sheriff, and other officers on St. John's Day, and march through the town in procession. The mayor's boat is distinguished by a very white sail and flag, and when the fishing season com- mences the fleet assembles, and by a signal from it, the nets are cast and drawn simultaneously, after which every boat is al- lowed to fish at pleasure. Any infraction of these regulations is punished by the destruction of the offender's nets. A gun brig was sent some years ago to protect strange boats which might enter the bay for the purpose of fishing, but after she had left, the Claddagh fishermen resumed their dominion over its waters. The number of Claddagh sail boats employed in this fishery is about 150, from twelve to fifteen tons, and also 100 row boats; the former are principally engaged in the herring fishery, which is not con- fined to Galway Bay, notwithstanding their monopoly of it, their boats extending their fishing to Westport and Sligo on the north, and the Shannon on the south. Herrings do not appear to be cured to any extent, although so abundant, and probably the fish is all consumed fresh in the town and neighbourhood, or, since the opening of the railway, forwarded to Dublin or other more profitable markets. The Board of Public Works granted a loan of £300 towards building a quay and pier at Claddagh. The general fishery of this district extends from Blackhead to Mackhead, comprising 107 miles of maritime boundaries, and in 1851 had 1,083 registered vessels, employing 3,337 men and boys. It is really surprising that there is not more fish caught and cured on the W. and N.W. coast, capable as it not only is of supplying all Ireland, but also of contributing largely to the consumption of Spain, Portugal, and the Italian states, and for the privilege of fishing on it, the Dutch did not hesitate to pay Charles II. a handsome premium. GAL WAY. 465 The Public Buildings are — The Court Houses for the county at large, and the county of the town of Galway, are both handsome buildings ; the former is in the north part of the town, and was erected in 1815 : the front is a chaste piece of architecture, with a portico supported by four fluted Doric columns. The County Gaol is built altogether of stone : it consists of six wards for criminals and two for debtors, and is capable of containing 150 prisoners, on the present system of gaol discipline. The New Town Prison is well adapted for the purpose. The County Infirmary. The Town Hos- pital. The Custom House. The Royal Galway Institution. The grand terminus of the Midland and Great Western Railway, attached to which is a magnificent Hotel and County Club House. The Amicable and Commercial News Rooms, Libraries. The Union Workhouse, built to accommodate 2,000 inmates, was opened in 1842 ; there is also an auxiliary Workhouse capable of contain- ing 1,200 more: the Union comprises an area of 197,467 acres, and a population of 61,578 persons, in twenty-six electoral divi- sions, represented by thirty-two elected and thirty-two ex officio guardians, who meet on Fridays. The property rated under 6th and 7th William IV., c. 84, was valued at £60,411, and the expendi- ture for 1852 £8,427 19s. l^d. There was no rate in aid levied in this union in 1851, and only £80 issued. In 1852 there was £502 13s. levied and none issued. The Castle Barracks, a hand- some range of buildings for six officers and 136 men, and the Shamble Barracks, which furnishes accommodation for fifteen officers and 326 men. The Houses of Religious Worship are — One Protestant and two Catholic Churches, three Franciscan, Augustinian, and Dominican Friaries, five Convents of the Orders of the Sisters of Mercy, Presentation, Poor Clares, Dominicans and Augustinians, one Presbyterian, and one Wesleyan Meeting Houses. The Protestant Church of St. Nicholas was constituted by Edward VI. the Royal College of Galway, and was granted by Elizabeth the revenues of the dissolved monasteries of Annadown and Ballintubber. It is cruciform in its structure, with a tower rising from the centre. It was erected in 1320, and is situated in the centre of the town. 2 H 406 GALWAY. The ecclesiastical commissioners some years ago granted £1,385 towards its repairs. The Catholic Churches are handsome spacious edifices, and the Chapels of the respective Friaries afford great accommodation to the inhabitants. The Dominican Friary parti- cularly, which is situated in the centre of the Claddagh suburb, is a handsome edifice 100 feet in length by twenty-eight in width; it is built on the site of the ancient convent of St. Mary of the Hill, founded by the O'Halloran family, and was subsequently granted by Pope Innocent VIII. to the Dominican Friars of Athenree. At the Reformation it was, however, stripped of all its rich endowments. In 1642 Lord Forbes, in the war of the confederates, converted it into a battery, from which he expected to reduce the town, but failing in his design, he defaced the church and committed other outrages on the building. In 1 652 the corporation, to prevent its fulling into the hands of Coote's soldiers, levelled it with the ground. The protestant district was formerly part of the ancient bishopric of Enachdune, but was annexed in 1324 to the archiepis- copal see of Tuam. It consists of the parish of St. Nicholas, and parts of the parishes of Rahoon and Aranmore. In the Catholic division, it is the head of a see, and one of the six suffragan to Tuam, the parish of St. Nicholas being the benefice and residence of the Catholic Bishop. The Educational Institutions are — The Queen's College, a building of considerable architectural beauty : its organization and discipline will be found under the head of " Queen's Colleges," in the statistics in this work. The National Schools, one of which is built on the site of the Barracks in Lombard Street, comprising two large school rooms, was built by subscription and cost £600 ; and a model school has been recently established here. A school in the eastern suburb, erected at a cost of £8,000 by the trustees to Erasmus Smith's bequest, the master of which has a salary from it of £100. The Parochial School is also aided by them. Another school, built some years ago, to which the govern- ment granted £250, and the inhabitants contributed £300. At the Presentation Convent there is a school where eighty girls are maintained, clothed, and educated, and the other similar institutions GAL"\VAY. 407 contribute towards the education of the children of the poor. Independent of the schools, there is the Widows' and Orphans' Asylum, founded by the Rev. Mark Finn, a Catholic clergyman, late of St. Nicholas parish. The Magdalen Asylum, supported by Catholic ladies, and superintended by the Sisters of Mercy. A Poor House, exclusively for protestants, supported by a bequest of the late Mr. Kirwan of London, formerly a native of Galway, and the Catholic College of St. Dominick at Esker. The amount of postage, excise, and stamps collected in Galway for the four years ending 5th January, 1853, was — 1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. Postage .. £1,064 £1,267 £1,144 £1,717 Excise 37,537 39.753 47,218 55,080 Stamps 3,316 3,053 3,679 3,617 The number of persons employed in collecting the Customs' revenue of this port in 1849, was fifty-one, whose joint salaries amounted to £1,363 14s. 2d. The Bank of Ireland, the Provincial Bank, and National Bank of Ireland, have branches of their establishments here. There are four newspapers published — the Galway Vindicator and Packet, twice a week, and the Mercury and Express, weekly. Proceeding from Galway Bay through the South Sound, Moher Cliffs, Hag's Head, and the extensive but rather wild coast occupied by Liscanor Bay, are passed. The only harbours between Galway Bay and the Shannon, a distance of about forty miles, is Miltown Malbay, which is dangerous from the rocks at its entrance, and Dunbeg equally so from its shallow and un- certain shore. Liscanor is only adapted for fishing craft. Kilkee, if it can be called an harbour, is a bad one, but it is a handsome watering place, with a fine strand for the purpose, and much frequented by the inhabitants of Limerick. The Shannon is now entered between Cape Lean or Loophead, 270 feet high on the north, and Kerryhead, 710 feet high, on the south. On the former is placed a lighthouse in 52° 53' 39" N., 9° 56' 11" W.; the lantern of which is 269 feet above high water, and displays a fixed white light, seen twenty-two miles to sea. 2 h 2 468 THE EIY EE SHANNON. THE RIVER SHANNON. This magnificent river, which is not only the largest in Ireland, but of any other island on the globe, and conveys a greater body of water to the ocean than any continental river of the same extent, has its source in Lough Allen on the north-east part of the Island. Gough and Ferrar, however, state that it springs from the plains of Quilka, in the county Cavan ; and Camden and Ware that its source is in Slicve en eron, in the county Leitrim. But as these and other tributary streams fall into Lough Allen, it may, with more propriety, be termed its source. Passing from this lake it flows through the centre of the kingdom, watering eleven out of the thirty-two counties of which it consists, and forming Lough BofTin, Lough Ree, and Lough Derg in its course, the two latter being considerable sheets of water. Its name is derived from the Irish words Shan, old ; and Avon, a river. It was known to Ptolemy as Senus, and to Osorius as Scena, and the former mentions by name three of the largest cities which adorned its banks. The Shannon, from the north-east extremity of Lough Allen to the ocean, is 2o4 miles in length. Before it reaches Limerick it flows slowly and majestically on, displaying its bright surface to the sun, and seem- ing occasionally to slacken its pace, as if to breathe in its onward course to its destination. In the upper Shannon there are some considerable towns on its margin, such as Athlone, Banagher, Portumna, Killaloe, and Shannon harbour. At the former place it is crossed, by the Midland, Great Western, or Dublin and Galway Railway, After passing Limerick, although it is shallow for fifteen miles at low water, it expands and deepens soon after, and has all the appearance of an immense arm of the sea, but it has no other name than the Lower Shannon until it disembogues itself in the Atlantic, sixty miles from that city. The entrance from thence is free from clanger and easy of access from its great width, being eight miles across, with deep water close to either shore. Vessels THE RIVER SHANNON. 469 approaching the coast during the day, in clear weather, can discern the high land of Brandon, 3,217 feet above the level of the sea, at fourteen or fifteen leagues, and there are good soundings at about half the distance in sixty fathoms of water. At night Loophead and the Skilleg lights are good land marks. Inside the entrance there is a lighthouse on Kilkradane head 52° 36' N., 9° 42' W., its lantern displaying a fixed white light 133 feet above the level of the sea, and seen at a distance of sixteen miles. Outside of this head it is not safe to anchor, but pilots are to be had at Killaha, two miles inside, in all weathers, their canoes living in seas that would swamp the best formed boats in the service. At Carrigaholt, or further up the river, in Tarbert and Scattery roads, there is good anchorage, and at Kilrush, on the Clare side, there is a pier where vessels requiring a heavy draught of water, previous to the recent improvements, used to lighten or discharge their cargoes. It is situated in a commodious bay, which the river forms here ; there are also two small islands in it, one of them the famed Scattery Island, on which are the ruins of the seven churches, and in the midst of them, one of those interesting relics of antiquity, a round tower in a good state of preservation. From Kilrush to the island of Tarbert, on the opposite or Kerry shore, the river is from five to six miles in width. Tarbert is a fine harbour although much exposed to gales from the west and north-west, and to the swell or roll of the Shannon, particularly in what is called "the Race." A breakwater and docks would be required to make it efficient for commercial purposes, but to construct them there is no good building material in the neighbourhood, and it would be necessary to bring the stone from Foynes, which would render such works still more expensive. There is a wharf, but it can only be approached by boats at low water, and at spring tides there are only from twelve to fourteen feet along side. There is a light- house on Tarbert rock, in 52° 37' N., 9° 24' W. The tower, fifty-eight feet high, displays a fixed white light, seen at a distance of thirteen miles. Convenient to it there are from ten to twelve fathoms water, and the holding ground so excellent . that several vessels have been obliged to slip their cables and leave their anchors behind, after riding out the most severe gales in these 470 THE EIVER SHANNON. roads. About nine miles from Tarbert, higher up, is Foynes harbour, situated on the south side of the river, formed by an island of the same name and the main land of the county Limerick. It is about sixty acres in extent and well sheltered from all winds, being surrounded by high land on every side ; the principal channel is 500 yards wide, it is perfectly safe to enter on the darkest nights and at any time of tide, and inside there is smooth and safe anchorage in a depth of from twenty-three to fifty feet at low water. It has another entrance, however, from the north-east, not so favourably circumstanced, being narrow and rather shallow, and vessels drawing more than ten feet water should not attempt it unless with a flood tide. A substantial pier, composed of heavy dressed ashlar, has been formed here : it extends from the main land into the harbour, and has 456 feet of wharfage, besides an inclined plane 240 feet in length. Alongside the wharf and pier- head the depth at low water is ten feet, with sixteen