THE

LITERARY PANORAMA,

AND

National Register:

For JUNE, 1815.

NATIONAL and PARLIAMENTARY | island; from the advantages attending

17,990
8,566

19. Mr. Nimmo, District of
the Rivers Laune and
Lower Maine, Kerry

20. Mr. Nimmo, District of
the Upper Maine, Kerry
21. Mr. Nimmo, District of
Slieve Laughar, Cork and
Kerry
22. Mr. Nimmo, District of

the River Cashen, the
North of Kerry
23: Mr. Edgeworth, second
District contiguous to
Loughree, Longford, Lei-
trim, and Roscommon
21. Mr. R. Griffith, jun. South
ern extremity of the River
Suck, Galway, and Ros-

common

25. Mr. R. Griffith, jun. Northern extremity of the same District

Of this Mountain Soil there
appears to be,

In the Erris District
And in Cumemara, about
No particular return is made-
of the quantity in the District
of the county of Wicklow, but
it is, no doubt, very considera-
ble.

Mr. Nimmo further informs
us that the Mountains of Slieve
Lunghar, Slieve Mash, and
Corgaginny, contain, accord-
ing to him

$7,000

170,090

120,000

155,500

200,000

500,000

There are besides, in the counties of Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh, very extensive tracts of Mountain similarily cir cumstanced. These we have not been able to make the subjects of our surveys, 32,902 nor do we think that there is much reason to regret the omission, being persuaded that their proprietors, when disposed to un31,514 dertake their improvement, may find, in the Reports which we have already submitted to your House, every information to be ob tained upon the subjects. Judging, however, from the maps of this North-western extremity of Ireland, and comparing them with the extent of the other Mountain Dis tricts whose contents we have ascertained, 76,848 we are disposed to believe that they can. not contain, of Peat Soil forming the covering of these mountains,. less than 400,000 English Acres.

26,630

52,390

1,013,358. Making a total of 1,013,358 Euglish acres of Bog, minutely surveyed and levelled; forming the subjects of 25 Reports, and embracing the opinions of ten different gentlemen, who have devoted, as appears sufficiently from their Reports, no small time and labour to the investigation.

In addition to these we have, as already stated, received three reports, not professing to enter into the same detail, upon the three Mountain Districts of Wicklow, Erris, and Cunnemara.

In forming our opinion, as to the total aggregate amount of the Bogs in Ireland, it is very necessary to advert to the Bogs of less contents than 500 acres; of these it is difficult or impossible to form an éstimate with any degree of accuracy; we are not however, altogether without data. Examining Mr. Larkin's minute and excellent map of the county of Cavan, in his presence, we perceived it to contain about 90 Bogs, no one of which extended to 500 acres, and yet containing no les than 17,600 English acres in their collec tive amount.

The county comprises about 1-40th of pointed, we find nothing to direct 'us Ireland; there are, however, few or with respect to the final application of perhaps no other parts of the 'Island, these documents, and we have accordingly in which these small Bogs are so much exercised our discretion in presenting interspersed. On the whole, we cannot them to the Dublin Society, who have lisuppose the other parts of ireland contain | berally accommodated us with the use of less than ten times as great an extent their house and establishment, for the purof these lesser Bogs, as the single county of poses of an enquiry. These Maps, accomCavan. panied by the original Reports of the Engineers, will form an appropriate appendage to an Institution, which has ever made the agricultural improvement of Ireland one of its principal objects, and, in no other place would their preservation be more certain, or public access to them so easy.

points out the propriety of some such, establishment in every nation, as a Public Register Office, in which documents of national importance may be preserved under effectual regulations.

From all the above data, we can confidently pronounce that the extent of Peat Soil in Ireland exceeds two millions eight hundred and thirty thousand English acres, of which we have shewn at least 1,576,000 to consist of flat red Bog, all of Which according to the opinions above defailed, might be converted to the general purposes of agriculture; the remaining Nothing, we presume could be more 1,255,000 acres form the covering of moun- satisfactory than this conduct of the Comtains, of which a very large proportion mittee, as every gentleman concerned, or might be improved at a small expense, for about to be concerned in the property of pasture, or still more beneficially applied to any of these bogs, may easily obtain acthe purposes of plantation; we wish indeed cess to an accurate survey of it, and, it were possible for our Reports to fix the attention of their proprietors upon this sub-may take whatever advantage he pleases, ject, so connected with the interests of the from the observations made on it by the British Empire. surveyor. Nevertheless, we must be alWe cannot dismiss this part of the sub-lowed to say, that the remark itself ject, without again adverting to a prejudice not less extensive than that of the irre claimability of Bog, and certainly stil: more destitute of foundation; we mean, the apprehension generally entertained, that in the event of the improvement of The Committee report that their acthe Bogs, the country would be left without a sufficient supply of fuel. It seems counts are deficient only in the sum of not to be generally understood, that if the £452 12s. which certainly demonstrates Bogs of Ireland were reclaimed, we should great economy in their management. derive not merely the advantage of culti The gentlemen who composed this Comvating their surface, but that at the same mittee, were-J. Leslie Forster-Wiltime the power of applying them, where-liam Gore-Henry Hamilton-and Hans ever necessary, for fuel, would be aug-Blackwood, Esqrs. the Report is dated mented some hundred or rather some April 1814. thousand fold. Fuel can at present be obtained only from the edges of these Bogs; the excessive wetuess of the interior, rendering it, in its present state, wholly unavailable for that purpose, but if once drained, fuel might be obtained from every part of them: and it is a great mistake to Suppose that the drainage of a Bog, would impair its quality as fuel; on the contrary it would operate as the greatest possible improvement of it, and that not merely at the time it was effected, but at all future periods, and in a degree progressively increasing.

