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STATE AGEICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 
and Cheviots. Hills, indeed ! Mountains now—the Mourne, highest, I believe, 
in Ireland. * * County of Louth. Gradually the mountains dimin¬ 
ish in size—hills—undulations—and, finally, a great level country again. 
Drogheda is announced ! Not a very euphoneous name, surely, but a place of 
some historic note, as being the point, where, in the 17th century, the English 
troops were generally concentrated upon the insurgents of Leinster and Ul¬ 
ster , as having been stormed and carried with great slaughter by Cromwell, 
in 1649, and as being the place where the great German General, Schombcrg, 
leader of the troops of King Williaift III of England, fell. 
The Drogheda of to-day is a flourishing town of some 17,000 inhabitants, 
with quite extensive cotton and linen factories, tanneries, etc., and consid¬ 
erable commerce with Liverpool and other points on the English and Irish 
coasts. * * * * * * 
Dublin! chief city of Ireland, and once its proud capital, where sat the 
Irish parliament and made laws for a free people; now, fourth city of the 
British realm. Population about 300,000. Built on both sides of the Liffey, 
and on a level plain, at first it’ reminds me of Chicago, albeit a second look 
to the westward, finds a range of magnificent hills for a background—an im¬ 
portant feature, in which the Chicago landscape is painfully deficient. Here 
I must spend three or four days, visiting the museums, literary, scientific and 
industrial institutions, and especially the noted agricultural school at Glas- 
nevin, near by. * * * * * * 
The new portion of the city—that which lies on the north side—is really 
very handsome for the most past; including several beautiful streets and 
elegant buildings. The Custom House and the Post-Office are especially fine. 
The view along the quay, and of the business portions of the city generally, 
as seen from the magnificent bridge that spans the Liffey, on Sackbutt 
street, is very fine. Looking eastward you have the Custom House, the 
whole range of shipping along the river and in the mouth of the harbor. On 
the north is an interesting view of the Post-Office and the hundreds of ele¬ 
gant shops that line the avenue, with the pleasing suburbs beyond. On the 
south are also fine shops, relieved by the old Houses of Parliament and 
Trinity College. While to the westward, beyond all the shipping and ware¬ 
houses, factories and depot, the great park, with the fine Wellington obelisk 
crowning its commanding summit. Another interesting and peculiar feature 
of Dublin is a circular avenue of some nine miles circuit, extending around 
the outskirts of the city, passing the Botanical Gardens and many beautiful 
suburban mansions. A charming drive on a pleasant summer’s evening. 
********* 
The Agricultural School at Glasnevin has interested me much ; being both 
better and not so good as I had been led to anticipate. Instruction fair and 
practical; farm pretty well managed. ******* 
Trinity College, though formerly religiously exclusive, has, of late become 
more liberal, admitting a few Catholics. Edifice Corinthian in its architec¬ 
ture and rather imposing. Library large and valuable. Number of students, 
some 2000. There are numerous other colleges here, both Protestant and 
Catholic. Of the extraordinary array of industrial, scientiffic aud literary 
societies which, with its colleges, make Dublin one of the first great learned 
centres of the world, none have interested me more than the Royal Dub¬ 
lin Society ; which, besides having extensive museums of agriculture and of 
natural history, a botanical garden, a library of over 30,000 volumes, a galle¬ 
ry and school of art, frequented by some 6000 students, had, also, courses of 
free lectures on science, art, industry, etc., attended by twenty to thirty 
thousand persons, annually. 
A Museum of Irish Industry has been recently formed, with a government 
school of science applied to mining and the other practical arts. It provides 
also a course of lectures which have been attended by five to ten thousand 
persons in one year. 
To the American Consul, whose acquaintance I had previously made at 
London, I am indebted for many courtesies, which it will be pleasant long 
to remember. * * * */* * * * * * 