feet rise of tide, and the bottom consists of a soft alluvial substance, but the water deepens so immediately outside the pier-head that a small piled and framed jetty connected with it would enable vessels drawing twenty-four feet of water to go alongside at the lowest tide, and could be constructed for about £1,000. The pier is forty feet wide at its seaward termination, and affords ample room for rail- way communication. An act was passed last session for constructing a railway from this harbour to join the Limerick and Watcrford Railway at the former place, the distance being twenty-six miles ; and, from the country being perfectly level, and the excellence of the material on the spot, a single line of rails should be laid down at £5,000 per mile, at which the Killarney Junction was recently con- structed. The harbour improvements at Foynes have been effected under the superintendence of the Board of Works, and agreeable to the provisions of the 2nd and 3rd Vic, c. 61, by which the expense was to be borne jointly by the Treasury, and by Lord Monteagle, as proprietor of the soil, his proportion having amounted to £4,250. Foynes Harbour might be made a splendid basin, equal, if not superior, to that of Southampton; and capable of containing treble the number of large ships. The expense would be compa- ratively moderate, as it is within half a mile of the most extensive THE RIVER SHAJHffOHt 471 limestone quarry in the south of Ireland ; and at Barneen Point, on Foynes Island, nature has formed the most admirable site for a graving dock, with excellent limestone to construct it on the spot. Foynes should have been the port of the Shannon, and had there been such a city as Limerick built there even a century ago, its capabilities for commerce, both by land and water, and its central position would have rendered it ere this a place of first- rate import- ance. From the heads at the entrance up to Foynes Island, the Shannon may be considered all harbour, having deep water and good anchorage throughout : the only dangers attending the navi- gation are — KilstrafFen Bank, near Kilkradane Point ; Beale Bar and the Kinan Shoal, near Scattery Island ; as well as Carrig Shoal on the opposite side, on which there are only twelve feet at low water spring tides, while in the intermediate channel there are from nine to sixteen fathoms ; these should be buoyed, and a lighthouse erected on the north side of Foynes Island, which, with the lights already established at Kilkradane. Tarbert, and that now erecting on the Beeves Bock, would make the navi- gation perfect. The distance from Foynes to Limerick by water is only twenty-one miles. Foynes, although not originally men- tioned as one of the competing ports for a Transatlantic packet station, in the late inquiry, has, during its progress, shown its im- mense capabilities for the purpose, and Lord Monteagle, whose property it is. particularly distinguished himself for his disin- terestedness and ability on the occasion. It has been very gene- rally supposed that the difficulties and intricacies of the navigation of the Shannon commenced at the Beeves, five miles higher up the river, but there is a clear channel and deep water beyond that point. The real difficulties and obstructions commence at Beale Castle, four or five miles from thence, and twelve from Limerick ; the river here becomes shallow, with several bars and shoals composed of hard clay and gravel, interspersed with rocks and loose stones, which, however, are capable of being removed at a moderate ex- pense, and the channel deepened so as to have twenty-five feet of water at ordinary springs, and twenty-one feet at the lowest neao tides. When it is considered how Belfast and Cork have deepened so immensely their respective harbours, formerly so shallow, bv 472 THE RIVER SHANNON. powerful dredging machinery, so as to admit the largest ships to their quays during the influence of the tide, and vessels of respect- able tonnage at low water, similar operations at Limerick would be attended with like results. The advantages of rendering the Shannon navigable did not escape the comprehensive mind of that talented and calculating statesman, Wentworth, Earl of Strafford. During his administration of the Irish Government under Charles the First, he proposed to the parliament for an outlay of £60,000 to £80,000 to effect it throughout ; but before he could put his plan in execution he was recalled, and soon after brought to the scaffold, one of the principal charges against him being that many of his Irish plans were intended to aggrandize and enrich himself at the expense of the nation. Immediately after the formation of the Board of Works in 1832, the principal members - of which were denominated Shannon Navigation Commissioners, Captain Mudge, Surveyor to the Admiralty, was dispatched to report on the capa- bilities of the Lower Shannon, and Sir John Burgoyne, in a letter to the present Earl of Derby, then Chief Secretary for Ireland, in May, 1832, strongly urged the propriety of further improving its navigation. Reports and plans of surveys, &c, by Captain Mudge and Mr. Rhodes, the Board's Engineer, were laid before both Houses of Parliament during the session of that year, and a committee of the House of Commons, with the late Earl of Kerry as chairman, reported strongly in favour of the measure. In 1834 and the following session, the Marquis of Landsdowne in the Lords, and Mr. Spring Rice in the Commons, succeeded in obtaining an Act of 5th and 6th William IV., c. 67, for the im- provement of the Shannon from the Atlantic to Lough Derg, and vesting the unlimited power, control, and conservation thereof in the Commissioners of the Board of Works, who were directed to hold courts of inquiry, to make surveys, draw up plans, estimates, and reports for such works as might be deemed necessary to carry the general plan of improvement into execution. Four years and £32,000 were devoted to attaining this object. Five elaborate reports, with plans and maps explanatory of the various works, were presented to parliament : the money required to carry them into effect increasing as the investigation proceeded, it ultimately THE RIVER SHANNON. 473 amounted to £584,805 17s. 9jd. for all the proposed works: £290,716 Is. 4d. thereof to be provided by a grant of public money, £266,334 6s. 2|d. to be levied off the counties and dis- tricts adjoining the intended works, and £27,755 10s. 3^d. to be contributed by proprietors of districts for improvements personally advantageous to them. In accordance with these provisions, an Act was passed in 1839, the 2nd and 3rd of Vic, c. 61, under the auspicies of the promoters of the previous Act: in the Commons it met with some slight opposition, on the ground that it was injudici- ous to entrust the appropriation of so large a sum of public money to a newly appointed and consequently inexperienced Board ; the act was, however, successfully carried, and a new establishment formed to give it immediate effect, the expense of maintaining which, up to December 31st, 1844, amounted to £14,326 8s. Ijd. A sum of £18,447 9s. was also received by the commissioners arising from rents and tolls for the five years ending 1844, viz: — Expended on the Improvements £32,773 17 1| Expenses of the Commission under the Act of 5th and 6th William IV., c. 67, including the vote of 27th July, 1810, to pay £11,300 law expenses 23,003 Grant and Advances authorised by Act 2nd and 3rd Vic, c. 61 584,805 17 9§ Total Sum available to these Improvements £640,582 14 11 Previous to this very extensive parliamentary grant to improve the Shannon, there was £133,769 19s. 5d. obtained byway of loan from 1832 to 1836, for purposes principally in connexion there- with : of this sum there was apportioned to the improvement of the city and port of Limerick £128,300, viz. : — To construct Wellesley Bridge and Dock £91,550 Athlunkard Bridge 9,850 9,000 To rebuild Thomond Bridge To the Limerick Navigation Company to im- prove the Quays Ditto ditto other Works £6,500 8,900 To Barrington's Hospital 15,400 2,500 £128,300 There was also expended on Boads communicating with Limerick 5,469 19 5 £133,769 19 5 474 THE RIVER SHANNON. £54,346, a portion of the £91,550 to be expended on Wellesley Bridge and Dock, had been obtained by the city of Limerick during the control and. with the sanction of the commissioners of Inland Navigation, but the money was not issued until after the plan had been considered and approved of by their successors ; notwithstanding which they state, in their report of 1832, that unforeseen difficulties had occurred, principally from the manner in which the earlier works had been executed; that completing the dock as originally projected was impracticable, and that a further considerable sum would be required to effect it agreeable to the new plan. Accordingly another loan was obtained of £25,000 in 1832, and of £45,000 in 1833. In the Twelfth Report of the Commissioners of Public Works, the amount advanced by them for the improvement of the port and harbour of the City of Limerick, was £125,384 12s. 4d., of which £2,500 had been re- paid in 1832, and the interest due thereon was £30,672 5s.: total £153,556 17s. 4d. That towards the erection of Athlunkard Bridge they had granted a separate loan of £15,889 19^. lid., which with interest £5808 15s. Id., amounted to £21,698 15s. More recently Mr. R. Griffith, Chairman of the Board, in a com- munication to the Transatlantic Packet Station Commissioners, under date of the 4th March, 1851, states the amount of the loan to be £175,384, including a grant of £50,000 since 1836, of which sum £147,934 was expended. There had been repaid of the princi- pal £5,722 13s. 7d., and interest £45,179, leaving £1 72,161 18s. 9d. then due, and an available fund of £27,450. The Wellesley Dock was therefore confined to the still water, in the small space or basin adjoining Wellesley Bridge, which was originally intended for the Dock, under the Act 4th George IV., c. 94. But the new floating Dock at Limerick, which was opened by the Earl of St. Germans, in 1853, has an area of 8 J acres : the entrance is seventy feet in width, the gates of plate iron, on the Cassoon principle, its dimen- sions from east to west 820 feet, north to south 640 feet, sur- rounded by a wharfage seventy feet in width ; the depth of water over the sill is at low water spring tides eight feet three inches ; nraps four feet ten inches, high water spring tides twenty-two feet six inches, neaps eighteen feet six inches; the depth of water in THE RIVER SHANNON. 475 the dock is twenty feet. During the influence of spring tides, the gates remain open nearly five hours, and of neaps two hours ; the estimated cost is £50,000. Previous to the construction of these works there were a patent slip and dock-yard, and wharfage nearly a mile in length, but vessels drawing more than three or four feet could not approach it at low water. In the pool, about 100 perches from the quays, a single vessel drawing eleven or twelve feet could lie afloat at low water. The rise of the tide in the river-way here is immense, being on an average nineteen feet at high water spring tides, and fourteen feet at neaps. The expenditure of the money granted for the improvement of the Shannon has been productive of some beneficial results, 32,500 acres of waste land having been drained, which the .government restored to the respec- tive proprietors without making any charge for its reclamation. Several piers have been erected in the Lower Shannon, such as that described at Foynes, and those useful and substantial bridges on the Upper about Athlone and Banagher. In 1838 there were seven steamers navigating the Upper, Middle, and Lower Shannon, and fifty barges of fifty tons each trading with Dublin, by means of the Grand Canal, which, as already shown, unites itself with this river, and thus renders the water communication between the Atlantic and the Irish Sea for all purposes of internal navigation complete ; the number of steamers have been since increased to thirteen. These are principally employed on the Upper Shannon, but some of them ply daily between Limerick and Foynes in the summer, and three times a week in the winter season. Notwith- standing the increase in the number of steamers, the trade on the river decreased between the years 1840 and 1844. In the former year the total receipts of tolls and wharfage at the various stations along the river amounted to £1,849 9s. 2jd. ; and for the latter year they were only £1,564 7s. 7d. : being a diminution of £285 Is. 7jd. The quantity of goods to and from the Shannon, conveyed by the Grand and Royal Canals, was in 1840, 30,987^ tons ; and in 1844, 25,752§ tons : decrease 5, 234 J tons. The total number of passengers by steam boats on the river was in 1840, 18,544 ; and in 1844 there were only 16,113 : decrease 2,431. A modern writer of great abilitity, in a recent work on Ireland, con- 476 THE RIVER SHANNON. tends, that " to render the Shannon navigable throughout is im- practicable," and he instances the fifteen miles of river between Limerick and Killaloe, which he describes as " narrow, shallow, and precipitate, with a fall of ninety-seven feet, its bottom being a solid rock, presenting such difficulties that no engineer has been yet found bold enough to bore through, or excavate it." The navigation of the river, however, from Lough Allen to Killaloe is complete for steamers, and from thence to Limerick by a canal, which answers every purpose of inland navigation. He also insists that the natural course of the Shannon running from north to south, with a curve to the west before it joins the sea, is opposed to its commer- cial prosperity, and he contrasts the great advantages that those ports on the east coast have over it from their proximity to England ; but a new era is approaching, and a more extensive and profitable trade than even that with England is certain to crown the commer- cial efforts and enterprise which it is to be hoped will soon ani- mate the western ports. Circumstances which he considers most disadvantageous to the Shannon, are those that will prove most beneficial. Its admirable position for trade with the new world, and a great portion of the old, is indisputable ; and even that with Great Britain will undergo a considerable change for the better, as it will hereafter be carried on by means of railway communication, except for agricultural and other bulky commodities : there are railways already formed from Limerick direct, or radiating to Dublin, Waterford, and Cork. Convenient to the Shannon's source, in the county Leitrim, are situated the Arigna Coal Mines, which extend over an immense district: the strata in the principal bed that has been yet discovered is three feet in thickness, and is sufficient to supply an extensive consumption for 500 years. This coal is of a very bituminous character, and produces much coke. It is well adapted to all the purposes of steam; is very superior for smelting iron : and in close connexion with it are the Arigna Iron Mines, at one time partially worked by a company, but who, for want of capital or capacity, have long since abandoned them. The ore, how- ever, is of the richest description, and, as well as the coal, abounds in this neighbourhood, and even comprises an immense mountain, which in the expressive language of the country is called Slievc-cn- THE RIVER SHANNON. 