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LISGRIFFIN.--See BUTTEVANT.

LISKEEVY, a parish, partly in the barony of KILMAIN, county of MAYO, but chiefly in that, of DUNMORE, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 6 3/4 miles (N. W.) from Tuam, on the road to Claremorris and Mayo; containing 2806 inhabitants. It comprises a large quantity of bog, the whole of which is easily reclaimable from the abundance of limestone gravel found in the vicinity. The river Clare runs through it, and in some places has a depth of 40 feet. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam. forming part of the union of Tuam; the rectory partly constitutes the corps of the deanery, and is partly appropriate to the provost and chapter of Tuam. The tithes amount to £147. 16. 1 3/4., of which £125. 11. 5 1/2. is payable to the dean, provost, and chapter, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Adregoole, and has a chapel at Milltown. About 220 children are educated in three private schools.

LISLEE, a parish, in the barony of IBANE and BARRYROE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 10 miles (S. W.) from Bandon, on the southern coast; containing, with the village of Court-McSherry (which is separately described), 1786 inhabitants. This parish, which comprises 6250 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, is situated on the western side of the harbour of Court-McSherry; the land is in general good and chiefly under tillage, and, from the great facility of procuring sea manure at the "Broad Strand," is in some parts well cultivated. At Dunworley is a small bog overflowed by the sea; there are some quarries of slate of an inferior quality, but in the vicinity of Court-McSherry slate of superior quality and colour is obtained. The seats are Court-McSherry, the residence of J. Leslie, Esq., beautifully situated on the harbour and sheltered by a well-planted eminence; Sea Court, of H. Longfield, Esq.; Butlerstown, of Jonas Travers, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. J. Stewart. The seneschal of the Earl of Shannon has the power of holding a court baron here for the recovery of debts not exceeding 40s. late currency, which has merged into that of Timoleague, where the courts are now held.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ross, episcopally united in 1705 to the rectory of Kilsillagh, together constituting the union of Lislee, in the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Shannon. The tithes amount to £749. 2. 6., of which £203. 13. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar; the entire tithes of the benefice amount to £588. 3. 8. The glebe comprises 42 acres, of which 10 were purchased by the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe-house was built in 1813, by a gift of £100 and a loan of £750 from the same Board. The church is a neat edifice in the early English style, with a square tower, erected in 1830 at the expense of the parish, aided by a loan of £900 from the Board. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Abbeymahon; the chapel, a large plain building, is at Butlerstown. Of the seven schools in the parish, in which during the summer about 300 children are educated, the parochial schools at Barreragh are partly supported by the incumbent, and, together with a school at Court-McSherry, built and supported by the Leslie family, and a Sunday school, are under his superintendence; there is a school held in the chapel yard at Butlerstown, under the patronage of the R. C. clergy: the remainder are private schools. There are several ancient circular mounds, or raths; that from which the parish is said to derive its name Lis-lee is a little to the west of the church, but the most extensive is on a hill about half a mile to the south. On a small peninsula in the bay of Dunworley, are the ruins of the castle of that name, having a very narrow entrance similar to that of the strong castle of the O'Driscols on Cape Clear; and on the cliffs called the "Seven Heads" is an old signal tower. Near Dunworley is a spring of very pure water, dedicated to St. Anne, and in several parts of the parish are springs strongly impregnated with iron. A little north of the Broad Strand are lofty cliffs composed of several distinct strata; the fourth from the surface is a soft ferruginous yellow rock, in which masses of iron ore are found, almost pure, and varying in size from 4oz. to nearly 1 cwt.

LISMAKEERY, or LISMACDIRY, a parish, in the barony of LOWER CONNELLO EAST, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/4 miles (S.) from Askeaton, on the road to Newbridge, and on the western bank of the river Deel; containing 1268 inhabitants. It comprises 1016 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, consisting chiefly of a light soil interspersed with limestone crags, and much encumbered with loose stones, presenting an uneven surface and bleak appearance, but is nevertheless generally productive, and on the banks of the Deel is even fertile. Altavilla, the handsome residence of T. G. Bateman, Esq., surrounded by a well-planted demesne, is finely situated on this river, at the south-eastern extremity of the parish. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Limerick, forming part of the union of Askeaton: the tithes amount to £180. In the R. C. divisions also it is included in the union or district of Askeaton. On an eminence near Altavilla are the ruins of the old church.

LISMALIN, a parish, in the barony of SLIEVARDAGH, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Callan; containing 1392 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the confines of the county of Kilkenny, comprises 4191 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and was anciently distinguished for its castle, of which there are still some portions remaining. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, united to the prebend and vicarage of Crohane, and the rectories and vicarages of Modeshill and Mowney, together constituting the corps of the archdeaconry of Cashel, in the patronage of the Archbishop. The tithes of the union amount to £1047. 3. 4.; the glebe comprises 33 1/2 acres. The church is a neat edifice.

LISMATEIGUE, a denomination or reputed parish, in the barony of KNOCKTOPHER, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Knocktopher, on the road from Waterford to Kilkenny; containing 931 inhabitants. It anciently formed part of the possessions of the Abbey of Jerpoint; and comprises 2637 statute acres, of which the tithes, amounting to £100, are payable to the rector and vicar of Burn-church, in the diocese of Ossory.

LISMORE, a market and post-town (formerly a parliamentary borough), a parish, and the seat of a diocese, partly in the barony of CONDONS and CLONGIBBONS, in the county of CORK, but chiefly in that of COSHMORE and COSHBRIDE, county of WATERFORD, and in the province of MUNSTER, 34 miles (S. S. W.) from Waterford, and 109 1/2 (S. W. by S.) from Dublin, on the mail-coach road from Waterford to Cork; containing, with the post-town of Cappoquin (which is separately described), 14,938 inhabitants, of which number, 2894 are in the town of Lismore. This place, called anciently Dun-sginne, from an old fortification to the east of the town (now called the Round Hill), to which, on his expulsion from Rathenin by King Blathmac, in 631, St. Carthagh fled for shelter, derived its present name, signifying "a great house or village," from a monastery founded here by that saint, which subsequently became a celebrated seat of learning and the head of a diocese. St. Carthagh, who died in 638, and was interred in his own church, was succeeded by St. Cataldus, afterwards Bishop of Tarentum, in Italy, whose successors were indifferently styled abbots or bishops; and the school, which was attended by numbers not only from the neighbouring districts, but also from remote countries, was in the zenith of its reputation about the commencement of the 8th century. The establishment continued to flourish; and such was the fame of this place, that not less than 20 churches were founded in its immediate vicinity; but in 812 it was plundered by the Danes, who, from that period till 915, five times repeated their devastations. In 978 the town and abbey were burned by the Ossorians; in 1095 the town was destroyed by an accidental fire, and in 1116, 1138, and 1157 both the town and the monastery suffered from conflagration. Hen. II., after landing at Waterford, marched to this place, where he was met by the chiefs of Munster, who with the archbishops, bishops, and abbots of Ireland swore allegiance to him, and gave him a charter confirming the kingdom of Ireland to him and his heirs forever. While here the king chose a site, and gave the necessary orders for the erection of a fortress for its defence. In 1173, Raymond Le Gros, with the English army, marched to this place with the plunder they had taken in Ophaly; and after ravaging the city and neighbourhood, proceeded on his route to Dungarvan. A castle was erected here, in 1185, by John, Earl of Morton, and Lord of Ireland: but four years afterwards it was taken by the Irish, who put Robert de Barry, the commander, and the whole of the garrison to the sword; it was, however, soon afterwards rebuilt by the king, and for many ages continued to be the residence of the bishops of the see, till Miler Magrath, archbishop of Cashel and bishop of Lismore, in 1518, granted the manor and other lands to Sir Walter Raleigh, from whom, with the rest of his possessions, they were purchased by Sir Richard Boyle, afterwards created Earl of Cork. The castle was greatly strengthened and improved by the Earl, who built three other forts in the neighbourhood, one of which was at the park, one at Ballygarran, and the third at Ballyinn; he also obtained a charter of incorporation for the town, and the grant of a market and fairs. At the commencement of the war in 1641, the castle was besieged by a force of 5000 Irish under Sir Rich. Belling, but was bravely defended by the Earl's son, Lord Broghill, who compelled them to abandon the attempt. In 1643, a party of 200 insurgents, in retaliation for the destruction of Clogheen by the garrison of this place, entered the town and burned most of the thatched houses and cabins, killed 60 of the inhabitants, and carried off several prisoners; and in July of the same year, Lieut.-Gen. Purcell, commander-in-chief of the insurgent forces, at the head of 7000 foot and 900 horse, with three pieces of artillery, marched to Cappoquin, where he remained for four days laying waste the adjacent country; and being there joined by Lord Muskerry, he advanced to besiege the castle of Lismore. After a week's siege, a cessation of arms was mutually agreed on, and the assailants immediately retired; but the castle suffered great injury during this war, and in 1645, being burned by Lord Castlehaven, it was reduced almost to a ruin, and the town became a neglected village, consisting only of a few miserable cabins. In 1686, the Earl of Clarendon, on his progress through Munster, passed a night in this castle, which was also visited by Jas. II., in 1689; and in 1785 the Duke of Rutland, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, held a council in the castle, from which he issued several proclamations. The castle, with all its lands and other property, descended from the Earls of Cork and Burlington, by marriage, to the ancestor of his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, who is the present proprietor.

The town, which has been greatly improved by the late and present Duke, is romantically situated on the summit of a steep eminence, rising to the height of 93 feet from the southern bank of the river Blackwater, over which is a fine bridge of stone, erected by the late Duke of Devonshire at an expense of £9000, and of which the central arch has a span of 100 feet. Some new streets have been made: the total number of houses, in 1831, was 366, of which several are neat and well built; the place has a cheerful and thriving appearance. The castle, restored by the late Duke in 1812, forms an imposing object, rising majestically from the elevated bank of the river, and occupying the verge of a precipitous cliff, partly clothed with wood and towering above the foliage which conceals its base. The approach is through an outer gateway, called the Riding House, from which a long avenue of stately trees, flanked with high stone walls, leads to the principal entrance through a lofty gateway tower, over which are the arms of the first Earl of Cork, into the square of the castle, of which several of the towers are still in their original state, though other portions of the building have been restored and embellished in a more modern style. The state apartments are spacious and very elegantly fitted up; the drawing-rooms are hung with splendid tapestry and paintings by the first masters. From the summits of the tower and the flat roofs of the building are magnificent views of the surrounding country; in front is the lofty mountain of Knockmeledown, rising above the range of hills extending eastward, from which a deep ravine thickly wooded and alternated with projecting masses of rugged rock appearing through the foliage, descends to the vale immediately below it, which is embellished with handsome residences and rich plantations; and near its apparent extremity is seen the town of Cappoquin, with the spire of its church and its bridge of light structure over the river. In the grounds are some remarkably fine yew trees of great age, forming an avenue and assuming the appearance of cloisters. The trade is very inconsiderable; but on the river, immediately below the castle, is an extensive salmon fishery, and during the season great quantities of fish are taken, which are packed in ice, and exported to Liverpool and to other distant ports. The Blackwater affords great facility of commerce with the port of Youghal; the navigation has been extended from the point to which the tide reaches, about a mile to the east, up to the bridge by a canal constructed at the expense of the late Duke, by means of which corn and flour are exported, and timber, iron, coal, and miscellaneous articles are imported in lighters plying between this place and Youghal. There are no stated market days: the fairs are on May 25th, Sept. 25th, and Nov. 12th; and there is a constabulary police station.

By charter of Jas. I., granted in 1613 to Sir Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, the town, with the circumjacent lands within a mile and a half round the parish church, was made a free borough; and the corporation was directed to consist of a portreeve, free burgesses and commonalty. The charter also invested the corporation with the privilege of returning two members to the Irish parliament, which they continued to exercise till the Union, when the borough was disfranchised, and the £15,000 awarded as compensation was paid to the trustees under the will of the late Earl of Cork and Burlington, whose seneschal was the returning officer. Whether the officers of the corporation, nominated in the charter, were ever regularly chosen, cannot be ascertained; but it appears that few municipal functions were exercised, except by the seneschal of the manor, who still holds his court, at which debts not exceeding £10 are recoverable every third week; but since the Union the corporation has become virtually extinct. Petty sessions are held on alternate Wednesdays: the sessions-house is a spacious building, and there is also a bridewell.

The soil is in general fertile, and the lands alternately arable and pasture, with very little waste, except roads and river, and a small quantity of bog; the system of agriculture is improved. Limestone abounds in the southern parts of the parish, and towards the north is found in strata of great depth. Slate of good quality for roofing is quarried on the north side of the Black-water and at Glenribben, and there are several other quarries, of which one near the bridge of Lismore has been worked for a long time; there is slate also on the side of Knockmeledown; and coarse clay slate; silicious rock, conglomerate, and sandstone are found in various parts. Iron, copper, and lead ores are frequently discovered, and have formerly been worked, but discontinued for want of fuel; a lead mine was discovered in 1836, a little below Cappoquin, near the navigable part of the Blackwater, on the estate of Mr. Usher, but it is not yet worked. The scenery abounds with features of grandeur and beauty; on the north, towards the county of Tipperary, the parish is bounded by a mountainous ridge, of which the highest point is the conical summit of Knockmeledown, 2700 feet above the level of the sea, commanding a magnificent and extensive prospect, embracing the rock of Cashel and its cathedral church; and the ocean, with the bays of Youghal and Dungarvan. On the summit of this mountain, Mr. Eccles, a writer on electricity, was buried in 1781, at his own request. Some very rich scenery is also observable on the roads to Clogheen and Cappoquin, about two miles distant; in various places deep ravines intersect the range of hills, and the whole of the adjoining district presents features of interest and variety. The principal seats are Tourin, the residence of Sir R. Musgrave, Bart., composed partly of an ancient castle, and commanding an extensive and picturesque view; Ballysaggartmore, of Arthur Keily, Esq., in an ample and tastefully planted demesne near the river, also commanding some fine views; Flower Hill, of B. Drew, Esq., a beautiful residence in the cottage style, surrounded by richly diversified scenery; Fort William, of J. Gumbleton, Esq., a handsome demesne on the opposite side of the Blackwater, in which a new house is now being erected by the proprietor; Glencairne, of Gervaise Bushe, Esq., a handsome residence beautifully situated; Ballygally, the occasional residence of G. Holmes Jackson, Esq.; Glanbeg, of G. Bennett Jackson, Esq.; Tourtain, of T. Foley, Esq.; Ballyinn, of P. Foley, Esq.; Ballyrafter, of M. Quinlan, Esq., M. D.; and Salterbridge, of A. Chearnley, Esq., beautifully situated in thriving plantations. At Ballyinn are some flour-mills.

The SEE of LISMORE, soon after the arrival of the English, was enlarged by the annexation of the ancient see of Ardmore. Bishop Felix, who succeeded to the prelacy in 1179, gave the church of St. John to the abbey of Thomas-Court, near Dublin; and from this time fierce disputes were carried on between the prelates of this see and the bishops of Waterford, which were frequently renewed and continued by several of his successors, till 1358, when, during the prelacy of Bishop Reve, the two sees were united, and continued to be held as one by Thomas Le Reve, bishop of Lismore and Waterford, and by his successors till the passing of the Church Temporalities' Act, in the 3rd and 4th of Wm. IV., when, on the decease of Dr. Bourke, both were annexed to the archiepiscopal see of Cashel, and the temporalities became vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Lismore is one of the eleven dioceses which constitute the ecclesiastical province of Cashel: it includes the greater part of the county of Waterford and part of Tipperary, extending 38 miles in length and 37 in breadth, and comprising an estimated superficies of 323,500 acres, of which 92,000 are in Tipperary and the remainder in Waterford; the lands belonging to the see and its gross revenue are comprised in the return for the see of Waterford. The chapter consists of a dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, archdeacon, and the prebendaries of Tulloghorton, Dysart, Donoughmore, Kilrossanty, Modeligo, Kilgobinet, Seskinan, and Clashmore. There are five vicars choral, who were first instituted by Bishop Christopher about the year 1230, and are all appointed by the dean, who has a peculiar jurisdiction over the parishes of Lismore, Tallow, and Macollop during eleven months of the year, till inhibited by the bishop, a month before the episcopal visitation; he has also a right to appoint a registrar, and can grant licences under his own consistorial seal; the deanery, it is said, may be held by a layman. There are comprehended in the see the rural deaneries of Lismore, Whitechurch, Dungarvan, Carrick, Clonmel, and Cahir. The number of parishes in the diocese is 76, comprised in 43 benefices, of which 23 are unions of two or more parishes, and 20 single parishes; of these, 6 are in the patronage of the Crown, 26 in that of the Archbishop of Cashel, and the remainder in lay patronage. There are in the diocese 36 churches, and one other episcopal place of worship, and 15 glebe-houses.In the R. C. divisions the diocese is united with that of Waterford, together forming one of the seven bishopricks suffragan to the archiepiscopal see of Cashel: it contains 65 chapels; the number of parochial benefices and clergy is stated in the account of the see of Waterford.

The cathedral church, dedicated to St. Carthagh, the only one remaining of the numerous ancient churches of this place, and now used as the parochial church, after being almost destroyed in the reign of Elizabeth by Edmund Fitzgibbon, called the "White Knight," was restored in 1663 at the expense of the Earl of Cork. It is a handsome structure, chiefly in the later English style, with a square tower surmounted by a light and elegant spire, which were added to it some few years since, when extensive alterations and repairs were made. The entrance is at the extremity of the south transept under a pure Norman arch of elegant design; the choir, in which the parochial service is performed, is embellished with windows of stained glass, executed by the late George McAllister, of Dublin; and the bishop's throne and prebendal stalls are of oak richly carved. The only ancient monument now remaining is one to the family of Mac Grath, dated 1548, and very richly sculptured; there are some handsome tablets to the memory of the late Dean Scott, Archdeacon Ryan, J. H. Lovett, Esq., and to the families of Musgrave, Chearnley, and others. The economy fund, on an average of three years ending May 1831, amounted to £823. 10. 8. per ann., arising from the tithes of the parishes of Lismore and Macollop; it is appropriated to the payment of two preachers in the cathedral, who have respectively stipends of £80 and £65; to the curate of Cappoquin, whose stipend is £90, and to the payment of salaries to the cathedral officers, and repairs.

The rectory of Lismore has been united from time immemorial to that of Macollop, and both are appropriate to the economy fund of the cathedral; the vicarage is also united to that of Macollop, and both are appropriate to the vicars choral, who have cure of souls. The tithes amount to £1969. 4. 7. for both parishes, which, with the exception of four townlands in the county of Cork, comprise about 60,000 statute acres; there is no glebe-house, but a residence for the Archdeacon. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church; the chapel is a large and neat edifice, and there is a chapel also at Ballyduff. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the third class, and for Wesleyan Methodists. About 650 children are taught in six public schools, of which the classical school is endowed with a house and £30 per ann. by the late Earl of Cork; two are partly supported by the Dean and Chapter and vicars choral, one of which is aided by a bequest of £17 per ann. from the late Mr. Magner, of Boston, in the United States; two by Sir R. Musgrave and Capt. Bushe, and one by the Duke of Devonshire. There are also 15 private schools, in which are about 700 children, and a Sunday school. Six almshouses were founded and endowed by the first Earl of Cork for decayed Protestant soldiers; and there are a fever hospital and dispensary. Mr. Lovett, in 1805, bequeathed £500 to the poor. At Kilbree are some remains of a castle built by King John, situated on an eminence commanding the Blackwater. There are vestiges of a double and single trench in this parish, the former, called Rian-Bo-Padruic, extending eastward from Knockmeledown, and twice crossing the river in its line towards Ardmore; and the latter from Cappoquin along the side of the mountains into the county of Cork. Halfway between Lismore and Cappoquin is a weak chalybeate water, and there is another between Lismore and Knockmeledown; there is also a very strong chalybeate spring near Glenmore. Near the church are two small caves, and one in the grove near the castle; there is also a cave at Ballymartin, through which flows a rivulet; there are numerous circular intrenchments in the parish, especially on both sides of the high road to Dungarvan and the mountains. Roger Boyle, first Earl of Orrery, and fifth son of Richard, first Earl of Cork, an eminent statesman and soldier; Robert Boyle, his brother, the celebrated natural philosopher; and Jonathan Henry Lovett, distinguished by his attainments in the Persian, Hindostanee, and Arabic languages, and who died off the Cape of Good Hope, in 1805, on his voyage from India, in the 25th year of his age, were natives of this parish. Lismore gives the titles of Baron and Viscount to the family of O'Callaghan.

LISMULLEN, parish, in the barony of SKRYNE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S. S. E.) from Navan, on the mail road from Dublin to Enniskillen; containing 107 inhabitants. A house for Augustinian nuns was founded here in 1240 by Alicia, sister of Richard de la Corner, bishop of Meath, which existed until the Reformation . in the reign of Edw. VI., the buildings and part of the estates were granted to Thos. Cusack. The parish comprises about 1920 statute acres of good land, about two-thirds of which are in tillage; good gritstone is quarried here for building, and copper is supposed to exist but has not yet been worked. Here is a station of the constabulary police. Lismullen Park is the seat of Sir Chas. Drake Dillon, Bart., on whose ancestor, John Dillon, and his heirs male, the dignity of a free baron of the Holy Roman Empire was conferred by the Emperor Joseph II., in 1782; the demesne which comprises about 200 plantation acres, contains some fine old timber. It is a chapelry, in the diocese of Meath, forming part of the union of Skryne: the tithes are included in the composition for Templecarn. In the R. C. divisions also it forms part of the union or district of Skryne or Skreen.

LISNADILL, a parish, partly in the baronies of ARMAGH and UPPER FEWS, but chiefly in that of LOWER FEWS, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (S. E.) from Armagh, on the road to Newtown-Hamilton; containing 7699 inhabitants. This parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 18,556 1/2 statute acres, of which 4468 1/2 are in the barony of Armagh, 5824 in Upper Fews, and 8264 in Lower Fews. The land is remarkably good, and the system of agriculture in a very improved state. Limestone of excellent quality is quarried in several parts of the parish, chiefly for agricultural purposes. The principal seats are Beech Hill, the residence of T. Simpson, Esq.; Ballyards, of J. Simpson, Esq.; and Ballier, of J. B. Boyd, Esq. The weaving of linen for the manufacturers and bleachers of the surrounding district affords employment to many of the inhabitants; and there are two very extensive bleach-greens, in which, on an average, 56,000 pieces are annually finished for the English markets. The living is a rectory and perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Armagh; the rectory forms part of the union of Armagh, and the perpetual curacy was instituted under the provisions of an act of the 7th of Geo. III. The tithes amount to £650; and the stipend of the curate is £100, paid by the rector of Armagh, who is the patron; the curate has also the glebe-house, a handsome residence built by Primate Robinson, and 64 acres of glebe, purchased by the primate for the endowment of the living. The church is a spacious edifice in the later English style, with a square embattled tower erected by Primate Robinson in 1772, and has the arms of the founder over the entrance. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district called also Ballymacnab and Kilcluney, comprising the parishes of Lisnadill and Kilcluney, part of Mullaghbrack, and the district of Armaghbreague; there are chapels at Ballymacnab and Granemore, and a spacious and handsome chapel is now being erected in the parish. About 650 children are taught in six public schools, of which the parochial school is endowed with 7 acres of land by Primate Robinson, who also built the school-house; two are partly supported by the rector and curate, and one by Thos. Wilson, Esq.; there are also two private schools, in which are about 120 children, and five Sunday schools. The ancient church was destroyed in the war of 1641, but its extensive cemetery is still used. At Corran, in 1833, was found a cylindrical case of gold, containing many antique gems and ornaments, among which was a necklace of jet richly carved; it is now in the museum of J. Corry, Esq., of Armagh.

LISNAKILL, a parish, in the barony of MIDDLETHIRD, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (W. by S.) from Waterford; containing 667 inhabitants. It comprises 2462 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the soil is various, and, in the north-western extremity, slate of good quality for roofing was formerly quarried. At Whitfield was the seat of W. Christmas, Esq., the principal landed proprietor, but the mansion has lately been taken down. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Waterford, united to part of the rectory of Kilmeaden, together constituting the corps of the treasurership of Waterford, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £160, and the glebe comprises rather more than 5 1/2 acres; there is neither church nor glebe-house. About 130 children are taught in a school at Butlerstown, under the National Board. At the time of the Down survey there was an ancient castle at this place; and in a Danish fort, at no great distance, were found two curious earthen vessels, in one of which was a golden bracelet. At Whitfield, in a vast heap of stones, are two conical apartments built of stone, and supposed to have been used as tombs.

LISNARRICK, a village, in the parish of DERRYVULLEN, barony of LURG, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 3 1/2 miles (S.) from Kesh, on the road to Enniskillen; containing 171 inhabitants. It consists of three rows of irregularly built houses, disposed in a triangular form; and has fairs on Jan. 12th, on the 22nd of Jan., Feb., and March, April 5th, May 9th and 23rd, 22nd of June and July, and Oct. 15th, for general farming stock.

