530 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



east and north-east gales, from drifting and blocking up the quay 

 and entrance to the works. Through the fine joints of the 

 timbers in this barricade a minute silicious sand drifted, and this 

 has been found to be highly valuable for use with the saws of the 

 marble and other stone-cutters, it being sent to Dublin for these 

 purposes. Ireland seems to be remarkably deficient in " sharp- 

 sand " suitable for stone-cutting, most of it being imported. Here, 

 therefore, there appears to be a suggestion as to the introduction 

 of a new industry; for in different places along these Arklow 

 iEolian sands, or on the other accumulations of silicious sand along 

 the south-east coast, similar barricades to that at Arklow might be 

 erected, and the fine sand drifted through them sent into the 

 market to meet the present deficiency. 



Gtlass. — As to the former Glass trade, we have the records of when 

 it was established ; but in most cases it is impossible now to find 

 out where the sand came from. In some cases, however, we know 

 that Irish sands were used. As glass beads are common as Irish 

 antiquities, they seem to suggest that in old times our sands, in- 

 different places, were used in the manufacture of glass. 



In different cases, as will be hereafter seen, the qualifications 

 of a stone is a vexed question ; as what one authority approves, 

 another disapproves. Where the opinions are conflicting, the 

 names of the authorities are given. In many cases this disagree- 

 ment may be more apparent than real, as in most quarries there 

 are different classes of stone — one sent to one market, another to 

 another — so that the opinions expressed, although apparently in 

 reference to one and the same stone, may not be so. Also, in 

 some of the quarries all the good stone, once in good repute, may 

 be now exhausted. Fifty years ago all the builders knew the 

 " Slush stone," Co. Fermanagh ; while if you ask the men of the 

 present day their opinion of it, probably they never heard of it, 

 its day having long since passed away, as the good stone in it 

 has now become too expensive to work on account of the "off 

 baring," 



Necessarily, in a Paper of this kind, some of the statements 

 may require modification, or other correction ; while there may be 

 quarries left out of the lists that ought to have been mentioned. 

 Such omission, however, will, as far as possible, be corrected 

 hereafter in an Appendix. 



