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province contains many tracts of beautiful scenery, and one in particular, which is allowed to be unequalled in the kingdom-the celebrated lake district at Killarney. The lakes of Killarney are situated in the bosom of the mountainous county of Kerry, and are annually visited by travellers from all parts of the island, as well as from neighbouring countries. They are three in number, of unequal size, and considerably varied with respect to surrounding scenery, though that may be described as generally of a mountainous character. Lough Lane, or the Lower Lake, by far the largest of the three, is skirted on one side by the level and wellcultivated country surrounding the pleasant village of Killarney; on the other side rise the Glena and Tomies Mountains. In this lake there are a number of wooded islands, one of which contains the ruins of an abbey, and another the remains of an ancient castle. On the shore, towards the east, is the beautiful ruin of Muckross Abbey. Divided from the Lower Lake by the fine wooded promontory of Muckross, but accessible by two channels of level water, is the Middle Lake, called also Turk Lake, from the name of the mountain at whose foot it reposes. Over and above the islands which stud the surface, the beauty of these two sheets of water may be said to consist in the irregular promontories and slopes, generally wooded, by which they are surrounded, and above which the mountains tower in sterile grandeur. In many nooks of the scenery, elegant mansions look out upon the lakes; in others the mountain streams are seen descending in glittering cascades. The Upper Lake, the third of the series, is 3 miles apart from the middle one, on a higher level, and totally embosomed amidst the hills. A stream descending from the one to the other can be passed in a boat; and at a particular place on the passage, it is common for tourists to have a bugle played, in order to enjoy the oft-repeating echoes which it awakes in the neighbouring hills. The Upper Lake, having the wooded heights of Dericunighy on one side, the round-headed Purple Mountains on the other, and at the head, the bare many-coloured ridge of Macgillicuddy Recks, while the surface is broken by a variety of sylvan islets, presents a landscape of enchanting loveliness. In connection with the lakes, there is a narrow rugged vale named Dunloe, which is usually taken in by a tourist in a survey of this fine scenery. Amongst other beautiful places in Munster, we can only particularise Glengarriff, a rugged and most picturesque vale near the head of Bantry Bay; the banks of the Blackwater, between Lismore and Youghal; the River Lee, below Cork, and the fine natural harbour (the Core of Cork) in which it terminates; and the lofty iron-bound coasts of Clare, amidst which are some scenes of uncommon grandeur.

day; or if engaged by the year, from 6d. to 8d. In the latter case, it is supposed that the labourer has a house, and grass for a cow, at what is called a moderate rent, and which, in the estimation of the labourer, is equivalent to additional wages. The food of a great part of the Munster peasantry consists of potatoes; to this is usually added milk, and if they live near the sea, haak or herrings. In Cork, but few of the labouring poor have cows, because milk can be had in abundance at a moderate price at the dairies. It is, however, very customary to have ewes, which not only supply a tolerable quantity of milk, but furnish clothing. The women spin and dye the fleeces, and have them woven into thick frieze, and fulled at the village fulling-mill: from this practice, the southern Munster men are remarkably well clothed. The cottages, or rather cabins, are, generally speaking, wretched; but it may be stated that in the dwellings and furniture of the people there is a growing improvement. The character of the Munster peasantry may be considered as of mixed good and evil-the evil arising from a total want of restraint in early childhood, bad education, or, as frequently happens, none at all. Female education is peculiarly neglected; and it is deplorable to see marriages contracted when the wife has few or no capabilities for managing a family, and rendering her husband comfortable, or his house a happy home.

Generally speaking, the trade of Munster consists in the export of provisions and agricultural produce, as wheat, oats, and potatoes, to a large amount. There is on the Shannon an active fishery for trout, herrings, &c. and abundance of excellent fish are sent into Limerick, Ennis, Kilrush, and to the county of Kerry. Along the coast of Cork there is a fishery for pilchards, herrings, and other kinds of fish, which are caught in great quantities, so that frequently the farmers manure the fields with sprats.

Chief Towns.

The leading towns of Munster are Cork, Limerick, and Waterford. The name Cork is derived from the Irish word Corcah, which signifies a marsh. This city, which ranks as the second in Ireland with respect to population and commercial importance, stands on the River Lee, which, through several channels, pours its waters into the harbour, from whence the tide flows to some distance above the town. The streets are built along the river channels, which, being all quayed, give the city somewhat of a Venetian character: of late years, however, the narrower have been arched over, and now only the main streams, in which the merchant vessels lie, are left open.

