Great Population of Ireland. 109 



side which every farmer has a small patch of 

 flax. The care of both these crops fall entirely 

 on the women, who generally perform their 

 task very creditably to themselves, and advan- 

 tageously to their families. 



Giraldus Cambrensis, in 1185, represents Ire- 

 land as without roads, and almost uninhabited. 

 Sir William Petty, so late as 1641, did not sup- 

 pose Ireland to contain more than three hundred 

 thousand inhabitants : what a contrast to the 

 population at this day, which is considered as 

 amounting to nearly six millions of souls ! In 

 some places the numbers of people are astonish- 

 ing ; and in many districts, I am persuaded, an 

 inhabitant would be found for every acre : the 

 quantity of land applied to the growth of pota- 

 toes forms a tolerably good rule by which the 

 local population may be calculated. The wages 

 per day, for the men, are from eightpence to 

 tenpence women, sevenpence to tenpence ; 

 but during the time of harvest, these prices are 

 doubled ; and while they are employed in cut- 

 ting the grain, it is customary to give food also 

 to the laborers. 



The average produce of wheat, per Irish acre, 

 is estimated at twenty-six Winchester bushels 

 barley, thirty-five bushels oats, twenty-five 

 4 



