546 
“a Play-boufe, pleafe your honour,” 
meaning a theatre; it would, perhaps, be 
unfair to cali all this either madne({s or 
folly, but fomething hke one or the 
other, or beth, it certainly moft firongly 
refembles. eae 
The city of Dublin has been highly 
improved within the laft two years, by the 
completion of avery great undertaking, 
namely, docks of great magnitude, now 
finifhed by the company of undertakers 
of the grand canal. The favo, or rather 
one great floating-dock (there being -no 
lock dividing them), the only divifion 
being a drawbridge of a peculiarly light, ~ 
yet durable confiruétion, is capable of 
containing 800 fail of merchant-fhips, and 
give fufficient {pace for each to carry on 
their trade with ample room; there are 
befides attached to this dock, three grav- 
ing docks for building or repairing fhip- 
ping; the dimenfions of the largeft 1s 180 
feet long by fixty feet wide ; and they ap- 
pear to me to be built upon the fame im- 
proved confiruétion as that of the great 
dock at Portfmouth, which I remember 
to have feen in the year 1795, a little 
after it was finifhed. ‘The walls which 
—inclofe, or, in other words, the embank- 
ments of thefe decks, are built in the 
moft perfeét and durable manner, and 
refle€&t. infnite honour upon the fpirit of 
the Grand Canal Company of Dublin. 
This inland navigation is now fo far com- 
pleted, as to form a perfect water ear- 
Yiage from St. George’s Channel, or the 
‘Jrith Sea, at the eaftern fide of Dublin, 
into the river Shannen, which empties 
itfelf into the Atlantic Ocean, at the 
weftern fide of Ireland, and thus com- 
pletely interfedts the whole kingdom 
through its centre. 
Thefe docks were, upon the 23d of 
April, 1796 (being St. George’s day), 
opened with much pomp and ceremony, in 
the prefence of his exceilency Earl Cam- 
den, the prefent.Lord Lieutenant of Ire- 
Jand, the Countefs Camden, and a vaft 
concourfe of nobility, and others; his 
Majefty’s yacht, the Dorfet, commanded 
by fir Alexander Scombergh, firft entered, 
with all her colours flying, difplaying the 
royal ftandard, and firing a royal falute of 
twenty-one guns ; all the revenue cutters 
then in Dublin doing the fame, as they 
fellowed in fucceffion according to rank. 
The Earl and Countefs of Camden, with 
their fuite, then went round the great 
floating dock, as well as into each of the 
Jocks (which were then, in form, named 
after Lord and Lady Camden), by which 
¢ 
Tout in the Vicinity of Dublin. 
[ Sup. 
it is Joined to the fea, and alfo into each of 
the graving docks, in a very elegant 
barge ; after which his excellency con- 
ferred the honour of knighthood upon the 
chairman of: the Grand Canal Company, 
Mr. Macartney (vow Sir.John), an emi- 
nent attorney of Dublin. 
The ‘ Pont enfemble’ of the city of 
Dublin had been, for the laft ten years, 
in a daily habit of improvement, but 
feems to have received a check within the 
Jaft two years, from the aweful hand of 
terrific folemnity, which feems to be ele- 
vated and fufpended for the purpole of . 
ftriking fome decided blow, more wondere_ 
fui, if poffible, than is daily occurring in 
the European world. | 
The general appearance of the city of- 
Dublin ¢<which is about two miles and a 
half long, and one and a half broad) is ex- 
tremely beautiful, from the number of 
public buildings, &c.; the priuzcipal ftreets 
are well paved and lighted, and the flag- 
ged way at either fide, with fome excep- 
tions, broad and tolerably clean, which 
is a difficult matter to preferve, from the 
almoft continual wetnefs of the climate ; 
but the z#ferior ftreets are equally filthy 
and diabolical. The places of that city 
which form fquares, are St. Stephen’s 
Green, in the centre of which is an 
equeftrian fiatue of George the. Second, 
finely executed in copper, and elevated 
upon a large pedeftal; the ground in this 
{quare, being one mile in circumference, 
is occupied by cattle grazing in the winter 
featon, and laid down as. meadow in the 
fummer, the produce of which belongs to 
the lord mayor of Dublin, for the ume 
being. This fquare might be made much 
more beautiful, by being inclofed with 
iron railing, which is now only by an 
ugly and uneven parapet wall, ; 
Merrion-fquare, delightfully fituated, 
moft of the houfes having a view of Dublin 
Bay and Wicklow Mountains; the centre 
is inclofed by an.iron palifado, ereéted 
upon a handfome cut-fione plinth and 
hafe, and a neat fhrubbery running round 
the whole, immediately withinfide the 
railing ; the houfes are all of a very large 
fize, much uniformity has been preferved 
in building them, and the appearance 
altogether is highly improved by the rear 
of Leinfter-houfe, and lawn, forming the 
welt fide of this fquare. 
Rutland-{quare already defcribed, from 
its lofty trees and handfome walks, fituated 
upon the declivity of a hill, adds much 
to the beauty of Dublin ; and Mountjoy- 
{quare, not yet finifhed, but began upon a 
piece 