477 eron, or the iron mountain. This is an ore of all others compara- tively scarce throughout the wide extent of the United States, which import large quantities of iron from Sweden, Russia, and Wales, and when the trade that should naturally exist between them and Ireland falls into its regular channel, these mines, which are so admirably situated for exporting their produce, having a water communication to the Atlantic, will no doubt be worked, and the States will find it their interest to draw their principal supplies of that metal from thence. Independent of the Arigna Mines, Anthracite coal is raised in the county Tipperary — one of those counties bordering on the Shannon — which is now brought by rail- way to Limerick, and found very superior for smelting and similar purposes. Coal is also found in various districts on both sides of the estuary from Limerick to the sea, but peat is so cheap, that on the north side of the Lower Shannon particularly, where there is one of the largest coal fields in the kingdom, explorations have not been proceeded with to any extent to ascertain its real value. The whole course of the river abounds with mineral substances, such as copper, lead, sulphur, alum, and even silver has been partially discovered. The land is of proverbial fertility, and well adapted to agricultural and pastoral purposes, and its capabilities for manufactures are im- mense. Near Limerick there is a water power in constant action, equal to that of 38,667 horses, or 773 engines, each of fifty-horse power : it connects itself directly, or by means of junction canals, with fifty cities and towns, containing a population considerably over half a million, while that of eleven counties through which it passes, amounted in 1841 to nearly two millions and a half, the annual value of the land to £3,320,610, and the live stock thereon to £7,386,660. There are quays and landing piers in the Lower Shannon, between Limerick and the Atlantic, at Askeaton, Clare, Foynes, Kildysart, Kiltury, Tarbert, Ballylongford, Kilrush, and Querin ; and safe and commodious roadsteads at Carrigaholt, Scattery, Tarbert, Labasheeda, Foynes, and Grass Island. The most considerable of the rivers that pour their tributary waters into the Shannon is the Fergus, which has its source in the Barony of Corcomroe, and running through Lake Inchiquin and three others, waters the town of Ennis, where it is joined by the Clareen, and 478 THE RTVEB SHAXX0X. flowing by the town of Clare, it forms a splendid estuary, studded with picturesque islands, mingling its waters with the Shannon, about twelve miles from that town, and having water thereto for vessels of 500 tons. With these immense advantages for foreign commerce and internal traffic, unequalled by any other river in the United Kingdom, and holding out such flattering induce- ments to establish manufactures, it only requires exertion and enterprise on the part of the citizens of Limerick, aided by the inhabitants of those towns in direct communication with that city, and the landed proprietors whose estates lie along the course of the river, to render it a source, not only of great local, but even national prosperity. It is now admitted that it is idle to ex- pect the introduction of English capital into Ireland for either manufacturing or commercial purposes, which would at all interfere with English ascendancy in these branches of industry; these parties must, therefore, rely on their own resources, intelligence, and acti- vity to carry out these objects. There is abundance of sleeping capital in the country, as has been instanced in the Belfast Har- bour Improvements, and the purchases made under the Irish Encumbered Estates Act. The various Banks established in the country should also be more liberal in granting financial faci- lities, which, if judiciously applied to these purposes, would contribute materially towards their own prosperity. When these and other proper demonstrations are made at home, the commer- cial community of the United States, already so anxious that the western ports of Ireland should take that position for commercial intercourse with them that nature so pre-eminently entitles them to, will cordially assist. These ports may then confidently rely on the co-operation of the States, and the infusion of American capital into the country, which would be a more natural investment than if made by a jealous and competing rival. The immense capabi- lities of the Shannon will then be called into action, creating new objects of commercial and manufacturing enterprise, giving remu- nerative employment to thousands, perhaps millions, of the popula- tion, and diffusing over its contiguous districts animation, wealth, and abundance, where lately apathy, poverty, and want so appal- lingly prevailed. LIMERICK. Limerick, anciently called Liumneacli-na-Luingas, or Lime- rick, of the ships or fleets, is situated on the estuary of the river Shannon, 52° 39 y N., 8° 32' W., 129 miles W.S.W, of Dublin, 80 miles N.N.W. of Cork, and 77 miles N.W. of Waterford, by railway. It comprises an area of 33,863 acres, of which 2,618 are in the city, and 31,245 in the rural district: the population in 1821 was 59,045; in 1831 it increased to 66,554, but that included both portions. In 1841 and 1851 the population of the city was as follows : — Houses. Population. Years. Inhabited. Uninhab. Bldg. Total. Males. Females. Person?, 1841.... 5,255 596 15 5,866 .... 21,436 26,955 48,391 1851 .... 5,5Q5 905 16 6,486 24,083 29,365 53,448 Being an increase on the ten years of 620 houses, of which, however, 309 were on those uninhabited. On the population there was an increase of 2,647 males and 2,410 females, total 5,057 persons: the females in 1851 exceeding the males by 5,282, or 22 per cent. The corporation is of very ancient date, and the title of mayor was extended to its chief magistrate in the reign of Richard I., ten years before London obtained the distinction. John granted it a charter, extending to the citizens the same freedom and privileges previously conferred on Dublin. Charters were subsequently granted confirming them, by Edward I., Henry IV., Henry V., Henry VI., Henry VII., Edward VI., and in the 17th and 25th years of Elizabeth : the former ordained that a hat and sword of state should be borne before the mayor within the liberties of the city. A subsequent charter, granted by James I. in 1609, constituted the city a distinct county, excepting the Castle, the County Court House, and Prison, and conferred on 480 LIMERICK. it an exclusive admiralty jurisdiction over the Shannon from about three miles N.E. of the city to the sea. The mayor, recorder, and four of the aldermen, were constituted magistrates of the county of the city, and it incorporated a society of the staple with the same powers as Dublin and Waterford. The corporation under this charter was styled the mayor, sheriffs, and citizens of the city of Limerick. By 25th Charles II. the lord lieutenant and privy council were invested with the power of approving or annulling the election of the chief officers of the corporation, who were also required to take the oath of supremacy, and the election of the other officers was taken from the freemen, and vested in the common council ; and all new settlers, being protestants, were to be admitted to their freedom. A charter granted by James II. was declared void, and the municipality became unaltered until 1823, when the 4th George IV., c. 126, entitled the Limerick Regis- tration Act, partially remodelled the corporation. The guild of merchants incorporated by James I. having become extinct, was re- vived by this Act, but the formation of the Chamber of Commerce rendered it unnecessary. Independent of the freemen, the right of voting was also extended to 40s. freeholders. This city, pre- vious to the Legislative Union, returned two members to the Irish Parliament, and from thence to the passing of the Reform Act in 1832, one representative to the United Parliament, when it was raised to its former number. In 1831 the number of electors was estimated at 2,413. The following year the Act of 2nd William IV., c. 88, extended the franchise to £10 householders: in 1834 the number of electors was 2,976; and in 1837 they were 3,186, of which 1,946 were£l0 householders, 912 freeholders, 14 rent charges, 34 leaseholders, and 280 freemen. In 1849 the number had decreased of all descriptions to 1,246, and under the Act of 13th and 14th Vic.,c.69, they still further decreased in 1851 to 1,144; and in 1853 they increased to 1,920, of which 1550 were rated occupiers, 163 freemen, and 207 of other qualifications. At the general election of 1851, William F. Russell and Robert Potter, Esquires, the former a resident merchant of the city, and the latter an English soli- citor and a Roman Catholic, since deceased, were elected. Mr. Potter, whose death was sincerely regretted by his constituents, LIMEKICK. 481 has been succeeded by Mr. Sergeant O'Brien, of the Irish bar, with- out opposition. The corporation now consists of a mayor, eight aldermen, and thirty-two councillors, elected by the eight wards into which the city is divided, and possessed an income of £8,162 in 1846, £4,556 of which was derived from tolls, £642 from rents, .£750 by presentment, and £2,114 from other sources: of this sum there was appropriated in salaries and pensions, ,£1,695; in lighting, watching, and paving the city, ,£867 ; and towards the erection of public works and repairs, £5,485. Limerick is a very ancient city, and was, no doubt, one of those of which Ptolemy makes mention. In 815 the Danes first appeared on the Shannon, and committed frightful ravages, devastating the country, and plundering and burniDg the churches, particularly those of Scattery or Inniscathay, noted for the costly monument erected there to St. Senanus, which they destroyed. The Irish met them at Glin, and obliged them to fly to their ships with great slaughter ; but year after year they returned in greater force, and although almost invariably defeated, yet, from their having the com- mand of the sea, they were able to land where least expected, and ravage the country before the natives could assemble in sufficient force to repel them. In the midst of these calamities, the elements appear to have contributed to augment the horrors inflicted by these barbarous invaders. The north side of the Shannon was visited by a thunder storm unexampled in history, the lightning destroying upwards of 1,000 persons, while the sea rose in its fury to an unusual height, broke down the river banks, and inundated the country for many miles in every direction. A complication of events so disastrous was looked on by the natives as ominous of future reverses and calamities, which Ireland was destined to endure ; and in this they were not mistaken, for, up to the com- mencement of the present century, no country has had a millennium of greater misery. The Danes, in the ninth and tenth centuries, made themselves masters of several of the islands in the Shannon, and even of Limerick itself. But English and foreign writers are egregiously mistaken, when, they attribute the building of Limerick, Cork, and Waterford to them. These cities were places of con- siderable importance long previous to their appearing in the country, 2i 482 LIMERICK. and Limerick, in particular, was famous for its ships. In the eleventh century, Brian Boromy expelled them from Inniscathay, and other islands in the Shannon, but allowed them to hold Limerick, they paying him a yearly tribute of 350 hogsheads of claret. In 1106 Murtogh, successor to Turlogh O'Brien, trans- ferred the seat of royalty from Cashel to Limerick, where it remained to the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion. In 1153 Turlogh O'Connor besieged the city, and obliged the Danish inha- bitants to submit to his authority, but Donald O'Brien was again in possession of it when Henry II. visited the country. In 1175 Raymond le Gros, with the assistance of the King of Ossory, took possession of it, and obtained a great booty ; but being called away by the death of Strongbow, it was burned down by Donald O'Brien before Raymond was well out of the suburbs, declaring it should never be again a nest for foreigners. It was rebuilt, however, soon after, and Henry II. assigned it, with the kingdom of Limerick, to Herbert Fitzherbert, who resigned it to Philip de Braosa, and he, aided by Miles Cogan and Robert Fitzstephen, advanced against the city, but the garrison set fire to it, which so dispirited De Braosa that he abandoned the country; and so assured was O'Brien of the security of his metropolis that he built the cathedral church of St. Mary on the site of his palace. The Anglo-Normans, however, in 1195, had again possession of it, and were again compelled to abandon it by Macarthy of Desmond. John renewed the grant to Braosa, with the exception of the city, the cantred of the Ostmen, and the Holy Island, which he placed in the hands of William de Burgh, who built a strong castle and bridge over the Shannon, and English settlers flocked to it in great numbers : amicable arrange- ments appear to have been then established between them and the natives, as the names of some of the chief magistrates are purely Irish. In 1234 the city was taken, after a siege of four days, by Richard, Earl Marshal, then in rebellion. By the intestine wars of the O'Briens, De Burghs, De Clares, and Fitzgeralds, the prosperity of the city was greatly retarded. In 1308, Piers Gavaston attacked O'Brien in the neighbourhood of Limerick, and forced him to submit. In 131G Edward Bruce terminated his campaign to the south in this city, where he held a court for several months. Grants were LIMERICK. 