The Episcopal ecclesiastical buildings of Cork conThe soil in the southern parts of Limerick and Tip- sist of seven parish churches, the Cathedral of St Fin perary is perhaps not inferior in fertility to any portion Barry, St Luke's Chapel of Ease and Free Church, the of Europe. The Corkass lands of the former, and the Chapel of the Foundling Hospital, and the Church of Golden Vale of the latter, are celebrated for their St Michael's at Blackrock: two other churches are in extraordinary richness. These districts are chiefly ap- progress. There are four Roman Catholic chapels, propriated to the feeding of black cattle. Wheat hus- three new ones nearly completed, and four friaries. bandry is cultivated throughout the limestone districts There are numerous dissenting chapels-two meetingof Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick, while dairy-farm-houses for Wesleyan Methodists, one for the Primitive ing is followed in the mountain districts of Kerry and Wesleyans, one for Anabaptists, two for Presbyterians, Waterford. The potato culture necessary to supply the one for the Society of Friends, and two for two other wants of an over-dense population, is eagerly pursued small bodies of dissenters. A new Scotch church is in throughout the whole province; and it is a deplorable progress. The principal public buildings are-the fact, that a large portion of that population have no Bishop's Palace, which stands on a height overlooking other food during the greater part of the year. The the town; a new jail, a little to the west of the city; grass farms let in large divisions of from 150 to 400 the Customhouse, large and handsome barracks, the acres, at from £2 to £3 per acre. In the dairies of the City Library, the Reading-Rooms, the infirmaries, the county of Cork, the great butter country of Munster, Chamber of Commerce, the Steam-Packet Office, and a it is no uncommon thing to have from one to two hun- well-built and spacious court-house, having in front a dred cows in profit; the advantage of which is, that a pediment supported on six Corinthian columns, and cask is filled at once by butter all of the same churning. surmounted by an emblematic group of colossal figures. The sweet thick cream only is churned, and that every There is now in progress a new savings' bank, an exmorning. The pastures of these dairy-farms are highly tensive and ornamental building, but not more than manured, and are never broken up for tillage, expe- half erected; also a new banking-house of cut stone for a rience having taught the dairy-farmers that the older branch Bank of Ireland; a new and showy corn-market the sward the richer is the milk. house; and an extensive workhouse for the Poor-Law Union, about three-quarters of a mile from the city.

Daily labourers are usually paid from 8d. to 10d. per

Cork boasts of many schools-the Blue-Coat Hospi- | tal, for twenty-two sons of reduced Protestants; the Green-Coat Hospital, for twenty children of each sex, to be brought up Protestants; the Cove Street Infant, Diocesan, Lancastrian, and Female Orphan Schools; the diocesan schools for the united diocese of Cork and Ross, a free school founded by Archdeacon Pomeroy, and one of the national colleges.

Among the charitable institutions in this city are Bertridge's Charity, where are maintained seven old Protestant soldiers; Skiddy's Almshouse, where twelve aged women receive £29 yearly; Deane's Schools, where forty poor children are clothed and taught gratis. There is, besides, a masonic female orphan asylum, and several almshouses. Indeed, in proportion to its size, Cork bears a peculiarly high character for benevolence.

There are five societies here, whose objects are almost entirely scientific-the Royal Cork Institution, the Cuvierian, the Scientific and Literary Societies, the Mechanics' Institute, and the School and Library in Cook Street; one public subscription, and several circulating libraries; eighteen Protestant societies, devoted to religious purposes; four benevolent societies, for the relief of the distressed; five philanthropic societies, two lunatic asylums, and a school for instructing the deaf and dumb poor in George's Street.

