218 



CORK. 



Carle. 



Climate. 



neighbourhood of Bantry Bay, are said to possess so 

 much of the romantic, the pleasing, and the sublime, 

 as to rival Killarney itself, which is usually and justly 

 celebrated as one of the finest spots in the united em- 

 pire. Mr Wakefield recommends this part of Ireland, 

 in the language of enthusiasm, to the attention of eve- 

 ry one -who seeks for nature in her most favoured re- 

 treats. 

 Water-fall. At Hungry-hill, not far from Ross-Mac-Owen, there 

 is one of the finest water-falls in Europe. Hungry- 

 hill is a high, rocky, and almost perpendicular moun- 

 tain, not less than 2000 feet above the level of the sea, 

 on the top of which a large lake is collected from seve- 

 ral small rivulets and springs. The water falls from 

 that height in a sheet at least thirty feet broad, which 

 grows wider as it descends. When half-way down, 

 it dashes on a projecting rock, raising a mist which 

 covers almost a third part of the hill, and which, 

 in certain circumstances, exhibits the phenomena of 

 the rainbow. It afterwards falls from rock to rock, 

 till it has passed the more rugged declivities of the 

 mountain ; and before it reaches the ocean, it falls 

 over a lower hill, in the form of a beautiful arched cas- 

 cade. There being very little water here during the 

 summer months, this fall is seen to most advantage in 

 winter and in rainy seasons. 



The climate of this county is mild and favourable. 

 It is exempted from the extremes of heat and cold. 

 Cattle, in general, are never housed, even on the moun- 

 tains, and yet thrive well. Geraniums, myrtles, and 

 exotics of every kind, may remain out of doors the 

 whole year, without suffering injury, provided they be 

 placed in a southern aspect, and screened from the cold 

 northerly and easterly winds by some bank or rock. 

 In more sheltered situations, the deciduous trees are 

 stripped of their foliage only for a very short time. 

 Wet weather is prevalent in the south-west parts of the 

 county. But as the sub-stratum of the soil is in gene- 

 ral dry, the moisture is seldom more than sufficient to 

 carry on the vegetation. From a regular diary of the 

 weather, kept for several years in the city of Cork, it 

 appears that the wind blows from the south to the 

 north-west, at least three-fourths of the year. In the 

 course of thirteen years, the barometer had ascended 

 once to 30.4. inches, and in that time its lowest height 

 was 28.2. The average quantity of rain, which fell 

 from the year 1738 to the year 1748 inclusive, was 

 38.26 inches. The mean temperature in different parts 

 of the city, in 1788, was from 52° 5' to 53° 5', which 

 was about 2° higher than it was in Dublin during the 

 same year, and about 4° higher than in Londonderry. 

 The mean temperature, in that year, of the coast to the 

 south of the city of Cork, as observed by means of 

 deep covered wells, in limestone and other soils, was 

 51° 2'. Mr Wakefield Avas at Glengariff, west of Ban- 

 try, in the last week of October 1 808, and, at that late 

 season, he found the temperature as mild as it is in 

 England in the first week of June. 



On the agricultural state of Cork much praise can- 

 not be bestowed. It enjoys many advantages, both of 

 soil and climate, and maritime situation ; but these are 

 sadly counteracted by other circumstances of a most 

 unfavourable kind. Independently of that general de- 

 pression under which the people labour, and which 

 must always be hostile to improvement of every kind, 

 there is here a very imperfect system of husbandry, im- 

 mediately proceeding, no doubt, from the want of skill 

 and capital on the part of the farmers, but as certain- 

 ty perpetuated by a want of that exertion and liberals 



Agricul- 

 ture. 



ty which, in such a case, should be displayed on the Cork. 

 part of the landholders. The evil must be traced, also, s " 

 in a great measure, to the practice so prevalent in Ire- 

 land, of the great proprietors going to distant places 

 to spend their time and fortune; thus withdrawing 

 that personal influence which might be so useful at 

 home, where it is so much needed, and leaving their 

 tenants to be oppressed, and their estates to be misma- 

 naged in their absence. From this injurious treatment, 

 Cork is by no means exempted, though, at the same 

 time, it must be observed, that in few counties are 

 there to be found such a proportion of respectable resi- 

 dents. Amidst all these discouragements, however, 

 the agriculture of this county has made considerable 

 progress in some districts ; it is still advancing, though 

 by very slow degrees; and were the obstructions and 

 difficulties, with which it has still to struggle, effec- 

 tually removed, there are few places where it could 

 proceed with a more rapid pace, or with more certain 

 success. A Farmer's Society has been established at 

 Cork, and gives premiums for the best ploughs, oxen, 

 pigs, &c. 



The county is in general hilly. Very little of it can Aspect; 

 with propriety be called fiat, and the whole of the 

 south-west part is formed by a ridge of mountains, 

 which rises to a considerable height, and extends into 

 the sea. Most of its western side is rough and uneven, 

 but not so much so as to prevent it from being subject- 

 ed to the plough. It contains great tracts of poor and Soil* 

 ban-en land, particularly in the b;;rony of Ban and 

 Bantry, and in the western parts of Carbery and Mus- 

 kerry, in which the Sheely mountains are situated. 

 A great proportion of the mountainous land is ei- 

 ther naturally so wretched in soil, or has been so little 

 attended to, where it is susceptible of improvement, 

 that it is not, in fact, worth threepence an acre. And 

 even the flat hills, which are situated at a distance from 

 towns, bring a very low rent. Those, indeed, which 

 are in the neighbourhood of large towns, are more va- 

 luable. Some of them are cultivated almost to the 

 summit, and are tolerably productive. But they form 

 only a small proportion of the whole, one part of which 

 is absolutely sterile, and the other almost wholly ne- 

 glected. At the same time, there are not wanting in- 

 dividuals, who have done much to bring the latter in- 

 to as productive a state as possible. Of these attempts, 

 a gratifying account is given by Mr ToAvnsend. The 

 good land in this county, however, predominates ; and 

 while, in many places, its quality is excellent, in some 

 also it has been brought to a high pitch of cultivation. 

 This is to be seen especially in the vicinity of the Black- 

 water, and in the barony of Innskilly. The south-west 

 and northern parts have been much neglected ; they are 

 however very capable of improvement. In the southern Crops, 

 districts a great quantity of different kinds of grain is 

 produced on the whole ; though the individual quanti- 

 ties are small, in consequence of the land being much 

 divided. In Donneraile, and other places, a considera- 

 ble quantity of wheat is raised, but the crops are sel- 

 dom or never abundant. Indeed Mr Townsend, in his 

 Survey, makes this general remark, that the acreable 

 wheat produce of the county is not great. To the south 

 of Cork city this grain forms a regular part of the rota- 

 tion of crops — a circumstance by no means common, 

 and which was introduced there by the failure of the 

 potatoe crop in 1800. Barley is cultivated nearly in the 

 same proportion as wheat, each occupying the land oc- 

 casionally as the farmer happens to be influenced by the 

 respective price of each. The demand for this grain 