LISNASKEA, or LISNESKEA, a market and post-town, in the parish of AGHALURCHER, barony of MAGHERASTEPHANA, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 9 miles (S. E.) from Enniskillen, and 71 (N. E.) from Dublin, on the road to Enniskillen; containing 89 houses and 430 inhabitants. It consists chiefly of comfortable houses and shops, and contains a handsome market-house, corn and butter stores, a savings' bank, and a large hotel. From its proximity to Lough Erne, which reaches to Lake Head, within a quarter of a mile of the town, great facility is afforded for the conveyance of corn, butter, linen, and yarn, of which considerable quantities are supplied from the thickly inhabited islands on the lake, and sold in this market: it is stated that a short canal could be constructed at a moderate expense that would enable boats to come up to the town. The market is on Saturday, and fairs are held on the Monday before Easter, April 13th, Monday after Ascension, June 1st, and Oct. 10th, for general farming stock. The church, or chapel of ease to Aghalurcher, was rebuilt in 1814, at an expense of £369 British, defrayed by the parishioners; and in 1829 the late Board of First Fruits gave £450, and lent £50 for the erection of a glebe-house in the vicinity. The curate, who is appointed by the rector of Aghalurcher, has a stipend of £73. 16. 8., exclusively of the marriage fees, and the glebe-house, which is valued at £20 per annum. The R. C. chapel, called the Moate Chapel, stands on a hill near the town: it was built in 1814, at an expense of about £700: attached is a national school. In the town is a meeting-house for Primitive Methodists; also a school endowed by Major Leslie, with three acres of land and £14 per annum, an infants' school, and a dispensary. In the vicinity are Green Hill, the residence of Major Irvine; Snow Hill, of J. D. Johnstone, Esq.; Fairview, of Alex. Robinson, Esq.; The Hill, of the Rev. M. Herbert; and the ruins of Castle-Balfour.--See AGHALURCHER.

LISRONAGH, a parish, in the barony of IFFA and OFFA EAST, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (N.) from Clonmel, on the road to Fethard; containing 981 inhabitants. It is bounded on the east by the river Anner, and comprises 2807 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. Quarries of limestone are worked chiefly for agricultural purposes and repairing roads, but from one of them large blocks are raised for building. Here is Kilmore, the old residence of the Bagwell family, now in a dilapidated state; the estate and the greater part of the parish are the property of John Bagwell, Esq., of Glenconner. Lisronagh is a station of the constabulary police. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Lismore, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the tithes amount to £230. 15. 4. There is no glebe-house, but there is a glebe of 15 3/4 acres. The church, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits lent £750, is a neat edifice, completed in 1832. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Kilgrant, or Powerstown, and contains a chapel. In the parochial school, supported by subscription, about 30 children are educated; and there is a school of about 250 children under the superintendence of the parish priest.

LISSAN, or LISANE, a parish, partly in the barony of DUNGANNON, county of TYRONE, and partly in that of LOUGHINSHOLIN, county of LONDONDERRY, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (N. by E.) from Cookstown, on the road to Moneymore and on that from Omagh to Belfast; containing 6163 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the north by the mountain of Slieve Gallion, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 24,684 1/2 statute acres, including 147 3/4 in Lough Fea, and of which 12,917 1/2 are in the county of Tyrone. The greater portion is in the manor of Ardtrea, belonging to the see of Armagh, and part is in the manor of Moneymore and the property of the Drapers' Company of London. In the war of 1641, the castle, which at that time was the property of the Staples family, to whom it was granted on the plantation of Ulster, was seized by Nial O'Quin for Sir Phelim O'Nial, who plundered the house of Sir Thomas Staples while rendezvousing at Moneymore castle, and compelled the men employed in his iron-works on the Lissan water to make pikes and pike-heads from the stores of their master. The land is mountainous and boggy; about one-third is under tillage and produces excellent crops, and the remainder affords good pasture; the system of agriculture is improved, and much of the bog is of valuable quality; limestone abounds and is extensively quarried for agricultural uses. The mountain of Slieve Gallion has an elevation of 1730 feet above the level of the sea; the surrounding scenery is strongly diversified and in some parts very picturesque. The principal seats are Lissan Park, the residence of Sir Thos. Staples, Bart., a noble mansion in an extensive demesne embellished with thriving plantations, an artificial sheet of water with cascades, and a picturesque bridge, built by the celebrated Ducart; Muff House, of the Rev. J. Molesworth Staples; and Crieve, of W. Maygill, Esq. The linen manufacture is carried on to a great extent by the whole of the population, who combine it with agricultural pursuits. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate: the tithes amount to £500. The glebe-house was built at an expense of £1313. 14. 5., of which £100 was a gift and £650 a loan from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1807, and the remainder was paid by the incumbent; the glebe comprises 87 1/4 statute acres, valued at £67. 10. per annum. The church is a plain and very ancient structure, with an east window of stained glass. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also part of the parish of Desertlyn; the chapel is a neat edifice. About 400 children are taught in five public schools, of which the parochial school, for which a house was built by the Rev. J. M. Staples, at an expense of £500, and a school at Grouse Lodge, for which a house was built by Mrs. Wright, who endowed it with an acre of land, are supported under the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity; a school at Crevagh was built and is supported by Sir T. Staples, Bart., and one at Donaghbreaghy is aided by the Drapers' Company. There are also a private school, in which are about 30 children, and four Sunday schools.

LISSELTIN, a parish, in the barony of IRAGHTICONNOR, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (N. W.) from Listowel, on the road from Tarbert to Ballybunnian; containing 2148 inhabitants, of which number, 158 are in the village, which consists of 22 dwellings. The parish comprises 6327 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which only 300 acres are arable; of the remainder, 1860 consist of coarse pasture, and 1744 of bog and mountain. It is in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe: the rectory is impropriate in Thos. Anthony Stoughton, Esq., and the vicarage forms part of the union of Aghavallin, also called the union of Listowel: the tithes, amounting to £120, are payable in equal portions to the impropriator and the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, which comprises the parishes of Lisseltin, Killeheny, and Kilconly, and the greater part of Galey, and contains the chapels of Lisseltin and Ballybunnian. About 180 children are educated in three private schools.

LISSONUFFY, a parish, in the barony and county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 3 1/2 miles (S. E.) from Strokestown, on the road to Lanesborough; containing 4599 inhabitants. It comprises 5022 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £5025. 10. per annum; the land is chiefly in tillage and is tolerably well cultivated. The village of Erra is situated on the river Shannon (by which the parish is bounded on the east), and is nearly surrounded by an extensive tract of bog. Stone is found in this parish, peculiarly adapted for mill-stones, of which a considerable number are made for supplying the adjoining counties; and specimens of coal and iron-ore are found on the surface of the mountain of Slievebawn, on the western side of the parish, but no attempt has been made to discover any veins. Mount Dillon, the seat of Theobald Dillon, Esq., situated on an isolated hill, forms a conspicuous object in the surrounding scenery. It is in the diocese of Elphin; the rectory forms part of the corps of the prebend of Kilgoghlin in the cathedral of Elphin, and the vicarage part of the union of Bumlin: the tithes amount to £258. 9. 2 1/2., of which £107. 1. 6. is payable to the rector, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, called Carraghroe, which comprises the parishes of Lissonuffy and Clonfinlogh, and part of Bumlin; and contains two chapels, one at Carraghroe, in this parish, the other at Caranaskagh in Clonfinlogh; that of Carraghroe is a very neat edifice of recent erection. About 450 children are educated in six private schools. There are some remains of the old church, the burial-ground attached to which is still used; and there are also the ruins of an ancient abbey containing a beautiful pointed window and doorway, and some handsome monuments to the O'Conor family.

LISTEELY, or KILTEELY, a parish, partly in the baronies of CLANWILLIAM and SMALL COUNTY, but chiefly in that of COONAGH, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S. W.) from Pallas-Greine, on the road to Bruff; containing 2128 inhabitants. This parish comprises 1949 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the land is in general good and chiefly in tillage; the substratum is limestone, occasionally alternating with basalt, which latter in several parts rises to the surface; the system of agriculture is improving. Fairs, chiefly for horned cattle and pigs, are held in the village of Kilteely on Feb. 1st, June 1st, and Oct. 25th; and there is a constabulary police station. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Emly, forming part of the union of Ballybrood and corps of the precentorship of the cathedral of Emly; the tithes amount to £284. 6. 2. The church is a ruin. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, called Kilteely, comprising also the parish of Liscormuck and part of Dromkeen; and containing two chapels, one in Listeely, the other in Dromkeen; the former, in the village of Kilteely, is a large cruciform edifice, erected in 1816, and has a painting of the crucifixion over the altar. Adjacent to it are two national schools, erected at the expense of the Rev. E. Walsh, P.P.; and there are two private schools, in which are about 160 children. On an eminence near the village are some remains of the church of Kildromin, founded by the Knights Templars in 1291.

LISTERLING, a parish, in the barony of IDA, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (S. S. W.) from Inistioge; containing 1551 inhabitants. The parish is intersected by the Argala, a small mountain river, and is only half a mile from the river Nore; it comprises 5532 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, more than two-thirds of which are in pasture; the remainder, with the exception of a small portion of meadow, is under tillage. The soil is in general argillaceous, on a basis of brittle clay-slate, which is quarried on the lands of Listerling and Brownstown; and a vein has been discovered in the former townland containing lead ore, copper and silver, but it has not been worked. In consequence of the small quantity of bog, the principal supply of fuel is obtained from the neighbouring parish of Burnchurch. The village, which contains 25 houses, is a station of the constabulary police; and fairs are held on Jan. 4th, May 6th, June 6th, Sept. 17th, Oct. 24th, and Dec. 5th. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £258. 9. 2 3/4. The glebe-house was erected in 1821 by aid of a gift of £300 and a loan of £500 from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe comprises 10 1/4 acres. The church was built in 1796, by aid of a gift of £500 from the same Board, and has been recently repaired by a grant of £207 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Rosbercon. About 210 children are educated in a private school. There are several raths in different parts of the parish; and at Listerling is a mount surrounded by a fosse, from which it is supposed to derive its name, originally perhaps Lis-Easterling, or "the abode of the Ostmen;" near it has been found a small artificial cave, and it is traditionally stated that St. Mullen formerly resided at or near this moat.

LISTOWEL, a post-town and parish, in the barony of IRAGHTICONNOR, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 17 1/4 miles (N. E.) from Tralee, and 134 (S. W. by W.) from Dublin, on the road from Tralee to Tarbert; containing 4957 inhabitants. This place, according to some authorities, derives its name, originally Lis Tuathal, or "the castle of Tuathal," from Tuathal, one of the earliest kings of Ireland; and according to others, from an old Danish fort in the immediate vicinity of the town. This castle was the last that held out for Lord Kerry against the troops of Elizabeth during the Desmond insurrection; in 1600 it was assaulted and taken by Sir Charles Wilmott, who put all the garrison to the sword. Upon its surrender, the eldest son of Lord Kerry, then five years of age, was carried away privately by his nurse, who contrived to make her escape, but they were discovered in their retreat and the child was sent by Sir Charles to the Lord-President. The town is situated on the right bank of the river Feale, over which is a handsome stone bridge of five arches, each of 50 feet span: it consists of a spacious square, in the centre of which is the church, and of one principal street, from which some smaller streets branch off. The total number of houses, in 1831, was 273, of which many are well built and of respectable appearance; several new houses have been recently built, and there are two good hotels. Fairs are held on alternate Wednesdays, and also on the 13th of May, July 25th, and Oct. 28th, chiefly for cattle, sheep, and pigs. Salmon is very plentiful. The river Cashen is navigable for boats of 15 tons' burden within 2 1/2 miles of the town; a canal with four locks would extend the navigation to the bridge. Behind the castle, on the river Feale, are the extensive flour-mills of Messrs. Leonard and Co., producing annually about 8000 barrels; and there are smaller mills at Island Gariff, also on the Feale. A chief constabulary police force is stationed in the town; a manorial court is held by the seneschal of Listowel every third Tuesday, and petty sessions every Thursday. There is a neat bridewell, and it is in contemplation to erect a court-house.

The parish comprises 7009 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £3351 per ann.; it is completely encircled by a large tract of bog and morass, which might easily be reclaimed by lowering the bar at the mouth of the river. The soil is remarkably fertile, and the neighbourhood is celebrated for producing wheat of superior quality; the system of agriculture is greatly improved, and limestone is found in several parts and quarried chiefly for burning. The principal seats are Tullamore House, the residence of C. Julian, Esq.; Gurtinard, of S. E. Collis, Esq.; Dromin House, of Jas. Raymond, Esq.; Grenville, of W. G. Sandes, Esq.; Bedford House, of S. S. Raymond, Esq.; and Ennismore, of J. F. Hewson, Esq. Ballinruddery, the seat of the Right Hon. Maurice Fitzgerald, Knight of Kerry, is partly within this parish, but chiefly in that of Finuge, under which head it is described. A new road to Abbeyfeale and Newmarket was completed in 1829, under the superintendence of Mr. Griffith, the Government Engineer, which has been productive of great benefit to the district through which it passes, and in conjunction with the Government roads recently completed on the confines of the counties of Kerry, Cork, and Limerick, will contribute much to the improvement of this neighbourhood.

It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, forming part of the union of Aghavallin; the rectory is impropriate in Thos. Anthony Stoughton, Esq. The tithes amount to £197. 10. 8., of which one-half is payable to the impropriator and the other to the vicar. The church, which is the principal one in the union, is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square tower surmounted by a neat spire, and is strengthened with buttresses terminating in pinnacles; it was erected by aid of a gift of £500 and a loan of £1000 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1819; the area surrounding the church which is enclosed by a neat iron railing, is about to be enlarged and planted. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district comprising also portions of the parishes of Finuge, Galey, Dysart, Duagh, and Kilshinane. The chapel was built at an expense of £2000 on a site at the south-western angle of the square, given by the Earl of Listowel; it is a handsome and spacious cruciform structure, with a good portico, and the altar-piece is richly embellished. The parochial school, in which about 60 children are taught, is partly supported by the incumbent; there are two private schools, in which are about 50 children; and a large national school-house, with apartments for a master and mistress, is about to be erected. There is a dispensary in the town. Some very interesting portions still remain of the ancient castle, the front of which occupies part of the western side of the square, and formerly extended to the river; but the rear, which contained some noble apartments, was taken down several years since. The two square towers in the front are, near their summits, connected by an arch, which, from its great elevation, has a very imposing effect; and in the wall is a projecting stone with the remains of a sculptured face, supposed to have been a portrait of McElligot, the architect. The castle formerly belonged to the family of Fitzmaurice, of Duagh, to whose ancestors it was granted by Hen. II., together with the lands of Lixnaw and Clanmaurice; and the manorial rights were purchased from the late Earl of Kerry by the father of the present Earl of Listowel, who takes his title from this place. The ruins of the old church and the burial-ground adjoin the Tarbert road, in the vicinity of the town.

LITTER, or CASTLEHYDE, a parish, partly in the barony of CONDONS and CLONGIBBONS, but chiefly in that of FERMOY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 miles (W. by N.) from Fermoy, on the road to Mallow; ,containing 1926 inhabitants. This parish, anciently called Carrigneady, is situated on the river Blackwater, by which it is divided into two nearly equal parts, and comprises 5154 1/2 statute acres, as rated for the county cess, and valued at £4312 per annum. The land is in general good and chiefly under tillage, and the state of agriculture has of late years been much improved, chiefly through the exertions of the late John Hyde, Esq.; there is but little waste land and no bog. A substratum of limestone extends to the north, and one of a brown or greyish kind of stone to the south, of the river, both of which are worked either for building or repairing the roads; and the limestone is also extensively burnt for manure. On the south side of the Blackwater is a flour-mill worked by a mountain stream which runs through a finely-wooded glen. A court for the manor of Castlehyde is occasionally held by the seneschal, for the recovery of debts not exceeding 40s., late currency. The principal seat is Castlehyde, the spacious and handsome mansion of John Hyde, Esq., beautifully situated on the northern margin of the Blackwater, in the midst of a highly picturesque and richly-wooded demesne extending on both sides of the river, of which it forms one of the most attractive scenes. Within the demesne, which spreads into the adjoining parish of Fermoy, are the ivied ruins of the ancient castle, which at a former period, gave name to the parish; and the river was here formerly crossed by a wooden bridge, in lieu of which there is now a ferry a little to the east of its site. The other seats are Creg, the residence of Col. Stewart; and Templenoe, of W. Lane Hyde, Esq.: at Creg is also the residence of the Rev. S. Adams. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne; part of the rectory is in the gift of J. Hyde, Esq., the remainder being impropriate in John Nason, Esq.: the vicarage is in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £681, of which £288 is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the incumbent: there is no glebe-house or glebe. The church, a small but handsome structure with a tower and spire, stands in the demesne of Castlehyde, of which it forms an interesting feature: it was built in 1812, on the site of the ancient edifice, partly at Mr. Hyde's expense, aided by a gift of £400 and a loan of £363 from the late Board of First Fruits, and has since been much improved from a design by G. R. Pain, of Cork, Esq.; the interior is embellished with a richly groined ceiling and most of the windows are of stained glass. In the R. C. divisions the parish, (with the exception of the village of Templenoe, which is within the district of Ballyhooley) forms part of the union or district of Fermoy About 30 children are educated in two private schools. At Creg are the ruins of a castle, said to have been built by the Condons, consisting of a lofty square tower, still nearly entire; and near the border of Killathy parish are the ruins of the castle of Bally-Mac Philip.

LITTERLUNA.--See LETTERLUNA.

LITTERMORE, an island, in the parish of KILLANIN, barony of MOYCULLEN, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 24 miles (W. N. W.) from Galway, on the western coast: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated on the eastern side of the bay of Kilkerrin, and at the extremity of that of Greatman's, and comprises about 500 acres, of which 80 consist of arable land, and the remainder of bog and pasturable mountain: the inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the fisheries. Here are a signal tower and a coastguard station belonging to the Galway district.

LITTERMULLIN, an island, in the parish of KILCUMMIN, barony of MOYCULLEN, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 22 miles (W.) from Galway, on the western coast: the population is returned with the parish. It forms one side of Kiegall bay, and its northern end part of the shore of Casheen bay, and it comprises about 250 acres of arable and pasture land. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the herring and cod fisheries on this coast and in the collection of seaweed for manure, in which several boats are employed.

LITTLE ISLAND.--See BEG-ERIN.

LITTLE ISLAND, a parish and island, in the barony of BARRYMORE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (E.) from Cork; containing 1103 inhabitants. It is situated on the estuary of the Lee, and is separated by a branch of that river from the parish of Caherlog, with which it communicates by a handsome causeway of hewn stone and a metal spring bridge, constructed in 1833 at the expence of Silver C. Oliver, Esq. It comprises 1627 statute acres, chiefly under tillage and in a high state of cultivation; there is no waste land or bog. About 20 acres have been lately reclaimed from the slab of the river by the Rev. R. Bury, and brought into cultivation. Limestone abounds, and is worked to a considerable extent for agricultural and building purposes, and as ballast for vessels sailing without cargoes from the port of Cork, for which latter purpose a contract has been entered into by Mr. J. Cantillon, jun., with the Ballast Board. The island is embellished with several handsome seats, the principal of which are Wallinstown House, the residence of Phineas Bury, Esq., the principal proprietor, containing within the demesne the ruins of an ancient church or chapel, and of the castle of Wallinstown; Sun Lodge, formerly the seat of the Rt. Hon. Silver Oliver, and now of his grandson, Silver Chas. Oliver, Esq.; Carrigrenane, the residence of J. M. Ashlin, Esq.; Flaxforth, of R. Martin, Esq.; Rockfarm, of J. Cantillon, Esq.; and Castleview, the property of W. H. Jackson, Esq., at present unoccupied. Carrigrenan is situated on a small undulating peninsula tastefully laid out and commanding a variety of interesting views of the river and its highly cultivated shores. There are several other seats, chiefly handsome modern mansions; a pure atmosphere, fertile soil, and sylvan scenery having induced several wealthy individuals to settle, on this small but beautiful island. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cork, forming part of the union of Rathcoony, formerly Cahirlog; the tithes amount to £180. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Glauntane, or New Glanmire. About 90 children are educated in a private school. A school-house, built by Phineas Bury, Esq., has been converted into a working-school. The only remains of antiquity are the small chapel or oratory formerly called Sancti Lappani, and the ruined tower of Wallinstown Castle, before mentioned; they are situated nearly adjoining each other under some aged trees, whose gloom finely contrasts with the verdure of the adjacent lawn and shrubbery.

LITTLETON, a post-town, in the parish of BORRISLEIGH, barony of ELIOGARTY, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (E.) from Thurles, and 79 (S.) from Dublin, on the road by Cashel to Cork; containing 44 houses and 283 inhabitants. This place is of modern date, having been chiefly erected by the late Rev. Thomas Grady, who expended considerable sums on its buildings, and in the ornamental improvements of the vicinity: it is now the property of Valentine Maher, Esq. Here are a station of the constabulary police, a public dispensary, and the parochial church, which is a handsome structure with a tower and spire.

LIXNAW, or LISANAW, a village, partly in the parish of KILTORNEY or KILTOOMY, but chiefly in that of KILCARRAGH, barony of CLANMAURICE, county of KERRY, and province of LEINSTER, 5 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Listowel, near the high road from Tralee to Tarbert; containing 397 inhabitants. This place was once the seat of the Earls of Kerry, by whom the castle of Lixnaw was erected; and the old bridge was built and the town much improved by Nicholas, the third baron of Lixnaw, so early as 1320. The castle was garrisoned in 1600 by Sir Chas. Wilmot's forces, who took it by surprise just when it had been undermined for demolition: they made it the centre of operations in this district until it was taken by Lord Kerry, who here kept Sir Chas. Wilmot's forces at bay, but at length entrusted its defence to his brother Gerald, who was compelled to surrender from want of water. The village is situated near the river Brick, over which, at a short distance from each other, are two stone bridges: it consists of two streets of tolerably good houses, and contains a spacious R. C. chapel, and a school supported by subscription, to which Mrs. Raymond contributes £6 per annum. A court for the manor of Lixnaw is held every three weeks, on Monday, for the recovery of debts not exceeding 40s. late currency. A patent exists for four fairs, but they are not at present held. Limestone of superior quality, in some places approaching to marble, is found in the vicinity, and worked both for useful and ornamental purposes; and sea-weed and sand for manure are brought in boats up the river Cashen and thence by the Brick to the town. It is stated that these rivers might be made navigable for larger vessels at a very moderate expense; and Mr. Nimmo, the government engineer, many years since, suggested a plan for that purpose, and for draining and bringing into cultivation the extensive tracts of marsh and bog in the neighbourhood. The R. C. district of Lixnaw comprises the parishes of Kilcarragh and Kiltoomy, and the greater portions of Dysert, Finuge, Kilshinane, and Kilfeighny; and contains the chapels of Lixnaw, or Ballinageragh, and Iveamore. The former, which was erected in 1S05, has a painting of the crucifixion over the altar, executed in a superior style by an Italian artist. Adjoining the village are the ruins of the old church, and the extensive remains of the ancient castellated mansion of the earls of Kerry; and on a mount at a short distance to the north-east is a monument, or mausoleum, of John, the third Earl, of a circular form, resting on a square base and terminating in a dome; whence an extensive view of the surrounding country is obtained. Lixnaw gives the inferior title of Baron to the Marquess of Lansdowne.

LOBBINSTOWN.-- See KILLEARY.

LOCKEEN, or LOUGHKEEN, also called LOGHCAYNE, a parish, in the barony of LOWER ORMOND, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Parsonstown, on the road to Nenagh; containing 2691 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Brosna, which forms the boundary between this and King's county, and comprises 8165 statute acres as applotted under the tithe act; the greater portion of the land is arable, and the system of agriculture is improving green crops being now generally cultivated: limestone is found, adapted for building. At Carrig are the flour-mills of Mr. Christopher Dignam. The seats are Tinnakilly, the residence of Robt. Robinson, Esq.; Riverstown, of Simpson Hackett, Esq.; Wingfield, of Thos. Doolan, Esq.; Gurteen, of Geo. Smith, Esq.; Ivy Hall, of R. Palmer, Esq.; Elm Hall, of Peter Burke, Esq.; Lacka, of W. Cruess, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. F. Synge. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory forms the corps of the prebend of Lockeen in the cathedral of Killaloe, also in the Bishop's patronage. The tithes amount to £350, of which £232. 6. 8. is payable to the prebendary, and the remainder to the vicar. The glebe-house is a handsome building, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits gave £400, and lent £200, in 1829. The erection of the church, which is a neat modern edifice, was aided by a gift of £300 from the same Board. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Birr, or Parsonstown, and has a chapel at Carrig. A school of about 50 children is supported by the proprietor of the estate, and there are three private schools containing about 100 children. At Glahaskeen are the ivied ruins of an old castle, and at Castletown are those of another; there are also some remains of the old church.

LOGHAN, or LOUGHAN, a parish, partly in the barony of CASTLERAHAN, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, but chiefly in the barony of UPPER KELLS, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (N. W.) from Kells, on the road from Dublin by Kells to Enniskillen; containing 3795 inhabitants, of which number, 339 are in the village of Loghan. This parish, which is also called Castlekeiran and Tristelkerin, contains also the villages of Rathendrick, Derver, and Castlekeiran, and is situated on the river Blackwater, near its source in Lough Ramor. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, entirely impropriate in the Marquess of Headfort: the tithes amount to £250. The impropriator allows £10 per annum to the curate of Mounter-Connaught parish for performing the occasional duties of that part of Loghan which lies in the county of Cavan, and of which the Protestant inhabitants attend Virginia church: those of the Meath portion attend the church of Kells. In the R. C. divisions Loghan forms part of the union or district of Carnaross, or Dulane. At Edenburt is a national school of about 60 children, aided by the Marquess of Headfort; and at Carnaross is a private school of about the same number. On the banks of the river are the remains of a small church, dedicated to St. Kieran, with a large and richly sculptured stone cross in the cemetery; here is also a holy well, much resorted to by the peasantry on the first Sunday in August.

LONDONDERRY (County of), a maritime county of the province of ULSTER, bounded on the south and south-west by the county of Tyrone; on the west, by that of Donegal; on the north-west, by Lough Foyle; on the north, by the Atlantic Ocean; and on the east, by the county of Antrim. It extends from 54° 37' to 55° 12' (N. Lat.), and from 6° 26' to 7° 18' (W. Lon.); and comprises an area, according to the Ordnance survey, of 518,423 acres, of which 388,817 are cultivated, 119,202 are mountain waste and bog, and 10,404 are occupied by water. The population, in 1821, was 193,869, and in 1831, 222,012.

