IRELAND, 
362 
That of Kilkenny, found at Caftlecomer, is defervedly 
celebrated among mineralogids as the pured which has 
yet been difcovered in any part of the globe. 
The amethyfts, found in abundance near Kerryhead, 
and in the neighbourhood of the city of Cork, are many 
of them very large, and in luftre and hue very little infe¬ 
rior to any. A rich quarry of amethyds near Cork was 
flopped up feveral years ago, and has not fmce been opened. 
Pearls are found in Lough Corrib, and in the lake of Kil- 
larney. In the Philofophical Tranfaftions, fir Robert 
Redding mentions an Irifh pearl weighing 36 carats, and 
valued at 40I. In the county of Donegal was found one 
piece of chalcedony weighing feven pounds and a half. 
The cryftals met with in Londonderry weigh from one to 
twelve ounces. The pebbles found near Dungiven in the 
fame county are extremely beautiful, and in great re- 
queft; as are alfo the Lough-Neagh pebbles. The petri- 
faftions found in that lake, and near a fmall fpring in the 
•vicinity of Doneraile, in the county of Cork, frequently 
exhibit a pleafing affemblage of colours, and bear the en¬ 
graving tool as well as cornelians. The marbles found 
in the counties of Cork, Galway, Mayo, Kilkenny, Kil¬ 
dare, Tipperary, Kerry, Longford, Weftmeath, and Wa¬ 
terford, are in general, as before oblerved, uncommonly 
beautiful. Many of them exhibit the molt elegant diver- 
fity of colours, and fome furpafs in polifh the fined mar¬ 
bles of Italy. Gypfum, fo valuable a material to the 
ornamental artift, and Hill more fo as a manure, is found 
in great abundance in the county of Antrim. The fili- 
ceous land, employed in glafs-manufaftures, is found in 
great plenty in the Muckifh mountains, in the county 
of Donegal, four miles from Sheephaven, whence it is ex¬ 
ported. The flint-Aones ufed in the Staffordlhire pot¬ 
teries, according to the evidence of Mr. Wedgewood in 
J7S5, are brought from Ireland; as is alfo the kelp ufed 
as a principal ingredient in the Englilh crown-glafs ma¬ 
nufacture. The dates of Ireland are moflly equal to the 
fined from Wales. For thofe of Mayo in particular there 
has of late years been a confiderable demand from Eng¬ 
land, to which country the ochres and manganefeof Mayo 
have alfo been exported. 
For mineral zoaters Ireland has never been famous. At 
Lucan there is a fpring more celebrated from falhion than 
for efficacy. As the country abounds in iron, chalybeate 
waters are by no means uncommon. The mod remark¬ 
able are at Ballynahinch, in the county of Galway ; at 
Ballyfpellan, not far from Kilkenny ; and at Cadleconnel, 
in the county of Limeric. Savalingbar, in the county of 
Cavan, is much frequented on account of its fulphureous 
waters: and Mallow, in the county of Cork, on account 
of a loft warm fpring, of the fame nature as the Hot 
Wells at Bridol. 
Among the natural curiojities of Ireland, the mod re¬ 
markable is the collection of bafaltic pillars near Cole¬ 
raine, known, by the appellation of the Giant’s Cauleway, 
of which a defeription will be found in vol. viii. p. 548. 
Under this head, a cave at the foot of the Galtee moun¬ 
tains, in the neighbourhood of Mitchelftown, is alfo wor¬ 
thy of notice. The entrance of this cave, formed in a 
limedone-rock, is narrow; but from a vault about one 
hundred feet long and fifty or fixty in height, it extends 
in a winding courfe of not lefs than half an Irifh mile, 
exhibiting a great variety of appearances, lbmetimes that 
of a vaulted cathedral, fupported by rnafly columns, with 
incrudalions of fpar, nearly as brilliant as the Bridol cryf¬ 
tals. Mr. Young prefers this cave to the Peak in Der- 
bylhire, and alfo confidered it fnperior to the Grand Au- 
cel, in France. 
