ment;" for every shop almost has attached to it a house which is used as an inn. An old castle with four turrets stands on the banks of the Barrow, and though without a roof, seems still likely to stand for ages. DUBLIN. Dublin is a maritime county, forming an area of 388 English square miles, and contains the metropolis of Ireland, which is situated at the end of a bay of the same name. In general it consists of a cold soil, and the face of the country does not exhibit much diversity of prospect in itself, but the view across the bay towards the south, where those mountains which extend over the adjoining county of Wicklow take their rise, certainly displays as grand and magnificent scenery as can any where be seen. The Liffey, which intersects the county, runs through the heart of the city, and discharges itself into the bay. On the 27th of April, 1809, I passed Merino, the seat of Earl Charlemont, and proceeded to the Hill of Hoath, a very remarkable spot, consisting of a rocky promontory almost insulated, from the summit of which there is a most beautiful and extensive prospect. On the right is seen the whole city of Dublin, backed by the Wicklow mountains, the bases of which are studded with numerous villas, many of them white. The mountains stretch out towards Dalgy as far as the sight can reach, and the eye looking directly forwards catches Bray Head, and at a distance Wicklow Head. I here speak of the view as seen from the cottage which stands on a very high cliff. The bay extending twelve miles to Dalgy, with the lighthouse and the walls by which it is surrounded rising from the middle of it, makes a very grand appearance. On the left there is a most commanding view of the ocean, and the whole scenery, com'prehending that along the shore from Dalgy to Dublin to the distance of seven miles at least, and the more extensive range of the mountains behind, form altogether a magnificent coup d'ail, which perhaps may be equalled, but is scarcely exceeded, by any thing of the kind. Having surveyed with no small delight this marine amphitheatre, of which I had a full and complete view, I went round this mountainous rock, where the new harbour is constructing for the packets, having Ireland's Eye and Lundy Island in sight. I returned along the strand by Clontarf to Dublin. The Phoenix Park, the country-seat of the lord-lieutenant, which stands on the banks of the Liffey nearly adjoining to the city, is a fine place, and makes a very handsome appearance. Mr. Luke White's, at Luttrel's Town, is also worthy of notice; but as I had not an opportunity of seeing it, I shall subjoin the following account of it by Mr. Dutton.* Woodlands, formerly Luttrel's Town, the seat of Luke White, Esq. is a truly magnificent domain, and the improvements daily making, added to * Dutton's Observations on Archer's Survey of Dublin, p. 125. its fine situation and great extent, must insure it a superiority over every other domain in the country. Nature has thrown the ground into the most delightful and undulating variety of surface: the views of the river Liffey are caught in her most enchanting points; the foreground, to which nature has been so lavish, is broken in the most picturesque manner by the charming plantations of Edmunsbury, Woodville, Hermitage, &c. and the distant prospect closed in the happiest manner by the mountains of Wicklow. The glen is particularly beautiful; it follows the course of a natural rivulet, flowing over a rocky bed, between steep banks well wooded, forming a most agreeable solitude without gloom, and possessing infinite variety. This domain contains upwards of four hundred acres, and is embellished with more and better full-grown timber than is to be found in any other in the county. Mr. White is annually adding to the plantations and improving the soil." Malahide, belonging to Colonel Talbot; and Merino, the seat of Earl Charlemont, have each their particular beauties. In the south towards Wicklow the whole country is one continued series of gentlemen's seats, many of which are elegant, and laid out in a tasteful and expensive manner. Lucan is a village of great beauty, celebrated for its spa.* Glassnevin is also a neat pretty village; in a word, the whole neighbourhood of the bay is delightful, and the rising grounds towards Wicklow command very fine prospects, but the rest of the county is not remarkable for its scenery, or the picturesque appearance of its cottages. KILDARE. Kildare, anciently Chili-dair, that is, the wood of oaks, is an inland county, containing 619 English square miles. It has no mountains, but comprehends a considerable tract of bog, which is so extensive that one gentleman, Sir Fenton Aylmer, possesses 18,000 acres. The curragh of Kildare, the celebrated turfy plain on which the races are held, is equal in extent to nearly five thousand acres. The Duke of Leinster has in this county 73,000 acres of what is called in Ireland “Green-land,” that is, land fit for tillage and pasture, and as the whole of it nearly is let on determinable leases, there are on it of course no seats embellished with that expence which gentlemen might be induced to bestow on their own property. The Barrow, part of whch runs through this county, assumes southwards from Athy the size of a considerable stream, and its vicinity to Dublin accounts for its being ornamented with many delightful retreats. Harris-Town, the seat of Mr. Latouche; that of the Duke of Leinster; those belonging to Mrs. Connoly at Castletown; Mr. Wogan Brown, The water is of a sulphureous nature, and resembles that of Aix-la-Chapelle and Bruges, but with this difference, that the Lucan water is cold, whereas those of the above two places are hot. A long account of it and its medicinal virtues may be seen in Dr. Rutty's Nat. Hist. of the County of Dublin, vol. i. p. 188. VOL. I. G and several others, are all much admired. The habitations of the poor are so extremely wretched that they add the appearance of misery and desolation to the general dulness exhibited by the face of the country. There are here a great many "Danish mounts," or Raths, surmounted by a single ash-tree, which may be seen at a considerable distance. I observed several of these ancient monuments in my way from Packenham Hall in Westmeath to Naas, in the course of which ride the land every where shewed evident marks of improved cultivation. This county, indeed, like Kilkenny, contains several large farms where tillage is carried on to a considerable extent. KILKENNY. Kilkenny is an inland county, containing 773 English square miles. It is bounded on the south by the Suir, on the east by the Barrow, and is intersected by the Nore, which flows through its centre. All these rivers abound with fine scenery. The latter, in its course, passes through the grounds of Mount