483 made by Edward II. for walling round 'the suburbs, and repairing the castle. In 1331 the Earl of Desmond was committed to the custody of the marshal of Limerick. In 1 337 serious commercial disputes arose between the merchants of Limerick and Galway, which, notwithstanding the interference of the Lords Justices, led to open hostilities. In the fifteenth century, the city, which had been previously confined to that portion insulated by the Shannon, and was called the English town, was now extended, so as to include that part on the south bank of the river called the Irish town ; the necessary works, commenced in 1450, were not finished until 1495. In the reign of Henry VI., from the disturbed state of the country, large portions of the food of the people were drawn from France. In the reign of Edward IV., Connor O'Brien drove the English from various parts of Munster, and compelled the citizens of Limerick to pay him a tribute of sixty marks annually. In 1467 a mint was established; and in 1484 Gerald, Earl of Kildare, held a parliament here. In 1495 the brotherhood of the guild of merchants was created. In the reign of Henry VII. the city increased in prosperity, but the commercial jealousy between it and Galway still continued, and was only settled by a formal treaty, and the interference of the crown. In 1543 Sir Anthony St. Leger held a parliament in this city. In Mary's reign, O'Brien, Earl of Thomond, and all his retainers, swore fealty to the English crown. During the reign of Elizabeth, and while Desmond's insurrection raged in the province, Limerick adhered to her government, and was made the centre of her civil and military administration: at this period the city is represented to be well built, embracing a circuit of three miles. In 1584 the city militia amounted to 800 men, being twice the number that Cork had then, and one-third more than Waterford. In 1636 it was visited by Wentworth, Earl of Stratford, who presented the corporation with a valuable cup. In 1642 the inhabitants opened their gates to the army of the confede- rates under General Barry and Lord Muskery, and the royal garrison, consisting of 200 men, was obliged to surrender. The city sent representatives to the convention of the confederates at Kilkenny, and made every exertion to repair and strengthen the fortifications. In 1646 the supreme Council of the Confederates, with Cardinal 2 i 2 484 LIMERICK. Rinuncini, established themselves in Limerick to press forward the siege of Bunratty Castle, garrisoned by the parliament. In 1650 the Marquis of Ormond marched into the city in hopes of securing it for Charles II., but he was then the most unpopular man in the kingdom, and the garrison refused to co-operate with him. Cromwell had now returned to England, having perpetrated the most diabolical and sanguinary excesses in Drogheda and Wexford. Warned by their fate, the men of Waterford obliged him to raise the siege of that city; and he was on the point of being discomfited before Clonmel, by the skill and gallantry dis- played by Colonel Hugh O'Neill, who, with 1,500 Ulster men, defended it for two months against all his efforts to reduce it, when, in his uttermost extremity, he was reinforced by the army of the west under Broghill, and was thus enabled to press forward the siege with redoubled vigour. O'Neill, whose ammuni- tion was exhausted, showed himself possessed of immense military capacity, and by a stratagem saved the town and his brave followers. After a day of spirited resistance, he secretly and silently in the night withdrew his troops across the Suir, with- out the enemy being aware of it, and made good his retreat to Limerick. In the morning the inhabitants proposed surrendering the town, and Cromwell, who expected that there was still a resolute garrison within, granted them favourable conditions. He was now succeeded by his son-in-law, Ireton, in the command of the army, who after the reduction of Youghal and Killaloe, laid siege to Limerick. Hugh O'Neill was entrusted with the defence, but although his courage and high military talents were fully equal to the task, he was unable to restrain the violence and intrigues of faction, the ravages of the plague, and the villany and treachery of Colonel Fennel, who had betrayed his party on two previous occasions. He now alarmed the citizens and cor- rupted a considerable portion of the garrison, and having seized the keys and overpowered O'Neill's guard, he admitted Ireton's soldiers. This service, however, did not save his life, and he was executed, as all traitors should be. The mayor, Friar Walsh, Ormond's bi^erest opponent, and the catholic Bishop of Emly, whose honesty of purpose deserved a better fate, suffered with LIMERICK. 485 him. The gallant Hugh O'Neill was in the condemned category. On his trial he asserted that he had always acted the part of an honourable enemy, and that no unjust decree or punishment could tarnish his reputation. Ireton pressed to have the sentence of execu- tion carried into effect ; but his life was spared by Ludlow ; apprehen- sive, no doubt, of the odium that would be attached to such an act, particularly on the continent, where O'Neill had served with distinction. For five years after this surrender the city was sub- ject to military government. In 1653 an Act was passed per- mitting English adventurers, both civil and military, to purchase the forfeited houses in the city. In 1656 the municipal govern- ment was restored by the election of a mayor and twelve English aldermen. The governor, Sir Ralph Wilson, was succeeded by the Earl of Orrery, who was instructed to encourage the settle- ment of English and Dutch merchants in the city. In 1672 it had so far recovered from its late depression that the inward tolls amounted to <£300. The Duke of Ormond, once so unpopular here, was now received with the greatest splendour. After the battle of the Boyne, and James had retired to France, the Duke of Tyreonnell held his viceregal court in this city. William, who had successively reduced Wexford, Waterford, and Clonmel, now invested Limerick with an army of 20,000 veterans. The garrison consisted of some choice troops and experienced officers, among whom were Generals Boileau, Sarsfield, and the Duke of Berwick. The besiegers' heavy artillery, in which there were some eighteen pounders, with a magazine of powder and other munitions of war, had been despatched from Dublin under a considerable escort of cavalry, commanded by Colonel Villars, and had reached its last stage at Bally me dy, within eight miles of the English camp. Sarsfield, who had been informed of its departure, de- termined on intercepting it on the road ; and taking with him 500 horse he surprised the escort, which was overpowered, and the magazine, battering train, and other supplies blown up ; a detach- ment of cavalry, sent by William the better to secure its safe con- veyance to the camp, arriving in time to witness the explosion. William, however, persevered in the siege, and a breach being effected, the besiegers penetrated into the town, where they were 486 LIMERICK. received at the point of the bayonet, and driven back with the loss of 1,700 men ; the women of Limerick, participating in their destruction by hurling stones and other missiles from the walls on the assailants. This repulse obliged William to raise the siege and retreat to Clonmel; and the day after he took shipping at Waterford for England. The garrison, during the winter of 1G90, received reinforcements from France under St. Ruth, an ex- perienced general, but of the old school, and possessed of con- summate vanity and self-reliance in his military prowess. In his person the French monarch made a fatal present to Ireland, the command of the allied troops being entrusted to him. Both armies took the field the ensuing spring ; and the English, under General De Ginkle, laid siege to Athlone. St. Ruth deemed the place impregnable, and though frequently urged by Sarsfield to succour it he obstinately refused. The consequence was that the English took it by assault ; and this led to the battle of Aughrim, in which both armies were engaged. Never did the Irish distinguish themselves more than on this occasion ; and while victory thrice trembled in the balance, it was ultimately snatched from them by the fall of their commander, who was killed by a cannon ball. The army now retreated under Sarsfield to Limerick, which De Ginkle, after the surrender of Galway, invested, on the 25th August, with his whole force. The garrison was strong and resolute, and furnished with every material calculated to prolong the siege. There was also a considerable body of cavalry on the Clare side of the Shannon ready to co-operate with it. The French General D'Ussone, with the greater part of the Galway garrison, had also joined it, and it was expected that the besiegers would not be able to reduce it before the winter, when they would be obliged a second time to raise the siege. Ginkle, who had taken better care of his heavy artillery than William, completed, on the 8th Septem- ber, a battery of twenty-two pieces of heavy ordnance, which made a breach in the English town, and destroyed the works and stores of the besieged deposited there. On the 22nd the fort that commanded Thomond bridge was attacked by fourteen pieces of cannon and a considerable body of cavalry and infantry, which was obstinately defended by the detachment placed there, but they LIMERICK. 487 were dislodged and obliged to retreat towards the inner town ; and the English pursuing them in great force, the gates were closed against friends and foes, and the slaughter was indiscriminate, the Irish losing 600, and the English 400 men. The siege had now lasted forty-eight days, and the besieged, who had been expecting supplies from France, began to despair of their arrival. They therefore demanded a truce for three days, that they might com- municate with their cavalry on the Clare side of the river as to the terms of surrender. On the 25th Colonel Sheldon visited the English camp, and the following day Sarsfield and Wahop dined with De Ginkle, terms were submitted, and hostages exchanged towards the honourable intentions of the parties engaged in the capitulation. During its progress news arrived that the French ileet, consisting of twenty-five ships of war, and as many transports, had arrived at the mouth of the Shannon, having on board a con- siderable reinforcement in men, and supplies of arms, ammunition, provisions, and other military stores. D'Ussone entreated Sars- field and the other Irish commanders to break off the negotiations with De Ginkle, and the Lord Justices who were now in the En^- lish camp ; but although the treaty was not then signed, they con- sidered themselves too much bound in honour to withdraw from conditions that only required ratification. Sarsfield, and the Irish officers who acted with him on this occasion, although unquestion- ably brave soldiers, were but indifferent diplomatists, and even with the legal assistance of Sir Toby Butler, the articles of the treaty were not so strong, or so well defined, as to preclude their insidious adversaries from misinterpreting their literal meaning. Had they paused, with such aid at hand, or had Tyrconnell, who died during the progress of the siege of disappointed hopes and a broken spirit, been one of the contracting parties, better terms would have been obtained, and in language so plain that it would admit of no equivocation. This famous but much abused treaty, which guaranted the civil and religious rights of the Irish Catho- lics, such as they were in the reign of Charles II., was signed, it is said, on the 3rd October, on a large stone near Thomond bridge, in sight of both armies. On the 4th October, Talmash, with a portion of the besieging force, took possession of the English town, 488 LIMERICK. and the Irish army was drawn up the following day on King's Island, to make a selection of England or France for future service : De Ginkle and Sarsfield addressed it — the former in favour of Wil- liam, the latter of Louis. It was then agreed that the army should be marched past a flag fixed at a given point, and those soldiers who were for England should file to the left, and those who pre- ferred France were to march on. The army assembled at an early hour on the following morning, and the chaplains (for there were then chaplains in the army) having celebrated mass at the head of each regiment, the Lords Justices, De Ginkle and his staff, soon after arrived, and were received by the Irish army, 15,000 strong, with presented arms. The general looked on with admiration, and declared publicly that he never saw a finer body of men ; the army was then formed in columns, and ordered to march forward ; the walls of the town were crowded with citizens, and the surrounding hills with the peasantry, but the deepest silence prevailed ; the battalions headed by the Irish guards, 1,400 strong, advanced and marched past the flag ; seven men only turned to the left to join the English ranks. The next two regiments were Ulster Irish, and they all filed to the left J but the greater portion that followed declared for France : the cavalry and other detached forces acted similarly — and out of the whole De Ginkle only obtained 1,000 horse and 1,500 infantry; and so little pleased were the English authorities with the result, that they would, in all probability, have broken through the treaty, if the appearance of the French fleet had not restrained them. This, however, decided the fate of Ireland : 19,000 men, the flower of the Irish nation, embarked on board the French fleet, and formed the Irish brigade in the French service, afterwards so distinguished in the Continental wars of Europe. Limerick signalized itself by the brave and resolute defence it made on both these occasions, attacked as it had been by numerous and well-disciplined armies, previously flushed Avith success ; and had the honour, in which the fine women of Limerick participated, of compelling that led by William in person to retreat from before its walls. It has been properly called the city of the violated treaty, which contained thirteen articles : five of them, however, had reference only to the Catholics of five counties, but the first and ninth LIMERICK. 