DUBLIN. 



171 



Dublin, mountain granite, with side doors. These courts ex- 

 y" 1 *' tend 99 feet to the quay, and are 50 deep; between them 

 the front of the hall projects. It is composed of six 

 columns of the Corinthian order : in the centre of these 

 is the principal entrance, with an extensive vestibule. 

 The hall, from which the courts radiate, is circular, and is 

 64 feet in diameter. The entrance to them from the hall 

 is ornamented with Corinthian pillars and semicolumns; 

 and the stately cupola, of the same diameter, gives 

 bright light to the whole hall, by windows in the side- 

 walls. Each court has all its suited apartments within 

 itself; and these buildings occupy 235 feet in front, and 

 50 in depth. 



The cupola is ornamented with the busts of the most 

 celebrated legislators, ancient and modern ; and the 

 whole building is insulated. 



The removal of the courts from the centre of the 

 city, where they were held for a century, caused a great 

 depression in the value of the buildings. To remedy 

 this, there is a Parliamentary grant, in 1 807, for the im- 

 provement of the city on the south side of the river to 

 the west of the castle. This expenditure, by widen- 

 ing the streets in this part of the city, with the ele- 

 vation of the ground, will render it most convenient 

 and wholesome. 



<vio>iiisti- The Danes settled on the coast were in possession of 

 kl Mate. tj,e i an( i s about Dublin, and of Dublin, during the 

 greater part of the 10th, llth, and 12th centuries, and 

 kept it, notwithstanding the victory at Clontarf in 1 01 4, 

 till it was taken by Raymond le Gros in 1171. He 

 was the auxiliary of Dermot MacMurrough, Prince of 

 Leinster. It was erected into a bishoprick in 1038, 

 and into nn archbishoprick in 1152. St Lawrence 

 O'Toole changed the chapter of Christ Church into a 

 priory. Archbishop Comyn, in 1 1 90, erected St Pa- 

 trick's Church on the site of an old parochial church, 

 and his successor, Henry de Londres, erected it into a 

 cathedral. During his administration, the diocese of 

 Glendeloch was united to it in 1214, by Cardinal Papiro, 

 the legate. The present building of StPatrick's was erec- 

 ted in 1364, by Archbishop Minot, and the steeple in 

 seven years after : The present spire was built by Dr 

 Sterne, late Bishop of Clogher, and formerly Dean of St 

 Patrick's. The chapter, nave, and aisles are in very good 

 preservation. The stalls in the choir are adorned with 

 the banners of the arms, the swords, and the helmets of 

 the Knights of St Patrick ; and those of the deceased 

 knights are fn the Chapter House. The archbishop 

 is the chancellor of the order, and the dean is the re- 

 gister. The monuments in the aisles, and on the right 

 of the altar in the chancel, are very beautiful. 



The chapter consists of six dignitaries, twenty pre- 

 bendaries, four minor canons, and fourteen vicars cho- 

 ral. There is a library belonging to this cathedral, of 

 which we shall afterwards give an account. 



Christ Church, the ancient cathedral of Dublin, lost 

 its rank by its change into a priory ; and on the disso- 

 lution of the monasteries in 1541, it was formed into a 

 collegiate church, with a dean and chapter. At pre- 

 sent the Bishop of Kildare, for the time being, is the 

 dean, and there are besides four dignitaries, three pre- 

 bendaries, six vicars choral, and seven stipendiary cho- 

 risters. The ancient building, erected by Arch- 

 bishop Comyn, in 1 190, was burnt in 1283. The pre- 

 sent building is kept in good preservation, and the mo- 

 numents are interesting. The Archdeacon of-Dublin 

 has a stall in the choir, and a voice and seat in the chap- 

 ter. There are besides of the established Church, 

 nineteen churches and twelve chapels ; of the Roman 



Religious 

 education. 



Catholic communion, twenty -six chapels ; two meeting Dublin. 

 houses of the Church of Scotland, seven of other Dis- ^T"" 

 senters, four of Methodists, two of Quakers, one Luthe- 

 ran Danish, and one FrenchCalvinist. St Catherine's, St 

 George's, and St Werburgh's, are finished in a fine style ; 

 St Thomas's and St Anne's ire also 'well built; but the 

 fronts are left unfinished. ^ Andrew's is rebuilt in its 

 rotunda form, and decorated in the best manner. All 

 those buildings which do not belong to the established 

 Church have been erected by subscription, and on this 

 account are not of that solid nature which bids defiance 

 to time, or of that external beauty which will attract 

 the attention of a visitor. 



There are fifteen parish schools annexed to the esta- 

 blished Church, in which ^97 children are fully main- 

 tained and educated, and afterwards apprenticed. There 

 are also three female orphan houses, under the direction 

 of the established Church. 



Every house of worship has also some children under 

 its protection, besides the general and numerous a-s<>- 

 ciations for the protection of foundlings and orphans, 

 by private subscriptions, and annual charity sermons. 

 The following institutions, which are incorporated by 

 acts of Parliament, and receive annual grants, are wor- 

 thy of notice : The Hibernian Society, for the orphans 

 and children of soldiers ; the Hibernian Marine So- 

 ciety, for the orphans and children of decayed seamen, 

 in his Majesty's navy ; the Blue Coat Hospital, for the 

 children of reduced freemen of Dublin ; the Found- 

 ling Hospital ; the House of Industry ; the Incorpo- 

 rated Society for promoting English Protestant schools 

 in Ireland ; the Board of Education ; and the Asso- 

 ciation for discountenancing Vice : besides, the Hiber- 

 nian Bible Society, not yet incorporated. 



The hospitals for the reception of sick and wounded, 

 or maimed, are eight ; one for lying-in women ; one 

 for the blind and gouty ; two for lunatics; one for in- 

 curables ; one for teaching the blind ; three for fe- 

 ver ; three for female penitents ; one for a particular 

 infectious distemper; one to re-establish health after 

 cure, and procure character ; one for the cow-pock 

 institution ; one cow-pock dispensary for ditto ; and 

 five general dispensaries of medicine. 



The Societies for relief from poverty, &c. are the Sick 

 and Room Keepers Society ; two house of refuge ; the 

 Strangers Friend Society ; the Literary Teachers So- 

 ciety ; the Incorporated Irish Musical Fund Society ; the 

 Charitable Loan Society, for lending out money interest- 

 free to tradesmen ; Meath Charitable Loan Society ; the 

 Dublin weekly and daily schools; the Sunday and daily 

 schools ; the schools of the House of Industry. It is ge- 

 nerally estimated that education is given to 9000 poor 

 children. 



The university of Dublin was founded by Queen Learning. 

 Elizabeth, in 15.91 ; its charter was renewed, and sta- 

 tutes compiled by Archbishop Laud, in 16'37. The 

 monastery of All Hallows was dissolved in 1541, and 

 granted to the citizens of Dublin, who regranted it in 

 1 590,for the site of the university. No part of the ancient 

 buildings remains. The present building consists of two 

 squares : the first is modern, and executed from the de- 

 signs of Sir William Chambers ; the front, which looks 

 to the west, is built of Portland stone, and is highly de- 

 corated with Corinthian pillars and other ornaments ; it 

 is upwards of 340 feet in length ; over the vestibule, 

 which is an octagon terminated with groined arches in 

 the centre of this front, is the museum, a fine room sixty 

 by forty feet, furnished with a great variety of curious 

 natural and artificial productions. The area of this 



Medical as- 

 sistance. 



Relief a- 

 gainst vice 

 and po- 

 verty. 