The chief exports of Cork are grain, butter, cattle, and provisions; its chief imports, wine, tea, sugar, and coals. Steam-vessels communicate between Cork and Dublin, Bristol and Liverpool; and steamboats also ply daily between Cork and Cove. The population of Cork, according to the census of 1831, was 107,016; in 1841, 106,055. In 1845 there were 384 vessels belonging to the port, with an aggregate tonnage of 40,000; 14 steamers, with a tonnage of 2900; and the customs' duties exceeded £302,000.

name, and a large seaport, is situated on the Suir, a few miles from its junction with the sea. Native produce, to the value of £2,000,000, is annually exported from this city; but the imports are comparatively unimportant. There is here a fine cathedral, founded by the Ostmen, and endowed with lands by King John, and several churches, meeting-houses for the Presbyterians and the Society of Friends, a French church for the Huguenots, and several abbeys and friaries. The principal buildings are the Bishop's Palace, the Exchange, and the City Jail. Amongst its schools are the Latin Free School, and the Blue Boys' Free School, in which seventy-five are instructed and partly clothed gratis, and the boys apprenticed to different trades. The population in 1831 was 28,820; in 1841, 29,288. In 1845 there belonged to the port 186 sailing vessels, whose tonnage amounted to 23,000; 4 steamers, with a burthen of 1000 tons. The gross receipt of customs' duties exceeded £173,000.

ULSTER.

The most northerly of the provinces is ULSTER, containing the counties of Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Derry, Monaghan, and Tyrone. The province of Ulster is hilly. The scenery is in general picturesque, especially in the vicinity of its chief towns, Derry, Belfast, and Armagh. In the county of Antrim, the country from Glenarm to Bengore Head presents a succession of striking and romantic views. The most remarkable feature of this scenery is the peculiar conformation of the basaltic columns with which it abounds, and of which the arrangement is strikingly displayed in Fairhead and the Giants' Causeway. Bengore, one of the promontories of the Causeway, lies about 7 miles west of the little town of Ballycastle: though generally described as a single headland, it is composed Limerick, the chief city of the west of Ireland, is of many small capes and bays, each bearing its own situated on the Shannon, near the place where that proper name, and of these capes the most perfect is noble river expands into an estuary. It consists of the Pleaskin. The summit of Pleaskin is covered with a Old and New Town, respectively situated on the north thin grassy sod, which lies upon the rock, the surface and south sides of the river, and connected by an ele- of which is cracked and shivered. About 10 or 12 feet gant modern bridge. The new city contains many good from the top, the rock begins to assume a columnar streets, filled with handsome shops; but the Old Town | character, and standing perpendicularly to the horizon, is confined, dirty, decayed, and inhabited by a very presents the appearance of a magnificent colonnade, miserable population. Limerick contains a handsome supported on a foundation of rock nearly 60 feet in cathedral of some antiquity, situated in the old part of height. About 8 miles from Pleaskin is Fairhead, the city, six Episcopal churches and a chapel of ease, the easternmost head of the Causeway, which presents meeting-houses belonging to the Presbyterians, Inde- a huge mass of columnar stones, of coarse texture, but pendents, and the Society of Friends, with five Roman many of them more than 200 feet in height. Some of Catholic chapels, three friaries, and one nunnery. The these gigantic stones seem to have fallen from the top, principal public buildings are the Exchange, the City and now present to the eye of the spectator the appearCourthouse, the City and County Jail, the Police Bar-ance of groups of artificial ruins. The part which may rack, the Customhouse, the Commercial Buildings, the more properly be called the Giants' Causeway is a kind Linen-Hall, the Market, and two banks. Though Lime- of quay, projecting from the base of a steep promonrick is not a particularly literary city, it has an excel-tory some hundred feet into the sea: it is composed of lent library and some very good booksellers' shops. The principal school at Limerick is the Diocesan, but there are many private day and boarding schools. There are many charitable institutions as the County Hospital; the House of Industry for the aged and infirm, widows, orphans, young females, and deserted children; the Corporation Almshouse; Dr Hall's and Mrs Villiers's Alinshouses.

With regard to the trade of Limerick, it has been observed, that though it has increased with the extension of the city, it has done so by no means in an adequate proportion when its peculiar advantages are considered; the Shannon, which connects it with Clare, Kerry, Waterford, and Tipperary, affording it innumerable commercial facilities. The quays of Limerick are nevertheless a scene of considerable bustle, though chiefly frequented by vessels for the export of the native produce. Provisions to the amount of 75,000 tons are here shipped annually. In 1845 the port had 114 vessels, with a burthen of 15,000 tons; and the gross receipt of the customs amounted to £177,000. The population of Limerick in 1831 was estimated to be 66,555, and in 1841, 65,296.

