may safely ride at all seasons. It is a trading town with 1,400 inhabitants, and is the rendezvous of fishing vessels from various countries. Yell and Unst lie to the north of the Mainland, and are next to it in size and population: The other islands are small and thinly inhabited. IRELAND. Situation and Extent.] Ireland is bounded on the E. by St. George's channel, which separates it from Great Britain, and on all other sides by the Atlantic ocean. It lies between 51° 25′ and 55° 22' N. lat. and between 5° 20′ and 10° 20′ W. lon. Its greatest length is about 300 miles, and its greatest breadth 160. The area is estimated at 32,000 square miles, or 20,480,000 acres. shape Ireland resembles a diamond, or an oblique-angled parallelogram, with its longest diameter pointing to the N. E. and S. W. In Divisions. Ireland is divided into four provinces, viz. Ulster, in the N. E.; Connaught, in the N. W.; Leinster, in the S. E. and Munster in the S. W. These provinces are subdivided into the following 32 counties, which are again divided into 3,436 parishes. Counties. 2. Londonderry. · 3. Antrim. 4. Tyrone. 6. Monaghan. 8. Down. 10. Leitrim. 11. Sligo. 12. Mayo. 14. Roscommon. 15. Louth. Counties. 20. King's county. 22. Queen's county 23. Wicklow. 24. Carlow. 25. Kilkenny. 28. Tipperary. 16. Meath. 32. Kerry. The nine first named are in Ulster, the five next in Connaught, the twelve next in Leinster, and the six last in Munster. rous. Bays and Harbors.] The coast is deeply indented, especially on the west and north, and the bays and harbors are very numeThe most important on the southern coast are Waterford and Cork harbors; on the S. W. Bantry and Dingle bays; on the W. the estuary of the Shannon, and the bay of Galway; on the N. W. Donegal bay, of which the bay of Sligo forms a part; ơn the N. are Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle. On the eastern coast there are none possessed of great natural advantages; yet from the greater improvements of the adjoining country, and the vicinity of England, there are many which are much frequented, especially the Belfast and Carlingford bays, and the harbors of Drogheda, Dublin and Wexford. Capes. The remarkable capes and headlands are Malinhead, the most northerly point of the island; Fairhead, at the N. E. extremity; Clogher head, on the eastern coast, a little N. of Drogheda; Howth head, the north point at the entrance of Dublin bay; Wicklow head, near the town of the same same; Carnsore point, at the S. E. extremity of the island; Cape Clear, on an island at the southern extremity; Mizen head, at the S. W. extremity; and Kerry head, the south point at the mouth of the Shannon. Rivers.] The Shannon is much the largest river. It rises in the N. W. part of the island, in a small lake, near the head of the bay of Sligo, and runs in a southerly direction to the centre of the island, where it turns, and runs to the S. W. till it reaches Limerick, after which its course is nearly west till it falls into the Atlantic ocean, 60 miles below that city. It is navigable nearly to Limerick for ships of the greatest burden, and for small vessels throughout its whole course; and if a canal of only four miles in length were cut from the lake in which it rises to a small river which falls into Sligo bay, it would open a navigable communication from the northern to the western coast through the centre of the island. In various parts of its course the Shannon expands into lakes of a considerable size, the principal of which are Lough Ree and Lough Derg. The other important rivers, beginning in the S. W. are the Lee, which passes by the city of Cork, and falls into Cork harbor 15 miles below; the Blackwater, which, after a course of 60 miles, falls into the sea at Youghall, near the middle of the southern coast; the Barrow, which rises about 40 miles west of Dublin, and pursuing a southerly course receives from the west the Nore and the Suire, and falls into Waterford harbor; the Slaney, a small river, the mouth of which forms Wexford harbor; the Liffy, on which the city of Dublin stands, a small river, and of no use for inland navigation, on account of the falls near its mouth, and the numerous shallows and rapids with which it abounds; the Boyne, which rises near the source of the Barrow, and flowing N. E. passes by Drogheda, and falls into the sea four miles below; the Bann, which rises near the eastern coast, a little north of Carlingford bay, and running N. W. falls into the southern side of Lough Neagh, and issuing again from the northern side of the lake, continues its course in a N. W. direction, and passing by Colerain, falls into the sea four miles below; and lastly, the Foyle, which passes by Londonderry and expands into the spacious bay called Lough Foyle. Lakes.] The