THEIR HEIGHT, FORM, AND STRENGTH. 119 



from the Fews : " I have asked several persons 

 who, like myself, live in the very district mentioned 

 by the French writer, and we all agree that 5 feet 

 8 inches would be the average height; there is 

 nothing peculiar about their features, neither high 

 cheek bones, nor projecting teeth, &>c. They are 

 shrewd and intelligent. I cannot institute a com- 

 parison between them and the men of Meath, for 

 I do not know Meath ; but, though I am a Louth- 

 man myself, I believe they will compare favourably 

 with the Louthmen, and the men of Kildare and 

 Tyrone. I have shown the Frenchman's description 

 to a good number of priests and laymen, and some 

 were highly amused, while others were dreadfully 

 indignant. I have seen no peasantry anywhere 

 superior to our own of the Fews in bone and sinew 

 and good looks. As I presume he did not mean 

 merely to describe a stray individual, such as may 

 be met anywhere, I must say that his statement 

 is totally untrue. I send you the names, heights, 

 and weights of 51 men taken at random in one part 

 of the Fews, aged from 19 to 50. They were 

 measured in their shoes ; also a group of 23 youths 

 aged from 16 to 18 inclusive." 



I arrange them according to height, omitting the 

 names and weights supplied by the learned Doctor 