Waterford, the chief town of the county bearing its

the heads of pillars of basalt, which are placed in close contact with each other, forming a sort of polygonal pavement, somewhat like the appearance of a solid honeycomb. The pillars are jointed, and their articulation curiously exact, the convex termination of one joint always fitting with precision into a concave socket in the next. Within about 2 miles of the Giants' Causeway stands Dunluce Castle, situated on the summit of a rock whose base is washed by the ocean, by the ravages of which great part of the building was suddenly swept from its foundation. The mansion and offices stand upon the mainland, divided from the fortress by a deep cut which separates the rock on which the castle is placed. Over this chasm lies the only approach to the building, along what was one of the walls of the drawbridge: should the passenger miss his footing on this narrow path, there is not the slightest protection on either side to save him from the abyss beneath.

The soil of Ulster varies much. In the counties of Armagh, Down, Antrim, Derry, and Monaghan, it passes from a deep rich fertile clay to a dry sandy or gravelly loam; while in Donegal, Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Cavan, a great proportion of it is cold, wet, and

of Ireland, are sent for sale; and from hence large quantities are exported to foreign countries. The linen trade prospers at Castlewellan, Rathfriland, and Banbridge, in the county of Down, and also at Lurgan in the county of Armagh, where the weavers are at once weavers and manufacturers. At Dungannon, in the neighbouring county of Tyrone, it has greatly declined, and is in Donegal chiefly confined to those who work for farmers or market sale.

The province of Ulster was also the seat of the first cotton manufactory introduced into Ireland. In 1777 the manufactures were in the lowest state of depression. To give them some stimulus, Mr Joy conceived the plan of introducing cotton machinery from Scotland; and a firm for this charitable purpose was formed, of Joy, M'Cabe, and M'Craken; and a mill for spinning twist by water was erected by them at Belfast in 1784, at which time the manufacture may be said to have been established; and so rapidly did it spread, that in 1800, in a circuit of ten miles, comprehending Belfast and Lisburn, it gave employment to 27,000 individuals. But from want of assistance at home to protect it, and the embargo laid on American goods, which inundated Ireland with English manufactures, the trade has declined, and the cotton manufacture is now almost altogether confined to the county of Antrim. Through the early part of the present century, it was carried on to a considerable extent in Drogheda, Collon, Strafford, Mountmellick, Limerick, and Bandon. Belfast was, however, the place where most skill and capital were expended; as the trade increased there, it declined in other parts of the kingdom; and though large manufactories have formerly been established at Clonmel, Portland, and Limerick, it may for all practical purposes be considered as extinct in the other parts of Ireland.