In the prosecution of these enquiries, we have effected, on the great scale of 4 inches to the mile, the most accurate surveys which have ever been made, of a very large portion of this island. On a perusa! of the Act under which we have been ap

conviction of the Surveyors, that the exNothing can more strongly prove the pence of reclaiming those wastes would be moderate, then the offers made by some of them to engage in the undertaking. "It is within the knowledge of this Board," says the Committee, that Mr. Edgeworth offered to one of the proprietors, a rent hitherto unheard of for Bog Land, proposing only a sixty dread of law suits after the improvements years lease for his own interest ;-but the should be made, prevented the bargain. In fact, the estimate for reclaiming some bogs is no higher than twelve or fourteen shillings per acre, while others rise to three or four, or, even ten pounds, according to circumstances.

N

means would admit. During the progress of these operations, it was discovered that the under stratum being about eight or ten feet below the surface, was composed of limestone and gravel of the best description, it was therefore suggested that Pits should suited to the purposes of bog improvement; be made in the bog for the purpose of raising this manuring gravel to the surface, which was accordingly adopted, and the system continued with such effect that they

Different Bogs also require different management: some would yield most profit if covered with plantations; others yield the most succulent grass, and should be converted into pasture; others would soon grow vegetables, potatoes, and grain. Some would quickly pay three. four, or more, guineas, in return for the capital vested in their improvement. It should never be forgot, that these bogs were not always bogs: they have de-have now completely reclaimed ten or clined to their present state from various twelve acres, which, from being as bad causes, and at different times. What sponge "bog as any in the country, now they formerly produced for the purposes produces as good crops of potatoes, oats, and hay, as any upland in the neighbourof man, they may again produce. Inhood. The part thus reclaimed, was oridustry has not lately turned them to pro-ginally from four to eight and ten feet deep, fit, but hereafter, as heretofore, they the chief of which the improvers cut away may reward the labours of industry. for turf before they commenced gravelling the surface; but finding that operation too the natural surface of the bog after being slow, they are now determined to gravel drained, which some of the most intelligent of them assured me they had no doubt would succeed.

That they are not ungrateful when excited by this stimulus, is strongly evinced in an instance which we feel a particular pleasure in recording. Says Mr. Longfield, speaking of the Lough Garra District, after noticing the attempts of Gentlemen and farmers in the neighbourhood,

In this place I must beg to mention a circumstance, proving my former opinion of the retentive nature of Red sponge bogs, which is simply this, that on making the I shall here mention the particular re-pits before mentioned to raise the gravel sult of some improvements nrade by Lord from under the bog of Aughalour (the sur Dillon's cottagers at Aughalour near Lough face of which was, in its state of nature, as Glyn, which being done by persons unaided wet as any other bog) it was found, after by capital or scientific knowledge, proves passing with difficulty through five, six, or beyond a doubt, that where personal skill eight feet of bog and water, that on raising is accompanied by the aid of both, the the first shovel or two of gravel from the result must be equal to the expectations bottom of the pit, the whole of the water of the most sanguine, particularly if the which the hole contained immediately disoperatious are carried on in situations appeared, and that so long as the bottom of equally favourable as that wherein the im- the pit was kept clear of bog stuff it re-provements alluded to have been effected,mained quite dry; but if, on the contrary, and which, in the greater part of this dis-there remained only six inches of bog stuff trict, are frequently to be met with. in the bottom of the pit, it was sufficient to retain all the waters received by it.