lakes of Ireland are numerous, especially in the west and north. The term Lough, corresponding with the Scot tish Loch, is sometimes applied to an estuary or to an inlet of the sea, such as the Swilly, the Foyle, &c. The chief lake of fresh water is the Ern, which consists of two parts united by a short river or strait. It is 30 miles long, and 12 in its greatest breadth, and discharges itself through a river of the same name into the bay of Donegal, three miles below Ballyshannon. Lough Neagh in the N: E. is 22 miles long and 12 broad, and discharges its waters into the sea through the river Bann. The lake of Corrib is on the N. side of the bay of Galway,into which it discharges its waters through a short rocky stream. Lough Ree and Lough Derg are mere expansions of the Shannon. Lough Lane, or as it is more commonly called the lake of Killarney, is in the S. W. part of the island and discharges its waters through Lane river into Dingle bay. It is a small lake but celebrated for the beautiful and romantic scenery with which it is surrounded. Mountains. The mountainous chains of Ireland are neither numerous nor important, for though the country contains many single summits of considerable elevation, yet they are not collected into such masses as to give to Ireland the character of a mountainous country. The most considerable connected chain is the ridge of hills which passes through the island from S. W. to N. E. forming the height of land between the waters which flow east into St. George's channel and those which flow west into the Atlantic. The Irish mountains generally form short lines or detached groups, which are so dispersed through the country, that there are few places in which the prospect is not terminated by this majestic scenery, forming a back ground seldom more remote than 20 miles. On the west and south side of the lake of Killarney is one of the highest ridges in the country; Mangerton, the loftiest summit, rising to the height of 2,693 feet above the level of the There are many other single mountains in different parts of the island which exceed 2,500 feet, but there are none which reach to the height of 3,000 feet. sea. Face of the country. The face of the country is agreeably diversified with mountains,hills, plains and valleys. The most mountainous parts are near the coast, particularly towards the south and west. The hills are in general easy of ascent, and admit of culture a considerable way up their sides. The most extensive levels are about the middle of the island. The bogs of Ireland form a very remarkable feature in the face of the country. They are supposed not to be of very great antiquity, and the most probable account of their origin seems to be that they were formed out of the ruins of forests, which having been thrown down, the trees were suffered to lie on the spot,and in this position intercepting and confining streams of water with the various rubbish brought with them, they became gradually covered with a vegetation of moss, sedgy grass, rushes and various aquatic plants. These bogs are rarely level, but generally rise into hills. The reclaiming of these immense wastes has long been accounted an object of great national importance, »nd in 1809 commissioners were appointed to inquire into their extent and the practicability of draining and cultivating them. In their reports, they state that the bogs cover more than one tenth of the surface of Ireland, but that they are confined principally to the middle section of the island; it being supposed that a line drawn from Wicklow-head to Galway, and another drawn from Howthhead to Sligo would comprise between them nearly six-sevenths of all the bogs in the island. This extensive tract resembles in its form a broad belt drawn across the centre of Ireland, with its narrowest end nearest the capital, and gradually extending in breadth as it approaches the Western ocean. The commissioners were convinced that it was perfectly practicable to drain these bogs and convert the land to the purposes of tillage, and that the return from the drained land would much more than pay the expense of the undertaking. Climate] The climate does not differ essentially from that of Great Britain. The principal difference is that it is more moist, the country lying more open to the Atlantic ocean, and westerly and southwesterely winds being more prevalent. Generally speaking, the mean temperature of the north of Ireland is about 48° of Fahrenheit, of the middle 50°, and of the south 52°. Persons advanced in life complain of an unfavorable change in the climate within the last 60 or 70 years, saying that it is much severer and more uncertain than it used to be; and some facts have been stated, which appear to confirm this account. The pine