334 M E R C R A. 



toes, milk, and herrings, with oaten bread in 

 fummer; all keep cows, not pigs, and but a few 

 poultry. They have an abfolute bellyfull of 

 potatoes, and the children eat them as plenti- 

 fully as they like. The average price of oat- 

 meal fomething lefs than id. a pound. All of 

 them have a bit of cabbages. They prefer oat 

 bread both to potatoes and to wheat bread. All 

 afford whifkey. A year's turf will coft a family 

 30s. The common people are fo amazingly ad- 

 dicted to thieving every thing they can lay their 

 hands on, that they will unfhoe the horfes in 

 the field in the barony of Liny^ they are alfo 

 lyars from their cradle, but wonderfully faga- 

 eious, cunning, and artful. 



Within 10 miles of this, in Leitrim, is :i 

 s^reat country of good coal near the furface; 

 but for want of being well worked, fells at 7s. 

 a ton : and near Ballyfodare is a lead mine, but 

 not worked with fuccefs, though very rich. As 

 to the linen manufactory, it has made fome 

 progrefsi there are 6 bleach greens in the 

 county, and there are many weavers. Spin- 

 ning isuniverfal in all the cabbins. A woman 

 will earn two-pence halfpenny at it. The rents 

 are moftly paid by yarn. 



Mr. Cooper has reclaimed, and is reclaiming 

 65 acres of bog, which is 12 fret deep, and 

 was fo wet and rotten, that no animal could go 

 on it without being fwallqwed up : much of 

 it had been fo mangled and cut in holes to get 

 turf, that the levelling in order for the plough 

 was put out at il. 10s. an acre. A great drain 