The bog where these improvements were effected, lies on the south side of the road It is with much pleasure I have here to from Lough Glyn to Castlerea, and joining remark, that although this part of Ireland the lands of Aughalour, which it must be is very backward in improved agricultural observed, is a hill of the finest limestone iu pursuits, I had yet the satisfaction to find, the country, and where the only limestone that Dr. Richardson's system of Bog Imquarries are to be had in that neighbour-provements has been long anticipated by hood; it is therefore not surprising to find subterraneous communications round the verges of those lands, heing composed of porous limestone rock and gravel. At the foot of this hill Lord Dillon laid out a certain portion of Red bog in lots for his labourers, which was granted to them reut free (a well judged and great stimulus to improvement) ten or twelve years ago. They commenced by building cabins in the driest part of the bog next the land, and by cutting away the bog as fast as their

almost every poor tenant in the islands of Clooncagh, Cloonagh, &c. &c. belonging to Mr. French, at the former of which islands I was gratified in viewing a speci men of fiorin grass cultivated on Red bog above 20 feet deep; this piece of bog after being drained and levelled, got a sprinkling of gravel, and was sown with cabbage sted two years ago; last year it was planted with potatoes, which being dug out, was in spring of the present year (1811) laid down with fiorin strings, exactly in the

these now unproductive wilds would afford labour to the industrious, who, most earnestly wish for it, cannot be denied ;-Mr. Longfield adds, it will de away the great evil of Ireland, private distillation :-"I verily believe, says he, that at present in the county of Rese common, I might say in the whole province of Connaught, there is not one gallon of licensed spirits in every hundred gallons of its consumption."-This fact speaks for itself.

way recommended by Doctor Richardson; the whole piece under the grass contains 39 perches of bog, which has this year produced no less than two tons weight of hay, which, as the common people of the country say, is better for horses than hay and oats, and will fatten a beast much sooner than any other kind of forage which they are in the habit of using in that country. This circumstance (was any additional evidence necessary) at once proves that the Red bogs may all be reduced to tracts of profitable pasture and meadow, and in many cases may be applied to the produce of oats and potatoes, if gravel can be had from the under-strata, as at Augha-on this subject, the mischief arising from impediments thrown across rivers, and streams; such as mills, weirs, for taking fish, &c. A remarkable instance in proof of the evils attendant on such structures, is reported by Mr. Brassing ton, in the county of Kildare.

Jour.

Such is the effect of well-judged measures, on men not afraid of labour! With no capital but the strength of their arms, they have eflected their purpose; and where somewhat more of intelligence has been exerted, they have anticipated the so highly recommended favourite grass of Dr. Richardson. What more encouraging sign can be desired what happier auspices?

It may not be improper here to remark, that the population of the county of Roscommon (although generally considered as a grazing county sexceedingly great,so much so, that every little island or peninsula in the bogs, contains more than an ordinary proportion of inhabitants; as an instance of which, I shall mention one island near Lough Glynn of 107 acres, called Cloonborny, that contains no less than 21 families, being little more than five acres to each bouse, and for which they pay a rent of not less than 40 shillings per acre. It is therefore not to be wondered at, that multitudes of those poor peasants emigr te annually to England, where by two or three months bard labour, they are enabled to save the rent of their little farms at home; and I must say, such is the want of employment for the poor in this part of the country, that I never met men who would go farther or labour harder for a shilling than Connaught men; nay, it is a fact, that some of the attendants who were with me

on the survey, declared they had not the like opportunity to earn money for many years before, although the hire did not exceed Is. Sd. per day.

This will afford matter of reflection to the Statesman:-perhaps, there is scarcely any thing more injurious to a country than an ill distribution of its population. That the improvement of

We mentioned, in the former article

The Finery river, which is to be the principal outlet for the waters of the Bog, is found in its present state frequently in the time of floods to overflow the comm try, between the bog and the place where it disembogues itself into the river Barrow, From this it might appear that considerable injury would be occasioned to that part of the country, by throwing into its channel the immense body of water which may be expected by the proposed system of draining to be discharged from the bog; but I am persuaded, that by re moving the weirs which have been constructed at a point below the mouth of the Finnery river, across the river Barrow, for the supply of the mill at Bert on one side, and the mill of Miltown on the opposite side of this last-mentioned river, that the part of the country alluded to will not only be protected from any increase of injury by the projected drainage of the bog, but be relieved also from all injury whatsoever from the Finnery river, even after the accession to its stream of the waters of the bog under that system of draining; and the correctness of this conclusion must appear manifest from this, that the water thrown upon this part of the country by the Finnery river, which is occasioned by its waters being pressed back by the Barrow, in consequence of this weir, seldom exceeds seven or eight inches, and never increases beyond twelve or fourteen inches; wherens in an imperfect state, keeps up which the weir in question, though at present I have ascertained from my own observations) the water of the Barrow three feet above its natural level.