The river Foyle appears to have been the Argita, and the Bann the Logia, of Ptolemy; and the intervening territory, constituting the present county of Londonderry, formed, according to this geographer, part of the country of the Darnii or Darini, whose name appears to be perpetuated in the more modern designation of "Derry." The earliest internal evidence represents it as being chiefly the territory of the O'Cathans, O'Catrans or O'Kanes, under the name of Tir Cahan or Cathan-aght, signifying "O'Kane's country:" they were a branch of and tributary to the O'Nials, and their chief seat was at a place now called the Deer Park, in the vale of the Roe. When their country was reduced to shire ground by Sir John Perrot, in the reign of Elizabeth, it was intended that Coleraine should be the capital; and the county was therefore designated, and long bore the name of, "the county of Coleraine," although it is a singular fact that the ruins of the court-house and gaol then built for the county are at Desertmartin, 15 miles from the proposed capital. Derry was seized by the English towards the close of Elizabeth's reign, for the purpose of checking the power of O'Nial and O'Donnel; and when the earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnel fled the country, in 1607, nearly the whole of six counties in Ulster were confiscated. At this period the southern side of the county appears to have been possessed by the O'Donnels, O'Conors, and O'Murrys: the O'Cahans were not among the attainted septs, and consequently, in the ensuing schemes of plantation, many of them were settled among the native freeholders by Jas. I., though they afterwards forfeited their estates in the subsequent civil war.

King James, conceiving the citizens of London to be the ablest body to undertake the establishment of a Protestant colony in the forfeited territory, directed overtures to be made to the municipal authorities; and on Jan. 28th, 1609, articles of agreement were entered into between the Lords of the Privy Council and the Committees appointed by act of Common Council. On the part of the citizens it was stipulated, that they should expend £20,000 on the plantation; and on the other hand, the Crown was to assign to them entire possession of the county of Coleraine, and the towns of Coleraine and Derry, with extensive lands attached, excepting 60 acres out of every 1000 for church lands and certain portions to be assigned to three native Irish gentlemen. To this extensive grant the king added the woods of Glenconkene and Killetragh, and ordained that the whole should be held with the amplest powers and privileges, such as the patronage of the churches, admiralty jurisdiction on the coasts, the fishery of the two great rivers and all other streams, &c. For the management of this new branch of their affairs the Common Council elected a body of twenty-six, consisting, as at present, of a governor, deputy-governor, and assistants, of whom one-half retire every year, and their places are supplied by a new election. In 1613, this company or court was incorporated by royal charter under its present style of "The Society of the Governor and Assistants of London of the New Plantation in Ulster, within the Realm of Ireland;" but is commonly known as the "Irish Society," and was invested with all the towns, castles, lordships, manors, lands, and hereditaments given to the city, which were erected by the charter into a distinct county, to be called "the County of Londonderry." The sum of £40,000 having now been expended on the plantation, it was deemed most advantageous to divide the territorial possessions of the Society into twelve equal portions, which were appropriated by lot to each of the twelve chief companies of the city, and so many of the smaller companies joined as made by their total contributions a twelfth of the entire sum. The twelve chief companies were the Mercers, Grocers, Drapers, Fishmongers, Goldsmiths, Skinners, Merchant Tailors, Haberdashers, Salters, Ironmongers, Vintners, and Clothworkers; and in their respective proportions is now included the chief part of the county. The houses and lands in the city of Londonderry and the town of Coleraine, with their woods, fisheries and ferries (except that at the estuary of the Foyle, connecting the county with that of Donegal, which belonged to the Chichesters), not being susceptible of division, were retained by the Society, who were to receive the profits, and account for them to the twelve chief companies. In 1616, information was received by Sir Thomas Philips of Newtown Limavady of a design formed by the Irish to surprise Londonderry and Coleraine, which being communicated to the Irish Government effectual measures were adopted for its prevention. On the communication of the intelligence to the Irish Society instructions were immediately issued by it to the twelve companies to furnish arms and accoutrements to be transmitted by the keeper of Guildhall for the better defence of the plantation, the prompt execution of which preserved the colony and gave new vigour to the exertions to stock it with English and Scotch settlers. About the same period directions were also issued to the companies to repair the churches, to furnish each of the ministers with a bible, common-prayer book and communion cup, and to send thither a stipulated number of artizans; the trades thus introduced were those of weavers, hat-makers, locksmiths, farriers, tanners, fellmongers, ironmongers, glassblowers, pewterers, fishermen, turners, basketmakers, tallowchandlers, dyers and curriers. The Salters' company erected glasshouses at Magherafelt, and iron-works were opened on the Mercers' proportion near Kilrea which were carried on until timber failed for fuel. Notwithstanding the disbursement of large sums of money, at length amounting to £60,000, continued dissatisfaction was expressed by the Crown at the mode in which the stipulations of the society were fulfilled: in 1632, the whole county was sequestered; and in 1637, the charter was cancelled, and the county seized into the king's hands. Parliament, however, decreed the illegality of these proceedings; Cromwell restored the Society to its former state; and on the Restoration, Chas. II. granted it a new charter, nearly in the same words as that of James, under which its affairs have ever since been conducted. Of the twelve principal companies, all retain their estates except four, viz., the Goldsmiths, Haberdashers Vintners, and Merchant Tailors, who at various periods disposed of their proportions to private individuals. The Goldsmiths' share was situated mostly within the liberties of Derry, south-east of the Foyle; that of the Haberdashers was around Aghanloo and Bovevagh. The Vintners had Bellaghy, and the Merchant Tailors' proportion was Macosquin. These proportions are now held in perpetuity by the Marquess of Waterford, the Richardsons, the Ponsonbys, the Alexanders, and the heirs of the late Right Hon. Thomas Conolly. Of the estates now belonging to the other eight companies, the Mercers have Kilrea and its neighbourhood; the Grocers, Muff and its dependencies; Moneymore and its rich and improved district belongs to the Drapers; the Fishmongers have Ballykelly; Dungiven belongs to the Skinners; Magherafelt to the Salters; Aghadowey to the Ironmongers; and Killowen, forming part of the borough of Coleraine, to the Clothworkers; all are under lease, except those of the Drapers, Mercers, and Grocers, which are managed by agents, deputed by these respective companies. The first intimation of the intended insurrection in 1641 came from Moneymore, in this county, through Owen O'Conolly, an Irish Protestant, in time to save Dublin, but not to prevent the explosion of the plot in the north. On the first day of the explosion Moneymore was seized by the Irish, and Maghera and Bellaghy, then called Vintners'-town, burned, as were most of the other towns and villages throughout the county. On the termination of the war the county and the city fell under the dominion of the parliament, and Sir Charles Coote and Governor Hunks ruled there with great severity. From the restoration to the revolution the county affords few materials for history; the siege of Londonderry, one of the most striking events of the latter period, more properly belongs to the history of the city.

The county is chiefly in the diocese of Derry, with some portions in those of Armagh and Connor. For the purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the city and liberties of Londonderry, the town and liberties of Coleraine, and the baronies of Coleraine, Tirkeeran, Kenaught, and Loughinsholin. It contains the city of Londonderry; the borough and market-town of Coleraine; the disfranchised borough, market and post-town of Newtown-Limavady; the market and post-towns of Castledawson, Dungiven, Draperstown, Moneymore, Garvagh, Magherafelt, and Maghera; and the post-towns of Bellaghy, Kilrea, and Tubbermore. The principal villages are Articlave, Ballykelly, Claudy, Muff, Portstewart (each of which has a penny-post), Ballyronan, Desertmartin, and Swattragh. It sent eight members to the Irish parliament, two for the county, two for the city and two each for the boroughs of Coleraine and Newtown-Limavady. Since the Union it has sent only four to the Imperial parliament, two for the county, one for the city, and one for the borough of Coleraine; those for the city and county are elected in the city of Londonderry. The county constituency as registered up to the October sessions of 1836, consists of 239 £50, 198 £20, and 1402 £10 freeholders; 41 £20 and 412 £10 leaseholders; and 7 £50, and 32 £20 rent-chargers; making a total of 2331 registered electors. Londonderry is included in the north-west circuit: the assizes are held in the city, and quarter sessions are held there and at Coleraine, Newtown-Limavady, and Magherafelt. The county gaol and court-house are in Londonderry, and there are courthouses and bridewells at each of the other sessions towns. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, a vice-lieutenant, 8 deputy-lieutenants, and 61 other magistrates; besides whom there are the usual county officers, including four coroners, one for the city, one for the borough of Coleraine, and two for the county at large. Of its civil jurisdiction it is remarkable that, like the county of Middlesex, its sheriffs are those elected by the citizens of its capital, who serve for the whole, excepting the liberties of Coleraine: the town-clerk of Londonderry, also, is the clerk of the peace for the county at large. There are 19 constabulary police stations, having in the whole a force of a stipendiary magistrate, a sub-inspector, a paymaster, 4 chief officers, 20 constables, 83 men, and 6 horses. The District Lunatic Asylum, and County Infirmary are in the city of Londonderry, and there are dispensaries at Londonderry, Bellaghy,Tamlaght O'Crilly, Port-stewart, Dungiven, Magherafelt, Maghera, Glendermot, Lower-Cumber, Newtown-Limavady, Coleraine, Killowen, Moneymore, Aghadowey, Ballynascreen, and Garvagh, which are supported equally by Grand Jury presentments, and by subscriptions from the Irish Society, the London companies, the landed proprietors, and other private individuals. For the convenience of holding petty sessions, the county is divided into the districts of Coleraine, Garvagh, Innisrush, Maghera, Moneymore, Magherafelt, Kilrea, Inver, city of Londonderry, Newtown-Limavady, Muff, Dungiven, and Clady. The amount of Grand Jury presentments for the county and city, for the year 1835, was £23,996. 16. 1., of which £1756. 12. 7. was for the roads, bridges, buildings, &c., of the county at large; £7464. 16. 3. for the roads, bridges, &c., of the baronies; £8702. 11. 10. for public buildings, charities, salaries of officers, and incidents; £2066. 17. 6. for the police; and £4005. 17. 11. for repayment of advances made by Government. In the military arrangements the county is included in the northern district.

In form the county approaches to an equilateral triangle: its greatest length is from the point of Magilligan, at the mouth of Lough Foyle, nearly southward, to the vicinity of Coagh, a distance of 32 1/2 miles. Although by no means distinguished for picturesque beauty, its surface presents many varieties of form, from the flat alluvial lands along its rivers to the wildest mountains. The latter form its central portion, extending in various chains, covered chiefly with heath, from near the sea-coast to the southern limit. Sawel mountain, in the south, attains an elevation of 2236 feet; Slieve Gallion rises to the height of 1730 feet; Carntogher, near the source of the Roe, 1521 feet; Donald's Hill, east of the same river, 1315 feet; Benyevenagh, forming the termination of that range towards the sea, 1260 feet; and Legavannon, between the Roe and the Faughan, 1289 feet. Even in these wild regions there are secluded vales, called by the inhabitants "slacks," in which are often found charming spots of fertile soil and romantic scenery. The principal of these are, Faughanvale, where there are some romantic waterfalls; Muff-glen, which, with the beautiful glen of the Ness, affords mountain passes from the Foyle to the Faughan; Laughermore, between the Roe and the Faughan, which commands various fine prospects, and has in its vicinity numerous traces of ancient forests; Lissane, with some deep romantic glens; Feeny, between the higher parts of the Roe and the Faughan, into which several other glens open, of which the most beautiful is Fin-glen; the neighbouring slacks of Moneyniceny and Carntogher; that of Ballyness, leading into the wild district of Glenullen; that of Dunmore, between Coleraine and Newtown-Limavady; and that of Druim-na-Gullion, to the north. The most extensive and diversified view in this part of Ireland, is that from the summit of Benyevenagh, near the mouth of the Roe, from which mountain the huge masses of fallen strata form successive terraces descending to the sandy flats bounded by Lough Foyle and the ocean.

The great natural divisions of the profitable lands are, the rich and fertile vales of the Roe, the Faughan, the Foyle (with the liberties of Londonderry), the Moyola, the shores of Lough Neagh, the half valley of the Bann (with the liberties of Coleraine), and the sea coast with the flats of Lough Foyle. The longest of the vales opening from the mountains is that of the Roe, environed by hills appropriated as sheepwalks, and in many places having midway up their declivities a sort of natural terrace, frequently two or three hundred yards in breadth. To the west is the nearly parallel vale of Faughan, which, next to those of the Roe and the Moyola, displays, from Clondermot to the coast of Lough Foyle, one of the most delightful tracts in the county: a considerable portion, however, is occupied by rough though valuable turbaries, while other parts are clothed with natural wood: in the higher part the scenery is frequently romantic, and in other places is improved by round alluvial hills. The vale of the Foyle is highly improved, and comprises the western extremity of the county, in which stands the city of Londonderry. The rich vale of Moyola extends from the eastern side of the mountains of Ballynascreen, towards Lough Neagh, being bounded on the south by Slieve Gallion. The borders of Lough Neagh form a low tract which presents a rich landscape, its surface being composed partly of gentle swells, and its fertility broken only by some extensive bogs. Around Ballinderry are considerable steeps, and at Spring Hill and over the town of Moneymore is a beautiful range of high land: beyond this extends a rich low tract called "the Golden Vale of Ballydawley." Lough Neagh bounds the county for nearly six miles, when the Bann, issuing from it, immediately falls into Lough Beg, the Londonderry shore of which is five miles in extent. The half valley of the Bann is composed of bleak ridges or tummocks of basalt, with a few more favoured spots near the streams, but accompanied by a series of scattered bogs, bordering the course of the river. These sometimes comprise high and barren swells, with lakes and small bogs intervening. About Tubbermore, Fort William, and Maghaer, however, there is a pleasing and more fertile tract; and the interior of the district bordering on the Bann is greatly enlivened by the woody scenery around Garvagh. The sea coast, formed by the Atlantic for 12 miles from Portrush to Magilligan point, and thence for 16 miles by Lough Foyle, exhibits a succession of varied and interesting scenery. Commencing with Portrush it presents a number of creeks and inlets, of which the most remarkable is Port-Stewart, whence to the mouth of the Bann is a strand of great extent and beauty, succeeded by a range of cliffs rising boldly from the sea, on the summit of one of which is the mansion of Down Hill and Mussenden Temple, built by the Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry. From Down Hill to Magilligan Point, a distance of 7 miles, is a strand extending a mile in breadth from the base of the mountains to the water's edge, and on which the whole army of Great Britain might be reviewed. Thence the coast turns nearly due south to the mouth of the Roe, presenting a dreary expanse in which is seen only a deserted house half covered by drifted sand, and a martello tower, after which a varied tract of highly improved land continues to the mouth of Londonderry harbour.

The soil is of great variety. The vale of the Roe chiefly consists of gravelly loams of different degrees of fertility; the levels on the banks of the river are very rich; and though the higher grounds are sometimes intermingled with cold clays, there is scarcely any unproductive land in it. In the vale of Faughan good loams are found in the lowest situations. Bond's glen, which joins it, and rests on a limestone base, is one of the most fertile spots in the county. The valley of the Foyle is also a strong loam below, declining in fertility and depth towards the heights. In the vale of Moyola are levels of the richest quality, but liable to great ravages by floods. In the district bordering on Loughs Neagh and Beg are found sharp gravelly soils of decayed granite, with some moorland, and then extensive swells of sandy loam with intervening flats of great fertility and some bog. Along the sea coast the soil is an intermixture of silicious and calcareous sand, occasionally covered with peat. At the mouth of the Bann these sands form hillocks, kept from shifting by the roots of bent-grass and available only as rabbit-warrens; nearly the whole of Magilligan strand is warren, followed by sandy hills covered with bent, and extensive tracts of bog. Beyond Walworth, along the shores of Lough Foyle, the beach is covered with herbage, forming salt marshes greatly esteemed for grazing horses. Lough Foyle is a large gulf, which, communicating with the Atlantic by a very narrow mouth, opens into a fine expanse, extending 15 miles into the country to the city of Londonderry, and being 7 miles across where broadest. Though there are shifting sand banks in some parts, the largest vessel may ride in safety in it in all weathers. The principal part of the mountain soils is based on basalt, generally presenting nothing to the view but bleak knolls rising out of the bog and covered with heath or marshy plants: In some more favoured situations the soil, though poor and loose, produces an herbage greedily depastured by sheep; and in the slacks or glens are found loams of better quality, varying in texture according to the soil of the hills from which they have been deposited.

The fertile soils are chiefly under tillage, in farms varying in size from 2 to 200 acres and averaging eight. Though wheat is cultivated on some of the richest soils, barley is grown to a far more considerable extent, especially in the districts bordering on Lough Neagh, also around Myroe and Coleraine; the other crops most extensively raised are oats, potatoes, and flax; barley is said to pay the summer's rent and flax the winter's. Beans were formerly grown in vast quantities in Aghanloo and in Myroe, and rye in some of the lower districts, but both are now uncommon; four kinds of wheat, red, white, plain and bearded are sown, the produce of which varies from twelve to twenty barrels per acre; of barley, which is all of the four-rowed kind, called bere or Scotch barley, from eight to fourteen barrels of 21 stone (one-half more than the wheat measure); and of oats, of which the brown Poland, light-foot, blantire and potato oat are commonly sown, from 30 to 70 bushels per acre. Potatoes yield from 200 to 800 bushels per acre. An acre of good flax will produce twelve stocks, each yielding seventy-two pounds of clean scutched flax; but the common produce is one-third less. Turnips are grown by all the gentry and leading farmers, and mangel wurzel is a favourite crop with some; but its cultivation is yet imperfectly understood. The principal artificial grass is clover, to which the annual and perennial ray are sometimes added: these seeds are generally sown as the last crop of a course, but the common farmers seldom sow any, trusting to the powers of the soil and the humidity of the climate to restore the herbage: the prevailing kind is, in marshy situations, the fiorin, or jointed grass, which produces crops of amazing weight and good quality. Of manures, lime, which can be procured in almost every part of the county, is in most extensive use, that of Desertmartin being esteemed the best; the contiguous marl is also used, especially at Cruint-ballyguillen, or the Leck. In the maritime districts, and from six to ten miles inland, a favourite manure is sea-shells brought by boats from islands in Lough Foyle . the shells are chiefly oyster, muscle, and cockle; from 30 to 60 barrels are spread on an acre. Shelly sand is also gathered from the coast and from the shores of the Bann: trenching and throwing the mould on an unturned ridge, and the burning of peat for the ashes, are likewise practised. The breeds of cattle of every kind are much improved by judicious crossing; Derry not being a sheep-feeding county, the attention of the farmers has been less turned to this species of stock; yet some of the gentry have large flocks. Pigs are to be found in almost every house and cottage; they are usually slaughtered at home and the carcasses sent to market for the supply of the provision merchants of Belfast, Londonderry, and Coleraine. Of the horses, one breed is the active, hardy mountain garran, of a bay or sorrel colour and slight make: the Scottish highland horses are likewise in great request, and, together with a cross with the sinewy draught horse, are in common use. A cross with the blood horse has also been introduced. Myroe is famous for good cattle. All the improved agricultural implements are in general use; the advances made in every department of rural economy have been considerably promoted by the exertions of the North-West Farming Society, which holds its meetings in Londonderry and receives an annual donation of ten guineas from the Irish Society of London. Among wild fowl, one species is very remarkable, the barnacle, which frequents Lough Foyle in great numbers, and is here much esteemed for the sweetness of its flesh, in like manner as at Wexford and Strangford, though elsewhere rank and unsavoury: this difference arises from its here feeding on the fucus saccharinus. The ancient abundance of timber is evinced both by tradition and public documents, also by the abundance of pine found in all the bogs, of yew at Magilligan, and of fossil oak and fir in the mosses, even in the most exposed situations; but the woods have been wholly demolished by the policy of clearing the country, the lavish waste of fuel, the destruction made by exporting staves (once the staple of the county), and the demand for charcoal for smelting lead and iron. Coal, chiefly from Lancashire, is the principal fuel of the respectable classes in Londonderry and its vicinity. English, Scotch, and Ballycastle coals are used at Coleraine: but almost the universal fuel of the county is turf; in the fertile and thickly inhabited districts many of the bogs are exhausted, and recourse has been had to those of the mountains.

Geologically the county is composed of two great districts, divided into two nearly equal portions by the course of the Roe. The western is the extensive mountain tract reaching from that river to Strabane, in which mica slate predominates in such proportions as to compose nine-tenths of the whole; it is accompanied by primitive limestone in the lower districts, especially in those bordering on the vale of the Roe. On the eastern bank of the same river this system of mountains is succeeded by a range of secondary heights, reposing on and concealing the mica slate, which dips under them eastward. On these is piled a vast area of basalt, forming the basis of almost the entire country between the Roe and the Bann. These basaltic strata dip with the fall of the hills towards the north-east, to meet the opposite dip of the strata on the other side of the Bann, forming the other half of this great basaltic tract. The covering of basalt appears to acquire its greatest thickness on the north, where, as in the cap of Benyevenagh, it is more than 900 feet thick. Between the basalt and the subjacent mica slate are found in close succession many of the most important formations which occupy a great part of the southern and eastern counties of England. Next to the basalt (descending westward towards Lough Foyle and the vale of the Roe, and to the rich lands in the vale of Moyola and its vicinity) is found chalk, in beds of an aggregate thickness of about 200 feet, analogous to the lower beds of the English chalk formation, and therefore approaching in character to white limestone, being used and commonly designated as such. Even in its fossils and organic remains, this chalk is perfectly identified with that of England. Next is seen mulatto, precisely analogous to the green sandstone formations of England: the mulatto rests immediately on a lias limestone, blue and argillaceous, disposed in small beds alternating with slate clay, and distinguished by ammonites, gryphites, and other fossil remains. The lias, in turn, reposes, as in England, on beds of red and variegated marl, containing gypsum, and even distinguished by numerous salt springs; and this marl is underlaid by a thick deposit of red and variegated sandstone, containing clay galls, and in its turn incumbent on the mica slate formation. Sometimes, however, the mulatto and lias are entirely wanting, and the chalk may be seen immediately resting on the sandstone, both of which are constant and continuous. The deep valleys separating the detached eminences of the basalt region afford abundant evidence of their formation in excavations of part of the solid strata by some vast convulsions or operations of nature. North-east of the source of the Roe is a small detached district of mica slate, nearly surrounded by the basaltic ridges of Benbradagh and Cragnashoack, and forming the entire mass of the mountain of Coolcoscrahan. The mountain limestone, which is micaceous and granular, occurs to the most remarkable extent on the north-west side of Carntogher mountain, in Bennady glen, near the old church at Dungiven, at Banagher, near Clady, near Newtown-Limavady, and on Slieve Gallion mountain, where it contains crystallised hornblende in abundance. Hornblende slate occurs in Bennady glen, Aglish glen, and the bed of the Roe river near Dungiven, where it is contiguous to the primitive limestone. Porphyry is the fundamental rock on the east side of Slieve Gallion, and one variety resembles sienite, with which it is in connection. Transition trap also occurs on Slieve Gallion.

The transition limestone, intervening in a few places between the primitive formations and the sandstone, is of the same kind as that which occupies so great a portion of the central counties: it is of a smoke grey colour, contains two sorts of terebratulites, and nodules of glassy quartz, which render it dangerous to blast; but being, nevertheless, the best species in the county for manure and all ordinary purposes, it is most extensively quarried. The sandstone extends the entire length of the county, from its northern extremity near Down hill up the eastern side of the Roe, and surrounding Cragnashoack and Carntogher mountains, whence it stretches by the eastern declivity of Slieve Gallion into the county of Tyrone. The upper strata of chalk are characterised by parallel beds of flinty nodules; and, at their junction with the basalt, these flints are found imbedded in the lowest member of the trap deposit: it is curiously affected by intersecting dykes filled with basalt. The only great geological phenomenon exhibited on the sea-coast is the gradual emergence of the chalk from under the trap beds. The basalt is chiefly tabular, with the varieties called greenstone, amygdaloidal wacké, &c. A laminated schist of the mica slate formation is quarried between Derry and Newtown; there is a good quarry of lamellated schist between Bond's glen and Gossaden; gneiss occurs in the quarries of the mica slate near the Faughan river; granite on the northern summit of Slieve Gallion; the finest rock crystals are found in Finglen, Dungiven, Banagher, and in the primitive mountains near Learmount; and steatite is found in the basaltic region. Iron is found disseminated through many of the strata of the county, and in the basalt is sometimes so abundant as to affect the needle. Ironstone, found in great abundance in Slieve Gallion, was formerly worked, but the undertaking was abandoned on the failure of fuel. The metal is found in a mixed state with manganese; and in the mountain streams mounds of it are observed in the character of yellow ochre. To the abundance of this metal in the peat moss are owing the red colour and weight of the ashes. Coal, copper, and lead have been found in very small quantities.

The staple manufacture is that of linen, of which the raw material is grown here, chiefly from American and Riga seed, though partly from Dutch, which is most esteemed. The flax is spun by the rural population, and the weavers themselves are husbandmen; so that during seed-time and harvest the loom is abandoned. The flax is generally spun from three to four hanks in the pound weight, and the tow yarn is made into sacking for home use. The coarser yarn is carried to Londonderry to be exported to Liverpool for Manchester, and some to Scotland, the finer being disposed of at Coleraine, Newtown, &c. The fabric made in Coleraine is the finest, and all webs of the same texture, wherever manufactured, are called Coleraines. The fabrics of Londonderry are of two kinds, one only twenty-seven inches wide, made of tow yarn, and called Derry wrappers; the other thirty-two inches wide, and made of fine yarn. Considerable quantities of linens are exported unbleached; the coarse chiefly to Liverpool. The white linens are shipped from Londonderry or Coleraine to Liverpool or London. Coarse red pottery is made at Agivey, and at some other places. There are several distilleries and breweries, and numerous corn and flour mills. The coast abounds with all the ordinary kinds of fish, which are taken for home consumption; but the principal fisheries are those of salmon and eels in the Bann, which are superior in extent to any others in Ireland, employing a great number of persons; almost the entire produce of salmon is exported. There are several other considerable fisheries along the sea-coast and in the small rivers; but most of the salmon brought to the provincial markets comes from a distance of several miles, and is much inferior to that of the Bann. The commerce of the county centres in the city of Londonderry and the town of Coleraine, but chiefly the former. At Ballyronan, on Lough Neagh, vessels of sixty tons' burden can unlade, and, though the exports are inconsiderable, timber, iron, slates, coal, flax seed, hardware, and groceries are landed in large quantities.