489 provided for the civil and religious liberties of the general body of Irish Catholics. The first article conditioned that " they should enjoy such privileges in the exercise of their rights as are con- sistent with the laws of Ireland, or as they enjoyed in the reign of Charles IL, and that their Majesties, as soon as their affairs would permit the assembling of a parliament in Ireland, would endeavour to procure the Roman Catholics such further security as would preserve them from any disturbance on account of their religion." The ninth article conditioned, " That the only oath to be adminis- tered to such Roman Catholics as submitted to their Majesties' government, should be the oath of allegiance, made by an Act of the English parliament in the first year of their Majesties' reign, and as required by the second article of the treaty." The Lords Justices, and the commander-in-chief of William's army, signed these conditions, which were ratified by the monarch himself, and the great seal of England affixed thereto. William, instead of call- ing a parliament to obtain from it the ratification of the treaty, or of " further securing the Catholics in their religious rights," dissolved the first parliament that met in 1692, after its sitting eleven months, without even hinting at its fulfilment. He did not sum- mon another until 1695, and he then, instead of redeeming his own and the plighted faith of the English nation to the Irish Catholics, guaranteed by a solemn treaty, instructed his deputy to tell the parliament, that he was intent on the great work of making Ireland exclusively a protestant country ; and the parliament, in accordance with his views, enacted a number of penal laws against the Catho- lics. In 1697 the King and the parliament hypocritically deter- mined to legislate on the treaty which had been broken almost as soon as it was sealed ; and to add insult and mockery to the wrongs they meditated, they proceeded to pass an Act for the confirmation of articles (not the articles) made at the siege of Limerick, or so much of them as were consistent with William's own welfare, or the security" of the kingdom. The whole Act, however, tends to convict the parliament, and the monarch himself, of the most pro- found duplicity and monstrous injustice, for the first article which granted to the Catholics the free exercise of their religion is altogether omitted, and, instead of confirming the articles, left the 400 LIMERICK. Catholics in a worse position than they were in before ; and this parliament actually passed an Act, 9th William III., c. 1, " which banished Catholic priests, and prohibited protestants from inter- marrying with papists." From this period to the twenty-ninth year of the reign of George II. no less than twenty-four penal statutes were enacted against the Irish Catholics ; and a code more savage and exterminating than Draco's was rigidly enforced against them, in violation of the treaty of Limerick, which guaranteed that their religion should be tolerated, and tbeir civil rights protected. The late Lord Congleton, in his History of the Penal Laws, thus contrasts the conditions of Limerick with some of the grievous laws that were subsequently inflicted on the Irish Catholics. " By the treaty of Limerick the free exercise of their religion was guaranteed to them ; by the penal laws their chapels were shut up, and the priests banished or hanged if they returned — and one of the Acts provided a more diabolical species of punishment, if caught in Ireland. By the treaty of Limerick the noblemen and gentlemen of that persuasion were allowed the privilege of wearing arms, and the whole body were equally entitled to it, because, when executed, no law to the contrary existed in the country, or could be contem- plated j by the penal laws no Catholic was permitted the use of arms. By the treaty of Limerick Catholics might intermarry with Protestants ; by the penal laws they were prohibited. By the treaty of Limerick the profession of the law was open to them ; by the penal laws it was taken from them. By the treaty of Limerick they could purchase, sell, bequeath, and inherit landed property ; by the penal laws they could neither purchase, sell, bequeath, or inherit landed property, take annuities for lives secured on lands, nor a lease longer than thirty-one years, nor could they lend money on mortgage, or vest it in the public securities. By the treaty of Limerick they were left in the enjoyment of every political fran- chise, unless the holding of offices under government, and being members of corporations ; by the penal laws they coifld not serve on grand juries, vote at vestries, act as sheriffs, under-sheriffs, magistrates, or constables, vote at elections, or sit in parliament. By the treaty of Limerick they were protected from taking any other oath than that of allcgionce (1st of William and Mary) J by LIMERICK. 491 the penal laws they were required to take the oaths of abjuration and supremacy, and to subscribe to declarations against the prin- cipal tenets of their faith. By the treaty of Limerick they were acknowledged as free subjects of a British King ; by the penal laws they were placed in the double capacity of slaves and enemies to their protestant countrymen." These were a few of the grievances under which the Catholics laboured ; but there were others even more oppressive and personally degrading. One of these obnoxious Acts prohibited Catholics from residing in that city which wit- nessed the signing of the treaty, except labourers and fishermen, without whose services the protestants could scarcely exist ; and even these were obliged to inhabit houses at yearly rents not ex- ceeding forty shillings. After the embarkation of the Irish troops for France, and while the new garrison was employed in repairing the fortifications, a tower on the quay, which contained 250 barrels of gunpowder, suddenly fell, and the powder exploding, killed and maimed 240 persons, some of the former by stones at a mile distance from the scene of devastation. In 1703 restrictive laws were passed for the expulsion of the Catholics from the city ; and in 1 745 they were again persecuted by oppressive and vexatious exactions. In 1760 Limerick, which from the time of the siege had been maintained as a military garrison, was now declared no longer a fortress, and the walls and other defences were removed by degrees. When the volunteers of Ireland armed themselves in defence of their country, and for the restoration of their rights, three corps were formed in this city : the Limerick Union, the Loyal Limerick, and the Limerick Volunteers. In 1798 Limerick was scarcely affected by the agitation that reigned almost in every other quarter. In 1803 the military commander of the garrison took extraordinrry precautions against an imaginary conspiracy to seize the city. In 1821 the city and county were placed under the Insurrection Act, but the only contests that have taken place here since the siege, have been at elections, which were sometimes warm enough. In 1836 the extensive provision and corn premises of Messrs. Russell and Sons were consumed by fire, which took place in the night and was awfully grand, and the firm sustained a serious loss by the event. 492 LIMERICK. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — Considerable efforts have been made from time to time, and particularly by the Chamber of Commerce, to establish the linen and cotton trade in Limerick ; and also by the Agricultural Association Commissioners, who subscribed for the same purpose, and who had the management of .£7,000 allocated by the Board of Directors in London, towards promoting manufacturing industry among the Irish poor. A Linen Hall was erected, and markets held on Fridays and Saturdays to accommo- date the weavers ; and premiums distributed to encourage them to manufacture an article best suited to these markets. But although the trade took root to some extent for more than a century in parts of the county — for instance, at Glin, where linen and cotton checks were manufactured, and bleach greens e tablished at Castle Connel, Newcastle, and Lingland — it made but little progress in the city, and has also declined in the county, the manufactures being con- fined to coarse linens, freize, and flannel. The Limerick glove, once so celebrated, is now no longer in request, and the trade has declined considerably. A manufacture was established in 1829 at Mount Kennett, of tambour lace, and Irish blonde, which gave employment to 400 females, and has been since brought to great perfection by Messrs. Walker, Lloyd, «tc. : and there are probably 5,000 females employed in this manufacture, and in embroidering muslin. There is also a factory in Abbey Street, in which a num- ber of boys are employed in weaving muslin. Messrs. Stein, Brown, and Co.'s distillery, at Thomond-gate, has been established for half a century — it was discontinued, however, during the years 1843 and 1844, but resumed working in 1845, and still continues to distil whiskey to a very considerable extent. There are seven breweries, three foundries, one of these on an extensive scale, established by Messrs. J. N. Russell and Sons, three tan-yards, three ropewalks, four soap, two tobacco, one comb, two hat, and one fishing-hook manu- factories, salt works, Arc. In the city and neighbourhood there are twenty mills employed in manufacturing flour, oat and Indian corn meal J and in the liberties two paper mills. There are also several extensive provision stores, where large quantities of beef, pork, bacon, and lard are cured for export, and hams, which are consi- dered fully equal, if not superior, to those cured in Yorkshire. But LIMERICK. 493 there is neither flax nor cotton spinning, notwithstanding the im- mense capabilities afforded by the Shannon for such manufactures. The Commerce of Limerick, which of old was so flourishing, must have declined considerably after the Anglo-Norman invasion, if the Customs' duties of the port are to be taken as a criterion. In 1277 they were only £6 18s., in 1337 they produced eight marks, or £5 6s. 8d., in 1495 £9 Os. 10d., in 1537 £9 8s. 4d. ; and when James I. ordered returns of the customs of all the Irish ports, those of Limerick were only £15 14s. 8d., while at Waterford they were stated at £954 18s. 2d., and at Cork £255 lis. 7d. ; but in 1633, a few years after, they increased to £1,619 Is. 7fd., and in 1672 to £1,906 19s. 8d. The Customs' duties, however, were by no means general up to this period, and Limerick may have been a free port for many of its imports and exports. During the last century its trade has materially increased. For the year 1835 the exports consisted of 1,364 tierces of beef, 14,263 tierces and barrels of pork, 81,839 cwts. of bacon, 9,697 cwts. of lard, 72,630 firkins of butter, 117,847 barrels of wheat, 32,847 barrels of barley, 285,623 barrels of oats, 22,725 cwts. of flour, 16,320 cwts. of oat- meal, 26,214 crates of eggs, and hams, tongues, porter, ale, flax, linen, wool, feathers, salmon, &c. The Irish Railway Commis- sioners estimated their value, exclusive of Tralee, at £802,000, and the imports the same year at £328,500, which consisted of timber, deals, wine, tallow, hemp, tar, pitch, staves, and flax seed from Foreign ports, and tea, sugar, coffee, coals, iron, hoops, bark, salt, and British manufactured articles from Great Britain. The tonnage of the shipping that entered inwards from Foreign ports was 12,408, and from Great Britain and Coastways 53,078 tons; and there cleared out for Foreign ports 7,980 tons, and for Great Britain and Coastways 62,349 tons. The Customs' duties for the year ending 5th January, 1836, was £142,843, and in 1842 the exports were valued at £1,200,000. The duty on tobacco entered for consumption in 1849 amounted to £107,038. The trade of the port since 1840 will be best shown by the following Tables : — 8 ^ t4t .S3* -3 53 tii f 1 1 8 *» " 8 8 to" e.N ^ 3 * I e 8 •3 v ' 1*4 S « O S *» O O D 169329 170411 157761 155335 177294 830130| 193497 219500 192708 202614 188396 996715 830130 Tf CO «o CN OO 166585 a tD s.s it Tnge. GO O CN CO CO eo o Tf eo co CO CO Tp CO Tf 70202 15161 14315 15171 14648 14907 74202 70202 144404 4000 i> o Tt a ci a, --H30 CJ CO m «o — t - m >fl i— i CJ >— i i 1 TP CI CO CO o o 1146 CN CM Clearing Outwards. Total Outwards. si u a Eh 76722 81611 79223 89301 85963 CN 00 CJ "* 97242 105083 148891 109260 114086 574562 412820 987382 CI Tf CD > O O CO CM CO CO CO Tf CJ CO (O © (O N N CJ CO 839 891 1067 966 