USES TO WHICH [Chap. 



the Dean observed, when he was recommending 

 them to eat young children^ that those who had 

 devoured the parent, had certainly the best titre 

 to the ofF:spring. We differed from the Irish 

 squirearchy merely in the order of proceeding; 

 having begun upon the children we had to finish 

 with the ^'^ mothers,'' the father, owing to the habit 

 of polygamy, permitted among these innocent 

 creatures, being beyond the reach of our mouths 

 and our knives. I killed, on the second week 

 in October, as fine fat ewes as ever were seen ; 

 and, in the middle of October, I sold twelve of 

 these to the butcher, at a very good price, they 

 being as fat as moles. I have no pasture-land 

 except my meadows: they are very wet in win- 

 ter; and they kill the sheep as before described. 

 Besides, all this land about here causes the foot 

 rotj in the fall and* in the winter, and this foot 

 rot is a most troublesome thing, and very 

 injurious to the sheep. Almost the whole of 

 my ewes suffered from this cruel disorder. 1, 

 therefore, shall keep no sheep, except from the 

 first of May until the middle of October. They 

 are, during that season, very convenient for killing 

 once or twice a week ; and one may purchase 

 ewes, with lambs at their sides, early in May. 

 Being near to the markets, during the season 

 that meat will keep a week, it is more convenient 

 to deal with the butcher, provided you go to the 



