7 2 BOGS. 



fantry to take in fmall parts of thefe mountains themfelves. 

 The adjoining farms beiag out of leafe, he had a power of 

 doing what he pleafed ; I marked a road, and afiigned porti- 

 ons of the wafte on each fide to fuch as were willing to form 

 the fences in the manner prefcribed, to cultivate and inhabit 

 the land, allowing each a guinea towards his cabbin, and pro- 

 inifing the beft land rent free for three years, and the wortt for 

 five ; the eagernefs with which the poor people came into this 

 fcheme, convinced me that they wanted nothing but a little 

 encouragement to enter with all their might and fpirit into the 

 great work of improvement. They trufted to my aflurance 

 enough *to go to work upon the ditches, and actually made a 

 confiderable progrefs. In all undertakings of this fort in Ire- 

 land it is the poor cottars, and the very little farmers, who are 

 the beft tools to employ, and the beft tenants to let the land to ; 

 but this circumftance raifes many enemies to the work ; the 

 tetter fort who have been ufed to tread upon and opprefs, are 

 ill pleafed to fee any importance or independancy given to 

 them : and the whole race of jobbing gentlemen, whofe con- 

 verfation for ever takes the turn of ridiculing the poverty of 

 the cottar tenants, will always be ready with an equal cargo of 

 falftiood and ignorance to decry and depreciate any underta- 

 king which is not to conduce to their own benefit : if a land^ 

 lord does not fteadily refolve to laugh at all this trafti, he had 

 tetter never think of improvements. 



Trifling as they have been on the Irifh mountains, yet are 

 the bogs itill more neglected. The minutes of the journey 

 iliew that a few gentlemen have executed very meritorious 

 works even in thefe, but as they, unfortunately for the public, 

 do not live upon any of the very extenfive bogs, the inhabi- 

 tants near the latter deny the application of their remarks. 

 Bogs are of two forts, black and red. The black bog is gene- 

 rally very good, it is folid almoft to the furface, yields many 

 aflies in burning, and generally admitted to be improveable 

 though at a heavy expence. The red fort has ufuaily a 

 reddifh fubftance five or fix feet deep from the furface, which 

 holds water like a fpunge, yields no afhes in burning, and is 

 fuppofed to be utterly irreclaimable. 



In the variety of theories which have been ftarted to account 

 Jor the formation of bogs, difficulties occur which are not ea- 

 fily folved ; yet are there many circumftances which affift in 

 tracing the caufe. Various forts of trees, fome of them of a. 

 great fize, are very generally found in them, and ufuaily at the 

 bottom, oak, fir, and yew the moft common ; the roots of thefe 

 trees are faft in the earth ; fome of the trees feem broken off, 

 others appear to be cut, but more with the marks of fire on 

 them. Under fome bogs of a confiderable depth there are yet 

 to be feen the furrows of land once ploughed. Tke black bog 

 is a folid weighty mafs which cuts almoft like butter, and upon 

 examination appears to referable rotten wood. Under the red 



bogs 