813 45KJ 3424 7940 CJ OS o British and Coasting Trade. Tnge. cr. ?h -t co — r ccii.'j CO -f ■— i CO m CO Ci O Tf (5 a O N N 350687 85605 78307 58354 70783 51111 344160 350687 694847 6527 Deer. Vess. h I-. K CO O 00 *■* O CC CN Li C C C N OS o eo co co cj ci co eo ■** co M» CD O 3495 3209 Tf o CO «o 00 CJ Foreign Trade. Total. Tnge. co C o r- O Tf O O ~> r- O "«* Tf CO CM CI CO — < eo CO CJ «o n c i- i> in CC N CC I- co i— to Ci CO O 00 CJ >-> CJ C; CO CO 230402 62133 m CO io CJ 3 os CO 00 CO 8 > CI CO CO' OS i— 1 Tf Tf Tf CO m CN co — ci — i Tt o co o co — T — i CI 1021 215 1236 CO o CO Foreign. tc a H ffi CI -M • I- • — CO • CO • CO CM CI CJ OS 2763 281 14 11917 24682 67476 922 68398 Tf m m CO CO Vess. • CI • CI in • (M CI — CO •HKHlftH co «n OS CJ CO Ci CJ 00 00 CJ British Tnge. 13103 11769 12079 13085 11175 i— i CN CO t— CO CO O CO CO — ' CJ CC Ci co o tj< in ci fH Tt< CJ CO CO i— < CJ CO CI CO 162926 61211 224137 101715 Vess. Ci — ■ CO J> o Tf -Tf Tf CO Tf o CJ co in Ci co eo *e* Ci h O co eo r- r" CO o CM — < CI CO eo OS 00 m Entering Inwards. Total Inwards. Q □ -~ «fl CO CJ CO 1^ CO CO C O O J - i-O — 1 30 eo co cn ci *a 00 N N O CC CO CJ CO co 84655 115994 178868 127118 133889 640524 367285 1007809 273239 Vess. in CJ t~— OS CO CO O m Ci Ci co t-» co o o Ci CO CJ eo ci in r-. r^. o eo co rp <— t~~ Ci CO o o 5167 3239 co Q Tf CO 1928 British and Coasting Trade. Tnge. o — y cj o oj CJ t~- Ol O CJ o o Tf ci o i— eo oo «n <-* CO CO m 'O in 294805 65141 81274 90052 72132 58117 366716 294805 661521 71911 Vess. CO rH O CO CJ fh Tf O eo eo o c u in CN Ci CJ h Ci Ci O Ci m h h t>. im CO CO Ci CO 3793 2924 6717 OS CO 00 Foreign Trade. Total. Tnge. r- Tf co cj -i K) (0 t> O 0P O co © Ci CO CO T CO t 72480 Tf O CO CO CJ — CJ <-> CO 1(5 N 00 O N ci tt co rp m HM00 1T5N 273808 72480 00 00 CI CO Tf eo 201328 Vess. Ot — t- — r— co O co co m CO 00 CO 00 CM O CO CO O t- OS r-l •>* CI CO 1374 315 os CO CD Foreign. Tnge. co cj co eo co o eo CJ T»< CO T}< CJ 9691 4590 28584 14585 23787 71546 1696 73242 69850 Vess. CO CO CO CO —i CO • os co co in • f-t CJ CO — i m co CJ r-< CO 00 CO CO CJ CO British. Tnge. o i-- o co ci CJ CJ ^ Tt< Tt« 00 CJ 1^ ■* *ti in eo co co ^ 70784 19514 30130 60232 40401 51985 202262 70784 273046 131478 Vess.l Ci 00 -f CO CO CO O O O CO CJ o CO OONOOiK! 00 TP CO O 1^ r** CO CJ CJ 1049 302 1351 Tf Sutpuo W9J, r- ci m o © n oo o o „o £ ^ ^! ^. -r tt rt< Tt< >n 2 ? - ."• - P B oo oo oo a oo cocsoocooo « x ooo g ««c« bfl „? ^ co ca | CO oc S «|.S ess® 11 co ^S g S §d^^ >1 bp's* . c 000^^3 o ce».Si r s - § ci-r>s s s s s-js g si ? ^ J .2 cn 2 .5 « § -C| a « g dj ^-^^occstpga ^ cn j| cn jg g g "cn"3^ ga to Tf ^ - fe| to* a »5 5 toTf -~ ~ Z£ O O d ,^s J <« ® CD E j.a 3 tc-a c g-Tf o .S^s tf c--« d d5 3 rf c 2« - ci '53 § 2 •3cn d ^ 2 E D £ CJ 2 >. c8 O 3 «- LIMERICK. 495 The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port (exclusive of Tralee), the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : — Inwards. Outwards Regis- Customs' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit, and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge. £ 1851 .. 32,923 14,255 33,383 .. 23,624 14,674 35,732 .. 12,291 160,179 1852 .. 38,719 33,812 43,433 27,452 24,436 46,569 .. 13,521 159,431 1853 .. 32,688 20,727 48,591 .. 22,685 16,900 59,148 .. 13,203 155,088 1854 .. 33,862 24,994 51,902 .. 19,297 20,162 58,472 .. 12,376 162,771 The trade of this port, therefore, for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 85,476 tons Foreign, and 69,115 tons in the British and Coasting trade. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 124,419 tons, and the British and Coasting 90,002 tons ; being an increase on the former of 38,943 tons, and on the latter 20,887 tons. In. 1853 the Foreign trade was 93,000 tons, being a decrease on the year of 31,419 tons ; the British and Coasting trade was 107,739 tons, being an increase of 17,737 tons. In 1854 the Foreign trade was 98,315 tons, and the British and Coasting trade 110,374 tons ; being an increase on the former of 5,315 tons, and on the latter of 2,635 tons. The registered shipping, which consisted of 101 vessels of 12,291 tons in 1851, had decreased 1 vessel, but increased in tonnage 85 tons, and there was also an increase in the Customs' duties of £2,592. In the registered tonnage of January, 1854, is included the iron screw steamer European, owner Mr. J. Russell ; her net tonnage is 300 tons, and with her engine rooms measures 444 tons : she was then employed in the London trade. The number it appears has been increased since then to six large sea-going screw steamers, 3,963 tons, builder's measurement, including the European, all of which are now the property of the " London and Limerick Steam Ship Company." Although there were thirteen steamers in 1851, navigating the Upper and Lower Shannon, if registered they have not been inserted in a parliamentary paper (141,) ordered to be printed by the House of Commons 29th March last, and pur- porting to be "A return of the whole of the registered Steam Vessels of the United Kingdom, on the 1st January, 1854." 496 LIMERICK. City and Harbour Improvements. — The City is built on King's Island, and on both sides of the Shannon, over which there are six bridges, uniting the English and Irish towns with New- town Pery : the latter portion may vie with any town or city in the kingdom for the uniformity and elegance of its buildings. Welles- ley bridge, a splendid modern structure, crosses the harbour : it is said to have cost .£80,000, but if so, the tolls only pay interest at the rate of 15s. per cent, per annum. The city is well-lit with gas, under a Local Act, ond since 1834 has been supplied with water conveyed by pipes from tanks near Cromwell's Fort. The Harbour is under the control of commissioners, appointed by the Acts 4th George IV., c. 94 ; the 4th and 5th William IV., c. 84 ; and 10th and 11th Vic, c. 194. Under the head of the river Shannon will be found the particulars of the magnificent floating dock con- structed here. In 17G5 the Irish parliament granted £2,500 to- wards building the quays of Limerick, but more recently they have been much improved, as well as the harbour. These improvements, however, are incomplete, until the Channel between Grass Island and Limerick is deepened, and the obstructions already described removed. The dredging vessel provided by the Commissioners of Public Works is quite unsuited to the purpose, and one of much greater power should be substituted without further delay. The trade of the port is in a healthy state, and there is every appearance of its increasing. The Harbour Revenue for the year ending 4th May, 1854, derived from tonnage dues of 7d. per ton on vessels from British or Irish ports, 8d. per ton from Foreign ports, and in addition, 5d. and 7d. per ton respectively on vessels entering the Docks, dues on river craft and in lieu of quayage, was £8,079 19s. Id. ; Bridge tolls .£600 ; houses and other premises £213 7s. 7d. : total £8,893 6s. 8d., being an increasE since 1850 of £271. The expen- diture was, for rent of premises £106 7s. ; interest on loans paid the Commissioners of Public Works £6,500 ; Sir Thomas Deane £186 4s. Id. ; trustees of Lord Gort for fees abolished £500 ; salaries of officers and wages £941 5s. 2d. ; casual expenses £882 6s. 2d. : total £9,116 2s. 5d. The expenditure consequently exceeded the receipts by £222 15s. 9d., which being deducted from £2,401 Is. 8d., surplus revenue in the hands of the Commis- LIMERICK. 497 sioners of Public Works, 4th December, 1853, now leaves a reserve fund of £2,178 5s. lid. iowards the liquidation of their loan. Public Buildings. — The Commercial Buildings, which were erected in 1806, cost £8,000, raised by shares of £100 each : they consist of an extensive News Room and Library : a considerable portion is occupied by the Chamber of Commerce, incorporated in 1815 : its funds are derived from fees on the imports and exports of its members, and are employed in promoting the commercial and manufacturing interests of the city. The Exchange was built in 1770, and is one of the principal ornaments of the old town, al- though it only cost £1,500 ; the front is of hewn stone, adorned with seven Tuscan columns, and a handsome balustrade. The Cus- tom House, a fine old building, situated at the entrance of the new from the old town : it was erected in 1769 at an expense of £8,000. The County Court House, on Merchant's Quay, is a splendid quadrangular building, with a portico supported by four lofty columns, and surrounded by a light iron balustrade : it was erected in 1810, and cost £12,000. The City Court House, built in 1763, at a cost of £700. The City Prison, an old gloomy building. Tlie County Gaol is well situated on the south-east side of the city : it was built in 1821, and cost £25,000 ; it has a fine castellated appearance, the centre tower is sixty feet high, and the building contains twenty-two apartments for debtors, and 103 cells for criminals. The Assembly House, built in 1770, at an expense of £4,000. Tlie Limerick Institution, George Street, which has a library of 2,000 volumes of select works. The County Hospital, founded in 1759, originally by the exertions of Surgeon Vandeleur; it was completed in 1811, and cost £7,100. Barringtons Hospital, founded in 1829, by Sir Joseph Barrington and his four sons ; which cost upwards of £4,000 ; the Board of Public Works, however, appear to have advanced £2,500 of it on loan to the city : it is supported by voluntary subscriptions, and a grant from government ; there is attached to it a medical library, and lying-in hospital. St. John's Fever and Lock Hospital, founded in 1781, by Lady Hartstonge ; and in 1836 The Lying-in Hospital in Nelson Street by subscription, and a bequest of £1,000 from Mrs. 2 k 498 LIMERICK. White. The Rouse of Industry, founded in 1774, to accom- modate 380 persons, is supported by grand Jury presentments. The Lunatic Asylum for the city and counties of Limerick and Clare : the building, independent of the land attached to it, cost ,£35,490, and admits 347 patients. The Union Workhouse was built to accommodate 3,150 inmates, and an auxiliary workhouse for 2,880 more. The Union comprises an area of 177,951 acres in Limerick and Clare, in thirty-four electoral divisions, containing a population of 110,628 persons, represented by forty-four elected, and forty-four ex-officio guardians, who meet on Wednesdays. The property valued to the rate in 1852 was £163,572, and the expen- diture £20,307. The rate-in-aid levied in 1851 and 1852 was £56,202 15s. 4d., and there was issued in support of the Union £3,070. The Houses of Religious Worship are — The Cathedral and five Protestant Churches or Chapels of Ease, four Catholic Parochial Churches, and four Conventional Catholic Chapels, two Presby- terian, two Wesleyan Methodist, and one Society of Friends Meet- ing Houses. The Cathedral was originally founded and endowed by Donald O'Brien, king of Limerick, and was dedicated to St. Mary : in 1200 it was enlarged by Donat O'Brien ; it was partly rebuilt in 1490 by the citizens ; improved by Bishop Adams in the seventeenth century, and carefully renewed after the siege. It is a venerable gothic building, situated in the English town : at the west end is a square tower 120 feet high, containing eight bells, and surmounted by turrets at the angles. The interior is 91 feet in length, by 30 in width, and contains some interesting ancient monuments, among which is one to Donagh the Great, Earl of Thomond. The Church of St. Michael was destroyed during the siege, and a Chapel of Ease was erected subsequently in that parish. There is also an Episcopal Church in connexion with the Female Asylum for the Blind. A handsome modern Church has been recently built in the parish of St. John. The Catholic Cathedral is situated in St. John's parish, which, with St. Michael's, are the Bishop's benefices. It is a large cruciform edifice, built in 1753 ; lie painting that adorns the altar is by Callopy, a native artist. LIMERICK. 499 The Catholic Church of St. Michael was erected in 1779 in the fields : it was enlarged in 1805, and is now the largest and finest house of worship in the city. It was in this Church that the first petition for Catholic Emancipation was adopted, and also against the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. The Church, situated at Thomond's Gate, is a large cruciform building, erected in 1744, and was the first Catholic place of worship permitted in Limerick, after the siege of 1691. The Catholic Church of St. John is a large plain cruciform edifice : there is an altar piece, a good imitation of the Crucifixion, by Michael Angeio. There is also the Church of St. Patrick in the Liberties. The Chapels in the Dominican, Fran- ciscan, and Redemptorist Convents afford great accommodation to the dense Catholic population of Limerick ; also the Augustinian Chapel, which was formerly the Theatre, erected at an expense of £5,000. The Female Convents are — two of the Sisters of Mercy, one Presentation, one of the Good Shepherd, and one of the Faith- ful Companions of Jesus. The Educational Institutions are — The School of Design, sup- ported by subscriptions and a parliamentary grant ; the National Schools j one of these was originally founded by the order of Poor Clares : on their leaving Limerick in 1836 it was placed under Rev. Dr. Hanrahan, P. P. ; it affords instruction to 400 females ; the National Board grants it .