Juliet, the seat of Earl Carrick, which seems to be left in a very neglected state. The house, which is built in the old-fashioned style of architecture, stands immediately on the banks of the rapid and beautiful Nore. The domain belonging to it is extensive, and as the plantations are at some distance from the house, the trees seem less confined, and have not the awkward appearance of being all crowded together in one spot. On the 21st of January, 1809, I walked from Kilfaine to a beautiful glen a mile and a half long, at the end of which Mrs. Power has built an elegant cottage, in a situation truly delightful; opposite to it is a waterfall, and the rivulet runs through the lawn and flower garden, having on both sides rocks ornamented with large evergreens. The morning was frosty, and the trees covered, according to the expression of the poet, with -frost-work fair, Where transient hues, and fancy'd figures rise,* glistened on every side by the reflection of the light, which added greatly to the beauty of this enchanting though wintry scene. All the improvements on this romantic spot display the fine taste of the lady to whom it belongs. On the 16th of July, 1809, I paid a visit to Woodstock, a place exceedingly rich in timber, as it has two hundred acres of plantation on the banks of the river Nore.. From some parts of this domain the village of Inistioge, and the bridge over the Nore may be seen to great advantage. If you turn the other way and look up the river, it appears to form a bending, and the woods, which approach close to its edge, add much to the beauty of the landscape. Towards the south there is one of those Thomson's Winter. romantic woody glens, watered by a mountain-stream, which are so common in Ireland. A cottage à la Suisse, perched upon the summit of a rugged rock at a considerable height, forms a very interesting object: a spot more delightful than this glen can hardly be conceived; nature has here scattered her picturesque beauties with a lavish hand. The glen is not very wide, but it winds along with so many turnings and twistings, breaking off into a different form at the distance of every few yards, that as you advance, new scenes continually burst into view, and keep the mind alive with expectation. It is thickly clothed with wood wherever there is soil for a root to catch, and where this is not the case, a solitary rock or rugged cliff is seen projecting its head through the green foliage, while the stream at the bottom, tumbling down its rough and uneven bed with a hoarse noise, gives a grandeur to the whole scenery which cannot be easily described. The effect is still farther heightened by the view of two or three rustic bridges, constructed of timber unbarked, which gives them the appearance of trees that have fallen across by accident, rather than of works raised by the hand of man. After you have proceeded through these rude scenes along a winding path by the side of the stream, amidst the gloom of the plantations, you are not a little surprised to find yourself close to a cottage of singular beauty, standing on the very edge of a precipice, whence you have a distant view of the river Nore. Being desirous to know to whom this charming spot was indebted for so many beauties, I inquired, and learned that the bold but rough sketches of nature had been softened and embellished by the fine taste of Mrs. Tighe, who seems to have closely followed the advice of the poet To build, to plant, whatever you intend, Pope's Epis. to the Earl of Burlington. This county is mountainous, but cultivation is making considerable progress, though much furze is still to be seen on the hills. The scenery of the Nore, from Kilfaine to Ross, has been described by Mr. Young.* I saw it in a different point of view, as I passed from Carlow through Graigs to Woodstock, and thence proceeded to Ross by water. The banks of the Suir afford many fine prospects; I coasted it in Tour in Ireland, p. 73. going to Waterford from Carrick, and for the first four or five miles found the country well wooded, and in a high state of cultivation, the Waterford mountains appearing in the south. This river flows with great rapidity, and has a considerable breadth till it approaches Waterford, when it becomes contracted between two rocks, beyond which there is a wooden bridge. The ride from Carrick to Waterford will afford high gratification to those fond of picturesque and beautiful views. On one hand is seen the domain of Lord Besborough, ornamented with plantations; the river extending itself in reaches, enlivened by vessels floating on its surface, and beyond it the magnificent Waterford mountains, which at their base afford a very interesting ride. The Barrow, from the bridge at New Ross to its junction with the Suir, affords most romantic scenery in places wooded to the water's edge, and in general flows between very high land. The baronies of Ibercon, Idagh, and Iverk, are exceedingly hilly and ill cultivated; and the country presents the same appearance to Brandon Hill in the barony of Gowran. In this county there are a great many gentlemen's seats, and the flat districts of it contain more extensive tillage farms than most parts of Ireland, which gives a very striking shade of difference to its appearance. KING'S COUNTY. any This inland county contains 661 English square miles, and excepting the Sliebbbloom mountains, which divide it from the Queen's county, is generally flat. On the west it is washed by the Shannon, which, however, does not here exhibit of the finest of its scenery. A great part of the bog of Allan lies within the boundaries of this county, and according to the account of Mr. Bernard, its member, one half of it is of this description. The great proprietors in the other half are Lords Digby and Ashtown, entirely absentees; Lord Charleville, nearly so, and Lord Ross. This district, therefore, has a remarkable air of dulness, which renders it less agreeable to the traveller who passes through it. Charleville castle, both in its exterior and interior, is a magnificent mansion built of limestone in the Gothic style of architecture, and stands in the middle of a very flat park, with a large piece of artificial water to the south. The road which passes between this piece of water and the house, is sunk into a hollow, and to the west there are extensive plantations, with a rivulet flowing through them. The domain is very large, and abounds with trees universally stunted by loads of ivy, which has been suffered to grow so thick as to smother them. Neither the house nor grounds command any distant views, and beyond the wall by which they are surrounded, nothing is seen but one bog succeeding another, and by their dismal appearance, seeming to reproach their noble owner for leaving them in so neglected |