1 85 



a deep and rich earth, and greatly exhaufts the foil- Large trafts of 

 ground, which, now, lie wholly wade, and unprofitable, and are a difgrace 

 and deformity to the country, might, were the culture of this impor- 

 tant vegetable properly encouraged, produce rich and luxuriant crops ; 

 and fupply a large proportion of the confumption of the Britijh domi- 

 nions. 



Few countries are watered, in an equal degree with Ireland. She 

 boafts a multitude of rivers, many of them navigable, and ftreams in- 

 numerable ; which wandering over every part of the country, while they 

 refrefli the foil, and embellifli the rural fcene, invite the hand of in- 

 duftry, to lay out bleach greens, eftablifli manufaftures, and ereft mills, 

 and machinery on the banks. 



From her lakes, and number of rivers, which thus interfeft the face 

 of the country, in every quarter, Ireland derives the mod happy capa- 

 bilities of inland navigation, and were fome further affiftance lent by 

 art, in opening communications, by cuts and canals, flie would afford 

 a cheap and commodious intercourfe of all parts of the kingdom with 

 each other, and poflefs the means of tranfporting, by water, goods of 

 a bulky and ponderous kind, particularly fuel, which, at prefent, is a 

 great defideratum in mauy parts of the country. 



Such are the advantages, which the furface of the country offers, 

 nor are the bowels of the earth deficient, in the hidden treafures of 

 the mineral kingdom. Its mines of copper, in the counties, of Kerry 

 and Wicklow, have long"^been known, and worked, in a greater or lefs 

 degree ; the fame may be faid of the rich and extenfive lead mines 

 in the county of Tipperary. A very rich and exceedingly promifing 

 lead mine* is extenfively worked in the county of Wicklow, at little 

 more than twenty miles diftance from Dublin, which is likely to fur- 

 pafs in value, the mines of the county of Tipperary. Of the lately 

 difcovered gold mine I fliall not fpeak, as its extent and value are 

 Vol. IX. ( A a ) ftill 



* Near the glen of Ismail. The difturbances in the county of Wicklow put a fto|> 

 to thefe works. 