£40 a year, and it is other- wise supported by charity sermons, &c. The Christian Brothers' Schools, sixteen in number, in six different localities, afford education to 2,000 boys ; a director and twenty-three brothers superintend them \ these are principally supported by subscrip- tions raised on Saturdays through the city. A Female School, where upwards of 200 females obtain instruction, supported solely by the late Rev. P. Hogan. The Presentation Convent has schools, where twenty of the sisterhood instruct 700 girls. The Sisters of Mercy, in their two establishments, instruct upwards of 1,000 female children, and lodge and support fifty female servants out of place, and fifty orphans are instructed and supported by them. The Sisters' Faithful Companions, &c, eighteen in number have an extensive Day and Boarding School for young ladies, and 2 K 2 500 LIMERICK. those of the Good Shepherd have charge of the Magdalen Asylum, where there are upwards of seventy penitents. The Blue Coat Hospital, founded in 1717, educates fifteen hoys. The St. George's Male and Female School, in connexion with the Kildare Street Society, affords instruction to upwards of 200 children. The Lon- don Hibernian and Wesleyan Methodists have also schools. The Protestant Diocesan School had sixteen pupils in 1852, one of whom only was taught gratis. There are private schools also, where a number of male and female children are instructed. There are branches established here of the Bank of Ireland, the Provincial, and National Banks of Ireland. The Savings Bank in 1852 had 2,826 depositors, whose lodgments were £93,037 at £2 17s. per cent, per annum, and there are two Loan Societies, *hose joint capital is £3,968. The amount of Postage, Excise, and Stamps, collected in Lime- rick for the three years ending 5th January, 1853, was : — Although the Excise of the district has increased since 1851, it has decreased considerably since 1836, when it was £71,616. The number of persons employed in collecting the Customs' revenue of this port in 1849, was 128, whose united salaries amounted to £4,453 18s. lid. There are four Newspapers published here twice a week : the Limerick Chronicle, the Limerick Reporter and Tip- perary Vindicator, the Limerick and Clare Examiner, and the Munster News. Proceeding from the Shannon, Kerryhead on the south divides it from Ballyhaigue Bay, of which it is the northern boundary. There is no shelter in this Bay, and as it has been mistaken for the Shannon, and has led to fatal consequences, there should be a light placed on Kerryhead, which is in 52° 14' 40" N., 9° 54' W., and, with that on Loophead, would infallibly define the entrance. Tralee Bay is a continuation of Ballyhaigue Bay, at the entrance to which is Fannet Island, and nearer the Channel, leading to Tralee, is the Samphire Islands, where there is deep water and good anchorage. Postage .£3,514 Excise 50,233 Stamps, Limerick and Clare . . 9,978 1851. 1 852. £4,085 55,878 9,202 1853. £5,414 59,676 10,041 TRALEE. Tralee, formerly called Traleigh, or the strand of the Leigh, the name of the river which passes through the town, and dis- charges itself in Tralee Bay, is a maritime town, in the county Kerry, 52° 16' N., 9° 35' W. 3 181| miles W. S. W. of Dublin, and 58 miles W.N*W. of Cork. It comprises an area of 546 acres, and contained in 1831 a population of 0,568 persons. In 1841 the houses were 1,569, and the inhabitants 11,363 ; in 1851 the houses decreased to 1,485, and the population to 9,957 persons ; but there were 5,199 inmates in the Union Workhouse besides ; notwithstanding which, the appearance of the town has much improved, and the trade of the port increased rapidly within the last four years. It is a parliamentary borough, and previous to the Union returned two representatives to the Irish and one to the United parliament ; although in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary, it is stated to have been then disfranchised, and again vested with power to elect a member to represent the Borough, under the 2nd William IV., c. 88, which, however, only extended the elective franchise to £10 householders. The number of registered electors under this Act in 1834 was 174 ; in 1849 they were 317. Under 13th and 14th Vic, c. 69, they again decreased to 228, and in 1853 they increased to 315, of which there were 269 rated occupiers, and 46 of other qualifications. The present member is Daniel O'Connell, Esq., who succeeded his brother Maurice, in the representation of the borough. The Corporation, under a charter of James I., was styled the provost, free burgesses, and commonalty of the Borough of Tralee. But if any recently existed they were only of a nominal character, for the municipal power, property, and representation were all engrossed by Sir E. Denny : they are, however, now extinct, and the municipal authority and property vested in twenty-one town 502 TRALEE. commissioners, under 9th George IV., c. 82 ; this Act was rejected by the inhabitants in 1832, but adopted in 1840. The town is watched, paved, and lighted, by an annual tax levied on the house- holders. The Parliamentary Paper 678, dated 28th June, 1853, is so erroneous in the number stated in respect to this town, as well as others, that it would only lead to confusion to notice it further. The income of the borough arises principally from tolls and rates, which in 1851 amounted to £330, and were applied to public works, and to the payment of town officials. Tralee has no very ancient reminiscences; a monastery founded in 1213, by John Fitz Thomas, one of the Geraldine family, who, with his son, was slain in the battle of Callan, by Macarthy More, and interred here, first brings it into historical notice. In 1325 Maurice Fitz Thomas, fourth Lord of Kerry, slew with impunity Dermot Macarthy, in the presence of the Judge of Assize. In 1576 the great Earl of Des- mond, who had his castle here, and who claimed exemption from the Judges holding Assizes in his territory, was obliged to submit to Sir William Drury, who with arms enforced this prerogative of the Crown. In 1579, Sir Harry Davil was sent by the deputy to summon Desmond to join his forces against the Spaniards, who had landed at Smerwick, and who had been aided in their descent by the Earl's brothers. The Earl hesitated, but his brother John slew Davil on his return to Tralee from his mission. In 1580, how- ever, the Earl himself, having taken up arms against Elizabeth, had his territories laid waste ; and despoiled of all his vast possessions, he wandered a houseless fugitive, aged and forlorn, and fell by the hand of a common soldier, who surprised him in a wood near Tralee, and his head being sent to the Queen, it was impaled on London bridge. That portion of the Desmond estate in which Tralee is situated, was granted to Sir Edward Denny, who encouraged a new colony of English settlers, and in the civil war of 1641 they took possession of the castle, but were obliged to surrender it to the Irish, after defending it for some time, who destroyed it with the town, to prevent Lord Inchiquin quartering his troops in them. The}' - shared a similar fate in 1691, on the approach of William's army. The town lies low, and consists of a main street, a mile in length, with others branching from it ; Denny Street TRALEE. 503 being the most modern and best built of these. The demesne, once the great Earl of Desmond's, now Sir Edward Denny's, adjoins the town, and affords a delightful promenade to the inhabi- tants. An Act passed last session, 16th and 17th Vic, c. 194, to construct a railway to connect this town with the Killarney and Mallow Junction, at the former place, will be of incalculable advantage to it. Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce. — There was formerly an extensive brewery by Messrs. Cox, Tidmarsh, and Co., and a large distillery here established by Messrs. Neville and Grant, but it has not been at work since 1835. There are neither flax nor cotton spinning in the town or neighbourhood, and the manufactures are confined to flour, oat and Indian corn meal, soap, tobacco, leather, salt, ropes, &c. The trade of the port, which was insignificant some thirty years ago, has considerably increased. It appears that the ship canal, so long delayed by the Commissioners of Public Works, has been at length completed : it is seventy-four feet in width, and thirteen feet deep, commencing at the Black Rock beyond Blener- ville, and extending to the west end of the town, where there is a basin 400 feet long by 150 feet wide, with good wharfage on the north side. Previous to its construction there was only seven or eight feet of water to the town, and vessels drawing more than fifteen feet are still obliged to lighten or discharge at Sam- phire Islands, within six miles of it, where there is a lighthouse now erecting on the lesser island, which was much required in Tralee Bay. Its exports consist of grain, flour, meal, butter, marble, &c. ; its imports foreign were confined to timber and deals, and latterly Indian corn; and from Great Britain, tea, coffee, sugar, iron, coals, bark, and British manufactured articles. The Irish Railway Commissioners estimated its exports for 1835 at .£42,315, and its imports at £7,270; but both have increased considerably since then, as the following statement shows. The trade of this improving port up to 1846, and the customs' duties collected in it to 1850, have been included in the official returns with Limerick, and so mixed up that it was impossible to 504 TKALEE. give a separate account of them previous to 1851. The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of it, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, fur the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows: — Inwards. Octwards. Regis- Cnstoms' Years Foreign Trade. Brit, and Foreign Trade. Brit and tered Duties ending British Foreign Coasting British Foreign Coasting Shipping collected. 5 Jan. Tnge. Tnge. Tnge Tnge. Tnge. Tnge, Tnge. £ 1851 3,807 1,032 10,038 .. 1,253 461 6,202 .. 1,147 1,531 1852 .. 6,877 2,483 14,718 .. 7,912 706 8,204 .. 960 3,582 1853 .. 5,258 2,945 15,648 .. 5,034 1,919 13,818 .. 1,013 4,318 1854 .. 3,289 3,342 17,968 .. 6,074 2,582 13,546 .. 1,035 9,566 The trade of this port, therefore, for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 6,553 tons foreign, and 16,240 tons in the British and coasting trade. In 1852 the foreign tonnage was 17,978 tons, and the British and coasting trade 22,222 tons; being an increase on the former of 11,425 tons, and on the latter of 6,682 tons. In 1853 the foreign trade was 15,156 tons, and the British and coasting trade 22,466 tons; being a decrease on the former of 2,822 tons, and an increase on the latter of 6,544 tons. In 1854 the foreign trade was 15,287 tons, and the British and coasting 31,514 tons; being an increase on the former of 131 tons, and on the latter of 2,048 tons. On the registered shipping, although there was an increase of three vessels over 1851, there was a decrease in the tonnage of 112 tons. The customs' duties increased from £1,531 in 1851, to £9,566 in 1854, giving unmistakeable proof of its progressing in commercial prosperity. The number of persons employed in collecting the customs' revenue of this port in 1849 was thirty- eight, whose joint salaries amounted to £612 12s. 6d. Public Buildings, ^ ^ 2? ^ « W >-i co -h oi m 0> i— 1 r-* i-H 3051 ^ CN 05 00 C5 CO CO f— • CO r £ 9 £ .S a5 br a H 1 tC ffi O) o ^ 1 f (N !N 00 as co ^ "^J 1 QO £Q lO o as o — i-i to CO o O CO *0 o 00 CO in o 1 s 3< N E- as bC d E- | CO H5 t- — * — T rr n CO to l- tO !>• m ■<* CO cs CN i— 1 | O 91 ■ > [ O oo O r~ O 1 CT sO tC O O j CO CO CO CO o 00 -h C< CO o 00 CN lit — 00 ^COHCSH OS C in cn CO 00 C5 CO ! to a5 « § 1 o British and Coasting Trade. C£ a H C C D N X Tf< CO CO — CO 11 ■* t -t O "* CI I- I tO CO CO tC cm CN CN m CO CO O O CO 00 I - to (N T}< —1 iO o CM i os S to 1 ~ ai Q s X CO ^ (M O CN «0 O O O CO CO CO CO CO •^r Oi i ^ O -C i — i £— CI to o Os co r- o CO 00 00 CO & P o oo to oo o to o 1 CO CO CO O CO — « to I to CO I - 1 o CO CN EARINt sl > i 1 iO C ic 'O CN <-* «o cn as m co to m cn OS i - J I s Go '53 1 d Eh Ci CN • • - • ... Oi CN N C?l • I- ~ 00 • • cm a co « g{ CO OI CN o CM -* «o c tc 2 o > - : : : : - • • -i in co OS I-H o 00 JB «5 b£ d H Tt m m n w cn ^ 00 mm « a ^ CO o ^to^ to - cn"cS — i O! t CO CO O tO X 1- Tj< CM CO O rf~ CO I - ^ CO OS o 1 w CO s to X «s co i > CO O «5 O tC ■i 1 s O - ».o o i- a o) ON CN Ol CM CN 1 00 1^ CO r-i cm — c m oj -Ff CJ CO CO CO CN co to •t — OS CN to CN CO be c bJD H 1 ^ - UO N C5 CO ^ O CN CT1 -i CO 1^ tO o a> oi co c> OS 00 o o O CI — ■ o o (C 5) CO CO 00 00 00 O CO 01 cm tj< c; CO OJ 1 <7s f-i o to o II CN 1 2 1 m a A - H C - tO CN CO CO CO CM to Ol f— CM i-H «0 tf m oi r~ 00 CM ■£ Z c z j oi be P O O! co to 00 1 CN «0 Tf -N CN | to — 00 CN -t tc 00 CN to 2143 2986 1912 1621 1690 CM tO m oo CO CM O CO 00 1 CO to tc CO CO o 2 w H z CQ > 1(5 O ^ 1Q N 1^ CM r» />. o cm 00 CO W c be 1 1 O 1 o • • • • o .... | o o ICO CN tO to • ■ N CO X • • | CN • • • CM CN CN 00 CN o to 1 b£ a O O) co to co : CN to CN CN -i — 00 CN ^ | 00 co C o >n -* I Tj< X -t CO o CM CN >— i — j oo to I O CO oo r-- 00 o OS o -t* CN CM o CO m ■A rj) > co o m n »o CM o ^ cm o oo J os m rf CM r~ CM 3uipu9 s.njaj^ — cn co tj< m >*i -* n* ~t 00 00 00 00 00 1846 ... 1847 ... 1848 ... 1849 .. . 5 years ] '46 to '50 J 5 years j '41 to '45 J co c > 2 o — CD to C3 O u CJ ill if If if {,_, CD oa * 3 o " Ob? O O $ 03 ^c^^ 3d ■•"N « o e » 1-H-a s^-^ i ? ^ r-T-9 ,2 -S fl o ^ ^ * 8 ® 3" o .. sh s sllll'i x « .3 ^ s ^ O 00 ' tc ' fcC a) o lO_CJ CD^rx,--HO ».S E$r2 ^1=1 3 In .-.Ti « m £3 CD o hn ? O Sh ^ t-H S22 S ° © 2 I b C -c7S 43 00 >S 'S rl 2 ^ !» tj ,•§.3 « « a a-g 3 a? -5 >s CD " g « 1 go &g m ' — ' -t- ' — 'W^ ' Tt £3 .3 S S O C3 T3 P ^CO £3 £, _^ O 2 l 2 516 SKIBBEREEN. The tonnage entering inwards and clearing out of this port, including Baltimore, &c, the registered shipping belonging thereto, and the customs' revenue collected therein, for the four years ending 5th January, 1854, were as follows : Years ending 5 Jan. Inwards. Foreign Trade. Brit, and British Foreign Coasting Tnge. Tnge. Trade Tnge. Outwards. Foreign Trade. Brit, and British Foreign Coasting Tnge. Tnge. Trade Tnge. Regis- tered Shipping Tnge. Customs' Duties collected. £ 1851 . . 1,326 666 10,953 286 487 9,907 2,823 783 1852 . . 1,174 899 12,497 484 203 11,403 2,550 910 1853 . . 2,315 598 10,349 486 9,146 2,553 867 1854 . . 