M‘Sweeny, on the Climate of Ireland. 211 
~ 
in our time: there is, nevertheless, great probability, that this defect may in part, 
be amended by the industry of man, if the country, being once inhabited throughout 
by a civil nation, care were taken every where to diminish and take away the super- 
fluous and excessive wetness of the ground, in all the watery and boggy places, 
whereby this too great moistness of the air is greatly increased, and also occasioned. 
*« This opinion is not grounded upon some uncertain speculation, but upon assured 
experience, for several knowing and credible persons have affirmed to me, that already 
some years since, good beginnings have been seen of it, and that in some parts of the 
land, well inhabited with English, and where great extents of bogs have been drained 
and reduced to dry land, it hath been found by the observation of some years, one 
after another, that they have had a drier air, and much less troubled with rain than in 
former times.” 
The number of rivers and brooks in Ireland is the best proof of its great moisture. 
Boate says: ‘‘ No country in the world is fuller of brooks than Ireland, where the 
same be numberless, and water all the parts of the land on all sides.” 
On the subject of cold, he remarks. there are commouly three or four frosts in one 
winter, but they are very short, seldom lasting longer than three or four days together, 
and withal at their very worst, nothing near so violent as in most other countries. 
«There hath been,” he observes, ‘‘ some winters wherein it hath frozen ten or twelve 
days together, so as the Liffie, and other the like rivers, were quite frozen, and might 
be gone upon by man and beast ; but those are altogether extraordinary, and do come 
very seldom, hardly once in the space of ten or twelve years.’ 
Here we have some evidence to show, that the extension of cultivation had, up to 
the time of Doctor Rutty, some effect in mitigating the cold of severe winters when 
they did happen. We do not find the Liffey, on an average of years, so often frozen 
over, that it might be gone upon by man and beast, as was described by Boate in his 
time. 
Kirwan’s observations on the weather, correspond in the general features with the 
accounts handed down by Rutty. 
Rutty’s descriptions are, as Kirwan remarks, merely popular ; they therefore can- 
not be accurately compared with more precise accounts in latter days ; but, on the 
other hand, these haye been made at different periods, in different places, and by dif- 
ferent persons. 
They lose much of their value, if the opinion maintained by many, be correct, 
namely, that the seasons go through a cycle ; therefore it would be necessary, that ob- 
servations made in any one place, should be continued for a very long time, before we 
would be warranted in attempting to draw very precise conclusions. 
The unconnected accounts we have, answer, however, to show the general nature of 
the climate, which agrees in its principal points with ancient accounts, and with those 
of Rutty and Kirwan. We have mostly a prevalence of south and south west winds 
VOL, XVII, 3A 
