K I L 



the Kildeans, who entirely fupport tliemfelves, and pay 

 tlieir rents with thefe. The inhabitants manifell particular 

 fl<ill and courage in obtaining the firft : for as their places of 

 refort for rearing their young, for roofting, &c. are recefll-s 

 in the lofty cliffs on the coalt, it requires particular adroit- 

 nefs and courage to reach fuch ipots. A fowling party 

 confifts of four men, who are provided with a ftrong rope 

 made from thongs of raw cow-hide. One end of this is faf- 

 teued on the top of the cliff, whilfl two men defcend by 

 means of the rope to various cliffs in the rock, where they 

 fearch for eggs and young birds. Among thefe, the foland 

 goofe or gannct is deemed the moll valuable prize. 



The laird of Macleod is proprietor of this ifland, and its 

 <lependants, rocks, S:c. He fends his fteward annually to 

 i.oileft the rents, which are paid in (lieep, butter, chcefe, 

 a'.id wild-fowl. Around the ifland are feveral fmall infulated 

 rocks, which are often covered with wild-fowl. Fluors, 

 fpars, and rock cryftals are found on the north fide of the 

 ifland. This infulated fpot was certainly vilited by religious 

 perfons at a remote period. Macaulay defcribes a circular 

 arrangement of upright Hones, which he calls a Druidical 

 temple ; with other remnants of pagan worfhip and monallic 

 rites. See his Hiftory of St. Kilda, Svo. 1764. 



KILDARE, a county in the province of Leinfter, Ire- 

 land, bounded on the north by Meath, on the eaft by 

 Dublin and Wicklow, on the fouth by Carlow, and on the 

 well by the King's county and Queen's county. It ex- 

 tends from north to fouth 33 Irifh (40^ Englifh) miles, 

 and from eafl to well 21 Irifli (26^ EngUfh) miles, forming 

 an area of 242,245 plantation acres, or 369 fquare miles, 

 equal to 389,198 Engliih or llatute acres. Of thefe, there 

 are 41,035 acres of beg. The number of parifhes is Rated 

 by Dr. Beaufort to be 113 ; of which, 57 pariflics belong 

 to the fee of Dublin, and 56 to that of Kildare. From 

 unions tliere are, however, only 39 benefices, and 23 

 churches. The number of houfes flated in the return ufed 

 by Dr. Beaufort is 11,205, from which the inhabitants are 

 eiliraated at 56,000. This is a thin population for a county 

 lo near the capital, and not at all encumbered with moun- 

 tains or high hills : but belides the great proportion of bog 

 it contains, upwards of 3000 acres are occupied by the 

 Curragh ; and although this beautiful plain affords pallure to 

 an immenfe number of fheep, there are but a very few 

 habitations fcattered around its edge;. This county is 

 raoftly tlat, of fine arable foil, but much exhaulled, as, 

 from its vicinity to Dublin, it has been for centuries the 

 county from which the capital has principally drawn its 

 fupplies of grain. " In a county where one-fifth is bog,'' 

 lays Mr. Rawfon in his Survey, " much water mull lie on 

 the furface : this, of courfe, attrafts the rain from every 

 pafling cloud. It may be remarked in the fummer feafon, 

 that wliere a cloud paffes over an extenlive bog or river, it is 

 arrclled and drawn down. This caufes the county to be 

 fubjeft to more moiflure than any in Ireland; and this evil 

 mull continue until the kingdom be relieved by a general 

 drainage aft, which ihall compel floihful occupiers and pro- 

 prietors to come forward, and contribute to fuch extenlive 

 drainingp, on a great public fcale, as the le^illature may in 

 its wifd )m direft, according to the benefit to be derived by 

 Bach eflatc or property, through which fuch drains fliall be 

 pointed out." Since the preceding remarks were written, 

 au act of parliament has been paiTed, and fums of money 

 granted, for afcertaining the nature and extent of the various 

 large trails of bog in Ireland ; and the reports of the en- 

 gincers employed contain much valuable information. For 

 this tlep, preparatory to a more efl'eitive meafure, if the 

 Jegiflature Ihall be uiduccd to proceed, the country is in- 



K I L 



dehted, as for many other advantages, to the right honour- 

 able John Poller, late chancellor of the Irilh exchequer; — 3 

 gentleman who, though now often loaded with reproaches 

 from a fpirit of party, will in future times be numbered 

 amongll the greatefl benefadlors of Ireland. The county 

 of Kildare is full of fpringsand rivulets, The river Barrow 

 forms its fouth-well boundary, and receives the Grees. 