1,337 1,183 11,553 292 611 11,905 2,487 1,084 The trade of this port, therefore, for the year ending 5th January, 1851, was 2,7G5 tons Foreign, and 20,860 in the British and Coasting trade. In 1852 the Foreign trade was 2,760 tons, and the British and Coasting 23,900 tons : being a decrease on the former of 5 tons, and an increase on the latter of 3,040 tons. In 1853 the Foreign trade was 3,399 tons, and the British and Coasting 19,495 tons : being an increase on the former of 639 tons, and a decrease on the latter of 4,405 tons. In 1854 the Foreign trade was 3,423 tons, and the British and Coasting 23,458 tons : being an increase on the former of 24 tons, and on the latter of 3,963 tons. The registered shipping, which consisted of 104 vessels of 2 ; 823 tons in 1851, decreased to ninety-seven vessels and 2,487 tons in 1854. There are no steamers registered for this port, and the average tonnage of the sailing vessels is only 25 tons, many good fishing smacks being of larger burden ; and there was an increase in customs' revenue of £301. The number of persons employed in collecting the customs' revenue of this port in 1849, was forty-one, whose united salaries amounted to .£649 4s. 7d. The Pvhlic Buildings are — The Sessions House, a handsome building in the Grecian style of architecture, to which the Bridewell is attached j the Infantry Barracks ; and the Union Workhouse, which was built to accommodate 1,580 inmates. The union contains an area of 115,024 acres in the County Cork ; and a population of 38,059 persons, in twenty-three electoral divisions, represented by twenty-four elected and twenty-one ex-officio Guardians, who meet on Thursdays. The property valued to the poor-rate in 1852 was £41,167; the expenditure £7,890 6s. 8?d.; and the rate in aid levied in 1851 was £344 15s. 8d., none of which was issued in its KINSALE, 517 support that year, and only £25 in 1852. This is most gratifying in respect to this union, as about thirty years ago the most appalling poverty prevailed in this district ; and the condition of the poor must have greatly improved when it contributed to the rate in aid, and required scarcely any assistance from that fund. There is a School in the house, in connexion with the National Board of Education, in which 237 male inmates received instruction in 1853. The Protestant Church] is a large edifice, with a tower at the east end. It was erected in 1827, at an expense of £1,200, towards which ,£900 was contributed by the Board of First-fruits. The Catholic Church is a spacious building in the Grecian style of archi- tecture, erected in 1826, by the late Dr. Collins, Catholic Bishop of Ross, and cost £3,000. The Wesleyan is a small but neat house of worship. Large schools have been founded by Dr. Collins, which derive support from the National Board of Education. The Protestant Incumbent established a boys' and girls' school in 1825 ; and there is also a Sunday school here. Leaving Skibbereen by Castle Townsencl, Castlehaven, Glandore harbour, and Clonakilty and Court Macksheny bays are passed, and the Oldhead of Kinsale is made. The light that was formerly exhibited here has been discontinued, and a lighthouse erected in 1853 on the south point of the Oldhead in 51° 36' 11" N., 8° 31' 58" W. ; its lantern, 236 feet above the level of the sea, displays two red belts, seen at a distance of twenty-one miles. Inside the harbour there is another lighthouse, placed on Fort Charles, in 51° 2" N., 8° 30' W. ; its lantern, ninety-eight feet above high water, displays a fixed white light, seen at a distance of fourteen miles. No vessel can enter the harbour of Kinsale without coming almost along- side of this Fort. It was erected in 1681, by the Duke of Ormond, in honour of Charles II., and cost £70,000. Kinsale is a handsome little town situated on the river Bandon, 177 miles S.W, of Dublin, and 15 S. of Cork. It is a parliamentary borough, and comprises an area of 290 acres. Its population, however, appears to be seriously on the decline. In 1831 it contained 1,266 houses, and 7,823 inhabitants ; in 1841 the houses were only 1,007, and the population 6,918; and in 1851 it further decreased to 806 houses and 5,506 inhabitants. It was represented 518 KINSALE. by two members in the Irish, and returns one to the united parlia- ment ; its present representative is John Isaac Heard, Esq., a resi- dent gentleman of the borough : the constituency under the 2nd and 3rd William 4, c. 88, consisted of 192 householders of .£10 and 32 freemen, which under 13th and 14th Vict., c. 69, have decreased to 156. It is a place of great antiquity, and is said to derive its name from the Irish of Cean Teale, the headland of the sea, it being only a few miles from the Oldhead, on which De Courcy built a castle soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion. Edward III. granted the town a charter, which was confirmed by Richard II., Edward IV., and Elizabeth. There are some interesting historical events connected with this place, the most important of which were the landing of a Spanish force, under Don Juan de Aquila, in 1691, which took possession of the town and castle, and the subsequent siege and battle in the neighbourhood, so disastrous to the Spanish and Irish alliance : and the arrival of James II., in 1689, with 5,000 French troops commanded by Count Lausan, for which a similar number of Irish were embarked here in the return ships under Major-general MacCarthy to fill the gap left in the French army. The harbour, though smaller than Queenstown, is deep, well sheltered, and has good anchorage, and is capable of accommodating a con- siderable number of vessels ; but those drawing more than 1 1 feet must wait the tide to cross the bar, within which there is water in the bed of the river for the largest ships to the town, and for those under 200 tons to Collier's quay, 12 miles further up. Its proximity to Cork (of which port it is a branch, and its customs' duties included in its receipts) interferes materially with its commerce. The tonnage inwards here in 1835 was 1,062 tons Foreign, and 12,753 tons coastways. Its exports same year, consisting chiefly of agricultural produce, amounted to £1 3,000 ; and its imports of timber from British America, and coal, iron, and salt from England and Wales, to £18,000. Its principal trade, however, is its fisheries ; and so skilful are the men employed in them, not only in that pursuit, but also as pilots ; and their assistance to shipping off this coast considered so valuable that it exempted them from impressment during the long war : their boats, called hookers, of from 10 to 20 tons, are also admirably adapted for the purpose. The Kinsale fishery district is 60 miles in extent from Flathead to CORK HARBOUR. 519 Inchy Bridge, and in 1850 there were 790 registered vessels in it employing 4,132 men and boys. The coast from hence to the entrance of Cork harbour is bold, the soundings regular, and the water deep, with abundance of sea-room, so that it can be safely attained in all weathers. Cork Harbour, Queenstown, Passage, &c. — This'noble harbour is entered through a deep channel, varying in width from a mile to a mile and a half; the shores on either side are bold and rugged, and to the east at Roche's point, near the entrance, 51° 48' N., 8° 15' W., stands a lofty lighthouse, the lantern, ninety-seven feet above high water, and displaying a fixed white light, seen fourteen miles to sea. The old church and whitewashed spire of Temple Breda, adorn the western side. The narrowest part of the channel is between Forts Carlisle and Camden, which occupy eminences on either shore, and command the entrance. The largest ship of war has sufficient water to pass through at any time of tide, and within hail of the shore. The harbour, when entered, is a splendid object environed by lofty undulating hills, and its centre occupied by a group of fortified islands, under which the whole war navy of Great Britain might safely ride. Of these, Spike Island is the largest and most important, directly facing the entrance to the harbour, and forming a natural break- water to the sea, which runs outside mountains high when the wind blows hard from the southward. It is strongly fortified, and may be considered the chief defence of the harbour. Proceeding inward by the west end of Spike Island, two other islands appear in view. Haulbowline, a sterile rocky mound, covered with ordnance buildings, barracks, and storehouses, and Rocky Island, farther to the west, a mere craggy islet, on which there are two powder magazines, and a watch-tower on its apex. Bearing more to the east, the beautiful and magnificent inner har- bour is entered, and directly opposite is the steep shore of Great Island, on the west side of which, overlooking this fine natural harbour, stands the town of Cove, now Queenstown. It is seated on the side of a steep hill, and rises from the water's edge, terrace over terrace. It is from the most elevated of these, and Spy hill, which overhangs the town, that an extensive prospect of the harbour is to be obtained ; and nothing can be imagined more beautiful than 520 CORK HARBOUR. the broad expanse of this land-locked haven, with" its fortified isles, encompassed by lofty hills, and crowned with innumerable villas and mansions. One of the most conspicuous objects, and seen to great advantage from the harbour, is the new Catholic Cathedral, with its lofty and handsome spire, situated in an elevated part of the town ; the Protestant Church and the Admiralty are in a line with it. Complaints had been long and deservedly made that Queenstown was unprovided with wharfs or slips for the accommodation of the royal or mercantile navy; and after the Queen's visit in 1849, the Admiralty took the matter into its favourable consideration, and constructed the present splendid Victoria pier, forming two boat harbours or docks; and the beach was widened and improved, so as to form a handsome esplanade. Connected with this pier, the jetty which the Harbour Commissioners proposed constructing at Queens- town, is to be extended from hence into deep water, where vessels drawing twenty-four feet can lie afloat at low water. The Harbour Commissioners have otherwise expended a fair proportion of their revenue here. In 1848 they placed a floating light on the Spit bank in 51° 50' 41" N., 8° 1C 26" W.; the lantern, thirty-two feet above high water, exhibits a red light, seen at nine miles distance ; the cost of erection and maintenance for that year was £242 4s. 5d., and in 1849, £214 12s. 8d. They expended on a pier at Queenstown, removing rocks and dredging the Ballinacarra river, £994, and con- structed another pier at Aghada, at a cost of £143. At the west end, the late Lord Middleton erected a fine quay, near which is the Royal Cork Yacht Club-house. The town and trade of Queenstown are rapidly improving, owing in a great measure to the spirited enterprise and persevering industry of Messrs. James Scott & Co., whose new buildings are very extensive; among others they have constructed a large timber pond, capable of containing 2,000 tons of timber. They are also owners of upwards of 6,000 tons of the Cork registered shipping; and their new ship, the Beechworth, 1,2GG tons register, was the admiration of Dublin, when recently receiving troops on board at that port for New Zealand. Near the timber pond is now in course of construction an extensive dry dock, by Mr. Joseph Wheeler, of Cork, for repairing and building vessels on a large scale, of both wood and iron. The Religious establishments have been recently increased here, by the erection of a handsome CORK HARBOUR. 521 Presbyterian meeting-house, and a convent of the Sisters of Mercy, who established a school in connexion with the National Board of Education, where 445 female children were instructed by them in 1853. There are two other National Schools, and two on Haulbow- line and Spike Islands, where 555 males and 53 females are instructed. The town is regulated by Commissioners, under the 9th Geo. IV., c. 82 ; and the inhabitants have applied for the Towns Improvement Bill of 1854 ; its population in 1841 was 5,142, and in 1851, 11,428 persons. Spike Island is now a convict depot, the number of con- victs there at present is about 1,000, employed in improving the glacis and in manufacturing cocoa-nut fibre into mats, ri: m.c I imims. smms. ml mm — :-:iirii goods, bee^ pork, and hotter, to the colonies and foreign ports; but all hare long since ceased, with the exception of a moderate quantity of the latter article. A considerable portion of the imports :mms iirm: ir:zi rmmrn. m.ms. sum as -sm-?irm 7:m:r. ? m. mm and the Mediterranean — bat since 1835 there has been a consider- able decrease in it ; sugar and coffee from the West Indies ; tallow, imm zazseei :ar mi mm. fr:™ rmssia . mam: lt:zl S:.:h Arami.a . :-iri mi m'.iraa :1c \mii:mrmam . mi :arre amc b-sm s:~ = :m:-: :: :m :r:~ Cm:m : m: i mm: im:im :: si:i commodities comes from British ports. From 1835 to 1844* the ex- p;n :: ~i-.:: :: Grm: ir.:m — is mm :ms:im:"m . m: sira-e mm i: a a:- :mi: n:r- m imam .: m: m. mi I;.-.-- mm::::— :: ::. is w-Li as iaima ::m. im a:~ mm mm rraa Z.m:. :m Lmm:. mi nntil within the last year from Odessa. Cork Harbour has been long fmmm:m : j mssms. m: :mrc ::r irmrs is :: mm l-m:::! ; simi :m zi-YT.z :: ISm :m -imam :: msmis :: mi: immi::m has quadrupled. For the fire years ending in 1644, it was 270,310 tons; and for the fire years ending 1849, 1,025,884 tons; increase 7.;' : 7i :m=. A mm ^_r::im:m::mm:m if mssms slim in the build and requiring deep water, could he afloat and discharge mm ;m:-s m sari-:- mi :.: ra: imi:i mamm mm- :: m:~= fl i rali"^ cargoes which remain for weeks waiting a market, would be at once warehoused here. The jetty about to be constructed at Queenstown, and the floating dock in progress at Cork, will soon mramsmi:- :m armaams :: :ms :7mm Ta~ m^ :ams from official returns show the trade of Cork from 1810, to 5th ll I OS? 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