108 BARGIE AND FORTH. 



in it that took any plsafure in hufbandry: he 

 named feveral, and from his accounts I deter- 

 mined a call on Mr. Nun, at St. Margaret's. 



July 1 2th, fallied from my inn, which would 

 have made a very paiTable caffle of enchant- 

 ment in the eyes of Don Quixote, in fearch of 

 adventures in thefe noted baronies, of which 

 I had heard Co much. They were completely 

 peopled by Strongbow ; and from having re- 

 tained a fort of Saxon language peculiar to 

 themfe Ives, without any of them undemand- 

 ing the Irifh, in all probability the country 

 was at that time uninhabited or defolated. I 

 had been told that they were infinitely more 

 induftrious and better farmers than in any 

 other part of Ireland, and this account was 

 confirmed to me by feveral common Irifh far- 

 mers I met with upon the road. — It was not 

 long before I was in the barony of Bargie, 

 and I was much furprifed to fee no great ap- 

 pearance of any thing better than common. In 

 one refpect, I remarked the vileft hufbandry, 

 w T hich was exhaufting the land by fuccefTive 

 corn crops, and then leaving it to cover itfelf 

 with weeds, and grafs by degrees : for it is to 

 be obferved, that I have not feen, in Wex- 

 ford, anv of that fine land I have mentioned fo 

 often, which, if thrown by in this manner, is 

 almof! immediately covered with white clover. 

 Land, I found, let five or fix miles from Tagh- 

 mon, from ios. to 20s. an acre; they have no 

 fallow, but fow oats and barley, and beans 

 and peafe, (which they call black corn] in fuc- 



cefTioa 



