306 IRELAND, 



miles broad. The navigation of this river is interrupted by a ridge 

 of rocks spreading quite across it, south of Killaloe ; but this might 

 be remedied by a short canal ; and communication might also be 

 made with other rivers. The Bann falls into the ocean near Cole- 

 raine ; the Boyne falls into St. George's Channel at Droheda, as does 

 the Liffey at the bay of Dublin, and is only remarkable for watering- 

 that capital, where it forms a spacious harbour. The Barrow, the 

 Nore, and the Suir, water the south part of the kingdom, and, after 

 uniting their streams below Ross, fall into the channel at Waterford 

 haven. 



Bays and harbours. ...But the bays, havens, harbours, and creeks, 

 which everywhere indent the coast, form the chief glory of Ireland, 

 and render that country, beyond any country in Europe, best fitted for 

 foreign commerce. The most considerable are those of Carrickfer- 

 gus, Stangford, Dundrum, Carlingford, Dundalk, Dublin, Waterford, 

 Dungarvan, Cork, Kinsale, Baltimore, Glandore, Dunmanus, Bantry, 

 Kenmare^ Dingle, Shannonmouth, Galway,Sligo, Donegal, Killebegs, 

 Lough-Swilly, and Lough-Foyle. 



Canals. ...The improvements of inland navigation Jiave not been 

 unattended to in Ireland. By the canal of Newiy a communication 

 is formed between the great lake Neagh and p*& hay of Carlingford, 

 and by that of Lisburn a navigation is opeiW between the same lake 

 and the bay of Carrickfergus. Two g^eat canals called the Royal 

 Canal and the Grand Canal, have be^- planned and begun at Dublin, 

 on opposite sides of the river Li^ey. They were intended to form 

 a navigation across the island, from the bay of Dublin to the Shannon. 

 The latter has been carried above forty miles to the river Barrow, 

 while a branch proceeds in another direction towards the Shannon; 

 but the former was stopped at the bog of Allen, and has long remain- 

 ed unfinished. 



Metals and minerals. ...Ireland contains mines of iron, copper, 

 lead, silver, and gold. The latter has been discovered within these 

 few years, in the county of Wicklow. It is now worked for govern- 

 ment, and it is said that a new and very rich vein has been lately dis- 

 covered. The silver and lead mine in the county of Antrim yields a 

 pound of pure silver from thirty pounds of lead. There are also sil- 

 ver mines, though not equally productive, in the counties of Sligo 

 and Limerick. There is a rich mine of copper at a place called 

 Crone Bawn in the county of Wicklow, and another at Redhills in the 

 county of Kildare. Extensive iron-works have been established with- 

 in these few years, at Arigna, in the county of Leitrim. 



Some of the Irish marble quarries contain a kind of porphyry, 

 which is red striped with white. Quarries of fine slate are found in" 

 most of the counties. Mines of ccfal are found in many parts of Ire- 

 land, particularly near Castlecomer in the county of Kilkenny ; the 

 coal from which being- of a hard sort, and proper for the forging of 

 iron, is conveyed, even by land carriage, to very distant parts of the 

 island. 



Climate, soil, and agriculture. ...The climate of Ireland differs 

 n%t much from that of England, excepting that it is more moist, the 

 seasons in general being much wetter. From the reports of various 

 registers, it appears that the number of days on which rain had fallen 

 in Ireland was much greater than in the same years in England. But, 

 in many respects, the climate of Ireland is more agreeable than that 

 of England; the summers being cooler, and the winters less severe 



