646 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



given leases and were accompanied by a clergyman of their own persu- 

 asion ; the only original inhabitants obtaining leases were the Cormicks. 

 This colony does not appear to have made any extensive change in the 

 composition of the population, as the settlers after a time ceased to be 

 agriculturists to any extent, and took tbe natives of the district on to 

 their lands as tenants. A curious petition to Sir Henry Bingham, 

 Governor of Connaught, in reference to the revenge taken on these 

 settlers by the natives, shows the names of those in the district in the 

 reign of Queen Anne, and of these but two now remain, all the rest 

 having disappeared, a fate which is ascribed by Mr. Knight to the 

 habits of extravagance induced by the nature of their life. Sir Arthur 

 Shaen began the canal across the neck of the Mullet, but soon aband- 

 oned the project, which was not revived until after the foundation of 

 the town of Belmullet. Sir Arthur's two daughters, he had no sons, 

 married, one Henry Boyle Carter of Castlemartin, county Kildare, and 

 the other John Bingham Esq., IS^ewbrook, county Mayo, and the 

 property was divided between these two. 



In the year 1793 a fight took place in the Mullet between the 

 local yeomanry and the people of the district, in which thirty-six of the 

 latter were slain. The origin of the fight was the opposition to the 

 enrolment of the militia, then causing a great stir in the west of 

 Ireland. Major Bingham having come to reside in the Mullet in 1796 

 built Bingham Castle at Eley, and began to make some roads and 

 reclaim some of the land. The first road into the district was made in 

 1823, and about the same period Major Bingham founded the town in 

 the Mullet known as Binghamstown, which at fii'st was fairly prosper- 

 ous and had at one time a population of 673. 



In 1823 the first vehicle entered the Mullet, and in 1824 Mr. W. H. 

 Carter founded the town of Belmullet at the neck of the peninsula. 

 This town being more favourably situated, has completely destroyed 

 its rival Binghamstown, which, though once containing some fine 

 buildings, is now in ruins, and contains only about a dozen inhabited 

 houses. From the time of the establishment of Belmullet and the con- 

 struction of good roads into the districts, the condition of the people has 

 shown steady improvement, though it is still extremely primitive and 

 poverty-stricken. 



VIII. CONCLTJDING EeMAEKS. 



This report being, like its two predecessors, a record of available 

 facts, as found, in order to form a basis for comparison between dif- 

 ferent parts of the country, all advocacy of personal theories or opinions 