The principal rivers are the Foyle, the Bann, the Roe, and the Faughan. The Foyle, which derives its name from the smoothness of its current, intersects the liberties of the city of Londonderry, in a majestic course north-eastward, having descended from Lifford, where, after the union of several important streams, it first obtains its name: at Culmore, six miles below the city, which it appears formerly to have insulated, it expands into the estuary of Lough Foyle. The Bann, or "White River," so called from the purity of its waters, intersects the liberties of Coleraine, within four miles of its junction with the ocean; but the navigation is greatly obstructed by shallows and a very dangerous bar, where the currents of the fresh water and the tide meet. The Roe, or "Red River," so called from the colour of its waters, receives at Dungiven the Owen-Reagh: hence, in its course directly north, it receives from the mountains on each side the Owen-Beg, the Gelvin-water, the Balteagh river, and the Castle and Curley rivers; and winding through the fertile flat by Newtown-Limavady, it falls into Lough Foyle at Myroe. The flat country bordering the lower part of its course is exposed to sudden and impetuous floods poured down from the surrounding mountains: many acres of the finest lands are with difficulty defended by embankments, and even with this protection the securing of the crop is never a matter of certainty. The deposits brought down by this river form many shifting banks in the Lough, which prevent its mouth from becoming a convenient little port, although there is sufficient depth of water at high tides. The Faughan in its course receives numerous rills and streams from the surrounding heights, and falls into Lough Foyle. The Moyola is a considerable stream descending into Lough Neagh; the principal tributaries of the Bann are the Clady, Agivey, and Macosquin streams. There are no canals connected with the county, but an inland navigation, either by a canal, or lateral cuts along the Bann, is contemplated from Lough Neagh to Coleraine, and a bill is now being applied for to enable the proprietors of the lands round the lake to lower it to a summer level, and thereby render the Bann navigable to Coleraine. The contemplated line of railway from Armagh to Portrush will pass for more than 30 miles through the county, but no steps have yet been taken respecting it, beyond the selection of the line. The roads are numerous and highly important, several very useful lines have been made and others greatly improved solely at the expense of the Drapers' Company; all the other roads are made and kept in repair by Grand Jury presentments. Several new lines of road are contemplated, the principal of which is a mail road from Belfast to Derry, of which that portion from the Pullans to Coleraine is already commenced.

In the original plantation of the county in 1609, and the subsequent years, the English settlers were located in the fertile tracts along the borders of Loughs Foyle and Neagh, and the banks of the Roe and Bann; the Scotch were placed in the higher lands as a kind of military barrier between their more favoured brethren of the south country and the Irish, who, with the exception of a few native freeholders, were removed to the mountain districts. The varieties of religion corresponded with those of country, the English being Protestants of the Established Church; the Scotch, Presbyterians, or other sects of Protestant dissenters; and the Irish, Roman Catholics. This arrangement of severance long prevented, and still in some degree continues to prevent, the amalgamation of the several classes. The Irish, shut up within their secluded mountain ravines, retain many of their peculiarities of language, customs, and religion; those of Glenullin, though near a large Protestant settlement at Garvagh will admit none but members of their own church to reside among them, though in other respects they are on terms of great kindliness with their neighbours of a different creed, except when under the excitation of party animosity. The residences of many respectable gentlemen are in the cottage style, generally ornamented and surrounded with planting and gardens: the habitations of the rural population are of every description, from the slated two-story house of brick or stone, and the long narrow cottage with two or three partitions, to the cabin of dry stone or clay, without even a window. In the districts of Coleraine and Desertmartin, where lime is plentiful, the dwellings of the peasantry are neatly white-washed, and sometimes rough-cast, but in other parts they present a very sombre appearance.

Remains of its ancient inhabitants of every period are scattered over the county. There is a cromlech at Slaght Manus, another at Letter-Shandenny, a third at Slaghtaverty, and others at Bally-na-screen: some had been surrounded by a circle of upright stones. There are remains of sepulchral mounts or tumuli at Mullagh-cross, and a vast tumulus is seen at Dovine, between Newtown-Limavady and Coleraine, besides several of smaller dimensions. Numerous cairns are met with in every quarter, especially on the summits of the mountains. Near Dungiven is a very remarkable sepulchral pillar. Raths or Danish forts are likewise scattered in chains in every direction, each being generally within sight of two others: the most remarkable is that called the Giant's Sconce, anciently commanding the communication between the districts of New-town and Coleraine. Ditches enclosing spaces of from half a rood to several acres are also discernible contiguous to these forts. There is a curious mound surrounded with a moat on the road from Springhill to Lough Neagh; and another, of larger size, at Dungorkin, on the road from Cumber Clady through Loughermore. Ancient intrenchments of different character are seen at Prospect, and between Gortnagasan and Cathery. Various coins, pins, rings, and forks have been found about a moat near Lough Neagh, and, among other ancient instruments, quern stones have often been discovered. Hatchets made of hard basalt, spears of grey granite, and barbed arrow-heads of flint (the last sometimes neatly executed, and vulgarly called elf-stones) are very frequently found. Sometimes gold and silver coins, fibulae, and gorgets, with other ornaments, are dug up, but these are rare. There are many artificial caverns, which seem to have been designed for the concealment of goods, or for the refuge of families in case of sudden attack: the sides are built of common land stones without cement, and the roof is composed of flags, or long stones, but the vault is seldom high enough for the passage of a man in a stooping posture; they consist sometimes of different galleries, and the mouth was most usually concealed by a rock or grassy sod.

Besides the remains of monastic institutions in the city of Londonderry, seventeen others appear to have existed within the limits of the county; there are still remains of those situated respectively at Camus, Errigal, Tamlaghtfinlagan, Domnach-Dola, and Dungiven, at the last of which are the most interesting of all the ecclesiastical ruins. Near the old church of Banagher is a monastic building almost entire. There are few castles of Irish erection. Bally-reagh, on a rocky cliff overhanging the sea, is said to have belonged to one of the Mac Quillans; and a castle which stood near the church of Ballyaghran is reported to have been the abode of the chief of that sept. There were several English castles, with bawns and flankers, built by the London companies, one at least in every proportion of allotment, but they are all in ruins except Bellaghy, which is still occupied.

LONDONDERRY, a city and port, in the parish of TEMPLEMORE, and county of LONDONDERRY (of which it is the chief town), and province of ULSTER, 69 3/4 miles (N. W. by W.) from Belfast, and 118 1/2 (N. N. W.) from Dublin; containing 10,130 inhabitants. It was originally and is still popularly called Derry, from the Irish Doire, which signifies literally "a place of oaks," but is likewise used to express "a thick wood." By the ancient Irish it was also designated Doire-Calgaich, or Derry-Calgach, "the oak wood of Calgach;" and Adamnan, abbot of Iona in the 7th century, in the life of his predecessor, St. Columbkill, invariably calls it Roboretum Calgagi. About the end of the 10th century, the name Derry-Calgach gave place to Derry-Columbkill, from an abbey for canons regular of the order of St. Augustine founded here by that saint; but when the place grew into importance above every other Derry, the distinguishing epithet was rejected: the English prefix, London, was imposed in 1613, on the incorporation of the Irish Society by charter of Jas. I., and was for a long time retained by the colonists, but has likewise fallen into popular disuse. The city appears to be indebted for its origin to the abbey founded by St. Columbkill, according to the best authorities in 546, and said to have been the first of the religious houses instituted by that saint; but the exact period of its foundation and its early history are involved in much obscurity. In 783 and 812 the abbey and the town were destroyed by fire; at the latter period, according to the Annals of Munster, the Danes heightened the horrors of the conflagration by a massacre of the clergy and students. The place must have been speedily restored, as, in 832, the Danes were driven with great slaughter from the siege of Derry by Niall Caille, King of Ireland, and Murchadh, Prince of Aileach In 983, the shrine of St. Columbkill was carried away by the Danes, by whom the place was also thrice devastated about the close of the 10th century: in 1095 the abbey was consumed by fire. In 1100, Murtagh O'Brien arrived with a large fleet of foreign vessels and attacked Derry, but was defeated with great slaughter by the son of Mac Loughlin, prince of Aileach. Ardgar, prince of Aileach, was slain in an assault upon Derry in 1124; but on the 30th of March, 1135, the town with its churches was destroyed by fire, in revenge, as some state, of his death: it also sustained a similar calamity in 1149. In 1158, Flahertagh O'Brolchain, abbot of the Augustine monastery, was raised to the episcopacy and appointed supreme superintendent of all the abbeys under the rule of St. Columb, by a synodical decree of the Irish clergy assembled at Brigh-mac-Taidhg, in the north of Meath. O'Brolchain immediately commenced preparations for the erection of a new church on a larger scale; and in 1162 he removed more than 80 houses adjacent to the abbey church, and enclosed the abbey with a circular wall. In 1164 Temple More, or "the great church," was built, and the original abbey church was thenceforward distinguished as Duv Regles, or "the Black Church:" the new edifice was 240 feet long, and was one of the most splendid ecclesiastical structures erected in Ireland prior to the settlement of the Anglo-Normans; its site was near the Black Church, outside the present city wall, and is now chiefly occupied by the Roman Catholic chapel and cemetery; both edifices were entirely demolished by Sir Henry Docwra, governor of Derry, in 1600, and the materials used in the erection of the extensive works constructed at that period; but the belfry or round tower of the cathedral served till after the celebrated siege, and has given name to a lane called the Long Tower. In 1166 a considerable part of the town was burned by Rory O'Morna; and in 1195 the abbey was plundered by an English force, which was afterwards intercepted and destroyed at Armagh. In 1197, a large body of English forces having set out from the castle of Kill-Sanctain on a predatory excursion, came to Derry and plundered several churches, but were overtaken by Flahertach O'Maoldoraidh, lord of Tyrone and Tyrconnell, and some of the northern Hy-Niall, and a battle ensued on the shore of the adjoining parish of Faughanvale, in which the English were defeated with great slaughter. In this year Sir John De Courcy came with a large army and remained five nights; and in the following year also, having made an incursion into Tyrone to plunder the churches, he arrived at this place, and during his stay plundered Ennishowen and all the adjacent country; while thus engaged he received intelligence of the defeat of the English at Larne by Hugh Boy O'Nial, which caused him to quit Derry. In 1203 the town was much damaged by fire; and in 1211 it was plundered by Thomas Mac Uchtry and the sons of Randal Mac Donnell, who came hither with a fleet of 76 ships, and afterwards passed into Ennishowen and laid waste the whole peninsula. This Thomas and Rory Mac Randal again plundered the town in 1213, carrying away from the cathedral to Coleraine all the jewellery of the people of Derry and of the north of Ireland. A Cistercian nunnery was founded on the south side of the city in 1218, as recorded in the registry of the Honour of Richmond; but from the Annals of the Four Masters it appears that a religious establishment of this kind existed here prior to that period. Nial O'Nial plundered the town in 1222; and, in 1261, sixteen of the most distinguished of the clergy of Tyrone were slain here by Conor O'Nial and the Kinel-Owen or men of Tyrone. In 1274 a Dominican abbey was founded on the north side of the city, of which even the site cannot now be accurately traced.

Edw. II. granted the town to Richard de Burgo, Earl of Ulster, in 1311; but from this period till the reign of Elizabeth, prior to which the English exercised no settled dominion in Derry, no event of importance connected with the place is recorded. In 1565, Edward Randolph arrived in the Foyle with seven companies of foot and one troop of horse, to repress Shane O'Nial, Earl of Tyrone, who had renounced his allegiance to the English crown; and a sanguinary engagement taking place on the plains of Muff, the Irish chieftain was signally defeated. An encampment was then formed by the English near the city; but in a sally against some of O'Nial's forces, who had ostentatiously paraded before it, the English general was slain by a party who had concealed themselves in an adjoining wood, and the command of the garrison was given to Col. St. Lo. The English converted the cathedral into an arsenal, and on the 24th of April, 1566, the gunpowder blew up by accident with so much damage as to render the place untenable; the foot embarked for Dublin, to which city also the horse returned, passing through Tyrconnell and Connaught to avoid O'Nial. In 1599 it was again determined to fortify Derry, a measure long deemed essential in order to divide and check the power of O'Nial and O'Donell, the accomplishment of which object was favoured by its situation and the friendship of O'Dogherty of Ennishowen. With that view Sir Henry Docwra, in 1600, entered the Foyle with a British force of 4000 foot and 200 horse, and landed at Culmore, at the mouth of the river, where he erected a fort. He soon obtained possession of the city, and constructed fortifications and other works for its defence and improvement, pulling down the abbey, cathedral, and other ecclesiastical buildings for the sake of the materials. On the termination of the war at the commencement of 1603, the garrison was reduced to 100 horse and 150 foot under the governor, and 200 foot under Capt. Hansard; and at Culmore were left 20 men. Sir Henry now directed his attention to the improvement of the place with so much zeal as to entitle him to be regarded as the founder of the modern city. A number of English colonists settled here on his invitation; he obtained grants of markets and fairs, and, in 1604, a charter of incorporation with ample privileges. But in 1608, after the flight and forfeiture of O'Nial and O'Donell, the growing prosperity of the new city was checked by the insurrection of Sir Cahir O'Dogherty, the young chief of Ennishowen, who took both Culmore fort and Derry, at the latter of which Sir George Paulet (to whom Sir Henry Docwra had alienated all his interests) and his men were slain; as many of the inhabitants as could escape fled, and the town was plundered and burned. A large part of Ulster having escheated to the Crown on the attainder of the above-named earls, proposals of colonization were made to the city of London, in which this place is described as "the late ruinated city of Derry, which may be made by land almost impregnable." In accepting the offers of the Crown the city agreed to erect 200 houses here, and leave room for 300 more; 4000 acres contiguous to the city were to be annexed to it in perpetuity, exclusively of bog and barren mountain, which were to be added as waste; convenient sites were allowed for the houses of the bishop and dean; the liberties were to extend three miles or 3000 Irish paces in every direction from the centre of the city; and the London undertakers were to have the neighbouring fort of Culmore, with the lands attached, on condition of maintaining in it a competent ward of officers and men. In 1613 the inhabitants, having surrendered their former charter, were re-incorporated, and the name of the city was altered to Londonderry. The natives having conspired to take the town by surprise, a supply of arms was sent from London in 1615; an additional sum of £5000 was ordered for completing the walls; and, that it might not in future be peopled with Irish, the Society issued directions that a certain number of children from Christ's Hospital, and others, should be sent hither as apprentices and servants, and prohibited the inhabitants from taking Irish apprentices. Leases of most of the houses were granted for thirty-one years, and to each was allotted a portion of land according to the rent, with ground for gardens and orchards; 300 acres were assigned for the support of a free school; and of the 4000 acres the Society allotted to the houses or granted to the mayor 3217, including a parcel of 1500 acres which were set apart to support the magistracy of the city, and which subsequently became a source of contention between the Society, the corporation, and the bishop. In 1618 we find the fortifications completed, at an expense of £8357; but notwithstanding the adoption of these and other measures of improvement, the increase of houses and inhabitants was very slow, and the operations of the Society were made the ground of various representations to the Crown respecting the non-fulfilment of the conditions of planting. In 1622, commissioners were appointed to enquire into the affairs of the plantation, to whom the mayor and corporation presented a petition complaining of many grievances resulting from the conduct of the Society, one of the chief of which was the non-erection of the specified number of houses: this enquiry led to several sequestrations of the city and liberties until 1628, and for some time the rents were paid to the Crown.

In the rebellion of 1641 the English and Scottish settlers received a considerable supply of arms and ammunition from London, and having secured themselves within the walls, successfully defended the city from the attacks of the rebels under Sir Phelim O'Nial. In 1643 the inhabitants of Londonderry and Coleraine sent letters to the lords-justices urging their impoverished condition and praying for relief. Sir John Vaughan, the governor, having died this year, Sir Robert Stewart was appointed to the command of the garrison, of which five companies aided in his defeat of Owen O'Nial at Clones, on the 13th of June. Towards the close of the year the parliament having taken the covenant, the London adventurers sent over an agent with letters desiring that it should be taken within their plantation; but in the year following the mayor was ordered by the lord-lieutenant and council to publish a proclamation against it. Col. Audley Mervin, who had been appointed governor by the Marquess of Ormonde, was nevertheless obliged from expediency to take the covenant: in 1645 he was displaced by the parliament, and was succeeded by Lord Folliott. Sir C. Coote, the parliamentary general, having, in 1648, treacherously seized upon the person of Sir Robert Hamilton, forced him to surrender Culmore fort, by which the parliamentarians became masters of all the forts of Ulster, except Charlemont. The Marquess of Ormonde having failed in his attempts to induce Sir C. Coote to join the king's cause, the latter was blocked up in Derry by the royalists; and soon after the city and Culmore fort were regularly besieged by Sir Robert Stewart, who was subsequently joined by Sir G. Monroe and Lord Montgomery with their respective forces, and Chas. II. was proclaimed with great solemnity before the camp of Derry. The decapitation of the late king having excited general horror among the majority of the people of the north, they rose in arms and soon obtained possession of all the towns and places of strength in that quarter, except Derry and Culmore, which, after a siege of four months, and when the garrison, consisting of 800 foot and 180 horse, was reduced to the greatest extremities, were relieved by Owen Roe O'Nial, to whom Sir C. Coote had promised a reward of £5000 for this service; and by the defeat of Ever Mac Mahon, the Roman Catholic general, the following year, at Skirfolas in Donegal, Coote finally reduced all Ulster under the power of the parliament. After the Restoration, Chas. II., in 1662, granted letters patent to the Irish Society, containing, with very little alteration, all the clauses of the first charter of Jas. I.; this is the charter under which the Society and the corporation of Derry now act. In 1684, the same monarch constituted a guild of the staple, with powers as ample as those enjoyed by any other city or town: in the following year, owing to the decay of trade, the corporation complained to the Society that the government of the town was too expensive for the magistrates to sustain, and solicited an abatement of the rent.

In 1689 this city became the asylum of the Protestants of the north, who, in number about 30,000, fled to it for refuge before the marauding forces of James; and is distinguished in the annals of modern history for the heroic bravery of its inhabitants amidst the extreme privations of a protracted siege. The chief governor having withdrawn the Protestant garrison, and steps being taken to introduce an undisciplined native force influenced by hostile prejudices, the young men of the city closed the gates against its admission, and the bulk of the inhabitants took up arms in their own defence. The magistrates and graver citizens endeavoured to palliate this ebullition of military ardour in their representations to the lord-lieutenant, but in the meantime the armed inhabitants applied to the Irish Society for assistance. Lord Mountjoy, a Protestant commander in the army of James, was, however, admitted, in a great measure from personal regard, but on condition that a free pardon should be granted within 15 days, and that in the interval only two companies should be quartered within the walls; that of the forces afterwards admitted one-half at least should be Protestants; that until pardon was received the citizens should guard the fortifications; and that all who desired it might be permitted to quit the city. By the advice of Mountjoy, who was obeyed as a friend and associate, the arms were repaired, money cheerfully subscribed, ammunition purchased in Scotland, and the agent despatched to England urged to procure supplies. He was succeeded in the command by his first lieutenant, Lundy, whom King William, on sending an officer with some military supplies, commissioned to act in his name; but the dissatisfaction of the citizens was excited by the vacillating character of this commander, who, on the approach of James to besiege the city in person, prepared to surrender it, notwithstanding the arrival of two English colonels in the river with reinforcements, which he remanded. The principal officers being about to withdraw, and the town council preparing to offer terms of capitulation, the inhabitants rose tumultuously against the constituted authorities, received with enthusiasm a brave and popular captain who presented himself at the city gates with a reinforcement, and, rushing to the walls, fired upon James and his party advancing to take possession of the place. On deliberation they suffered the timid to depart unmolested; Lundy first concealed himself and afterwards escaped; and two new governors were chosen, one of whom was the celebrated George Walker, rector of Donoughmore. Under their directions the soldiers and able inhabitants were formed into eight regiments, numbering 7020 men, with 341 officers; order and discipline were in some degree established, and, notwithstanding partial jealousies, 18 Protestant clergymen and seven non-conformists shared in the labour and danger of the siege, and by their exhortations stimulated the enthusiastic courage of the defenders with the fervour of devotion. The operations of an army of 20,000 men were thus successfully opposed in a place abandoned as untenable by the regular forces, unaided by engineers or well-mounted guns, and with only a ten days' supply of provisions. An irregular war of sallies was adopted with such effect that James, who had hitherto remained at St. Johnstown, six miles distant, returned to Dublin, leaving his army to continue the siege. The defenders had now to contend against the inroads of disease and famine; and the arrival of Kirke with a fleet in the lough afforded but little prospect of relief, as he deemed it too hazardous an enterprise to sail up to the town in front of the enemy's lines. Although thus apparently left to their own scanty resources, the brave garrison continued the defence with unabated heroism, still making desperate and effective sallies even when too much enfeebled by hunger to pursue their success. To induce a surrender, Marshal Rosen, the besieging general, ordered his soldiers to drive round the walls of the town the helpless Protestant population of the surrounding district, of all ages, who were thus exposed to the horrors of famine for nearly three days before they were suffered to disperse; some of the ablest of the men secretly joined their comrades in the town, and an ineffective body of 500 people were passed from it unperceived by the enemy. When even such miserable resources as the flesh of horses and dogs, hides, tallow, and similar nauseous substances had failed for two days, two of Kirke's ships, laden with provisions and convoyed by the Dartmouth frigate, advanced up the lough in view both of the garrison and the besiegers, in a dangerous attempt to relieve the place, returning with spirit the fire of the enemy. The foremost of the provision ships came in contact with the boom that had been thrown across the channel and broke it, but rebounding with violence ran aground, and for the moment appeared to be at the mercy of the besiegers, who with acclamations of joy instantly prepared to board her; but the vessel, firing her guns, was extricated by the shock, floated, and triumphantly passed the boom followed by her companions. The town was thus relieved and the enemy retired; but of the brave defenders only 4300 survived to witness their deliverance, and of this number more than 1000 were incapable of service; those who were able immediately sallied out in pursuit of the enemy, who had lost 8000 men by the sword and by various disorders during the siege, which had continued 105 days. Culmore fort was reduced to ruin, and was never afterwards rebuilt; and the city sustained so much damage that the Irish Society deemed it necessary to appoint commissioners for its restoration; the twelve chief companies of London advanced £100 each; the Society supplied timber for the public buildings, abatements were made in the rents, the terms of leases were augmented, and other measures necessary for the accomplishment of this object were adopted. In 1692, the corporation failing to negociate with Bishop King for a renewal of the lease of the quarter-lands, reminded the Society that the bishop's claims to this property were unsubstantial, and agreed to establish their right in consideration of £90. 10. per annum, which is still paid. In 1695 the Society procured a resumption of the remainder of the 1500 acres comprised in their letters patent, by an ejectment against the bishop, who, in 1697, appealed to the Irish House of Lords and obtained an order for their restitution, which the sheriffs and other inhabitants of Derry opposing, were taken into custody and conveyed to Dublin. Against this decision the Society applied to the English House of Lords, and in 1703 an act was passed establishing their right not only to the 1500 acres but also to the fisheries, which had previously been an object of dispute, subject to the payment of £250 per annum to the bishop and his successors, which is still continued, with a condition of exonerating him from rent or other demands for his palace and gardens. In 1721 a dispute took place between the corporation and the military governor, who refused to deliver the keys of the city gates to the new mayor, which by the charter he was bound to do; he surrounded the town-hall with troops, and prevented the members of the corporation entering it, but was removed immediately after. A grand centenary commemoration of the shutting of the gates took place in 1788, and was continued with the utmost harmony for three days; and in the month of August following the relief of the city was commemorated.