 The Liffey takes a circular courfe through the north- 

 eafl of the county, and the river Boyne rifes in the bog of 

 Allen. The Barrow is navigable from Athy, where it 

 meets the Grand Canal, which, from Dublin, palfes through 

 this county, croffing the Liffey on an aq\icdu<l bridge, and 

 foon after branches off. Near Claine is a collateral cut te 

 the Shannon. The Royal Canal alfo has been carried 

 through the northern part of the county, fo that great ad- 

 vantage is derived to the inhabitants from the cheap con- 

 veyance of their produfts to market. The principal towns 

 are Naas, the afiize town, Athy, Moualferaven, and Kil- 

 dare ; for account of which, fee the articles under the refpec- 

 tive names. As there is no borough of fufficient extent to 

 return a member to parhament, the county is reprefented 

 by the two knights of the fliire only ; whilll, before the 

 union, it had ten members. Kildare was part of the terri- 

 tory acquired by earl Strongbow, in right of his wife, Eva, 

 daughter of Dermot, king of Leiniler. From its neigh- 

 bourhood to Dublin it was early colonized, and formed part 

 of the Englifh pale, when confined to four counties. There 

 are in it the ruins of many caftles and abbeys, fome of which 

 are mentioned in otlier parts of this work. It was alfo the 

 fcene of much diflrefs during the rebellion of 1798; many 

 battles having been fought in it, and a vail number of houfes 

 deftroyed, both by the rebels, and by the military force 

 fent to fubdue them. Beaufort's Memoir. Rawfon's Sta- 

 tiftical Account. 



Kildare, a pofl-town of the county of Kildare, Ireland. 

 It is a fmall and ruinous place, but it retains fome vefligcs of 

 having been of more importance in former times. There is 

 a very fine round tower 130 feet high, and the ruins of two 

 abbeys and of its cathedral. Except %vhen there are races 

 or encampments on the Curragh, which is very near it, it 

 has no trade. It is 25 miles W.S.W. from Dubhn. 



KiLD.\UE, a bilhopric in the province of Dubhn, founded 

 about the end of the 5th century. It comprehends part 

 of three counties, -ytx. Kildare, King's county. Queen's 

 county, and contains 332,200 plantation acres, which are 

 dii'ided into Si parifhes. The crown is patron of 27, 

 the bifhop of 30, and different laymen of 24 parifhes. 

 In confequence of unions, however, there are but 3 i bene- 

 fices, and 28 churches. The bifhop has no place of refi- 

 dence in his diocefe, but being always dean of Cbriil-church, 

 Dublin, refides in or near that capital. Beaufort. 



KILDERKIN, a kind of liquid meafure, which contains 

 two firkins, or eighteen gallons, beer-meafure, and fixtcen 

 ale-meafure. 



Two kilderkins make a barrel, and four an hogfliead. 



KILDORRERY, in Gt-osra^by, a fmall polt-town of 

 the county of Cork, province ot Munller, Ireland; 107 

 miles S.W. from Dublin. 



KILDUIN, a fmall ifland in the North fca. N. lat. 69^ 

 E. long. 34 14'. 



KILDYSART, a fmall pofl-town of the county of 

 Clare, province of Munfler, Ireland, on the river Shannon ; 

 122 miles S.W. from Dublin. 



KILEF, a town of Great Bucharia, in the country of 

 Balk, on the left fide of the Gihon ; 60 miles N.W. of 

 Balk. N. lat. 37° 10'. E. long. 64'^ 30'. 



KILFIT, A fea-port town of Nubia, on the Red fea, 



with 



