312 IRELAND, 



noble. The houses are elegant, lofty, and uniformly built, and a 

 gravel-walk runs through the whole at an equal distance from the 

 sides. 



The river Liffey, though navigable for sea vessels as far as the 

 customhouse, or centre of the city, is but small, when compared with 

 the Thames at London. It is crossed by six bridges, three of which, 

 Essex-bridge, Queen's-bridge, and Sarah's-bridge, are elegant, espe- 

 cially the last, which has been finished but a few years. It consists 

 of one arch, 106 feet in the span or width across the stream, and 28 

 feet high. 



Many of the public edifices of Dublin are very magnificent ; among 

 which may be enumerated the late parliament-house, the university, 

 the courts of justice, the custom-house, the royal exchange, complet- 

 ed in 1779, and which is an elegant structure of white stone, with 

 semicolumns of the Corinthian order, a cupola, and other ornaments. 

 The castle, which is the residence of the viceroy stands on a rising 

 ground, near the centre of the city, and consists of two courts, one 

 of which is of an oblong rectangular form, the other a less regularly 

 shaped quadrilateral. 



St. Stephen's-green is a very spacious and beautiful square, round 

 which there is a gravel walk, a mile in circuit. Many of the houses 

 in this square are very elegant ; but a want of uniformity is observa- 

 ble throughout. In this respect it is greatly exceeded by the new 

 square near it, called Merrion-square ; the houses of which being 

 lofty and uniform, and built wuh stone as high as the first floor, give 

 the whole an air of magnificence, not, perhaps, exceeded by any place 

 in England. 



The civil government of Dublin is by a lord-mayor, 8cc. the same' 

 as in London. Every third year, the lord-mayor, and the twenty-four 

 companies, by virtue of an old charter, are obliged to perambulate 

 the city and its liberties, which they call Riding the Franchises. 

 Upon this occasion the citizens vie with each other in show and 

 ostentation, which is sometimes productive of disagreeable conse- 

 quences to many of their families. In Dublin there are twenty 

 parishes, a cathedral, eighteen parish churches, eight chapels, three 

 churches for French, and one for Dutch protestants, seven presby- 

 terian meeting houses, two for methodists, two for quakers, and six- 

 teen Roman-catholic chapels. There are also two theatres ; a royal 

 hospital like that at Chelsea, for invalids ; a lying-in hospital, with 

 gardens, built and laid out in the finest taste ; an hospital for lunatics, 

 founded by the famous dean Swift, who himself died a lunatic ; and 

 sundry other hospitals for patients of every description. Some of 

 the churches have been lately rebuilt in a more elegant manner. 

 Indeed, whatever way a stranger turns himself in this city, he will 

 perceive a spirit of elegance and magnificence ; and if he extends 

 his view over the whole kingdom, will be convinced that works of 

 ornament and public utility are no where more encouraged than in 

 Ireland. 



Cork is deservedly reckoned the second city in Ireland, in magni- 

 tude, riches, and commerce. It lies 129 miles south-west of Dublin, 

 and contains 8500 houses, and about 70,000 inhabitants. Its haven is 

 deep, and well sheltered from all winds ; but small vessels only can 

 come up to the city, which stands about seven miles up the river Lee. 

 This is the chief port of merchants in the kingdom ; and there is, per- 

 haps, more beef, tallow, and butter shipped off here, than in all the 



