Vol. V.] 
piece of ground fo eminently and beauti- 
fully fituated, as to command various de- 
lightful profpeéts. 
Hofpitality reigns throughout the city 
with as much profufion as in the reft of | 
the kingdom ; the people of fafhion can 
no wheré be found more refined and 
{plendid; the middle order too much 
(I fear) imitate their fuperiors, as to lux- 
ury of the table, cards, balls, and routs ; 
the wives and childrea of. perfons in 
bufinefs, fhop-keepers, &c. affume and 
affeét all the airs of the Jeau monde; and, 
when aman in bufinefs has accumulated 
a very few thoufand pounds, he is induced 
by the influence of this baneful example, 
and’ the additienal entreaties of his wife 
and children, to fet up his carriage, take 
a more expenfive houfe in town, a country 
lodge and demefne, and become a private 
gentleman retired from bufinefs, juft at a 
time when wifdom would fay, degz7, and 
with your prefent ftock arrive at wealth. 
The working people, and all the lower 
order, are ruined by an unceating habit of 
devouring a liquid poifon, called whiey 5 ~ 
this fpirit, which is diftilled from grain, is 
of fuch ftrength, that nine pennyworth is 
fufficient to produce intoxication, fo pre- 
valent, that to find a fober workman, or 
labourer, upon a Sunday, or Monday, is a 
rarity, nay almoft a curiofiry ; and thus is 
this ufeful clafs of fociety likely to conti- 
nue in this truly wretched and deplorable 
ftate, until the humanity of the Irifh le- 
giflature fhall condefcend to abandon a part 
of the revenue arifing from the diltillerics, 
for the prefervation of the peoples morals, 
and fubftitute a more wholefome beverage. 
England was almoft as bad in this re- 
fpeét, previous to the palfing of what is 
called the Gin Aét. 
The only public entertainment in Dub- 
lin is a badly-attended theatre, open about 
eight months in the year; and Aftley’s 
troop of equeftrians for three months ia 
the winter feafon. 
Vice has not arrived at that pitch of 
~ Tour in the Vicinity of Dublin 
547 
they muft emigrate for exiftence. A fo- 
reigner is always preferred by the Irith 
nobility. 
The Pheenix Park, belonging to the 
crown (and which takes its name from a - 
lofty pillar in white marble, of the Corin- 
thian order, with a phcenix on the top), 
Is fituated at the weftern extremity of 
Dublin, extending weftward upwards of 
three miles, and about two from north to 
fouth; in th's park is the phoenix lodge, 
which was purchafed by ‘government 
about the year 1732, for the fummer refi- 
dence of the lord lieutenants ; it is nothing 
mdse than a neat, plain, brick building, 
but the raoms are conveniently difpofed, 
one of which is a very fpaciqus faloon ; 
the offices projecting on either fide are 
Joined to the houfe on the north front by 
femicircular {weeps, and the fouth front 
commands a fine view of the adjacene 
country, and the Wicklow Mountains. 
There is annexed to this lodge about 100 
acres of this park, inclo‘ed and laid out 
in a demefne, gardens, &¢ ; adjacent ta 
this there are alfo two other houfes, pur- 
chafed by government at the fame time, 
one for the fummer refidence of the lord 
lieutenant’s chief fecretary, the other for 
the fecretary of the civil department; to 
both of thefe is alfo annexed an inclofed 
part of this park laid out with great tafte , 
and as all expences in thefe places are de- 
frayed by the public, it is not to be won- 
dered that the improvements are un- 
ceafing. 
In this park is the Salute Battery, on 
which is ereéted twenty-two pieces of 
cannon, which are fired upon all occafions 
of public rejoicing § anda little more to 
the weftward is the magazine for contain- 
ing ammunition, &c. for his majetty’s 
forces, a ftrong fortification, alivays occu- 
pied by an officer’s guard of the Royal 
Irifh artillery, and latterly confiderably 
augmented. In the eaftern part of this 
park there has been, a few years fince, 
erected a fimple, but beautiful building, 
audacity in Dublin, as in London;, a~an»tnfirmary for the foldiery, which 1s 
woinan of eafy virtue would not be fuffer- 
ed to mix with the company in the lower 
boxes of the theatre, they mutt go aloft ; 
nor is the Cyprian tribe there either pro- 
portionably numerous, or -alluring; the 
Trifh women are charaéterifticaily virtu- 
ous ; and fhould a woman in that country 
deviate from that path, fhe is fure to have 
the unremitting affiftance of many good- 
natured friends to obtain full credit. 
Genius in Ireland lays dormant ; there 
is no encouragement for the fine arts amd 
fciences ; and whenever fuch dawn there, 
moft pleafingly fituated upon an elevated 
piece of ground, and adds much to the 
“¢ tout enfemble’’ of this charnsing Spot, 
from which you have a view of the city 
and bay of Dublin. This extenfive place 
being open to the public, is much fre- 
quenced by equeltrians, as well as pedefs 
trians; and here are performed ali mili- 
tary reviews. 
In the fummer of 1788, a camp was 
formed in this park, by direétion of the 
prefent Marquis of Buckingham, who 
was then lord lieutenant of Ireland, as is 
eh 2 likewife, 