spongy. Tillage is, in general, in an improved state throughout this province; and though the old Irish plough and the slide car are still occasionally used in the remoter parts, many of the modern implements of husbandry have been introduced, especially in Down and Londonderry. The English spade has nearly displaced the long or one-sided spade; the angular harrow and the thrashing-machine are much in use; and the Scotch plough has almost superseded the heavy Irish one. The corn crops most general are oats, bere, barley, and a small proportion of wheat. Barley is in Derry said to pay the summer's rent, and flax the winter's. Potatoes are largely planted by rich and poor, and gentlemen-farmers cultivate turnips and mangel-wurzel. Lime and peat are the most usual ingredients of the manure employed in the inland districts; while in the maritime counties, sea-sand, seaweed of different sorts, and various kinds of shells pulverised, are used in addition. From the wetness of the soil, in some of the northern parts of Monaghan, the manure is usually carried to the fields in baskets, called bardocks, which are slung over asses' backs or the shoulders of the poor women. A small but hardy race of horses is reared in the island of Rathlin, or Raghery; and the old Irish sheep still prevails in and near Carey, in the county of Antrim. Pigs, goats, and donkeys, are numerous, the latter being much used in the counties of Cavan and Monaghan. A good deal of butter is sent to the markets of Belfast, Antrim, and Derry, from the various dairies scattered through Ulster. Whatever were the manufactures of Ireland before the time of James I., they were swept away in the long series of wars between government and the local chieftains in the days of the Tudors; and the Scottish settlers in the north of Ireland, and those English whom Boyle, Earl of Cork, brought into Munster, Wherever the linen trade is in operation, the people may be considered the introducers of nearly all the have constant employment, in consequence of being manufactures that now exist in Ireland. During the able to fall back upon their looms when agricultural reigns of Charles I. and II. much attention was paid work is not in demand. They may be said, in common to them; and the exertions of Lord Strafford, Sir years, to enjoy a competency-that is, a sufficiency of William Temple, and the Duke of Ormond, caused food, raiment, and fuel. But in the western parts of the establishment of the linen trade to be attributed Ulster-as, for example, the mountainous districts of successively to each. The Duke of Ormond not only Tyrone, Donegal, and Derry, where the linen manuprocured several acts for its encouragement, but sent facture does not exist to any extent-the labouringIrishmen to Flanders to be instructed in the details of classes are not much better off than in the three other the flax manufacture; and also established a linen fac- provinces. However, speaking of Ulster generally, it tory both at Chapelziod, near Dublin, and at Carrick- may be said the lower classes have more self-respect, on-Suir. In the reign of William III., the linen busi- more industry, more desire for advancement in life, ness rose to still greater importance, from the compact than in other parts of Ireland. In fact, they are a between the English and Irish merchants to discourage better educated, and therefore a more improving people. the woollen and promote the linen trade; for which As may be expected, their taste for comfort operates in purpose they procured a statute to be passed, levying the economy of their houses and farms; and except additional duty on Irish woollen goods, from a jealous in the mountainous districts above alluded to, where fear that the prosperity of the Irish woollen trade was old habits still maintain their ground, the Ulster peainconsistent with the welfare of that of England. An- santry may be considered as a respectable class in other impetus was given to the linen trade by the emi- society. The average rent of arable land is from £2 gration of the French manufacturers, after the Edict of to £3 per acre, usually rising in the immediate neighNantes, of whom a large number took refuge in Ireland; bourhood of towns to £5 or £6. The wages in Ulster and Mr Louis Cromelin, a leading manufacturer, ob- vary from 6d. to 9d. a day in winter, and in summer tained a patent for improving and carrying it on, and from 10d. to 1s. a day, without diet. The food of the his efforts were crowned with considerable success. In peasantry is chiefly potatoes, oatmeal porridge, oaten the 9th year of Queen Anne, a board of linen and hempen bread, milk, and fish, which those who live near the sea manufactures was established, and linen allowed to be vary with that species of sea-weed called the edible alga. exported, duty free. In the 8th of George I., a grant was given to build a linen-hall, and another to encourage the growth of flax and hemp. Previous to 1778, bleached linen was sold in the fairs, the manufacturer being the bleacher; but when the manufacture extended, bleaching became a separate business. Considerable sums had been from time to time voted by parliament for its support; and during the eighteenth century the trade continued to advance, until the check it received during the American war. On the re-establishment of peace it revived, and was at its greatest height from 1792 to 1796. Since this period it has considerably increased, and though deprived of all artificial props, in the form of bounties, is now a flourishing department of industry. Belfast is the great centre to which the linens, not only of Ulster, but also of the weaving districts in the west

The salt-water fisheries of Ireland cannot be said to have ever thriven. Under the former system of the Irish Parliament, of giving bounties, large sums were at different times voted for their encouragement; but by this there was no real strength given, and on the withdrawal of these bounties, things fell below their natural level, and the sea-fisheries became altogether inefficient for any purpose but that of supplying the localities surrounding the fisherman's dwelling. The fishery laws are now enforced with regard to both the sea and river-fishing, and therefore there is reason to believe that this branch of industry is on the increase, and, if properly managed, will become one of the chief means of benefiting the island. The river-fisheries, though less productive than under better management they might have been, yet form in several parts of

Ulster a lucrative source of property. The lakes and rivers abound with trout, pike, perch, eels, and char; and on the Bann, the Foyle, and the Ballyshannon in Donegal, are established very successful salmon-fisheries. Formerly, whales were not unfrequently, and still are, though but seldom, taken at the coast-fisheries in this province. The salmon-fisheries of the Foyle and the Bann were early celebrated. In Phillips's manuscript they are stated to have been let from 1609 to 1612 at £666, 13s. 4d. a year; for three years at £860; for eleven years at £1060; and for twelve years, ending at Easter 1639, at £800. The right of fishing the river Foyle, so far as Lifford, is vested in the Irish Society by the charter of Londonderry, granted by James I. in 1613. The increase of the quantity of fish taken since the introduction of stake-nets is very considerable. The salmon for exportation to London and to Liverpool are packed with ice in boxes, fifteen salmon, weighing together about 90 lbs., being put into each case. In a report made to Sir William Petty about 1682, it is stated that the fishing for salmon in the Bann River, and so in all the salmon-fisheries, begins with the 1st of May, and ends on the last of July. But by the present law, the season now begins on the 1st of February, and ends on the 1st of September, seven months being open and five close. The Bann fishery has of late years been much neglected; but under the spirited and judicious management of Charles Atkinson, Esq., it has been much improved during the last year.