tree, especially that species called the Scotch fir, formerly grew on many of the mountains, and on parts of the northern and western coasts. Vast roots and noble trunks of this species of pine have been seen and examined with attention, in situations where human industry cannot now rear a twig of the hardiest tree. Soil and Productions.] The soil is generally speaking a fertile loam, but remarkably shallow, the rocks appearing in many places on the surface, or at no great depth, even in the most flat and fertile parts. The quantity of cultivated land is greater in proportion than in England. Agriculture is in a backward state, though in many counties improvements begin to be adopted. Oats are most extensively cultivated, and form the principal food of the people. Ireland has long been celebrated for the immense quantites and excellent quality of the potatoes which it produces. Flax is chiefly raised in the northeastern counties, and wheat in the southern? Many of the southern counties also and some of the western are principally occupied with dairy farms. The principal mineral productions are coal, which occurs in various parts of the island, and iron, which is abundant and in some instances of a very superior quality. Chief towns] Dublin, the second city of the United kingdom, in point of population, stands about a mile from the west side of Dublin bay, near the mouth of the Liffy, which passes from west to east through the centre of the city, and divides it into two nearly equal parts. The bay is of a circular form, and about six miles. in diameter; but though spacious it is neither commodious not safe, particularly in winter, owing to its great exposure to the winds from the east and south-east. To remedy this defect a strong wall of hewn stone has been built, 30 feet broad and nearly five miles long, extending directly into the bay, and terminated by a handsome light-house. It was begun in 1748, and finished within 7 years. The river Liffy, from the point where it enters the bay, is embanked on both sides with a noble wall of freestone, forming a range of beautiful and spacious quays through the whole city, uninterrupted by any building whatever nearer to its sides than the breadth of a wide street, for nearly 3 miles. The river is crossed in its course through the city by six stone bridges, of which five are modern, and built in a handsome style of architecture. The old part of the city is irregularly built, but that portion erected within the last 50 years, which is the most considerable, is laid out in broad streets with spacious and beautiful squares. The houses are generally brick, and from three to five stories high. There is perhaps no city which, in proportion to its size, can boast of a greater number of magnificent buildings. Among the public edifices are the castle, which occupies the centre of the city; the Royal exchange; the Commercial buildings; the Linen hall, a vast and massy pile of buildings forming the magazine for this staple manufacture of Ireland; the custom house, a most magnificent structure, finished in 1790 at an expence of £255,000; Trinity college; and a splendid obelisk, 210 feet high, recently erected on an eminence at the west end of the city in honor of the duke of Wellington. The commerce of Dublin is, very extensive, the amount of import duties alone paid at the custom house in 1817 was £945,000, a sum nearly as great as that of all the other ports in Ireland, together. The population is 187,939. The country around the bay of Dublin rises gradually on all sides from the shore, and is covered with a vast number of villas and villages, which produce a fine effect when viewed from the metropolis; and this, together with the beauty of the bay itself, which has frequently been compared with that of Naples, the mountains in the vicinity, and the peculiarly picturesque summits of those of Wicklow in the back ground, render the whole prospect strikingly beautiful. Cork, the second city in Ireland, is 126 miles S. W. of Dublin. The principal part of the town is situated on an island formed by the river Lee, which divides into two branches a little above the town and unites again a little below it, encompassing a considerable extent of ground. The suburbs extend along the opposite banks of both branches, and are united with the rest of the town by several bridges. The public buildings are very plain in their appearance and the houses generally are far from elegant. The commerce of the town consists principally in the exportation of salted provision, butter, tallow and hides, and it is computed that 100,000 head of cattle are slaughtered and salted in a single season. Cork stands about 15 miles from the sea, and its harbor, er the Cove of Cork, nine miles below the town, has long been |