The population of Ireland has been varioufly dated ; 
fome contending that it does not exceed three millions, 
while others, with far greater appearance of reafon, affert 
it to be above five millions. When it is confidered that 
in 1695 the number of inhabitants was little more than a 
million, this intreafe appears prodigious, and almod in¬ 
credible, In 1731, while the duke of Dorfet was lord- 
lieutenant, the enumeration prefented a general refult of 
2,010,221 foul?. The return of houfes in 1754 was 
395)4-39 > for the year 1766 it was 424,046 ; and in 179s 
it had increafed to 702,099. Mr. Arthur Young found 
the average number of inhabitants in a houl'e to be fix in 
fome parts of the province of Ulder ; the fame at Drumo- 
land in Munder; and at Kilfane it was fix and a half. 
Mr. Tighe confiders fix as the average number in the 
county of Kilkenny, while in the town of Cove, and 
county of Cork, it was found to be not lefs than nine and 
a half. The lame author afferts, that in one village he 
found the average number to be nine, in others feven and 
eight. Taking fix however as the average, this gives, in 
1729, a population of more than 4,200,000. It has been 
affumed as a fact, which might be fupported by many re- 
fpeclable documents, that fince this period the popula¬ 
tion of Ireland has experienced an annual average in- 
creafe of about 90,000 fouls, though it is alfo true that it 
differed confiderably by the ravages of the rebellion, and 
is kept down, in the north efpecially, by frequent emi¬ 
grations to the American States. Neverthelefs, Mr, 
Newenhara feems fully warranted, from thefe confider- 
ations, in edimating the population of Ireland in 1807, in 
round numbers at 5,400,000. 
Previoufly to the union with Great Britain in 1801, the 
government of Ireland was conflrufted upon the plan of 
that of England, being veded in a houfe of commons, 
and another of peers, while the king was reprefented by a 
viceroy or lord-lieutenant; but, till the year 1782, no aft 
was confidered valid till it had received the fanftion of the 
king and council of Great Britain. At prefent the form 
of government is exaftly the fame in both countries. Ire¬ 
land is reprefented in the imperial parliament by twenty- 
eight temporal and four fpiritual peers, the former of 
whom are elefted for life ; and by one hundred common¬ 
ers chofen by the counties and principal towns. A vice¬ 
regal court is dill maintained in Dublin, and the lord- 
lieutenant has a privy council to affid him, the members 
of which enjoy the fame privileges as in England. There 
is a feparate board of treafury for Ireland, and it has alfo dif- 
tinft boards for the colleftionand management of different 
branches of the revenue. The judges and the courts of law 
have the fame appellations as thofe of England ; but there 
are fome minute variations between the itatute and com¬ 
mon law of the two countries. Befides the affizes which 
are held twice a-year, there is in every county of Ireland, 
except Dublin, an inferior judge called an ajjijlant barrif- 
ter , whofe bufinefs it is to try civil caufes at lead twice 
every year, for the.more fpeedy adminidration of judice. 
The edabliflied religion and eccleiiadical conditution 
of Ireland exaftly correfpond with thofe of England. 
“ The fird preachers of C’hridianity in Ireland,” oblerves 
Dr. Beaufort, “eitablilhed a great number of biffioprics, 
which gradually coalefced into the thirty-two diocefes, 
that for feveral centuries condituted the ecclefiadical di- 
vifion of the kingdom. But, when the country became 
impoverifhed and depopulated by the perpetual feuds and 
frequent civil wars with which it was del'olated for ages, 
it was found neceffary at different periods to unite fome 
of the poored of thefe lees, in order that the bilhops might 
have a competence to fupport the dignity and hofpitality 
incumbent on their dation ; and hence it comes that there 
are only twenty-two prelates in the church of Ireland, 
twenty fees being united under ten bilhops. Thefe caufes 
having had the fame operation with refpeft to parilhes, 
the 2438 parilhes do not form quite 1200 benefices, many 
having been confolidated by the privy-council, from time 
to time, under the authority of an aft of parliament; and 
many others, though but epifcopally united, having been 
confidered as only one living time out of mind.” The 
confequence of this confideration has been that, fince the 
return of peaceful times and the great improvement of 
agriculture, the value of Irifh biffioprics and livings has 
become very confiderable, a few of the latter even exceed¬ 
ing 2000I. per annum. The didrifts comprehended in 
3 many 