Chief Towns.

The chief towns in Ulster are Belfast and Antrim, in the county of Antrim; Londonderry or Derry, and Coleraine, in the county of Londonderry; Donegal, in the county of the same name; Strabane, in Tyrone; Armagh, in Armagh; and Newry, Lisburn, and Downpatrick, in the counties of Antrim or Down. Without reference to counties, Belfast, Lisburn, Newry, Armagh, and some places of smaller note, may be said to form a cluster of towns chiefly devoted to the linen manufacture, and all occupied by a population who, for generations, have been noted for their industry and peaceful habits. Belfast is esteemed the principal town and seaport in this province of Ireland. It is advantageously situated on the west side of the Lagan, where that river swells into an estuary called the Bay of Belfast: distance from Dublin 85 miles. The ground on which the town stands is flat, while the beautiful and fertile environs on the western side of the vale are bounded by a picturesque range of mountains. Within the town, the opposite shore of the Lagan is reached by a long stone bridge, which also forms the egress from Belfast towards Donaghadee. Although this portion of Ireland is inhabited chiefly by Scotch, or their descendants, Belfast, like Dublin, is essentially an English town in external aspect, being built of brick, and having throughout a neat and regular appearance, with many handsome shops. The prosperity of Belfast is dated from the revolution of 1688, when religious and political tranquillity settled upon that part of Ireland. Belfast is in Ireland what Glasgow is to Scotland, and Liverpool to England. In manufactures, it is now the great depôt of the linen business, and the seat of the cotton trade, having within itself all the various branches necessary for producing and finishing these fabrics, from the finest cambric to the coarsest canvas. There are in Belfast and its suburbs fifteen steam-power mills, for the spinning of linen yarns. Among these, the factory of Mulholland and Company, employing 300 persons, spins 720 tons of flax annually, the yarn of which is worth £80,000. The hand-spun yarn sold on commission in the Linen-Hall (a cluster of buildings devoted to the use of linen factors), produces about £100,000 a year. The cotton trade is declining, several of the mills being employed in spinning flax; and there are now only six cotton-mills in the town. There are also extensive corn-mills, breweries, distilleries, and tan-yards, with manufactories of machinery, cordage, glass, iron, soap, candles, tobacco, &c. for home

use and exportation. In commerce, its exports and imports are extensive; the amount of duties paid at the customhouse of late years averaging nearly £370,000. The number of vessels lately belonging to the port was 386, the aggregate burthen of which was 53,500 tons. Latterly, great improvements have been effected for the accommodation of the shipping, by deepening and contracting the harbour, and furnishing handsome and substantial quays, wharfs, and docks. The port usually exhibits a busy scene of industry, by the daily sailing and arrival of ships and steam-vessels. Ten steamers sail regularly-four to Glasgow, three to Liverpool, two to London, and one to Dublin. In the retail trade, the numerous branches are carried on in a spirited and tradesmen-like manner; and the various markets for the sale of the rural produce, which is brought in large quantities to town, are well conducted; in a word, the whole system of trade and industry is on an efficient scale, and equals that of any town of similar size in England or Scotland. The prosperity of the town is likely to be augmented by a railway lately opened, which is designed to proceed to Armagh.*

