346 
down furnifhes a fupply of fuel to the 
furrounding cottagers; who, on thefé 
occafions, plant themfelves on the banks 
_of the river, with hooks in their hands, 
mounted upon long poles, and fith for the 
logs as they are {wept along. Iam cre- 
dibly informed that, by means of thefe 
heavy floods, and the icicle froft, of 
which Tam to fpeak hereafter, this fpecies 
* OF log-fifhing has ‘béen fo profitable to | 
the poorer people of the town of Hay, 
that there aré ‘few of them who are not 
by this refource fupplied with a fufficient 
quantity of fuel for the confumption of 
the whole winter. At the fame time, 
wherever the inundation has room to 
{pread, a ‘more permanent advantage is 
difpenféd to the country at large: a cheap 
and invaluable manure is fpread over the 
meadows; and encreafinge fertility is the 
--confequence. This advantage, however; 
1s not without its alloy. Inftead of a 
coat of manure, a thick ftratum of peb- 
bles and ‘coarfe gravel is fometimes 
thrown up by the torrent; and I am in- 
formed, that fome meadows belonging 
to a farmer in Herefordfhire, have been 
very materially injured in this manner 
during the prefent winter. Circum- 
% ° . 3 = ee 
ftances' of this ‘kind however are raré; 
but the manuring is univerfal; and in 
this country, at leaft, where our low lands 
are almoft uniformly converted ito pa- 
Sture, inundations are always favourable 
to the farmer. Nor are our high lands 
without their fhare of the benefit: for 
the practice of flooding is generally 
adopted amoneft us, and there is {carcely 
2 hill but what, in a wet feafon, may 
have its verrows (or fluices) opened 
‘almof to the very fummit, and be fed 
by the fertilizing ftream. 
Lhyfwen, March 2. 
(To be continued.) 
AGE, 
ee a 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
A Tour from LONDON fo DUBLIN and | 
fome others PARTS of IRELAND} wiz. 
the COUNTIES of KILDARE and 
WICKLOW, made in the SUMMER of 
1797. Be F ae 
(Continued from Fanuary 1798, page 19-) 
FHNBE next public building, which I 
fhall mention, is the cuftom-houfe 
ot Dublin, an edifice of moft’ excellent 
external appearance, and fuch as deems, 
extremely well calealated to anfwer as an 
emblem’ of the firft- commercial city in 
the univerfe ;\ but alas! unhappy Ireland; 
the mol fuperhcial traveller. mto your 
Four in F-afnants 
ifland, muft perceive that this is a- 
mockery. ‘This building has four hand- 
fome fronts, all differing a little from each 
other; the fouth, next the river Liffey, 
is of Portland ftone, in the centre of 
which is ereéted a cupola, of very beau 
tiful archite&ture, terminating upon the 
top by a finely fculptured figure of com- 
merce Jeaning upon-her bales and her an- 
chor. Every fpectator and reader mult 
agree with me, that this is the moft fu- 
perlative job that ever was jobbed, when 
I relate that this edifice, whofe ufe, in- 
‘tent and meaning, fhould be a place, or 
houfe for the colle&tion of taxes, coft 
above half a million of money: and that 
more than one half of this building is for 
no other purpofe than the refidence of the: 
firft and fecond commiffioners of cuftoms, 
and the two fecretaries in that depart- 
ment; all of whofe apartments have been 
not only built, but furnifhed in the moft 
expenfive manner: fuch as mahogany 
doors, large plates of looking glafs, &c. 
&c. and in fhort, the whole plucked from 
the public purfe with an audacious) and’ 
infulting prodigality; and, monftrous as 
thefe truths.muft appear, it is no Ilefs 
monftrous ‘than true, that, im order to 
gratify the inflated ambition of thofe 
jobbers, many of the offices.in this build- 
ing, neceflary for public utility and con- 
venience, are fo cramped, crowded, and 
darkenéd, that one in particular, viz. the 
ftationary-office, a place filled with paper, 
&c: has not a gleam of day-light at any 
time beaming in upon: it, but is lighted 
all the day by a number of burning oil © 
lamps: ‘like a true Iri/b bull, where there 
is moft apprehenfion from fire, or candle- 
light, it is moft to be found. Decent 
ecorum fhould not have expended, at 
the utmoft, more than 50,000]. for the 
building of a cuftom-houfe.at Dublin, at 
a time when more than half a million was 
lavifhed ; and fuch.a cuftom-houfe, &c. 
&c. as 50,000]. could. ereé&t, would be 
more than adequate to any commerce 
Dublin can hope to experience, or enjoy, 
fora century to come. ‘There are many 
more abufes attendant upon this wafte of 
public money, which I might animadvert 
upon, but this is foreien from my purpofe. 
There is now juft finifhed, another ele- 
gant, and, I may fay, a well-conftructed 
pile, which contains the courts of public 
juftice, or, as has been long the phrafe in 
Dublin, and not improperly, the FOUR 
COURTS; as the building contains the 
courts of chancery, king’s bench, \com~ 
mon pleas, and: exchequer, all opening» 
into.a moft beautitul circular-hall, richly < 
| “o>. decorates 
a 