The city is advantageously situated on the western or Donegal side of the river Foyle, about five statute miles above the point where it spreads into Lough Foyle, chiefly on the summit and sides of a hill projecting into the river, and commanding on all sides richly diversified and picturesque views of a well cultivated tract: this hill, or "Island of Derry," is of an oval form, 119 feet high, and contains about 200 acres. The ancient portion of the city occupies the higher grounds, and is surrounded by massive walls completed in 1617, at the expense of the Society: they form a parallelogram nearly a mile in circumference, and in the centre is a square called the Diamond, from which four principal streets radiate at right angles towards the principal gates. Since the Union the city has considerably increased, particularly on the north along the shore of the river, where several warehouses, stores, and merchants' residences have been erected: on the west is also a considerable suburb, in which, within the last fifteen years, some new streets have been formed; and on the eastern bank of the river is another, called Waterside. The walls, which are well built and in a complete state of repair, are nearly 1800 yards in circuit, 24 feet high, and of sufficient thickness to form an agreeable promenade on the top. The four original gates have been rebuilt on an enlarged and more elegant plan, and two more added; but the only two that are embellished are Bishop's gate and Ship-quay gate, the former, built by subscription in 1788, being the centenary in commemoration of the siege. In 1628 the Irish Society was ordered to erect guard and sentinel houses, of which two are yet remaining; and of the several bastions, the north-western was demolished in 1824, to make room for the erection of a butter market; and in 1826 the central western bastion was appropriated to the reception of a public testimonial in honour of the celebrated George Walker. A few guns are preserved in their proper positions, but the greater number are used as posts for fastening cables and protecting the corners of streets. The houses are chiefly built of brick: the entire number in the city and suburbs is 2947. The city is watched, paved, cleansed, and lighted with gas, under the superintendence of commissioners of general police, consisting of the mayor and 12 inhabitants chosen by ballot: the gas-works were erected in 1829, at an expense of £7000, raised in shares of £11. Water is conveyed to the town across the bridge by pipes, from a reservoir on Brae Head, beyond the Waterside, in the parish of Clondermot; the works were constructed by the corporation under an act of the 40th of Geo. III., at a total expense of £15,500, and iron pipes have been laid down within the last few years. The bridge, a celebrated wooden structure erected by Lemuel Cox, an American, in lieu of a ferry which the corporation held under the Irish Society, was begun in 1789, and completed in the spring of 1791. It is 1068 feet in length, and 40 in breadth: the piles are of oak, and the head of each is tenoned into a cap piece 40 feet long and 17 inches square, supported by three sets of girths and braces; the piers, which are 165 feet apart, are bound together by thirteen string-pieces equally divided and transversely bolted, on which is laid the flooring: on each side of the platform is a railing 4 1/2 feet high, also a broad pathway provided with gas lamps. Near the end next to the city a turning bridge has been constructed in place of the original drawbridge, to allow of the free navigation of the river. On the 6th of Feb., 1814, a portion of the bridge extending to 350 feet was carried away by large masses of ice floated down the river by the ebb tide and a very high wind. The original expense of its erection was £16,594, and of the repairs after the damage in 1814, £18,208, of which latter sum, £15,000 was advanced as a loan by Government: the average annual amount of tolls from 1831 to 1834, inclusive, was £3693. Plans and estimates for the erection of a new bridge, nearly 200 yards above the present, have been procured; but there is no prospect of the immediate execution of the design. A public library and news room, commenced in 1819 by subscription and established on its present plan in 1824, by a body of proprietors of transferable shares of 20 guineas each, is provided with about 2660 volumes of modern works and with periodical publications and daily and weekly newspapers: it is a plain building faced with hewn Dungiven sandstone, erected by subscription in 1824, at an expense of nearly £2000, and, besides the usual apartments, contains also the committee-room of the Chamber of Commerce. The lower part of the building is used as the news-room, to which all the inhabitants are admitted on payment of five guineas annually. A literary society for debates and lectures was instituted in 1834, and the number of its members is rapidly increasing. Concerts were formerly held at the King's Arms hotel, but have been discontinued. Races are held on a course to the north of the town. Walker's Testimonial, on the central western bastion, was completed in 1828 by subscription, at an expense of £1200: it consists of a column of Portland stone of good proportions, in the Roman Doric style, surmounted by a statue of that distinguished governor by John Smith, Esq., of Dublin: the column is ascended by a spiral staircase within, and, including the pedestal, is 81 feet in height, in addition to which the statue measures nine feet. The city is in the northern military district, and is the head-quarters of a regiment of infantry which supplies detachments to various places: the barracks are intended for the accommodation of four officers and 320 men, with an hospital for 32 patients, but from their insufficiency a more commodious edifice is about to be erected, for which ground has been provided in the parish of Clondermot. The manufactures are not very considerable: the principal is that of meal, for which there are several corn-mills, of which one erected by Mr. Schoales in 1831, and worked by a steam-engine of 18-horse power, and another subsequently by Mr. Leatham, worked by an engine of 20-horse power, are the chief: the recent extension of this branch of trade has made meal an article of export instead of import, as formerly; in 1831, 553 tons were imported, and in 1834 6950 tons were exported. In William-street are a brewery and distillery; there are copper-works which supply the whole of the north-west of Ulster, and afford regular employment to 27 men; two coach-factories; and a corn-mill and distillery at Pennyburn, and another at Waterside. A sugar-house was built in 1762, in what is still called Sugar-house-lane, but was abandoned in 1809; the buildings were converted into a glass-manufactory in 1820, but this branch of business was carried on for a few years only. This is the place of export for the agricultural produce of a large tract of fertile country, which renders the coasting trade very extensive, especially with Great Britain: the quantity of grain exported to England and Scotland alone, in the year ending Jan. 5th, 1835, was 3680 tons of wheat, 1490 tons of barley, 10,429 tons of oats, 6950 tons of oatmeal, 3050 tons of eggs, 3654 tons of flax, 52,842 firkins of butter, 11,580 barrels of pork, 1900 bales of bacon, 590 hogsheads of hams, 1628 kegs of tongues, and 147 hogsheads of lard. It is still the market for a considerable quantity of linen, of which 9642 boxes and bales were exported in the same year. The number of vessels employed in the coasting trade which entered inwards in 1834 was 649, of an aggregate tonnage of 63,726, and which cleared outwards, 646, of an aggregate tonnage of 62,502, including steam-vessels, which ply regularly between this port and Liverpool and Glasgow. The principal articles of foreign produce imported direct are staves and timber from the Baltic, barilla from Spain, sugar and rum from the West Indies, wine from Spain and Portugal; tobacco from the United States, from which the ships come chiefly to take out emigrants, who resort to this port from the inland districts in great numbers; flax seed, the importation of which has much increased within the last few years, from Riga, America, and Holland; the quantity imported in 1835 was 12,400 hogsheads; but the greater proportion of foreign commodities comes indirectly, or coastwise. The number of vessels employed in the foreign trade which entered inwards in 1834 was 57, of an aggregate burden of 10,406 tons, and that cleared outwards, 16, of an aggregate tonnage of 4869. The salmon fishery of the Foyle affords employment to 120 men, exclusively of the same number of water-keepers: the fish is shipped principally for Liverpool; some is also sent to Glasgow, and some pickled for the London market: the quantity taken annually on an average of three years from 1832 to 1834 inclusive was about 149 tons. The right of fishing in this river up to Lifford is vested by charter of Jas. I. in the Irish Society, who by an act in the reign of Anne, are bound to pay the bishop £250 per annum, as compensation for his claim to some small fishings, and also to a tithe of the whole; but at present the Marquess of Abercorn and the Earl of Erne hold fisheries below the town of Lifford. The fishery off the coast is precarious, and frequently yields only a scanty supply, from the danger in encountering a rough sea experienced by the boats employed in it, which are only indifferently built; yet at other times the market abounds with turbot taken near Innistrahull and on Hempton's Bank, about 18 Irish miles north of Ennishowen Head; soles and haddock, taken in Lough Swilly and elsewhere; cod, mostly off the entrance to Lough Foyle; and oysters, taken in Lough Swilly from the island of Inch up to Fort Stewart, and in Lough Foyle, from Quigley's Point down to Greencastle. Derry is situated about 19 statute miles above the entrance to Lough Foyle, the approach to which is facilitated by a lighthouse on the island of Innistrahull, and will be rendered still more safe by two others now in course of erection on Shrove Head, Ennishowen, intended to serve as guiding lights past the great Tun Bank lying to the east. A new and very important trade as connected with the port, is the herring fishery; in 1835, upwards of 5800 barrels were cured at the Orkneys, by Derry merchants, and the total quantity imported exceeds 12,000 barrels, one half of which are cured by vessels fitted out from this port; large quantities of oysters have been taken in the river Foyle since 1829. The limits of the port extend to Culmore, a distance of three miles; the lough has been deepened under the directors of the Ballast Committee, in consequence of which, vessels drawing 14 feet of water, can come close to the quays. At the entrance to the lough is a well-regulated establishment of pilots, under the superintendence of the Ballast Board. The Ballast Office was established by act of parliament in 1790, and remodelled by another act in 1833: the port regulations are under the control of a committee of this establishment, consisting of the mayor and seven other members, of whom the two senior members go out annually by rotation, and who have the power of making by-laws. The corporation alone possessed the right of having quays prior to 1832, when they lost their monopoly, and private quays were constructed: they disposed of their interest in the merchants' or custom-house quays, in Nov. 1831; there are now 21 sufferance or private wharfs or quays, including two at Waterside, in the parish of Clondermot. A patent slip dock was constructed in 1830, at an expense of £4000, in which vessels of 300 tons registered burden can be repaired: prior to that period most vessels were sent for repair to Liverpool or the Clyde, and two large brigs have been built here since that date: naval stores are brought chiefly from Belfast, but sails are manufactured here. The custom-house, a small and inconvenient building, was built as a store in 1805, and since 1809 has been held by Government on a permanent tenure, at an annual rental of £1419. 4. 6., at first as a king's store, and since 1824 as a custom-house: the premises comprise some extensive tobacco and timber yards, laid out at different periods, and extend in front 450 feet, varying in depth: the duties received here in 1837 amounted to £99,652. The markets are generally well supplied. The shambles, for meat daily, and to which there is a weigh-house attached, are situated off Linen-hall-street, and were built in 1760, by Alderman Alexander and other members of the corporation: the tolls belong to Sir R. A. Ferguson, Bart., who in 1830 purchased the shambles and the fish and vegetable markets of the corporation. The linen market, on Wednesday, is held in a hall occupying an obscure situation in a street to which it gives name, and built in 1770, by the late Fred. Hamilton, Esq., to whose descendant the tolls belong: it consists of a court measuring 147 feet by 15, and enclosed by small dilapidated houses; the cloth is exposed on stands placed in the court and under sheds; on the opposite side of the street is the sealing-room. The butter market, in Waterloo-place, for butter and hides daily, and to which three weigh-houses are attached; the fish market, off Linen-hall-street, daily; the potatoe market, in Society-street, for potatoes and meal by retail daily, with a weigh-house attached; and the vegetable market, off Linen-hall-street, for vegetables, poultry, and butter daily, were all built in 1825 by the corporation, to whom the tolls of the butter and potatoe markets belong. The cow market, for the sale of cows, pigs, sheep, and goats, every Wednesday, is held in a field to the south of Bishop-street, near the river, which was enclosed in 1832 by the corporation, to whom the tolls belong. There are also a flax market in Bishop-street every Thursday, and a market for yarn in Butchers'-street every Wednesday. Six fairs are held annually, but only three are of importance, namely, on June 17th, Sept. 4th, and Oct. 17th; the others are on March 4th, April 30th, and Sept. 20th. Custom was charged on every article of merchandise brought into the city prior to 1826, when it was abolished, except as regards goods conveyed over the bridge; and in lieu thereof, the corporation instituted trespass, cranage, storage, and other dues. The post-office was established in 1784; the amount of postage for 1834 was £4047. 17. l 1/2 The revenue police force usually consists of a lieutenant and twelve men; and the constabulary is composed of a chief constable and twelve men.

The municipal government is vested in a mayor, twelve aldermen, and twenty-four burgesses, assisted by a recorder, town-clerk, and chamberlain; and the inferior officers of the corporation are a sword-bearer, mace-bearer, four town-serjeants, two sheriffs' bailiffs, &c. The mayor and sheriffs are elected by the common council on the 2nd of Feb., the former from among the aldermen, and the latter from the burgesses, from whom also the aldermen are chosen; the burgesses are appointed from the freemen and inhabitants. The sheriffs exercise jurisdiction both over the entire county and the liberties of the city; and the town-clerk is generally clerk of the peace for the county. The freedom is inherited by the sons of aldermen and burgesses, and is obtained by marriage with their daughters, by apprenticeship to a freeman, and by gift of the corporation. The city returned two representatives to the Irish parliament till the Union, since which it has sent one to the imperial parliament. The right of voting was formerly vested in the burgesses and freemen, in number about 450; but by the late enactments, under which a new electoral boundary, minutely described in the Appendix, has been established, the former non-resident electors, except within a distance of seven miles, have been disfranchised, and the privilege extended to the £10 householders: the number of registered voters on the 1st of April, 1835, was 724, of whom 504 were £10 householders, and the remainder freemen. The mayor, recorder, and all aldermen who have filled the mayoralty, are justices of the peace within the liberties, which comprise the city and a circuit of three Irish miles measured from its centre; and they also exercise jurisdiction by sufferance over the townland of Culmore. The mayor and recorder, or the mayor alone, hold a court of record every Monday, for pleas to any amount; the process is either by attachment against the goods, or arrest of the person. The court of general sessions for the city is held four times a year: there is a court of petty sessions weekly, held before the mayor, or any of the civic magistrates. The mayor also holds weekly a court of conscience, for the recovery of ordinary debts not exceeding £20 late currency or servants' wages to the amount of £6, and from which there is no appeal. The city is in the north-west circuit, and the assizes are held here twice a year: it is also one of the four towns within the county at which the general quarter sessions are held, and where the assistant barrister presides in April and October. The corporation hall in the centre of the Diamond, and on the site of the original town-house built by the Irish Society in 1622, was erected by the corporation in 1692, and till 1825, when it was rebuilt by the corporation, was called the market-house, or exchange: the south front, in which is the principal entrance, is circular. The upper story contains a common-council room, an assembly-room, and an ante-chamber. On the ground floor, which was formerly open for the sale of meal and potatoes, but was closed in 1825, is a news-room established by the corporation in that year. The courthouse, completed in 1817 at an expense of £30,479. 15., including the purchase of the site and furniture, is a handsome building of white sandstone, chiefly from the neighbourhood of Dungiven, ornamented with Portland stone, and erected from a design by Mr. John Bowden: it measures 126 feet by 66, and exhibits a facade, judiciously broken by a tetrastyle portico of the enriched Ionic order, modelled from that of the temple of Erectheus at Athens; over the pediment are the royal arms; and the wings are surmounted by statues of Justice and Peace sculptured in Portland stone by the late Edward Smith. The principal apartments are the crown and record courts, the mayor's public and private offices, the offices of the recorder, treasurer, and clerks of the crown and peace, the judges' room, and the grand jury room: in addition to the assizes, sessions, and mayor's court, the county and other meetings are held in it. The gaol, situated in Bishop-street, beyond the gate, was erected between the years 1819 and 1824, by Messrs. Henry, Mullins, and McMahon, at an expense of £33,718, late currency: the front, which is partly coated with cement and partly built of Dungiven stone, extends 242 feet; and the depth of the entire building, including the yards, is 400 feet. It is built on the radiating plan; the governor's house, which includes the chapel and committee-room, is surrounded by a panoptic gallery; and the entire gaol contains 179 single cells, 26 work and day rooms, and 20 airing-yards: apart from the main building is an hospital, containing separate wards for both sexes. The regulations are excellent: in 1835 the system of classification was abandoned, and the silent system introduced; the prisoners are constantly employed at various trades, and receive one-third of their earnings.

The DIOCESE of DERRY originated in a monastery founded by St. Columb, about 545, of which some of the abbots at a very early period were styled bishops, but the title of bishop of Derry was not established until 1158, or even a century later, as the bishops, whose see was at Derry, were sometimes called Bishops of Tyrone. The see first existed at Ardsrath, where St. Eugene, the first bishop, died about the end of the sixth century; it was subsequently removed to Maghera, whence it was transferred to Derry. It is called Darrich in the old Roman provincial, and Doire Choluim chille or "Columbkill's Oak Grove," by ancient writers. The town is now called Londonderry, from a colony of settlers from London, in the reign of Jas. I., by whom the present cathedral was built, but the bishoprick retains its ancient name of Derry. The see was constituted at Derry in 1158, by a decree of the Synod of Brigth Thaigh, at which assisted Christian, Bishop of Lismore, the pope's legate, and twenty-five bishops; and Flathbert O'Brolcan, abbot of Derry, was promoted to the episcopal throne. In 1164, with the assistance of Mac Loughlin, King of Ireland, he built the cathedral; the altar of which was robbed in 1196 by McCrenaght, of 314 cups, which were esteemed the best in Ireland, but they were recovered the third day after, and the robber executed. German, or Gervase, O'Cherballen, who succeeded to the bishoprick in 1230, took the church of Ardsrath and many others in Tyrone from the Bishop of Clogher, and forcibly annexed part of the bishoprick of Raphoe to his diocese. In 1310, Edw. II. directed the bishop of Connor to enquire whether the king or any other person would be prejudiced by allowing Richard de Burgo to retain in fee the city of Derry, which the bishop, with the consent of the chapter, had conveyed to him. Prior to 1608, the bishop had one-third of the tithes of each parish; a lay person, called an Erenach, who was the bishop's farmer, had another third; and the remaining third was allowed for the incumbent: but Bishop Montgomery gave the bishop's share to the incumbents of parishes, on the grant by Jas. I. of the termon or Erenach lands, amounting to 6534 acres, to the see in exchange. By an inquisition in 1622, the bishop was found to be entitled to fish for salmon on the Monday after the 4th of June, within the great net fishery belonging to the London Society; also to half the tithe of salmon, &c., caught in the Bann and Lough Foyle. Bishop Hopkins, who died in 1690, was at great expense in beautifying the cathedral, and furnishing it with organs and massive plate, and is said to have expended £1000 in buildings and other improvements in this bishoprick and that of Raphoe. Derry continued to be a separate bishoprick until the death of Dr. Bissett, Bishop of Raphoe, in 1836, when that see, under the provisions of the Church Temporalities act of the 3rd and 4th of Wm. IV., was annexed to the see of Derry, and its temporalities became vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

This diocese is one of the ten that constitute the province of Armagh: it is partly in the counties of Antrim and Donegal, but chiefly in Tyrone and Londonderry, extending 47 miles in length by 43 in breadth, and comprehending an estimated superficies of 659,000 acres, of which 2500 are in Antrim, 139,300 in Donegal, 233,100 in Tyrone, and 284,100 in Londonderry. The lands belonging to the see comprise 77,102 statute acres, of which 39,621 are profitable land, and 37,481 unprofitable; and the gross yearly revenue derived from these lands and from appropriate tithes, on an average of three years ending Dec. 31st, 1831, amounted to £14,193. 3. 9 1/2. Under the Church Temporalities act an annual charge of £4160 is, from 1834, payable out of the see estates to the funds of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners: this payment is made to diminish the excess of the revenue of this see above the other bishopricks, and is in lieu of the Ad Valorem tax imposed on all benefices in Ireland. The chapter consists of a dean and archdeacon, and the three prebendaries of Comber, Aghadowy, and Moville. To the dean belong, as the corps of the deanery, the rectories of Templemore, Faughanvale, and Clondermot, the tithes of which, under the composition act, amount to £3235. 7. 11 1/2. per annum. The deanery lands, which are situated in the parishes of Clondermot and Faughanvale, consist of several townlands, which comprise 2859 statute acres, let on leases at rents amounting to £176. 6. 4., and renewal fines averaging £269. 15. 7. annually; and the gross annual revenue of the deanery, as returned by the Commissioners of Ecclesiastical Enquiry, amounts to £3710. 13. 10. per annum. To the archdeacon belongs the rectory of Dunboe, the tithes of which amount to £480, and the glebe lands comprise 420 statute acres; its gross annual value is £700 per annum. The endowments of the prebends consist of the tithes and glebes of the parishes from which they take their names, and are detailed in the articles on those places. The cathedral has neither minor canons, vicars choral, nor an economy fund. The diocesan school is connected with the free school of Derry, which was founded by the corporation of London in 1617. The consistorial court consists of a vicar-general, surrogate, registrar, deputy-registrar, and 11 proctors. This arrangement extended to the whole of the diocese, so that the bishop, out of 47 parishes, possesses 46 estates, and this is the reason why the clergy of this diocese are generally provided with larger glebes than those of the other dioceses of Ireland. This grant included the patronage of certain churches, since disputed successfully, except those of Dungiven and Coleraine, on the grounds that the powers of the Crown, unsupported by surrender from the bishop, confirmed by an act of parliament, were not competent to make a valid grant. The number of parishes in the diocese is 60, comprised in 57 benefices: that which forms the corps of the deanery is a union of the three parishes of Templemore, Faughanvale, and Clondermot, and is in the patronage of the Crown; 36 are in the patronage of the Bishop; 3 are in the gift of the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin; 8 in lay patronage, and the remaining 9, which are perpetual curacies, are in the patronage of the incumbents of the parishes out of which they have been formed. The number of churches is 62, and of school-houses and other places where divine service is performed, 11: the number of glebe-houses is 47. In the R. C. divisions this diocese is a separate bishop-rick, and one of eight suffragan to Armagh. It comprises 36 parochial benefices or unions, containing 70 chapels, which are served by 81 clergymen, 36 of whom, including the bishop, are parish priests, and 45 are coadjutors or curates. The parochial benefice of the bishop is Derry, or Templemore, where he resides.

The cathedral, which also serves as the parish church, was completed in 1633, the former one, erected in 1164, having been destroyed by Sir Henry Docwra. The cost of the building, amounting to £4000, was defrayed by the Corporation of the City of London: it is principally in the later English style, with various decorations since added, which do not harmonize with its prevailing character, and consists of a nave and aisles, separated by stone pillars and arches, with a tower at the west end surmounted by an elegant octagon spire terminating in across and spear; on the east gable is a cross springing from the central battlement. The entire structure is 240 feet long, and 66 feet broad; the height of the tower and spire is 228 feet from the churchyard. In 1778, the Earl of Bristol, then Bishop of Derry, completed a new spire of hewn stone, with open ornamented windows, and the old tower was raised 21 feet; but in 1802, owing to the dilapidated state of the tower, the spire was taken down and soon after rebuilt from a fund of £400, half of which was contributed by the Irish Society and half by Bishop Knox and the citizens. The Society also contributed a sum for the embellishment of the cathedral in 1819; and in 1822 the old roof of lead was replaced by a slate roof. A new organ was erected in 1829 by subscription, to which Bishop Knox contributed £100, and Dean Gough and the corporation £50 each. On the north of the communion table is a handsome monument of Italian marble, by Behnes, erected in 1834 to the memory of Bishop Knox, at an expense of £500, raised by subscription: on an elevated plinth is an inscribed tablet, above which is represented a tomb surmounted by a mitre, on the right of which is a full-length figure of Religion, and on the left another of Charity with a babe on her arm and two other children of different ages standing at her knees. There are various other tablets, one of which, to the memory of the father of the Rev. Wm. Hamilton, D.D., is inscribed with the epitaph of that distinguished naturalist. The bishop's palace, built about the year 1761, during the prelacy of Bishop Barnard, is a substantial and commodious building, occupying the site of the Augustinian convent: it was almost rebuilt by the Earl of Bristol, when bishop, and after the damage which it sustained by being occupied as a barrack in 1802, was repaired by Bishop Knox. The gardens in the rear comprise nearly two acres, and extend to the city wall; having at the above period been appropriated as a parade, that designation is still applied to the adjacent part of the wall. The deanery, a large unadorned edifice of brick, was built in 1833 by the Rev. T. B. Gough, the present dean, at an expense of £3421. 16. 8 1/2., to be reimbursed by his successor. Adjacent to the city wall on the west is a chapel of ease, a rectangular building, erected by Bishop Barnard, whose descendant, Sir Andrew Barnard, became the patron: the chaplain's original stipend of £50 is now paid out of the property of Wm. J. Campbell, a minor, who claims the advowson. A free church was built, on the north of the city by Bishop Knox, in 1830, at an expense of £760; and a gallery was erected in 1832, at a further expense, including the cost of a vestry-room and the introduction of gas, of £145, raised by subscription. The R. C. chapel occupies the site of the monastery of St. Columb, and is situated in a street called the Long Tower, from the lofty round tower which formed the belfry of the Dubh-Regles, the original church built by St. Columb. This chapel was completed in 1786, at an expense, including the cost of some additions in 1811, of £2700, of which £210 was contributed by the Earl of Bristol, and £50 by the corporation. The Presbyterian meeting-house, in Meeting-house-row, has a chaste and handsome front, of which the pediment and corners are of Dungiven freestone: it is supposed to have been built about the year 1750, at an expense of nearly £4000, and was repaired in 1828 at an additional cost of £700. The Primitive Wesleyan Methodist chapel, in the same street, was originally a store, which was used by Wesley on his visit to this city in 1763: his congregation built the Wesleyan Methodist chapel in 1783, but on the separation taking place the Primitive Methodists returned to their former place of worship; part of the building is still let for a store, and the chapel is used as a Sunday school between the intervals of divine service, for which the dean pays a rent of £20. The old Wesleyan Methodist chapel was vacated on the completion of a new chapel built in 1835, at an estimated expense of £1100, raised by subscription, towards which the Irish Society contributed £100; the ground floor is used as a vestry-room and a school-room for 300 children. There are also places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Seceding Synod, a plain building erected in 1783, at an expense of £450; for Covenanters, built in 1810 at a like expense; and for Independents, built in 1824 at an expense of £500.