Belfast abounds in Presbyterian and other Dissenters. The Episcopal places of worship are only two (some authorities say three) in number; but there are ten Presbyterian meeting-houses; there are also two meeting-houses of Independents; the Methodists, four; the Society of Friends, one; and the Roman Catholics, two. The town possesses some excellent charitable and humane institutions: the principal are-a poor-house for the aged and infirm, a house of industry, a lunatic asylum, an institution for the blind and for deaf mutes. This institution is on the same plan as that of Liverpool. The blind are employed in weaving and basketmaking, and lately, by the introduction of raised letters, they have been instructed in reading. In 1824, there were in the town and parish sixty-three schools of all kinds, at which 2152 males and 1666 females were educated, exclusive of the Royal Academical Institution, which in 1825 contained 462 boys in its various classes. This institution originated in 1807, in a voluntary subscription of the inhabitants, by whom a fund was raised of above £25,000, to which the late Marquis of Hastings added £5000 for its erection and the endowment of its teachers and professors. It consists of two departments-one elementary, the other for the higher branches of science and literature. This establishment is directed by a president, four vicepresidents, twenty managers, and eight visitors, chosen by the proprietary. The chairs in the collegiate department are eight, embracing Divinity, Moral and Natural Philosophy, Logic, Mathematics, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and a lectureship on Irish. The object of this academy was to give cheap home education to those who had heretofore frequented the Scottish colleges. The Synod of Ulster receives the general certificate of this institution as a qualification for ordination, and it may therefore be now considered the great seminary for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Belfast Academy had been founded some time previously by private subscription.

Of literary societies, Belfast possesses the Society for Promoting Knowledge, founded 1788; the Literary Society for Improvement in Literature, Science, and Antiquities, founded 1801; and the Natural History Society, founded 1821. The town has lately received the valuable addition of a botanic garden, on a large scale, and laid out in an exceedingly tasteful manner. established and is wholly supported by the inhabitants of Belfast, and affords a pleasing proof of their spirit and liberality. The population in 1821 was 37,277; in 1831, 53,287; and in 1841, 75,308.

It was

Londonderry ranks next to Belfast. Besides being a seaport of considerable importance, it is the seat of a bishop's see. It is situated on the west bank of the

*We have been indebted for a number of these particulars to

The Tourist's Guide to Ireland,' a highly creditable work, published by Messrs W. Curry, Jun. and Co., Dublin.

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fronts-the Court-house, the Jail, the Presbyterian Church, Primate Stewart's Free School, founded and liberally endowed by him, and well carried on; the National School, and the Savings' Bank. The cathedral has been re-edified within these five years, at an expense exceeding £30,000, in the pointed Gothic style, for the most part in very good taste; the organ is a remarkably fine one, and the choir excellent. The roads, in all directions, are admirable; and in the laying-out of the new ones, they are carried round instead of over the hills. There is water-carriage from both Belfast and Newry by lake and canal, to within four miles of the city; the streets have flagged footways, and are well lighted with gas. About forty years since, the population was only 1000; in 1841 it was 10,245. The archbishop of Armagh, primate of all Ireland, resides close to the town, as do also a large number of clergymen attached to the cathedral, as well as many respectable gentry. Near Armagh stands the Observatory, built and endowed by Primate Robinson, whose munificence greatly contributed to the advance of science and improvement of the whole diocese.

Foyle, a few miles above the point where that river | handsome buildings have been erected, with cut stone spreads into the harbour of Loch Foyle, and is distant 146 miles from Dublin. The original town, built by Sir Henry Dowera about 1603-4, was burned by Sir Cahir O'Dogherty in 1608; and the present city may be considered as deriving its origin from the London plantation, which was the immediate result of that catastrophe. The walls of Derry are described by Pynnar as 'excellently made, and neatly wrought; the circuit thereof about 284 perches, and in every place the wall being 24 feet high and 6 in thickness;' and after a lapse of more than two centuries, these fortifications retain their original form and character. The north-west bastion was demolished in 1824, to make room for a market; and in 1826 the central western bastion was modified for the reception of Walker's Testimonial; but the guns used during the celebrated siege are still preserved in their original places. The total number of cannon remaining in the city and suburbs is about fifty; and in the court-house yard stands Roaring Meg, so called from the loudness of her report during the siege. This cannon is 4 feet 6 inches round at the thickest part, and 11 feet long, and is thus inscribed- FISHMONGERS, LONDON, 1642.'

