mortal Spencer in his Fairy Queen. In the county of Kerry, at the celebrated Killarney, are alfo many amazing ridges of mountains called Mangerton; and in the county of Down thofe of Mourne and Iveah, which may be reckoned among the third clafs of mountains for their amazing magnitude; as alfo Slieu Donard in the fame county, which has been calculated at its perpendicular height to be upwards of a thousand yards; it ends in an abrupt precipice, which by the curious is looked upon as nearly equal in point of curiofity to the famous Peke of Teneriff; in the county of Mayo are likewife the wonderful mountains of Croagh Pa-trick; in the counties of Rofcommon and Sligo thofe called the Curliews, with many others. which for the fake of brevity I omit enumerating thefe mountains are of fingular utility, in ferving as alembics, where vapours exhaled from the fun are condensed into clouds and defcend in fhowers to render, the earth fruitful; and to them we are indebted alfo for the origin of fountains, fprings, rivulets and rivers of fo much importance to human life. On feveral mountains in this kingdom, goats are bred, and the kids are reared by the people adjacent, the, fleth of which is preferable to lamb for this purpose they are taken into the house prefently after they are dropt, and fed with cows milk fpouted into their mouths, and not fuffered to tafte their mothers milk. Juvenal G 5 Juvenal in his fecond Satire mentions this MINES and MINERALS. There are in the several mountains of this country generated beds of minerals, coals, quarries of large black stone, and flates which will bear a polish nearly equal to marble. Alfo in the county of Kilkenny a peculiar kind of marble which is of infinite advantage to Ireland; befides in some of the larger mountains are found veins of iron, lead and copper; and, in 1773, the mountains near Lucan in the county of Dublin having been examined, a vein of coals has been discovered; fome of these I saw, and they appear nearly equal to those of Newcaftle; if a fufficient quantity can be got it will be of confiderable use to that part of the country particularly. At the Giant's Caufeway are to be met with, touchftones of fingular advantage in trying the purity of gold. At Bleffinton and Rathcool are fireftone for chimney pieces. A grey and red flaty stone are got from Ireland's-Eye, an island in the bay of Dublin. At Knockfedan are quarries of building ftone of the length of fix feet, and on the banks of the Grand Canal are also great quantities of it. The Granite, a white building building ftone which hardens the more it is exposed to the weather, are met with in the counties of Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford; these are used in the buildings in the city of Dublin. Pipe clay has been found in many parts of Ireland, which hath been exported to. France and England for the purpose of making that beautiful yellow ware called Paris: ware. But in Dublin they make at present this ware, which is much efteemed. There are many forts of this pipe clay, fome of which will take greafe out of cloths, and may be accounted among the number of fmegmatic earths, but fall fhort of fuller's earth in that refpect, a material much wanted here, and which it would be of the greateft. importance to our cloth-workers to discover, for which purpose the Dublin Society have offered premiums to induce perfons to search. for it. Its chief character is that it has not. the leaft fand or gravel, but will intirely dif folve in water, which is the principal reafon: it is fo ufeful in fcouring of cloth, if pipe clay was well feparated from its fand, it is probable it might ferve the purpose of fuller's earth in cleaning. of cloth; to feparate the fand from it, it might be diffolved in fair water, and after the mixture is well fettled,. it might be decanted off from the gritty parts which by their weight foon fall to the bottom., MINERALS, MINERALS, &c. Vitriol, green, is frequently found about the mines in the county of Wicklow, and at the lead mine at Cloghran in this county. Copper is alfo found at Cloghran. Copper ore is alfo found at Lougfhinny near Rush, befide iron mine. The Kerry ftone is to be found at Loughfhinny. Rock cryftal is found at a lead mine at Castleknock, and alfo in a quarry at Rahenny. Limestone is to be met with in the neighbourhood of Dublin and in great plenty, it fupplies better lime and stronger cement than that made of chalk, and that which is taken from the quarries at the Hill of Howth, at Swords, &c. bear a polish approaching to marble; the dark brown, grey and blackish lime, though difficult and expenfive to burn, is ufed in building bridges, churches or hofpitals, because it prefently turns hard after burning and is of perpetual duration. Marble of a fine black, variegated with white, is met with at Loughfhinny, Malahide, Kilcraghnea, Donabate, and Kilkenny, which takes a most beautiful polish. Slate and building ftone are in great plenty in the neighbourhood of Dublin. Lead ore is found at the Hill of Howth and at Dalkey. So much connection is there between England and Ireland that it is prefumed the following account of the roads from Holy head to London, &c. may be acceptable. Travelling * Travelling Road from Parkgate to Chefter, 12 miles. From CHESTER to LONDON, 181, moftly Stone Miles. *Stage Coach from London or Chefter Sets up. Henley Whitechurch Ternhill New port Welsh Harp Caftle Bromwich 8 83 6 89 Daventry 12 101 8 109 8 17 Towcefter 4 121 Stony Stratford 8 129 Shainley Inns 4 133 Fenny Stratford* 3.136 * Brickhill 2. 138 Hockley i'th'hole 5143 Dunstable 4 147 Market-street 4 151 Redborn St. Alban's 5 156 4 160 Barnet 10 170 Highgate * LONDON Travelling road from Holyhead to Chefter, 87. Rhydpont-bridge 6 176 5 181 |