The Diocesan school, or Foyle College, was originally founded within the walls as a free grammar school in the reign of Jas. I., and was rebuilt on its present site to the north of the city in 1814, chiefly through the exertions of Bishop Knox, who gave £1000 towards the expense, which amounted to £13,714. 13. 6., and was further defrayed by donations from the Irish Society and London Companies, sale of stock, and grand jury presentments. It is a simple but handsome edifice of stone, consisting of a centre and two wings, and pleasantly situated on the bank of the river: it is sufficiently capacious to accommodate 80 boarders; there are at present about 30 boarders and as many day-scholars, exclusive of 20 who are free; the day pupils not free pay £4. 4. per annum for mercantile, and £7. 7. per annum for classical instruction. The school has no endowment, but the Irish Society, the bishop, and the clergy of the diocese subscribe annually to the amount of about £200; this, with the emoluments arising from the boarders and the day scholars who are not free, constitutes the income of the master: the bishop and the dean and chapter are trustees. The school has deservedly been held in great estimation owing to the high literary acquirements of the masters. Attached to the institution is an excellent library of works on divinity, collected by Bishop Hopkins, and purchased and presented to it by his successor, Bishop King, which has also been augmented by a donation of £100 from James Alexander, Esq., of London; it is open to the clergy of the diocese at all times. The parish school originated in an act of the 28th of Hen. VIII., confirmed by one of the 7th of Wm. III.: the present building, situated without the walls, was erected in 1812 through the liberal contributions of Bishop Knox and the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity, the latter of whom allow annually £30 for the boys' and £15 for the girls' school; and, in addition, the girls' school is aided by annual grants of £40 and £10 late currency from the Irish Society and the Bishop of Derry respectively: there are about 108 boys and 97 girls, who, except 20 of the boys who are free scholars, pay one penny each weekly. In connection with the Presbyterian meeting-house is a school established in 1820, in lieu of a blue-coat school which had existed upwards of a century, in which there are at present about 100 boys and 96 girls, who pay one penny each weekly; the boys' school is further supported by a subscription of £10 per annum from the congregation, and an annual grant of £20 by the Irish Society; and the girls' school by subscriptions among the ladies, aided by £10 per ann. late currency from the Irish Society: the school-rooms were built and enlarged by subscription at an expense of £450. St. Columb's school, founded in 1813 under the auspices of the Roman Catholic bishop and clergy, but for some time suspended from a difference which arose between the prelate and one of his curates, was finally established in 1825: the building, including the erection of a lofty enclosure, cost nearly £1000. It is in connection with the National Board of Education, who grant £30 per annum for its support, which is further aided by £10 per annum from the Irish Society, and an annual collection in the Roman Catholic chapel amounting to £30; 143 boys and 166 girls are instructed. The London Ladies' Society school, in Fountain-street, was established in 1822; attached to it is a small library for the use of the poor. Gwyn's Charitable Institution was founded by Mr. John Gwyn, a merchant of the city, who died in 1829, and endowed by him with a bequest of £41,757, producing at present £1882 per ann., for boarding, clothing, and educating as many poor boys as the funds may admit of. This excellent school, which is under the management of 21 trustees, was opened on the 1st of April, 1833, in a hired house formerly the city hotel: the trustees have purchased 10 statute acres of ground at the rear of the infirmary, where it is in contemplation to erect premises capable of accommodating 200 pupils, at an estimated expense of £6000: there are at present 81 boys in the school. A Sunday School Union was formed in 1832, by which the liberties have been divided into six districts, each under the superintendence of one or two members; the number of schools in the parish at present in connection with the union is 16, attended by 162 teachers, and the number of pupils on the books is 1726.

The lunatic asylum for the counties of Londonderry, Donegal, and Tyrone, situated on rising ground to the north of the city, was commenced in June 1827, and opened in 1829; the entire expense, including the purchase of the site and furniture, amounted to £25,678. 2. 4., advanced by Government, and to be repaid by the three counties by instalments. The facade fronting the river consists of a centre with pavilions, from which extend wings with airing-sheds, terminating in angular pavilions, all of Dungiven sandstone; above the centre rises a turret, of which the upper part forms an octagonal cupola; in the rear are several commodious airing-yards, separated by ranges of brick building, including the domestic offices and workshops: the entire length of the front is 364 feet; the depth of the building, with the airing-yards, 190 feet; and the height to the eave, 25 feet. The grounds comprise eight acres, including a plot in front ornamentally planted, and a good garden The asylum was originally intended for 104 patients, but has been enlarged so as to admit 150: it is still too small, from the cells being partially occupied by incurables, persons afflicted with epilepsy, and idiots. The average annual expenditure for the last three years ending 1835 was £2554. 3. 6.: the average number of patients discharged recovered in each year was 42; discharged relieved, 6; and incurable, 4; and the average number of deaths was 17 in each year: the number of patients at the commencement of 1836 was 155; about 100 of the patients are constantly employed. The infirmary and fever hospital, for the city and county, on the north of the city, was built in 1814, in place of an old poor-house which previously occupied the site of the present fish and vegetable markets, and is supported by parliamentary grants, Grand Jury presentments, governors' subscriptions, and contingencies: it contains 120 beds. The average annual income for five years ending Jan. 5th, 1833, was £1475. 15. 10 1/2., and the expenditure, £1456. 10.; the entire number of patients deriving relief from this institution on the 5th of Jan., 1835, was 463. A dispensary for the city and north-west liberties was established in 1819 by the late Bishop Knox and the inhabitants, and is supported by voluntary contributions, an annual grant of £30 by the Irish Society, and presentments by the Grand Jury; the number of patients relieved in that year was 920, and the expenditure, £235. 8. 2. The clergymen's widows' fund originated in voluntary subscriptions, to which Bishop Knox, a munificent benefactor to most of the charitable institutions of Derry, gave £1000, and most of the Protestant clergy of the diocese contributed: the widows now receive each £35 per annum, and the six senior widows have houses rent-free, called the Widows'-row, adjacent to the cathedral. The charitable loan fund was instituted by Bishop Knox, and the corporation contributed to it £31. 10. per ann. until the year 1829, from which period it was unsupported till 1833, when the Irish Society granted £10 annually towards the expense of management: the capital, which is decreasing, amounted on July 31st, 1835, to £423. The ladies' penny society has an average annual income of about £200, including a bequest of £30 per ann., and an annual grant of £30 by the Irish Society, which is applied in distributing clothing and a few articles of food among the poor: it has also a branch called the flax fund, to which the Society contribute £20 per annum, for the distribution of certain portions of flax among poor applicants, who are paid for spinning it into yarn. The poor-shop, instituted in 1821, under the management of a committee of ladies, for providing the poor with clothes and bedding at first cost, on condition of their giving security for payment by weekly instalments at the rate of one penny in the shilling, is supported by subscriptions. A mendicity association was instituted in 1825, chiefly through the exertions of Bishop Knox; and a penitentiary for reclaiming abandoned females, to which there is a school attached, was established in 1829. A religious tract depository, in connection with which is a religious, moral, and historical society, was established in 1822: the library formed by the society comprises about 500 publications, and at least one half of the funds must be expended on works purely religious. The above and many other charitable institutions are in a great degree attributable to the indefatigable exertions of the late Lady Hill. Alderman Peter Stanley, in 1751, bequeathed £42 per annum late currency for 31 inhabitants of the city and liberties on the western side of the river; and in 1831, Margaret Evory gave £20 per annum for the poor of the entire parish.

In addition to the Ecclesiastical buildings already recorded here was also a Franciscan mendicant friary of unknown foundation, with a churchyard containing about three acres, the site of which is now occupied by Abbey-street and others, and of which the foundations were discovered a few years ago by some workmen, but no Vestiges of any of these buildings are now remaining; The only religious house preserved on the erection of the new city was the church of St. Augustine, which was repaired and used prior to the erection of the present cathedral, after which it was known as "the little church;" its site is now occupied by the bishop's garden. A small square tower was built by O'Dogherty for O'Donell, in the 15th or 16th century, but no vestige of it can now be traced. Near the Roman Catholic chapel, outside the walls, are St. Columb's wells, originally three in number and called by separate names, but of which one is dried up; but the water, though considered in remote parts of the island a specific for diseases of the eye, is here held in little repute. In the centre of St. Columb's-lane, adjacent to the wells, is St. Columb's stone, on each side of which are two oval hollows artificially formed, concerning which various legends are related; the water deposited by rain in these hollows is believed to possess a miraculous power in curing various diseases. The shutting of the gates by the apprentice boys on Dec. 7th, 1688 (O. S.), and the opening of them on Aug. 12th following, have been annually commemorated, but the ceremony has been somewhat modified since 1832, in which year an act was passed declaring such commemorations illegal; and have led to the establishment of three distinct clubs of apprentice boys, under different denominations. George Farquhar, the dramatic poet, was born here in 1678; and the Rev. Wm. Hamilton, D. D., author of "Letters concerning the northern coast of the county of Antrim," and other productions on natural history, who was assassinated at the house of Dr. Waller, at Sharon, on March 2nd, 1797, was also a native of this place. Londonderry gives the titles of Earl and Marquess to the family of Stewart.

LONG.--See KNOCKLONG.

LONGFORD (County of), an inland county of the province of LEINSTER, bounded on the south and east by that of Westmeath, on the north by those of Cavan and Leitrim, and on the west by that of Roscommon, from which it is separated by the Shannon and Lough, Ree. It extends from 53° 30' to 53° 54' (N. Lat.), and from 7° 21' to 7° 53' (W. Lon.); and comprises an area, according to the Ordnance survey, of 263,645 acres, of which 192,506 are cultivated land, 55,247 are bog and mountain, and 15,892 are under water. The population, in 1821, was 107,570; and in 1831, 112,558.

It appears uncertain from Ptolemy's statement what tribe inhabited this portion of the island in his time. It was afterwards known by the name of the Anale or Annaly, and was the principality of the O'Farrels, or O'Ferrals, which family was afterwards divided into two main branches, O'Farrel Buy or the Yellow, which held the southern part of the county, and O'Farrel Ban or the White, which possessed the northern portion. The family of O'Cuin also had a small territory here, of which Rathcline castle was the head quarters and chief fortress. Feargal, chief of this country, was defeated in 960 by Mahon, prince of Thomond, on the banks of the Inny, near its influx into Lough Ree, to which place the latter had ascended by the Shannon with a number of small vessels; but this event produced no territorial changes. Previously to the arrival of the English, Annaly was included in the province of Meath, and as such formed part of the grant made by Henry II. to Hugh de Lacy, who built castles and planted a colony of English there; but this remote part of his territory, although the English families of Tuite and Delamare succeeded in making a settlement in it, yielded him little more than nominal submission, as the O'Farrels held the chief power till the time of Elizabeth. On the division of Meath into two counties in 1543, the Annaly was considered to be a portion of its western division, and was not formed into a separate county until the 11th of Elizabeth, when it was made shire ground by Sir Henry Sidney, Lord-Deputy, under the name of Longford, from its chief town, and was considered as one of the seven counties of Connaught. Notwithstanding this interference on the part of the English government, the O'Farrels were still recognised as chieftains until the 29th year of the same reign, when Faghan O'Farrel made a formal surrender of the territory to the queen, and next year obtained a re-grant, subject to the jurisdiction of the English law. That the authority of the English government had but little influence during the subsequent reigns of James and Charles I., is evident from the fact that no charter of incorporation was granted to any town in it by the former of these monarchs, by whom so many places in other counties were endowed with corporate rights; the earliest grant of this nature being that of St. Johnstown, in the beginning of the reign of Chas. I., while those of the other borough towns, Longford, Granard, and Lanesborough, were not obtained until the middle of that of Chas. II. From a remonstrance purporting to be sent by the inhabitants of Longford to Lord Costello, to be presented by him to the Lords Justices in Dublin, dated Nov. 10th, 1641, in which they complain of the grievances under which they laboured as Roman Catholics, and petitioned for an act of oblivion and restitution, liberty of conscience in matters of religion, and a repeal of the statutes of Elizabeth against popery, it also appears that the O'Farrel family still maintained almost the exclusive control over the county, as the 26 signatures affixed to the document are all of this name. Shortly after the breaking out of the war of 1641, Longford castle was besieged and taken by the Irish for the O'Farrels, and the garrison put to the sword, notwithstanding it had surrendered on promise of quarter. Castle Forbes, the only other fortress in the county held for the government, also fell into the power of the insurgents. But the ultimate triumph of Cromwell's forces entirely reversed the fate of the country, and the O'Farrels lost both their property and influence, which have since been vested in other and various hands.

This county is partly in the diocese of Meath, but chiefly in that of Ardagh, and in the archdiocese of Armagh. For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the baronies of Abbeyshrule, Ardagh, Granard, Longford, Moydow, and Rathcline, and contains the incorporated market and assize town of Longford, the incorporated market-towns of Granard and Lanesborough, the disfranchised borough of St. Johnstown (now a village), the market and post-towns of Edgeworthstown and Ballymahon, the post-towns of Colehill and Newtown-Forbes, and the villages of Bunlahy, Ballinamuck, Drumlish, Killashee, Keenagh, and the episcopal town or village of Ardagh. The county sent ten members to the Irish parliament, two for the county at large, and two for each of the boroughs of Longford, Granard, Lanesborough, and St. Johnstown; but since the Union its sole representatives have been the two for the county, who are elected at Longford. The registered constituency consists of 201 £50, 105 £20, and 854 £10 freeholders; 67 £20 and 149 £10 leaseholders; and 5 £50 and 7 £20 rent-chargers, making a total of 1388 voters. The county is included in the Home Circuit; the assizes and general quarter sessions are held at Longford, where the county gaol and court-house are situated: quarter sessions are also held at Ballymahon. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 10 deputy-lieutenants, and 46 other magistrates, together with the usual county officers, including one coroner. There are 27 constabulary police stations, having in the whole a force of 1 sub-inspector, 3 chief officers, 25 sub-constables, 117 men, and 5 horses. The district lunatic asylum for this county and the King's, Queen's, and Westmeath is at Maryborough; the county infirmary is at Longford, and there are dispensaries at Ballymahon, Edgeworthstown, Granard, and Keenagh, supported equally by Grand Jury presentments and private subscription. The amount of Grand Jury presentments for the year 1835 was £12,606. 9. 2., of which £329. 11. 7. was for the roads, bridges, &c., of the county at large; £3833. 6. 10. for the roads, bridges, &c., of the baronies; £2209. 6. 2 1/2. for public buildings, charities, officers' salaries, and incidents; £2678. 13. 10. for the police; and £3556. 10. 8 1/2. for repayment of advances made by Government. In military arrangements it is in the Western district, and there are barracks at Longford for infantry and cavalry, and at Granard for infantry, both together being capable of accommodating 15 officers, 391 men, and 202 horses.

The general outline of the county presents little to attract the eye or excite the imagination. It is for the most part flat and in many places overspread with large tracts of bog. Towards the north, where it borders on the county of Leitrim, it rises into bleak and sterile mountains. In its other extremity the country improves very much, particularly on the banks of the Inny, where the land is much more fertile and is well cultivated. Near Ballymahon the scenery is varied and beautiful. Lakes are numerous in many parts, particularly in the baronies of Longford and Granard; the most extensive are Lough Gownagh, in the northern extremity of the county, and Lough Kinale near Granard, both of which contribute to form the boundary between this county and Cavan. In each there are several islands, and each possesses considerable interest from the surrounding scenery, which is much heightened by numerous young and flourishing plantations. The principal islands in Lough Gownagh are Innismore, Inchmory, Innisdavoge, and Jasper island, each of which is fertile, planted, or embellished with remains of ancient buildings: those of Lough Kinale are Chapel island and Bruree; the former has the ruins of an old church on it; the latter is planted. The other more remarkable lakes are Loughs Bon, Bonnow, Drum, Derry, Drumurry, Doogary, Gurteen, Tully, and Glin. The last-named, which is on the borders of the county eastward of Edgeworthstown, receives several streams from the north and west, and empties its waters by a winding river into Lough Iron, in the county of Westmeath. The Shannon is the boundary along the whole western verge of the county, separating it from Connaught, and for the greater part of its course presents more the appearance of a lake than that of a river; near the north-western boundary of Longford is Lough Forbes, about five miles long by one broad; and at Lanesborough is the commencement of Lough Ree, a noble expanse of water extending from that town to the neighbourhood of Athlone. The islands of this lake are numerous, and some of them large; those which may be considered to belong to the county of Longford are All Saints, Inchban, Innisbofin, Inniscloran, Quakers' island, and Inchynough. The soil of this county, like the surface, is exceedingly various, changing from a light thin mould to a deep loamy clay, without any apparent variation in the geological arrangement: much of the north is in a state of nature, and the practicability of draining, reclaiming, and cultivating to any profitable purpose is exceedingly doubtful. Toward the south the prevailing character is a rich vegetable mould resting on blue clay, very retentive of moisture and based on a substratum of yellow marl, two or three feet thick, ultimately resting either on an excellent marl or limestone gravel. In this part of the country every kind of grain and green crop may be cultivated to the greatest advantage. The barony of Granard is mostly good land producing a short, close and sweet herbage; the elevated district between Edgeworthstown and Longford has a good soil, which yields abundant crops of grain, but westward of the latter place, except in the immediate neighbourhood of Newtown-Forbes, the land is much encumbered with surface water, the injurious effects of which could be easily obviated by a judicious system of draining. The level parts of the county are mostly in pasture, producing great varieties of acidulous plants occasioned by the overflowing of the rivers, or by the accumulation of surface water: these meadows, if properly drained and secured, would rank among some of the best in Ireland. Bogs are very numerous in many parts of the county, and everywhere capable of drainage and reclamation; but in consequence of the water being suffered to remain in them, numerous gullies or swallows are formed, which though always full never run over, although numerous small streams flow into them, whence it is evident that their waters must find a subterraneous passage to the Shannon, the Inny, or some other river, thus silently but forcibly pointing out the means by which the land may be made available to the service of man. The chief crops are oats and potatoes, but the sowing of wheat and barley is becoming more general; and flax, rape, clover, turnips and vetches are sometimes sown. Rape thrives peculiarly well on boggy soil, and the produce is everywhere very great. The practice of laying down land with grass or clover seeds is gaining ground every year. All the surplus grain is purchased in Longford and other markets, and sent down the Royal Canal to Dublin or Drogheda. Agricultural implements are of an inferior description, except with the gentry and wealthier farmers; one-horse carts of excellent construction are universal.

Great improvements have been made in the breed of cattle; the short-horned stock appears to be a decided favourite. A cross between the Durham and the long-horned native breed grows to a good size, and fattens well. Although this is not a sheep-feeding country, the breed of that useful and profitable animal has not been neglected; the New Leicester is decidedly a favourite with all the large landholders, but a cross between it and the small short-woolled sheep of the country suits the light and upland soils better. The horses are chiefly of a slight active breed, well adapted for light harness, but not equal as saddle-horses to those of Roscommon, Galway, and Sligo. Pigs are universally kept, and of every possible variety of breed; they are fattened for the merchants and curers of Longford, who ship great quantities of pork and bacon for Dublin, London, and Liverpool. Dairies upon an extensive scale are not very general, but great quantities of butter are made and chiefly sold in Longford and Ballymahon for the English markets. The meadows in the lower districts produce hay in great abundance, but it is much mixed with rushes and other aquatic plants, and it is everywhere cut too late in the season, the mowing seldom beginning till September, and is badly managed. Woods are very rare, although the land is everywhere well adapted to the growth of timber, and in many places throws up shoots spontaneously, particularly of oak, hazel, alder, and birch, which only require the protecting hand of man to attain their full growth; but cattle are everywhere suffered to browse upon them, and hence nothing but brushwood and stunted bushes remain. There is some good old timber at Castle Forbes, which, together with the plantations around Newtown-Forbes, shews to great advantage; there are also some good plantations at Edgeworthstown, others near Granard, on the shores of the lakes, on the road between Longford and Edgeworthstown, and in a few other places. The fences are generally good, being for the most part ditches faced with sods or stones, and having quickset hedges planted on the breast. Draining and irrigation appear to be quite unknown here, although no district in the province requires them more. The scented myrtle is found in all the bogs, which everywhere present an ample field for the pursuits of the botanist, as the plants are numerous and many rare species are found, particularly in the barony of Longford. Orchards and gardens are sometimes seen near the small farm-houses, and add greatly to their comfortable appearance and domestic economy.

The northern boundary of the great limestone field of Ireland passes through this county, forming part of the hilly tract which, rising in the north-eastern part of it, proceeds into several of the northern counties. The line of division between the limestone and clay-slate proceeds from the Camlin river, near Longford, by St. Johnstown, between Lough Kinale and Lough Gownagh, to the head of Lough Sheelin. The portion of the county to the south of this line is based on limestone, the general range of which approaches to the east and west, and the dip towards the south. An isolated mass of sandstone forms within the limestone field the hill of Slieve Goldry near Ardagh, and another at Ballymahon extends on both sides of the Inny: this kind of rock may also be observed to the west of the clay-slate formation, in the north-western extremity of the county, occupying, beyond its limits, also a considerable space on both sides of the Shannon in the counties of Roscommon and Leitrim; and on the hill at Shroid, a little east of Longford, conglomerate of a very compact structure crosses the country in a very extraordinary manner, rising in wavy undulations, frequently submerging, and again presenting itself on the surface. There are numerous escars in all the level districts, forming a portion of the great chain which passes from the coast of Killala bay, through the centre of the island, to Lough Neagh; and here, as in every other part of their course, they are formed of fragments of primitive and secondary rocks, evidently rounded by attrition, but the greater portion of nodules in the escars of this county are of limestone, and near the base, in almost every instance, are great quantities of fine calcareous sand and marl, which are everywhere used as manure, and, on some kinds of land, are far more beneficial than lime. Notwithstanding the abundance of limestone, sandstone, and gravel, pure water is rather scarce. At Ledwithstown is a spring of excellent water gushing out of the marble rock in a copious stream, which is very highly esteemed.

The mineral treasures of Longford are few. Lead ore has been found in several of the limestone quarries, but no practical efforts have yet been made to trace out the vein; it has also been found in some of the mountain streams, and even turned up by the plough: ochres of various colours are common. Near the shores of Lough Gownagh are extensive rocks of iron-stone of a very superior kind, equal to the best Swedish ore, and the rocks appear to be inexhaustible, not being detached, or in thin layers like those of the Arigna district, but regular in formation and of a deep red colour. Coal shale appears in several places around Burlaghy, and near Lough Gownagh; but from the situation and arrangement of the contiguous strata, its continuation is doubtful. Near Ledwithstown, and in some other places, marble of a deep grey colour is very abundant; it takes a high polish, and is worked into chimney-pieces and other domestic ornaments. An analysis of the blue marl that forms a bed more than ten feet thick under the bog near the Inny, gave, of carbonate of lime 44.4 parts, carbonate of magnesia 1.4, alumine 27.2, and silex 27.0. The white marl of the same district gave, of carbonate of lime 87.3 parts, bog stuff and vegetable matter 10.7, alumine 1.0, silex 0.9, and oxyde of iron 0.1. The blue clay under the bog near the Shannon gave, of carbonate of lime 53.0 parts, alumine 36.0, silex 11.0.

Coarse linen cloth, and linen yarn, are manufactured to some extent and sent to markets in other counties: the first Earl of Granard took great pains to introduce this branch of manufacture among his tenantry at Newtown-Forbes. Flannels, friezes, and linsey-woolseys, chiefly for domestic consumption, are manufactured in several places. The rivers that water the interior of the county are the Camlin and the Kenagh. The source of the former is amid the numerous springs around Granard; its course is uncommonly winding, in consequence of the flatness of the valley through which it flows after quitting the hill of Granard, insomuch that the country is flooded to a great extent in winter: it runs westward and joins the Shannon at Tarmonbarry. The latter rises in the south and flows northward to the Shannon. The Fallen and Ownamount are insignificant streams. The Inny, which forms part of the southern boundary of the county, flows through a beautiful and rich country in a winding course by Ballymahon to Lough Ree: it contains salmon, trout, pike, perch, roach, tench, bream, and eels: the last are highly esteemed. It is said that since the introduction of perch, all other kinds of fish except eels have grown scarce both in Lough Ree and in the Inny. Few rivers present so many facilities for water carriage: its course is very slow. The total fall from Finea to the Shannon is 90 feet, and the main obstructions to its navigation are a ridge of rocks between Newcastle and Ballymahon, and two shallows between the latter town and the Shannon. The Royal canal enters the county from Westmeath, by an aqueduct over the Inny near Tinellick, passing westward by Ballymahon, Keenagh, and Mosstown, to Killashee, whence a branch leads northward to the town of Longford, while the main line from the junction continues westward until it joins the Shannon at Richmond harbour a mile below Tarmonbarry. This line of communication through the heart of the country is of the greatest advantage to the commercial interests; boats of 20 tons convey bulky articles, and fly boats, travelling at the rate of 7 miles an hour, ply constantly between Longford and Dublin. The roads are numerous and well laid out, and the material of which they are made is abundant and of very good quality; but in general they are very wet throughout every part, a defect arising entirely from want of due attention to keep the drains and water courses open.

The remains of antiquity are very few. A large rath, usually called the Moat of Granard, stands at one end of the main street of that town; another, called Lisardowlin, situate near the road from Longford to Edgeworthstown, is by the people of this country generally believed to be the centre of Ireland. Monastic institutions were numerous, and for the most part held in great veneration and well endowed. Abbeyshrule belonged to the Canons Regular; Ardagh, to the Franciscans; Lerha or Laragh, to the Cistercians; the wealthy abbey of Longford was founded by the O'Farrels; there were also abbeys or priories at Moydow, Clone, Clonebrone, Derg, Druimchei, and Killinmore, besides those on the islands of Innismorey, Innisbofin, Inniscloran, and All Saints Island in Lough Ree. Ruins of all the above still remain; but of the priories at Ballynasaggard, Kilglass, and St. Johnstown, no vestiges of the original buildings remain, and their actual site is matter of doubt. At Lanesborough are the ruins of a collegiate church or preceptory, originally founded by the Knights Templars. The remains of ancient castles are not so numerous here as in most of the other level counties. Granard castle is built on a hill rising to a considerable height above the town, and commanding an extensive view over all the level country. Besides Castle Forbes, the Forbes family had another fortified mansion at Longford, which was burned by the O'Nials in 1605. At Tenellick is the ruin of a strong castle, and near Ballymahon are the remains of two others. There are still remains of Rathcline castle, the chief residence of the O'Cuins; and not far from it are the ruins of a very ancient church. At Ballymahon was a strong castle erected to defend the ford of the Inny, the only traces of which are the cellars, under a house built on its ruins. Barnacor castle and Lot's castle, on the Inny, on the opposite banks, were both erected to protect the important pass or ford of that river, and at Castlecor are some remains of its ancient fortress. Fossil remains of various kinds have been discovered in the limestone caverns and fissures; many of them are those of animals unknown in these regions, and several others of species now extinct in Ireland. The bones and horns of the elk have been discovered in the marl at the foot of the Escars, and beneath several of the bogs, also in a small lake near Ballinalee the antlers and bones of the red deer are often found quite sound, having been preserved by the antiseptic properties of the bog water.