The chief of the ecclesiastical buildings is the Cathedral. For nearly twenty years after its plantation, Derry was without a proper place of worship, part of the ruined church of St Augustine being employed for that purpose. At length a royal commission of inquiry was appointed, which, in 1628, reported that the corporation of London had begun to build a fair church in Derry, and in 1633 its erection was completed. This event is recorded in a tablet, which was originally placed over the door of the porch of the old cathedral, but is now over that of the belfry, bearing the following couplet :

ease,

'If stones could speak, then London's praise should sound,
Who built this church and city from the ground.-A.D. 1633.'
The other principal places of worship are-a chapel of
a free church, several Presbyterian meeting-houses,
a Wesleyan chapel, a Primitive Wesleyan Methodist
chapel, also Reformed Presbyterian, Seceding, and In-
dependent chapels, and a Roman Catholic chapel,
which can accommodate 2000 persons. The principal
buildings in the city are the Bishop's Palace, the Pub-
lic Library and News-room, the Lunatic Asylum, the
Jail, and the Corporation Hall. Of its various manu-
factories, the chief are two great distilleries, and two
corn-mills, one worked by a steam-engine of eighteen,
the other by one of twenty horse-power. The public
schools in Derry are the Diocesan, the Parochial, the
Presbyterian, the Meeting-house, St Columb's, the
Barracks, the Infant School; and besides these are
many others, public and private. There is here a
branch of the London Bible Society, the Londonderry
Literary Society, and one for promoting religious,
moral, and historical knowledge. There are also the
Londonderry Farmers' Society, and the Mechanics'
Institution. The port carries on a considerable traffic,
both with respect to imports of foreign and British
produce, and exports. The estimated value of the ex-
ports of Irish produce is above £1,000,000 sterling per
annum. The population of Londonderry in 1831 was
10,130; and in 1841, 15,196. In 1845 the shipping
belonging to the port exceeded 6200 tons; and the
gross customs' duties £105,800.

The city of Armagh, situated in an inland part of the country, is of considerable local importance. It is placed in the midst of a rich and beautiful district, the face of which is singularly varied by detached hills, some of which are more than 1000 feet in height. This character of country stretches from Lough Neagh in the north to the north-western part of the county of Meath in the south, and is well watered by lakes and streams, and, generally speaking, richly furnished with wood. The city stands on a hill, which is crowned by the old cathedral, around which the town has gradually arisen. Within these few years, several

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CONNAUGHT.

CONNAUGHT, the smallest of the four provinces, contains but five counties, those of Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo, and Galway. There are in this province large tracts of mountainous and sterile land, especially in the western parts of the counties of Galway and Mayo. The peninsula formed by the western part of the first of these counties is named Connemara, and is famed for its scenery, which somewhat resembles that of Argyleshire. It may be described as a vast tract of mingled bog, lake, rocky moorland, and mountain, bounded and partially penetrated by deep inlets of the sea, resembling the fiords of Norway. The principal lake is Lough Corrib, which is 20 miles long, full of islands, and surrounded by an extensive rocky desert, bearing no small resemblance to those of Arabia. Between this lake and the western extremity of Connemara, there is a range of tall swelling green hills, called the Twelve Pins of Bunabola; and to the north of these is an estuary famed for its wild scenery, named the Killery, many miles in length, and connected with the Atlantic by a passage only 30 feet wide. Connemara contains a small, scattered, and primitive population, unusually full of superstitious and old feudal feelings. Besides Clifden, a modern fishing - village on the west coast, there is scarcely any such seat of population in the district. There are, however, a few homely inns for the accommodation of the numerous tourists who flock thither during summer.

From the high grounds near Westport is obtained a view of Clew Bay, a magnificent sheet of almost enclosed water, full of islands, and bounded by lofty mountains, amongst which the most conspicuous are Croagh Patrick and Nephin. The islands of Clare and Achill bound the scene towards the west. In some states of the weather, and particularly when a summer sun is calmly descending on Clare, the view of Clew Bay is one of extraordinary beauty. The islands are said by the common people to be as numerous as the days in a year, but in reality are only about a hundred. Croagh Patrick is regarded with superstitious feelings by the peasantry, as the spot where their tutelary saint was accustomed to preach.

Amidst the great tracts of wild ground in Connaught, there are a few other spots of an unusually attractive character. The scenery round Lough Allen, out of which the Shannon flows, is extremely pretty, as is also that near Boyle, at the foot of the Curlew Mountains. At Lough Gill, near Sligo, a lake bearing a strong resemblance to the upper lake of Killarney, and the little Bay of Ardnaglass, into which falls the cataract of Ballysedare, are scenes of peculiar beauty. Much of the surface of Galway is flat, showing, for twenty miles together, a succession of narrow limestone rocks, like parapet walls of three feet high, placed in

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