793 



DOVREFIELD. 



DOWN. 



794 



carried on with the view of making it a harbour of refuge. The 

 Report of the Government Commissioners appointed in 1844 to 

 investigate the subject recommended the construction of works so 

 extensive as to involve an outlay of two and a half millions of money. 

 The commissioners recommended that in the first place a pier should 

 be run out from Cheesman's Head into 7 fathoms water. This 

 portion of the work is being carried forward ; its progress however 

 depends much upon the state of the wind and weather. 



(Hasted, Kent; Batchelor, Guide to Dover; Land We Live In, 

 vol. ii. ; Parliamentary Papers ; Communication from Dover.) 

 DOVREFIELD. [NORWAY.] 



DOWLETABA'D, a strongly fortified town in the province of 

 Aurungabad, 7 miles W.N.W. from the city of Aurungabad, in 

 19 57' N. lat., and 75 15' E. long. The fort consists of an enormous 

 insulated mass of granite, standing a mile and a half from any hill, 

 and rising to the height of 500 feet. The rock is surrounded by a 

 deep ditch, across which there is but one passage, which will allow 

 no more than two persons to go abreast. The passage into the fort is 

 cut out of the solid rock, and can be entered by only one person at 

 a time in a stooping posture. The place is altogether so strong, that 

 a very small number of persons within the fort might bid defiance to 

 a numerous army. On the other hand, the fort might be invested by 

 a very inconsiderable force, so aa to prevent supplies being received 

 by the garrison, who, owing to the intricacy of the outlet, could never 

 make an effective sally. The lower part of the rock, to the height of 

 1>0 : from thu ditrli, is nearly penpauUeelw, and impracticable to 

 ascend. The rock is well provided with water. 



Dowletabad is now included in the territory of the Nizam of 

 Hyderabad. Since the seat of government has been transferred to 

 AURUNGABAD the town of Dowletabad has greatly decayed ; only a 

 small portion of it is now inhabited. 



DOWN, a maritime county of the province of Ulster in Ireland ; 

 lies between 54 1' and 54 41' N. lat., 5 30' and 6" 24' W. long. ; is 

 bounded N. by an angle of Lough Neagh, the county of Antrim, 

 and the Bay of Belfast ; E. and S. by the Irish Channel ; and W. by 

 the counties of Louth and Armagh, from which it is partly separated 

 by the Bay of Carlingford and the River Newry. The greatest length 

 from Cranfield Point on the south-west to Orlock Point on the north- 

 east is 51 English miles ; the greatest breadth from Moyallan on the 

 west to the coast near Ballywater on the east is 38 miles. The coast 

 line (including Lough Strangford) from Belfast to Newry, exclusive 

 6f small irregularities, is about 125 English miles. The area according 

 to the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, consists of 608,415 acres land, 

 and 3502 acres water, being 611,917 acres in all, statute measure, 

 or 956 square statute miles nearly. The population in 1851 was 328,883. 

 Surface, Hydrography, Communication!, Down forms the south- 

 eastern extremity of Ulster. The surface of nearly all the county is 

 undulating ; but the only uncultivated district is that occupied by 

 the Mourne Mountains and the detached group of Slieve Croob. The 

 mountainous district of Mourne is bounded E. by the Bay of 

 Dundrum and W. by the Bay of Carlingford, and covers an area of 

 nearly 90 square miles. In this range are numerous mountain eleva- 

 tions, reaching in the case of Slieve Donard to 2796 feet. This 

 mountain group contains much picturesque scenery, and is adorned with 

 several fine mansions and extensive plantations. The Slieve Croob 

 range covers an area of about 10 square miles to the north-east of 

 the Mourne Group. Slieve Croob, the highest elevation of the range, 

 baa an altitude of 1 755 feet ; on its north-eastern declivity the river 

 Lagan rises at an elevation of about 1250 feet above the level of 

 the sea. 



The remainder of the county, about 850 square miles, is productive, 

 being either under cultivation or serving the purposes of turbary. 

 A low chain of cultivated eminences, well timbered, and on the 

 northern and western side covered with the demesnes and improve- 

 ments of a resident gentry, commences east of Dromore, and extends 

 under various names along the valley of the Lagan and the eastern 

 shore of Belfast Lough, as far as Bangor. This range separates the 

 basin of the Lagan from that of Lough Strangford. 



The eastern shore of Belfast Lough has no anchorage for vessels 

 above the third class. There is a small quay for fishing and pleasure- 

 boats at Cultra, a mile below the bathing village of Holywood, where 

 regattas are held. Out of Belfast Lough the first harbour on the 

 coast of Ards is at Bangor. East of Bangor is the little harbour of 

 Oroomsport or Gregory's Port, where Duke Schomberg landed in 

 1690. South-east of Groomsport is Donaghadee, the only place of 

 eourity for a large vessel from Belfast Lough south to the harbour of 

 Strangford. [DoNAOHADEE.] North of Donaghadee lie three islands, 

 called the Copelands, from a family of that name which formerly 

 held the opposite coast. On one of these, called the Cross or Light- 

 house Island, there is a lighthouse, which marks the entrance to Belfast 

 Lough from the south. This building which was erected about 1715, 

 is a square tower, 70 feet high to the lantern ; the walls are 7 feet 

 thick. The sound between Big Island, which lies nearest the land, 

 and the shore of Down, is about a mile and a quarter in breadth. 



From Donaghadee south the coast is low, rocky, and dangerous". 