There are but few resident noblemen or gentry of large estates: the mansions and demesnes deserving of notice are described in their respective parishes. There are few parts of Ireland in which persons of limited income can live cheaper or better than here. In the towns are plentiful and cheap markets for beef, mutton, fowl, and fresh water fish, wild fowl in abundance, and the water fowl free from the fishy flavour of those from the sea coast. Cod and haddock from Galway, and oysters from the same shores, may be obtained at moderate prices. The diet and mode of living of the small farmers and others is very indifferent: they scarcely ever taste flesh meat, and not often anything but potatoes; yet they are strong, healthy, and active, and their general appearance is prepossessing. The women wear scarlet cloaks, with hoods, which they seldom use, as they cover their heads with handkerchiefs: the rest of their dress consists indifferently of cotton chequer and linsey--woolsey. Those of the lowest order travel barefoot, carrying their shoes and stockings in their hands, till they draw near their place of destination; their fuel is invariably turf, which can be procured in great abundance and of very superior quality. Coal is sometimes brought by the canal for the use of the wealthier classes, but even these generally burn turf. The prevalent diseases are inflammatory and putrid fever in summer and autumn, and ague, which latter is generally contracted in Meath, whither the labourers go to the harvest, and where they suffer much from the scarcity of fuel, which they had enjoyed in plenty at home. The lower orders are shrewd, intelligent, and industrious, fond of manly exercises and amusements, such as foot-ball, hurling, and wrestling, but on Sunday evenings the chief and invariable amusement is dancing. They are of a very proud and independent spirit, which manifests itself most conspicuously in their great repugnance to hire as servants, an occupation considered by them to be highly disreputable; hence they remain at home living in penury in a cabin and on a small patch of ground. They are exceedingly litigious, ever ready to have recourse to the law upon the most trivial subjects; they are also extremely superstitious: the first day of the year and of the month or week is considered the most proper times to commence an undertaking. No one removes to a new habitation on a Friday. A large candle is lighted on Christmas night, and suffered to burn out: should it be extinguished by accident, or otherwise, before it be completely burned away, it is considered as a certain prognostic of the death of the head of the family. The first of May and Midsummer-day are observed with great regularity, as are all the other festivals usual throughout the country: that of Hallow Eve concludes with a supper of boiled wheat buttered and sweetened, called Granbree. In the summer mouths, many individuals set out on pilgrimages either to holy wells in the vicinity, or to Lough Derg, in Donegal, to which latter place persons in affluent circumstances have been known to walk barefoot as a penance. The places at which violent or sudden deaths have occurred, particularly if near a road, are marked by heaps of stones, to which every passenger deems it a duty incumbent on him to add one. The Irish language is scarcely ever heard, except in the mountainous districts among the old people; adults and children everywhere speak English. Of the ancient families of this county, scarce any traces now remain: titles of the most romantic kind were assumed and borne by the heads of several clans, all of which have long since fallen into disuse.

LONGFORD, an incorporated market and post-town (formerly a parliamentary borough), in the parish of TEMPLEMICHAEL, partly in the barony of LONGFORD, but chiefly in that of ARDAGH, county of LONGFORD (of which it is the chief town), and province of LEINSTER, 20 miles (N. W.) from Mullingar, and 58 1/2 (W. N. W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Carrick-on-Shannon; containing 4516 inhabitants. This place, anciently called Athfadha, was at a very early period the site of a monastery, of which St. Idus, a disciple of St. Patrick, was abbot; and in 1400 a Dominican abbey was founded here in honour of the Blessed Virgin, by O'Ferral, prince of Annaly. This house was destroyed by fire in 1429, and Pope Martin V. and his successor, Eugene IV., granted indulgences to all who should contribute to its restoration. The establishment appears to have subsisted till the dissolution, after which it was successively granted to different parties in the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, and was finally given to Francis,. Viscount Valentia, in 1615, by Jas. I., who had previously granted a market and fair to be held at this place. Francis, Lord Aungier, who had become proprietor of the town, obtained from the same monarch the grant of an additional market and two more fairs in 1619. The castle, which from its strength had become a post of importance, was, in 1641, taken by the insurgents from the O'Ferrals, and the garrison put to the sword. Francis, Lord Aungier, Baron of Longford, in 1657, obtained from Chas. II. the erection of his lands into a manor, with the power of holding a court of record before his seneschal, with jurisdiction to the amount of £200; of appointing bailiffs for his manor court, and maintaining a gaol for the manor and town of Longford, which, under the same charter, was incorporated by the designation of the "Sovereign, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the Borough and Town of Longford."

The town is situated on the small river Camlin, and in 1831 contained 720 houses, many of which are well-built and of handsome appearance; the streets are watched, cleansed, and paved by assessments on all houses above the value of £5 per annum. At the end of the principal street are the cavalry barracks, adapted for 9 officers and 222 non-commissioned officers and privates, with stabling for 147 horses, and an hospital for 24 patients. About half a mile beyond these are the artillery barracks for 4 officers and 136 non-commissioned officers and privates, with stabling for 55 horses, and an hospital for 16 patients. The trade of the town has considerably increased since the extension into it of a branch from the Royal canal, and it now ranks among the best markets for grain, pork, bacon, and butter. The linen trade has revived, but not to its former extent. A branch of the bank of Ireland has been established since 1834; a spacious market-house, and corn stores along the canal, have been erected by the Earl of Longford; several new houses have been built, and some new streets laid out, and the town is rapidly improving. There is a large distillery, in which, on an average, about 50,000 gallons of whiskey are annually made and 35 men employed; there are also a large brewery and a tannery. At the termination of the new cut from the Royal canal a basin for boats has been constructed by the Earl of Longford, who has also erected a butter market and shambles at his own expense. A passage boat to Dublin plies daily on the Royal canal, affording facility of intercourse with the metropolis and other towns; and the situation and other local advantages of the town are favourable to the extension of its trade. The markets are on Wednesday and Saturday; the latter, which is the principal market, is amply supplied with corn, butter, bacon, pigs, hemp, and flax, and is numerously attended. The fairs are on March 25th, June 10th, Aug. 19th, and Oct. 22nd; the June and October fairs are most frequented.

The corporation consists of a sovereign, two bailiffs, 12 burgesses, and an indefinite number of freemen, assisted by a recorder, town-clerk, two serjeants-at-mace, and inferior officers. The sovereign who may appoint a deputy and is a justice of the peace, coroner, and clerk of the market, and the bailiffs are chosen annually from the burgesses on the Monday after Christmas-day, and sworn into office on the Monday after the 29th of September; the burgesses fill up vacancies as they occur by a majority of their own body, by whom also freemen are admitted; the recorder and town-clerk are appointed by the lord of the manor, who is patron of the borough and generally sovereign, and the inferior officers by the corporation. The corporation by their charter returned two members to the Irish parliament till the Union, when the borough was disfranchised. The manor courts have fallen almost into disuse, trifling causes only being summarily decided by the seneschal; and the corporation exercises but few municipal functions, having little more than a nominal existence. A court is held by the deputy-sovereign on Monday and Saturday, chiefly for the adjustment of claims for labour. The assizes for the county are held here regularly, and the quarter sessions alternately here and at Ballymahon; petty sessions are held at Newtown-Forbes, about 2 1/2 miles distant, and there is a chief constabulary police station in the town. The court-house is a neat building; and a gaol, well adapted to the classification of prisoners, was erected in 1825, on the radiating principle, containing 8 day-rooms and airing-yards, in one of which is a tread-mill, with separate cells for the prisoners, who are instructed by the schoolmaster and matron; three looms are also kept in the gaol for the employment of such as can weave. To the north-east of the town is Carrickglass, the handsome seat of the Rt. Hon. T. Lefroy, L.L.D., the demesne of which is watered by the Camlin. In the vicinity are Mount Jessop, the residence of F. Jessop, Esq.; Clonbolt, of R. Armstrong, Esq.; and, about two miles distant Castle Forbes, the seat of the Earl of Granard. The parish church, a handsome edifice, is situated in the town; and there are also a R. C. chapel, and places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster and Wesleyan Methodists. The county infirmary and dispensary are in the town, and there are 12 houses, built by Lord Longford, inhabited rent-free by the poor. The town gives the title of Baron to the Pakenham family.

LONG-ISLAND, in the parish of SKULL, Western Division of the barony of WEST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S. W.) from Skull, on the south-west coast; containing 259 inhabitants. It was formerly called Innisfadda, or the "Isle of Dogs," and it is traditionally stated that, in 830, such a violent tempest occurred that the sea broke over the island and forced it asunder into three parts. It is situated on a fine harbour of the same name, and forms one side of the entrance to Roaring-water bay: though not more than a quarter of a mile wide, it is nearly two miles in length, and comprises about 154 acres of land, chiefly under tillage and tolerably well cultivated by the spade. The substratum is clay-slate, in some places rising into rocky knolls, but even these produce good herbage; and corn and potatoes, more than sufficient for the support of the inhabitants, are produced, but fuel is extremely scarce: most of the men are engaged in fishing or as pilots. Here is a detachment from the coast-guard station at Crook-haven. The harbour is well sheltered, easy of access, and capable of receiving the largest ships, which may enter at either end of the island, care being taken to avoid a spit of sand extending in a northern direction more than half way across the channel, from about half a mile within the east end of the island: the Kings' sound is considered the safest entrance.

LONGWOOD, a village, in the parish of CLONARD, barony of UPPER MOYFENRAGH,, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/2 miles (E. N. E.) from Clonard, near the great western road from Dublin to Connaught; containing 425 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Blackwater, and comprises 83 houses. Here is a station of the constabulary police, and petty sessions are held on alternate Tuesdays. Fairs are held on Feb. 1st, Whit-Tuesday, July 12th, and Dec. 11th. A lecture on alternate Wednesdays has been established here by the vicar of Clonard. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising part of the parish of Clonard and the entire of Killyon, and containing the chapels of Longwood and Killyon; the former, situated near the village, is a large plain edifice.--See CLONARD.

LORHA, or LORRAGH, a parish, in the barony of LOWER ORMOND, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 8 1/2 miles (W.) from Parsonstown, on the road to Portumna; containing 4004 inhabitants, of which 195 are in the village. This place was anciently distinguished for its religious establishments, the earliest of which was an abbey for canons regular, founded by St. Ruadan, who presided here over 150 monks and died in 584. This establishment appears to have flourished without interruption till 844. when, according to Archdall, Turgesius, with his Norwegian forces, destroyed the town; he was soon after taken prisoner by Maolseachlain, King of Meath, and drowned in Lough Ainin. After its restoration the abbey was destroyed by accidental fires in 1154 and 1157, and in 1179 the town was again destroyed by fire. The hand of St. Ruadan was preserved in a silver case in this abbey till its suppression. A Dominican friary also was founded here in 1269, by Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, in which, in 1688, a provincial chapter of the order was held, when 150 friars clothed in their proper habits assisted on the occasion. The parish comprises 6220 acres; the land is of good quality, and the system of agriculture improving; the scenery is pleasingly diversified and derives much interest from the venerable ruins of the abbey and friary. The principal seats are Abbeville, the residence of T. G. Hemsworth, Esq.; Portland, of J. Chapman, Esq.; Belle-Isle, of Lord Avonmore; Harvest Lodge, of -- Stoney, Esq.; Ballymacegan, of T. Spunner, Esq.; Kilcarron, of A. Carew, Esq.; Grange, of -- Palmer, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Archdeacon Knox. The village is pleasantly situated within three miles of the river Shannon, and a penny post has been established in connection with the office of Burris-O'Kane. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, forming part of the union of Aglish-cloghane; the tithes amount to £436. 9. 3. The glebe-house, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits contributed a gift of £400 and a loan of £1200, in 1816, is a handsome residence; the glebe comprises 2 3/4 acres. The church has been recently repaired by a grant of £113 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parish of Dorrha; the chapel is a plain modern building near the ruins of the Dominican friary, and there is also a chapel at Dorrha. A national school was erected in 1832, on a site given, with a liberal subscription, by Mr. Toone; the expense of the building was £150, towards which the Board contributed £70. There are also several private schools, and a dispensary. The remains of the Dominican abbey, of, which the walls are nearly entire, are situated in a fertile spot on a rivulet which falls into the Shannon; the prevailing character is that of the early English style; the western gable is surmounted by a small belfry turret, and above the entrance is a handsome window; the bell, which at the suppression of the monastery had been taken down and hid in a field, was discovered about 30 years since and restored; the interior contains several mural tablets, of which one bears the arms of the Mac Egan family. There are some ruins of Ballyquirk castle, near which is a handsome modern house of that name, and also of Lackeen castle.

LORUM, a parish, in the barony of IDRONE EAST, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Leighlin-bridge, on the road from Carlow to New Ross; containing 1507 inhabitants. It comprises 5428 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £5033 per ann.; and contains Corries, the property of the Rudkin family, and Ballycormac House, late the residence of the Newton family. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Leighlin, episcopally united to the vicarage of Slyguffe and the rectory of Ballyellin, together constituting the union of Lorum, in the gift of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in Lord Cloncurry. The tithes amount to £294. 4. 7 1/4., of which £196. 3. 1. is payable to the impropriator and the remainder to the vicar; the tithes of the entire benefice amount to £609. 4. 7. There is no glebe-house or glebe. The church, an old building, containing two modern tombs of the Rudkin family, has been recently repaired at an expense of £184 defrayed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Bagnalstown, and has a chapel at Ballinkellin. The parochial school was built and is supported by subscription; and in the national school, which is aided by £10 per ann. from Lord Beresford, about 160 children are educated: there is also a Sunday school.

LOUGHBRACCAN, a parish, in the barony of LOWER SLANE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (E.) from Nobber, on the mail road from Dublin by Slane to Londonderry; containing 493 inhabitants. It comprises 2074 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the land, which is of good quality, is partly in tillage and partly in pasture. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, entirely appropriate to the see: the tithes amount to £111. 11. 7 1/4. For the performance of clerical duties it forms part of the perpetual curacy of Nobber; and in the R. C. divisions, part of the union or district of Drumconra. The ruins of the old church, which stand on the summit of a hill, have a striking appearance.

LOUGHBRICKLAND, a post-town, in the parish of AGHADERG, barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 8 miles (N. E.) from Newry, and 58 1/2 (N.) from Dublin, on the road from Newry to Belfast; containing 618 inhabitants. This town, which is prettily situated on the lake from which it takes its name, owes its rise to Sir Marmaduke Whitchurch, to whom Queen Elizabeth, in 1585, granted the adjacent lands. Sir Marmaduke built a castle on the shore of the lake, for the protection of a pass where three roads united, and soon after a church and a mill, and laid the foundation of a town, in which a Protestant colony was settled, for which he obtained the grant of a market and two fairs. In 1641 the castle was dismantled and the town and church were destroyed by fire; in this desolate condition it remained till 1688, when the church was rebuilt and the town began gradually to improve. It consists of one principal street, from which two smaller streets branch off, and contains 123 houses, most of which are well built and of handsome appearance; the whole town has a cheerful and thriving aspect. The lake, which is supposed to have taken its name from the speckled trout with which it is said to have formerly abounded, comprises an area of about 90 Irish acres, and is bordered on its western side by the road from Dublin to Belfast; it forms the summit level of the Newry canal, to which its waters are conveyed through Lough Shark, and is itself supplied from a spring within, its superfluous water escaping through a sluice at the north-western extremity. Fairs are held here on the third Tuesday in every month, for horses, cattle, pigs, and pedlery. There are several handsome seats in the immediate neighbourhood, which are noticed under the heads of their respective parishes. The parish church, a handsome edifice, with a square tower and octagonal spire, is situated in the centre of the town; and nearly opposite to it is the R. C. chapel, in the later English style, built at an expense of £1700 on a site presented by N. C. Whyte, Esq., who also gave £400 towards its erection. There are also places of worship for Presbyterians and Primitive Methodists. On the shore of the lake is a modern house, erected in 1812 on the site of the ancient castle, which was then taken down. The Danes, who had ravaged the north of Ireland, were defeated here by the Irish under Mac Lorriagh, in 1187. --See AGHADERG.

LOUGHCREW, a parish, in the barony of DEMIFORE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. S. E.) from Oldcastle, on the road to Kells; containing 1394 inhabitants. It comprises 4968 1/2 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; there is no waste or unprofitable land, and the state of agriculture is improving, the drill system and a better description of stock having been lately introduced. There are some quarries of good building stone, and at the hamlet of Millbrook are the mills and residence of W. Henry, Esq. Loughcrew House, the residence of Jas. L. W. Naper, Esq., is a magnificent structure in the Grecian Ionic style, erected from designs by Mr. Cockerell, of London; it is faced entirely with hewn limestone, has a noble portico, and contains some good paintings by the old masters. The mansion, the out-offices (which are of a superior order), and the improvements in the demesne, are stated to have cost upwards of £80,000. The demesne comprises about 900 plantation acres, of which nearly 200 are planted; the principal approach is by a lodge of elegant design, and the scenery in the vicinity is of a pleasing character. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Meath, united by act of council, in 1682, to the rectory of Moylough and the vicarage of Diamor, and by Episcopal authority, in 1815, to the rectory of Russagh or Clonabreny, together constituting the union of Loughcrew, in the patronage of the Crown: the rectory is impropriate in E. Rotheram, of Crossdrum, Esq. The tithes amount to £166. 3. 1., payable in equal portions to the impropriator and vicar; and the entire tithes of the benefice to £369. 13. 10. The glebe-house was built in 1821, at an expense of £1879, of which £1275 was granted as a loan by the late Board of First Fruits, £100 as a gift, and the remainder was defrayed by the incumbent. The glebe comprises 40 plantation acres, valued at £50 British per annum, part of which is subject to a rent of £32. 15. The church is an ancient structure, for the repair of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £181. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Oldcastle, and has a chapel at Loughcrew. About 160 children are educated in three private schools, and a Sunday school is supported by Mrs. Naper: some of the children attend the endowed school in the adjoining parish of Oldcastle.

LOUGH DERG.--See TEMPLECARNE.

LOUGHGALL, or LEVALLEY-EGLISH, a post-town and parish, partly in the barony of ARMAGH, but chiefly in that of ONEILLAND WEST, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (N. E.) from Armagh, and 70 (N.) from Dublin, on the great north road from Derry through Dungannon to Armagh; containing 5934 inhabitants, of which number, 325 are in the town. The parish, which is bounded on the north by the river Blackwater, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey (including the district parish of Charlemont), 10,924 1/2 statute acres, of which 2449 3/4 are in the barony of Armagh, and the remainder in O'Neilland West; 59 1/2 acres are water, and of the land about two-thirds are exceedingly rich and fertile, and the remainder of inferior quality. The system of agriculture is highly improved under the auspices of the resident gentry, and excellent crops are raised: there is some valuable bog, but no waste land. Limestone abounds and is extensively quarried for agricultural purposes and for repairing the roads. The weaving of linen cloth is still carried on here to a considerable extent, affording employment to more than 600 persons who are engaged by the manufacturers and bleachers of Banbridge. The principal seats are Drumilly, the residence of Mrs. Cope, an ancient mansion with two lofty square towers projecting from the front, and overlooking the village; Hockley Lodge, of the Hon. H. Caulfield; Ardress, of G. Ensor, Esq.; Green Hall, of Mrs. Atkinson; Summer Island, of Col. Verner; Eden Cottage, of W. P. Newton, Esq.; Cloven Eden, of W. B. Picknoll, Esq.; Loughgall House, of J. Hardy, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Silver Oliver. The fine mansion and demesne of Castle Dillon, the seat of Sir Thos. Molyneux, which is described particularly in the account of Richhill, are partly in this parish and partly in that of Armagh. The village, though small, is beautifully situated in a fertile valley in the midst of a richly cultivated and picturesque country; and consists of 60 houses, of which the greater number are large, well-built, and of handsome appearance. There is a large and handsome market-house, but the market, and also four fairs which were formerly held, have been discontinued. A constabulary police force is stationed here; and a manorial court is held monthly before the seneschal for the recovery of debts not exceeding 40s.

The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, constituting the corps of the prebend of Loughgall in the cathedral of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate: the tithes amount to £512. 10. The glebe-house is a handsome residence, on which, in 1782, £220. 17. 6. was expended in improvements; the glebe comprises 139 3/4 statute acres, valued at £179 per annum, which, together with houses and gardens in the village, valued at £48. 5., makes the whole value of the prebend £739. 15. per annum. The church, a neat edifice in the early English style, with a square tower, was built in 1795 by subscription and assessments; a gallery was added to it in 1822, at an expense of £110. 15. 4 1/2., and it has been recently repaired by a grant of £110 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners: the building is of hewn marble, and the interior is elegantly arranged, and contains a handsome cenotaph to the late Bishop Cope, who was for some time curate of the parish. There is a district church at Charlemont, of which the living is a perpetual curacy. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also that of Tartaragan, in each of which is a chapel. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the third class, and at Ballymagerney is a place of worship for Methodists. About 580 children are taught in six public schools, of which one, endowed with a school-house and two acres of land by Col. Cope, is supported by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity; three are supported by Mr. Cope, and one by donations from the incumbent and Sir T. Molyneux, Bart. There are also five private schools, in which are about 200 children, and seven Sunday schools. Nearly in the centre of the village are the ruins of the ancient church, of which the western gable and turret are nearly entire.

LOUGHGILLY, a parish, partly in the barony of LOWER FEWS, and partly in that of UPPER FEWS, but chiefly in the barony of LOWER ORIOR, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Market-Hill, on the road from Armagh to Newry; containing, with the district parish of Baleek and the village of Mountnorris (which see), 10,198 inhabitants. This parish, which takes its name from the lake on which it is situated, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, l6,029 1/2 statute acres, including 80 1/2 of water; of these, 5299 are in Lower Fews, 2289 1/4 in Upper Fews, and 8441 1/4 in Lower Orior. The lake extended several miles in length from Pointz-Pass to Mountnorris, forming a continued morass and fortified by a military post at the former, and at the latter by another erected by Gen. Norris, from whom that station had its name; but with the exception of about 5 acres of water near the glebe-house, the whole has been drained and brought into cultivation. The land is fertile; about three-fourths are under tillage and in a very high state of cultivation; the remainder, though in some parts rocky, affords good pasture. Slate is found in the parish, but the quarries are not at present worked. There are several substantial and some handsome houses, of which the principal are Glenaune, the elegant residence of W. Atkinson, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Dr. Stuart. In the southern part of the parish is a small lake, called Loughshaws, from which a small stream flowing through Glenaune affords a convenient site for some extensive mills that have been established here for spinning cotton and weaving calico, in which are 170 power-looms, affording employment to nearly 300 persons; and also for bleach-greens and other mills, in which the manufactured goods are finished for the English markets. Since the establishment of these works, the proprietor has planted a great portion of mountainous and rocky land, introduced a good practical system of agriculture, and greatly improved the entire neighbourhood. A manorial court for the district of Baleek is held here every month, in which debts to the amount of 40s. are recoverable. The district of Baleek was separated from this parish in 1826, and erected into a perpetual curacy. The living of Loughgilly is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate; the tithes amount to £926. 18. 4. The glebe-house was built in 1782, at an expense of £923. 1. 6 1/2., and subsequently enlarged and improved at a cost of £1819; the glebe comprises 500 statute acres, valued at £585. 11. 8. per annum. The church is a spacious and handsome edifice with a tower, originally built at an expense of £1384. 12. 3 3/4., a loan from the late Board of First Fruits, and rebuilt in 1828 by aid of a gift of £830. 15. from the same Board. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Ballymoyer and Baleek, in each of which is a chapel. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster and the Seceding Synod, also for Covenanters. About 350 children are taught in four public schools, of which the male and female parochial schools are supported by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's fund, and one by Lord Gosford, who has endowed it with an acre of land. The parochial school-house was built on the glebe in 1813, at an expense of £250. There are also a private school, in which are about 60 children, and seven Sunday schools. A school-house is being built at Killycarran by the Education Society, who intend endowing it with £30 per annum from the surplus funds of the collegiate school at Armagh, which latter was founded by Chas. I, who granted seven townlands in this parish for the foundation of a school at Mountnorris, but which was some years afterwards established at Armagh. Four unendowed almshouses were built by Dean Dawson, in 1811, for four aged women; and the late Lord Gosford bequeathed a sum of money, of which the interest is annually distributed among the poor. During the rebellion of the Earl of Tyrone, the garrison of this place was put to the sword by the O'Donells; it also suffered greatly in the war of 1641, when a dreadful carnage took place. There are several remains of fortifications in the neighbourhood; the "Tyrone Ditches " are near the junction of the parish with those of Killevy and Ballymore; but of the extensive fortress of Port-Norris, or Mount-Norris, not a vestige can be traced.

LOUGH GLINN, an ecclesiastical district, in the barony of BOYLE, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 7 miles (S. W.) from Frenchpark, on the road to Ballyhaunis; containing 10,124 inhabitants, of which number, 254 are in the village: the number of acres is returned with the parish of Taughboyne. The land is in general of inferior quality, and a large portion consists of bog. The village, which contains 50 houses is a station of the constabulary police; it has a penny-post to Frenchpark and Clare, and a dispensary. Fairs are held in May, July, September, and October. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Elphin, and in the patronage of the Rector of Taughboyne, who allows a stipend of £69. 4. 6. to the curate, augmented by £15 per ann. from Primate Boulter's fund. The glebe-house, built in 1828 by aid of a gift of £450 and a loan of £50 from the late Board of First Fruits, stands on a glebe of 20 acres, valued at £12 per ann. The church, a neat structure in good repair, built in 1815 by aid of a gift of £600 from the same Board, is situated in the village. In the R. C. divisions this district forms part of the union of Taughboyne or Tibohine, and has a chapel in the village. The schools are noticed under the head of Taughboyne, which see.

