tfo M O N I V A. 



The caftle of Moniva, now part of my dwel- 

 ling-houfe, is very ancient, and was built for a 

 place of defence ; it ftands upon a dry gravelly 

 foil, which, like a peninfula of five acres, run 

 between two very high, red, deep, wet bogs, 

 impaffable for any bead of burden, very diffi- 

 cult even for men to pafs. The bog, on the 

 north fide, contained above 1 3 acres ; the other, 

 on the foutb, is of a great extent. The. eaft 

 fide of the caftle was defended by a deep wind- 

 ing river, a few perch beyond which was a large 

 extent of extreme wet red impaffable bog, fo 

 high as to prevent, from the lower rooms of my 

 houfe, a view of the country beyond it, and of 

 a great part of an high ifland of land of about 

 15 acres, which lay towards the middle of the 

 bog. A large old wood, which ftands on in 

 acres, in a femicircular form, partly round a 

 lawn of 70 acres, upon a gentle rifing dry 

 ground, defended the weft of the caftle. The 

 river, on every heavy rain, overflowed to the 

 verges of the bogs, and very near to the caftle. 

 That I may not affume too much of the follow- 

 ing improvements to myfelf, I muff, let you 

 know, that my father formed a fcheme to turn 

 the courfe of the river through the great eaft 

 bog, which was from 26 to 28 feet above its le- 

 vel, and made a confiderable drain through the 

 bog for the purpofe. He alfo m^de a deep 

 mearing drain, near a mile in length fr m the 

 river, through the large fouth bog, and divid- 

 ed about 90 acres thereof, by crofs wide and 

 deep drains, into 5 divifions, and by two drains 



through 