 The rock of Sculmartin, covered at half-flood, and the North and 

 South Kocks, the former never covered, the latter at every half tide, 

 lie farthest off shore, and are most in the way of vessels coming up 



channel. The lighthouse erected on South Rock in 1797, has proved 

 highly serviceable to all traders in the channel. At Ballywalter, Bally- 

 halbert, Cloghy, and Newcastle, in Quintin Bay, all situated on the 

 eastern shore of Ards, are fishing stations ; but there is no shelter in 

 any of them for vessels of more than 30 tons. 



South from Newcastle is Tara Bay, much frequented by fishing- 

 vessels, and capable of great improvement. The peninsula of Ards 

 runs out at Ballyquintin to a low rocky point south of Tara Bay. A 

 dangerous rock called the Bar Pladdy, having 11 feet water at spring 

 ebbs, lies immediately off Quintin Point. The entrance to Strangford 

 Lough lies west of the Bar Pladdy, between it and Killard Point, on 

 the opposite side. Within the entrance the Lough expands into a 

 very extensive sheet of water, extending north wards to Newtownards, 

 and nearly insulating the district between it and the sea. The tide 

 of so large a sheet of water making its way to and from the sea, causes 

 a great current in the narrow connecting strait at every ebb and flow, 

 and renders the navigation at such times very difficult. Across this 

 strait is a ferry, which gives name to the town of Portaferry at the 

 eastern or Ards side of the entrance. The town of Strangford, which 

 liea opposite, is supposed to derive its name from the strength of the 

 tide-race between. The true channel, at the narrowest part of the 

 strait, is little more than a quarter of a mile across, being contracted by 

 rocks, one of which, called the Ranting Wheel, causes a whirlpool 

 dangerous to small craft. There is another but less dangerous eddy 

 of the same kind at the opposite side. Within the entrance there are 

 several good anchorages, and landing-quays at Strangford, Portaferry, 

 Killileagh, the quay of Downpatriek, and Kirkcubbin. Strangford 

 Lough contains a great number of islands, many of which are 

 pasturable, and great numbers of rabbits are bred on them. From 

 Killard Point the coast bears south-west, and is rocky and foul as far 

 as Ardglass, where there ia a pretty good harbour for small vessels. 

 Immediately west of Ardglass lies the harbour of Killough, between 

 Ringford Point on the east and St. John's Point on the west. A 

 natural breakwater extends between these points, and gives a pretty 

 secure anchorage for large vessels within. There is an inner harbour 

 for small craft, dry at ebb, with a quay, built about the beginning of 

 the last century. 



West of St. John's Point opens the great Bay of Dundrum, which 

 extends from this point on the east to the coast of Mourne on the 

 west, a distance of about four leagues by a league in depth, running 

 north by west. The pier and harbour of Newcastle on the south- 

 western side of the bay are highly serviceable to the fishing-boats of 

 the coast, and have been the means of saving several vessels within the 

 last few years. 



From Newcastle south to Cranfield Point the coast of Mourne 

 possesses only three small boat harbours, the principal of which is at 

 Derryogue, where there is a fishing station. On this part of the 

 coast, near Kilkeel, is a lighthouse 120 feet high. Between Cranfield 

 Point on the east, and the extremity of the barony of Dundalk, in 

 the county of Louth, on the west, is the entrance to the extensive 

 harbour of Carlingford. This Lough is about 8 miles long by a mile 

 and a half broad, and has steep mountains to the east and west along 

 each side. From Narrow Water, where it contracts to the width of 

 a river, the tide flows up to Newry, whence there is a canal com- 

 munication with the Upper Bann River, which flows into Lough 

 Neagh. There are numerous rocks and shoals at the entrance, and 

 a bar all across, on which there are but 8 feet of water at ebb tides. 

 The middle part of the lough is deep, but exposed to heavy squalls 

 from the mountains. There are two great beds of oysters in this 

 lough, one off Rosstrevor Quay, 2J miles long by half a mile 

 broad ; the other off Killowen Point, one mile long by half a mile 

 broad. Warren's Point has a good quay, from which steamers sail 

 regularly for Liverpool ; most of the exports of Newry are shipped 

 here from the small craft that bring them down the canal. The 

 scenery on both sides of Carlingford Lough ia of striking beauty. 



Hydrography, Communications, etc. -With the exception of the 

 Upper Bann, all the rivers of Down discharge their water into the 

 Irish Channel. The navigable river Lagan, which, for about half of 

 its course, has a direction nearly parallel to the Baun, turns eastward 

 at Magheralm, 4 miles north-east of which it becomes the county 

 boundary, and passing by Lisburn falls into the Bay of Belfast after 

 a course of about 30 miles. The Ballynahinch or Annacloy river 

 brings down the waters of several small lakes south-east of Hills- 

 borough, and widens into the Quoile river, which is navigable for 

 vessels of 200 tons one mile below Downpatriek, where it forms an 

 extensive arm of Strangford Lough. The Quoile is covered with 

 numerous islands, and its windings present much beautiful scenery. 

 The Newry river rises near Rathfriland, and flowing westward by the 

 northern declivities of the Mourne range, turns south a little above 

 Newry, and after a short course falls into the head of Carlingford 

 Lough. Numerous streams descend from the district of Mourae 

 immediately to the sea, and there is no part of the county deficient 

 in a good supply of running water. 



The Lagan navigation, which was commenced in 1755, and connects 

 Lough Neagh with Belfast Lough, gives a line of water communica- 

 tion to the entire northern boundary of the county ; and the Newry 

 Canal, connecting the navigable river Banu with the Bay of Carling- 

 ford, affords a like facility to the western district, so that, with the 