LOUGHGUILE, or LOUGHGEEL, a parish, partly in the barony of KILCONWAY, but chiefly in that of UPPER DUNLUCE, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 65 miles (E. S. E.) from Ballymoney, on the road from Ballymena to Ballycastle; containing 6379 inhabitants. This place is celebrated for a battle which was fought on the Aura mountain, between the Mac Quillans and MacDonnells, in which the former were defeated; and near the intrenchments that were thrown up on the occasion, and of which there are still some remains, is a large cairn, where the slain on both sides are said to have been interred. The parish is situated on Lough Guile and intersected by the river Bush, which rises in the Cambrick mountain, and after a bold and devious course of 13 miles falls into the sea at Bush-mills. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 30,165 statute acres, of which 6466 1/4 are in the barony of Kilconway, and 23,689 3/4 are in Upper Dunluce; 59 1/2 are water, and of the land, about one-third is wild and boggy pasture, and the remainder chiefly arable land. The surface is boldly undulating, rising in some parts into lofty eminences, of which Mount Aura has an elevation of 1530 feet. The soil is principally light and gravelly, but in the valleys extremely fertile: the system of agriculture has greatly improved since the decline of the linen manufacture, and excellent crops are raised. There are some extensive tracts of limestone, which is quarried and burnt into lime, in which a considerable trade is carried on; and there is an ample supply of bog turf. Lisanour Castle, situated on the shores of the Lough, was originally built by Sir Philip Savage in the reign of John, and in 1723 was purchased by the ancestors of the Macartney family, of whom George, Earl Macartney, was born and for some time resided here. The last remains of the ancient building were removed in 1829, on the erection of the present mansion, the seat of George Macartney, Esq., which is beautifully situated in a fertile valley romantically interspersed with woods and lakes, and adorned with extensive and flourishing plantations; near the margin of one of the lakes is an elegant cottage in the later English style, richly embellished, and forming a picturesque feature in the scenery of the vale. Fairs are held here on the 19th of Feb., June, Aug., and Nov., chiefly for horses, cattle, pigs, and linen yarn. A constabulary police force is stationed here, and petty sessions are held on alternate Tuesdays. On the death of Dr. Trail, the last chancellor of Connor, and under Bishop Mant's act for dissolving the union attached to the chancellorship of that see, the living, previously a vicarage, became a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Connor, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £515. The church, a small plain edifice with a tower surmounted by a spire, was rebuilt in 1733, chiefly at the expense of the late Earl Macartney. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church; the chapel is a spacious edifice, built in 1785, near the entrance, of Lisanour Castle. At Magheraboy is a place of worship for Seceders. About 300 children are taught in four public schools, of which a female school and Sunday school are supported by Mrs. Macartney; and there are seven private schools, in which are about 280 children. A dispensary affords medicine and advice to the poor, who are visited at their own dwellings when unable to attend. There are several Danish forts in the parish.

LOUGHILL, a parish, in the Shanid division of the barony of LOWER CONNELLO, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 11 1/4 miles (N. W.) from Rathkeale, on the mail road from Limerick to Tarbert; containing 1849 inhabitants, of which number, 277 are in the village. This parish is situated on the southern bank of the river Shannon, which is here about three miles in breadth; it comprises 2098 statute acres. The land is in general rocky and the soil light, but near the village it is of better quality and the soil of greater depth; about one-half is under tillage; the system of agriculture is gradually improving, but a considerable portion is cultivated by spade labour. The principal manure is sea-sand and sea-weed, either collected on the slab or brought from the opposite coast of Clare. Throughout the whole of the lower or northern part of the parish are extensive beds of coal lying above each other in five different strata, of which the uppermost only, which is the thinnest, has been worked, but so inefficiently that, though it is of excellent quality, coal is imported from England and Wales at a cheaper rate, and the works have been consequently discontinued. The substrata are chiefly silicious grit, greenstone, and quartz, the last penetrating the entire country in veins of considerable thickness, and in some parts nearly white and of great purity. The principal seats are Mount Trenchard, that of the Rt. Hon. Thos. Spring Rice, Chancellor of the Exchequer, a handsome mansion formerly called Cappa, and beautifully situated on the banks of the Shannon; Rock Lodge, of S. Harding, Esq.; Fairy Lawn, of P. Griffin, Esq.; Woodcliff, of A. E. Taylor, Esq.; Curragh, of the Rev. D. O'Sullivan; and Ouvane Cottage, of Lieut. Hewson, R.N. The village contains 53 houses, most of which are small thatched cabins. Nearly adjoining Ouvane Cottage is a good quay, where sloops may receive or deliver their cargoes. Fairs are held at Mount-Trenchard in March, June, September, and December. The townland of Kilfergus, on which is the old church of Glin, and the adjoining townland of Ballyoulihan, though both in this parish, pay tithes to the rector of Glin. In the townland of Knockabooley a singular tenure prevails, by which the Bishop of Limerick is enabled to grant leases for three lives; whereas, in the other townlands of the parish, he can grant leases only for 21 years. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick, forming part of the union and corps of the precentor-ship of the cathedral of Limerick: the tithes amount to £95; there is a glebe of 16 acres, but no glebe-house. The church, a small but neat edifice in the early English style, with a square tower, was built on a new site by a loan of £800 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1812; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £116 for its repair. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Glin; the chapel is a large plain edifice. About half a mile from the village are the ruins of the old church; and near the shore was a very strong castle, said to have been the property of the Bishop, which was taken down by the late Mr. Hewson, who built a garden wall with the materials. On the demesne of Woodcliffe is a piece of ground called the Field of Sculls, where more than 100 skeletons were found; and on the Curragh estate have been dug up numerous brass coins of the reign of Jas. I.

LOUGHIN-ISLAND, a parish, in the barony of KINELEARTY, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, on the road from Newry to Downpatrick; containing, with the post-town of Clough and the villages of Seaford and Anadorn (which see), 6574 inhabitants. The parish, according to the Ordnance survey, comprises 12,485 3/4 statute acres, of which 124 3/4 are water, and 9767 are applotted under the tithe act; about one-half of the land is of the richest quality, and of the remainder, with the exception of a small proportion of waste and bog, the greater part is tolerably fertile. There are some quarries of stone, which is used for building and mending the roads; and near the mountains some very good slate for roofing is obtained. The principal seats are Seaforde House, the splendid mansion and demesne of Col. M. Forde, noticed in the article on Seaforde; Ardilea, of the Rev. W. Annesley, a handsome residence near Clough; and Draper Hill, of J. Cromie, Esq., about halfway between Ballynahinch and Castlewilliam. The linen manufacture was established here in 1815 by Mr. Cromie, and not less than 42,000 webs are annually made from English mill-spun yarn, affording employment to more than 3000 persons. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, constituting the corps of the precentorship of the cathedral, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £550. The church, situated at Seaforde, is a handsome edifice in the Grecian style, with an octagonal spire of wood covered with copper; it was built in 1720, and has been recently repaired by a grant of £362 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; the approach to it is through a fine avenue of trees. In the R. C. divisions the parish is partly in the union or district of Ballykindlar, and the remainder forms the head of the district of Loughin-Island; the chapel is a plain building, and there is also a chapel at Drumaroad for the union of Ballykindlar. There is a place of worship at Clough for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the third class, and at Seaforde for Presbyterians in connection with the Seceding Synod, of the second class. About 570 children are taught in seven public schools, of which one, for which a house was built by the governors and Col. Forde, at an expense of £600, is supported by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's fund, who pay £30 per ann. to the master, who has also an annual donation from the rector, and a house and garden with two acres of land; and a female school was built in 1816, and is endowed with £14 per ann. by Col. Forde: in these two schools 95 children are annually clothed by Col. and Lady Harriet Forde, by whom two other schools are also endowed with £8 per ann.; and there are two national and three Sunday schools. Mrs. McKenny, in 1832, gave £50 to the poor of Clough, the interest of which is annually divided among them; and there is an annual fund of £24 for the purchase of blankets to be distributed among the poor in the winter. Near Seaforde are the ruins of Drumcaw church, formerly a separate parish: near it is a perfect circular fort, and at the termination of the townland is a very ancient bridge of one lofty arch over the Moneycarry river. At Clough are the ruins of an old castle within an ancient fort on the summit of a hill commanding a full view of two separate lines of forts, and the whole of Dundrum bay and castle. At Anadorn is a mound, called Castle Hill, on which was the castle of the McCartans, ancient proprietors of the country; near it is a cairn, 60 yards in circuit, having in it a kistvaen, in which were found calcined bones and ashes. There are some remains of the ancient church with its cemetery, of the old church built in 1547, and of the cell of St. Fynian, afterwards a private chapel and the burial-place of the ancient family of the McCartans.

LOUGHMORE EAST.--See CALLABEG.

LOUGHMORE WEST, or LOUGHMOE, a parish, in the barony of ELIOGARTY, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. by E.) from Templemore, on the road to Thurles and Clonmel; containing 2878 inhabitants, and, with Loughmore East, comprising 6923 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, and in the gift of the Archbishop; the rectory is impropriate in the Marquess of Ormonde. The tithes amount to £536. 6., of which £296. 6. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. There is no church or glebe-house. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Loughmore and Castle-inny, which also comprises the parish of Temple-erry, and contains a chapel in each parish. About 220 children are educated in three private schools.

LOUGHRASK, a hamlet, in the parish of DROMCREEHY, barony of BURREN, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER; containing 17 houses and 95 inhabitants.

LOUGHREA, a market and post-town, and a parish, in the barony of LOUGHREA, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 18 miles (E. by S.) from Galway, and 86 1/2 (W. by S.) from Dublin; containing 7876 inhabitants, of which number, 6268 are in the town and suburbs. This place, which is situated on the shore of Lough Rea, was chiefly remarkable for its monastery, founded by Richard de Burgh, about the year 1300, for Carmelites or White friars; after the dissolution it was granted to Richard, Earl of Clanricarde, ancestor of the present proprietor. A castle was erected here by the Earl of Ulster at an early period, and the town, from its situation in the approach to Galway, was deemed of so much importance that it was fortified. It at present consists of several streets, and contains 1229 houses, of which many are neat and well built. There is a promenade called the Mall, which is much frequented, and the neighbourhood abounds with pleasingly diversified scenery The lake, which is about one mile in diameter, has three small islands of picturesque appearance, and its shores are enlivened by some pleasing cottages, and embellished on the south and east with hills of beautiful verdure. An extensive brewery has been erected on the side of the lake by Mr. L. Fahy. The market is on Thursday, and is well supplied with grain and provisions of every kind, and with poultry in abundance. Fairs are held on Feb. 11th, May 26th and 27th, Aug. 20th, and Dec. 5th; the May fair is numerously attended by purchasers for horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs, of which last great numbers are sold at all the fairs. A chief constabulary police force is stationed in the town, which is also the head station of the central district of the revenue police, including those of Loughrea, Galway, Ballinasloe, and Athlone, and comprising a force of three lieutenants, three serjeants, and 58 privates, under the control of a resident sub-inspector. A manorial court is held before the seneschal; petty sessions are held every Thursday, and quarter sessions twice in the year before the assistant barrister for the county.

The parish comprises 5373 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the soil is fertile and the system of agriculture improving; there is a moderate quantity of bog and scarcely any waste land; building stone is found and extensively quarried. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Clonfert; the rectory is partly appropriate to the deanery, and partly to the vicarage, which latter is episcopally united to the vicarages of Kilteskill, Kilrickill, and Kilnadeema, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Clanricarde. The tithes amount to £154.12. 2 1/4., of which £23. 1. 6 1/2. is payable to the dean, and £131. 10. 7 3/4. to the incumbent; there is no glebe-house; the glebes of the union comprise 27 1/2 statute acres, let on lease for £20. 9. per ann.; and the entire value of the benefice, including glebe and tithe, amounts to £517. 16. 9 3/4. The church, a neat structure, was built in 1821 by a loan of £1846. 3. 1. from the late Board of First Fruits; the spire was struck by lightning and thrown down on the roof, on the first Sunday in Dec. 1832, about two hours before the time of divine service; the church has been recently repaired by a grant of £169 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and is one of the parishes belonging to the Bishop; the chapel is a spacious edifice, and there are chapels also attached to the Carmelite monastery, and to the convent of sisters of the same order. The Carmelite monastery, originally founded in 1300 by Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, has, notwithstanding the alienation of its revenues at the dissolution, still preserved a regular succession of members. In consequence of the dilapidated state of the buildings, a chapel and a dwelling-house adjoining it were erected in 1785, of which the former was rebuilt on a more extensive scale in 1816, and the latter in 1829, under the superintendence of the prior, the Rev. Mr. Gannon, at an expense of £4000 (including both), defrayed partly from the funds of the establishment and partly by subscription, to which the Clanricarde family, on whose estate the monastery is situated, liberally contributed. A convent for nuns of the same order was founded about the year 1680, and removed to its present site in 1829, when the building, including a chapel, was erected under the direction of the Prior of the abbey, at a cost of £5000, entirely defrayed from the funds of the nunnery; there are at present 18 sisters in the convent, chiefly young ladies. Nearly 1000 children are taught in three public schools, of which the parochial school is supported by the rector, and the national schools are chiefly under the direction of the Prior and R. C. clergy of the monastery, and the sisters of the nunnery; the school-houses were built at the joint expense of the Prior, the nuns, and the New Board of Education. There are also seven private schools, in which are about 230 children, and a Sunday school. There are some remains of the ancient Carmelite monastery, and also of the old castle built by the De Burghs, which was for some time the residence of the Clanricarde family. There was anciently an hospital for lepers in the town, but little of its history is recorded, and even the site of it is unknown. On the summit of Monument Hill, near the town, is a circular enclosure in which are seven stones, five still standing erect, and two lying on the ground; in the centre is a small tumulus of earth, and near the base of the hill are vestiges of a circular intrenchment, within which are the remains of an ancient cromlech.

LOUISBORGH.--See LEWISBURGH.

LOUTH (County of), a maritime county of the province of LEINSTER, and the smallest in Ireland, bounded on the east by the Irish Sea; on the north, by the bay of Carlingford and by the county of Armagh; on the west, by the counties of Monaghan and Meath; and on the south by that of Meath. It extends from 53° 42' to 54° 6' N. Lat., and from 6° 4' to 6° 38' W. Lon.; and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 200,484 statute acres, of which 185,568 acres are cultivated land, and the remaining 14,916 unimproved mountain and bog. It contained, in 1821, 101,011 inhabitants, and in 1831, 107,481, exclusively of the county of the town of Drogheda, which forms a separate jurisdiction at the southern extremity of the county.

It appears from Ptolemy that the present county formed, in his time, part of the territory of the Voluntii, which extended southward to that of the Eblani. It was subsequently included in the independent sovereignty of Orgial, or Argial, called by the English Oriel or Uriel, forming a large part of the province of Meath, including also the counties of Armagh and Monaghan. This principality is stated to have formed the subordinate territory of Conal Muirthemne, called also Hy Conal and Machuire-Conal, in which were the smaller districts of Fera Arda, or Fatharta, the present barony of Ferrard; Hy Segan, or Hy Seanghain, that of Ardee; Fera Lorg, Lorgan, or Lurgin, that of Lower Dundalk; Hy Mac Uais, the country of the Mac Scanlans, that of Upper Dundalk; and Ludha, or Lugha, that of Louth, which last was the country of the O'Carrols, chiefs of Argial. The last celebrated head of this race was Donchad O'Carrol, king of Argial, who founded the two great abbeys of Mellifont and Louth, and was likewise a prince of considerable prowess. Argial was conquered by John de Courcy, in 1183; and that part of it which is included within the limits of the present county of Louth (one of those erected by King John in 1210) being immediately peopled with English settlers, it continued ever after to be subject to the English jurisdiction; and thus the ancient Argial was divided into Irish Argial and English Uriel. The latter, from its situation, being much exposed to the incursions of the native chiefs, numerous castles were erected for its defence; but nevertheless, in the reign of Edw. II., it was overrun and ravaged by the Scots under Edward Bruce, who, however, received their final overthrow from Sir John Birmingham in this county.

The county of Argial, Lowth, or Louth, was one of the four counties of the pale in which, in 1473, a small standing force was appointed to be maintained; and the mayor of Drogheda, Sir Laurence Taaf, and Richard Bellew, were appointed commanders of the newly instituted fraternity of arms for the defence of the English pale. It was overrun by the insurgent chieftains in the reign of Elizabeth, at which time it appears to have formed part of the province of Ulster; for in 1596, in the conference held at Faughart between O'Nial and O'Donel, on the Irish side, and the archbishop of Cashel and the Earl of Ormonde on that of the English government, the latter proposed that the English should retain possession of that part of Ulster situated between the river Boyne and Dundalk, in this county, of which they had been in possession for a long period, together with the towns of Carrickfergus, Carlingford, and Newry, in the more northern parts: but these terms were altogether rejected, and ever since, Louth has formed a portion of the province of Leinster.

It is wholly in the diocese of Armagh, except a small portion of two parishes in the diocese of Clogher. For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the baronies of Ardee, Ferrard, Louth, Upper Dundalk, and Lower Dundalk, and contains the sea-port, borough and market-town of Dundalk; the sea-port and disfranchised borough of Carlingford; the disfranchised boroughs of Ardee and Dunleer; and the post-towns of Castle-Bellingham, Collon, Louth, Lurgan-Green, Tallonstown and Flurrybridge: the largest villages are Annaglasson, Clogher, and Mullaghcrew. It sent ten members to the Irish parliament, two for the county at large and two for each of the boroughs; but at the Union the boroughs were all disfranchised, except Dundalk, which sends but one member to the Imperial parliament. The election for the county, which continues to return two members, takes place at Dundalk. The number of electors registered up to the close of Michaelmas Sessions 1836, was 291 £50, 179 £20, and 556 £10 freeholders; 6 £50 and 32 £20 rent-chargers; and 26 £20 and 104 £10 leaseholders; making a total of 1194 registered voters. The county is included in the north-eastern circuit; the assizes are held at Dundalk, where the county court-house and prison are built. Quarter sessions are held at Drogheda and Dundalk, in January, April, June, and October; and in April and October at Ardee, where also there are a court-house and a bridewell. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 8 deputy-lieutenants, and 35 other magistrates, together with the usual county officers, including two coroners. There are 26 constabulary police stations, having in the whole a force of an inspector, paymaster, three chief and 26 sub-constables, and 108 men, with 4 horses. There are also 14 stations of the peace preservation police, which consists of a chief magistrate, 3 officers, 21 constables, and 70 men. The District Lunatic Asylum is in Dublin; the County Hospital, at Dundalk, was built in 1834, and is considered to be among the most complete in Ireland, both as regards the structure and the internal arrangements; there are dispensaries at Ardee, Ballymascanlan, Castle-Bellingham, Collon, Dunleer, Louth, and Termonfechan. The amount of Grand Jury presentments for 1835 was £11,247. 2. 8., of which £157. 18. 8. was for the roads, bridges, &c., of the county at large; £2591. 15. 11. for the roads, bridges, &c., of the several baronies; £4509. 6. 10. for public buildings, charities, officers' salaries, and incidents; and £3988. 1. 3. for the police. In military arrangements the county is included in the South-Eastern district, with the exception of the town of Dundalk, which is in the Northern; in the same town is the only barrack within the county, adapted for 25 officers, 513 men, and 320 horses. Along the coast are five stations of the revenue police, respectively at Greenore Point, Omeath, Cooley Point, Soldiers', Point, Dunany Point, and Clogher Head, which form the Dundalk district, in which there are one inspecting commander, five officers, and forty men.

This county, although the smallest in Ireland, presents several distinguishing features as to its scenery and soil worthy of attention. The southern districts are level, varied by gently swelling elevations, in a state of high cultivation, and interspersed with thriving plantations: to the north the surface rises into the lofty group of the Ravensdale, Cooley, and Carlingford mountains. The coast from the mouth of the Boyne, which is the southern extremity of the county, presents a broad level strand, stretching northward for several miles to the boldly projecting promontory of Clogher head, at the foot of which is the village of the same name, with a natural harbour that affords shelter to a few fishing yawls. Thence to Dunany head is a sandy bay, in which are a few reefs, covered at high water, but at ebb tide having a dry strand for half a mile beyond them. Dunany point is the southern extremity of Dundalk bay, which sweeps round into the land in a semicircular form, having the harbour and town of Dundalk in its most inland point, and terminating northwards at Cooley point. The southern and western shores of this fine bay, the mouth of which extends seven miles from point to point, and which measures the same distance in depth to the entrance to Dundalk harbour, are of the same character as those already noticed, broad, shallow, and skirted with a line of low land rising gradually into slight elevations, clothed with verdure and trees. The northern side of the bay is of a character totally different. Here the mountains rise boldly from the water's edge, covered in their lower parts with wood, but above denuded and heathy. This mountainous tract forms a peninsula that separates the bay of Dundalk from that of Carlingford, which forms the northern boundary of the county. Its character is totally different from that of Dundalk bay; it is long and narrow, extending nearly nine miles inland to Narrow water, which is the entrance to Newry harbour, with an average breadth of l 1/2 mile, and bordered on both sides by lofty eminences, on the south by the mountain group already described, on the north by those of Mourne, in the county of Down, which are among the highest in Ireland. Both these bays are considered as unsafe for shipping, that of Dundalk from its shoals, that of Carlingford from the sudden and violent flaws of wind that sweep along it from the surrounding cliffs. Fish of many kinds are caught in great numbers off the shores of this county: the most common species are turbot, cod, haddock, plaice, ling, and herring. There is an oyster fishery in Carlingford bay, the oysters of which are in the highest estimation for their superior flavour, and are sent in large quantities to Dublin and other towns along the coast. The soil in the flat parts is suitable to every kind of agricultural produce, being a rich vegetable mould, based on marl, limestone, or clay-slate. Northwards it gradually deteriorates, until, on approaching the summits of the mountains, the only vegetable productions are heath and the coarsest grasses. The best land is about Ardee and Louth; there are also extensive tracts of rich soil at Tallonstown, Dundalk, and Castle-Bellingham.

Louth may be said to be altogether an agricultural county. Much of the land is under pasture, but every description of grain is extensively cultivated. The best wheat districts are those of Ardee and Cooley: the best barley is grown in the neighbourhood of the town of Louth. The Chevalier barley has been lately introduced with the greatest success, having been found better adapted to the soil than any hitherto raised. Flax is also grown in large quantities, principally for the supply of the spinners of Leeds, Bolton, and other manufacturing towns in England. Every kind of green crop is raised by the large farmers. Lime is the usual manure, except in the vicinity of the coast, where sea sand and weed are used; a compost of lime, earth, and bog mould is found to be very beneficial; the produce of the farm-yard is exclusively preserved for the potato crop. The breeds of every kind of cattle have been introduced under the sanction of the Castle-Bellingham Agricultural Association. Considerable numbers of horned cattle and sheep are purchased at the Ballinasloe fair to be fattened here. The native stock of the latter, when crossed by the New Leicester, is found to be very superior both as to fleece and mutton. Pigs are numerous throughout every part: there is scarcely a farmer or cottier who is not more or less a dealer in them: the Berkshire and the Chinese breeds are most esteemed. The horses are of a light and active description, well adapted for country work: the saddle horses are generally brought in by dealers from other counties. The agricultural implements are of the most improved kind, except in the mountain districts, where those of the old construction are still used in many places. Much of the land is cultivated by the spade; and even where the plough is used, the land is afterwards carefully trenched with it: the old solid-wheeled car has been laid aside, and a light, well-constructed single horse cart supplies its place. Irrigation and draining are better understood here than in any of the adjoining counties. The fences are generally quickset hedges, although the broad bank of earth or sods and the dry stone wall are to be met with in some parts. The extensive forests so frequently mentioned in the wars of the sixteenth century have entirely disappeared, and the only traces remaining of them are some scattered underwoods near the bases of the mountains. The principal ornamental plantations are those at Collon, Ravensdale, Barmeath, and Dundalk: there are smaller plantations round Bellurgan, Cooleystown, Clermont, Louth Hall, Townley Hall, and Termonfechan. The waste lands comprise an extent of nearly 15,000 acres, chiefly in the more elevated parts of the northern group of mountains. A small and hardy breed of sheep and some young cattle are grazed on them. They also contain some patches of bog, the turf of which is carried down into the low country for fuel. Coal is imported in considerable quantities from the British coast, particularly for the use of the inhabitants of the larger towns.

The geology of this portion of the island is very simple. The Ravensdale and Carlingford mountains, in the north, are dependent on the Mourne mountains, and, like them, are composed chiefly of granite. Hornblende and primitive greenstone abound on the skirts of this granitic district, and to these succeed exterior chains of transition rocks. The rest of the county is chiefly occupied by clay-slate, except where limestone occurs in detached districts, as in the neighbourhood of Ardee, Killyner, and Mell. An extensive limestone field stretches from Shanlis towards Louth; another rises very abruptly near Collon. Blue limestone occurs near Carnabeg and Killin. Near Castletown there is a very pure red limestone, which appears to be the southern termination of the Armagh field; none other of the same character having been found anywhere except at Castle-espie, in Down county. Other detached beds of this rock are worked in various parts of the country for agricultural purposes and for building. The line of demarcation between the granite and transition rocks is very clearly defined. Commencing at Carlingford, it crosses the Ravensdale and Cooley mountains and enters Armagh county at Myra Castle, whence it is traceable into the mountains of Forkhill: the new red sandstone is to be perceived only in a few places. Lead ore has been found in thin veins near the junction of the granite and transition rocks; and detached nodules have been found near Ardee, and in the bed of the Flurry river. Oxyde of manganese and impure ironstone have been discovered near Clogher head, and iron pyrites near Mount Ash and Ring Castle. The remains of iron-works are often found on the hills. The manufacture of sheetings and other kinds of coarser linen cloth is carried on in the neighbourhood of Drogheda to a considerable extent, arid there are large bleach-greens at Ravensdale and Collon. A pin-manufactory, established in Dundalk in 1836, gives employment to upwards of 600 persons; another of the same description is in course of erection in the town of Louth. There is an iron and brass foundry in the former of those towns, the castings of which are held in high estimation. At Dundalk and some other places there are extensive distilleries and breweries: the character of the ale of Castle-Bellingham has long stood very high. Flax-mills are to be seen on all the smaller rivers, and there are several large and very powerful flour and meal mills throughout the county. There are three places of export for the agricultural and manufacturing produce, Newry in the north, Drogheda in the south, and Dundalk midway between the two; but the trade of the last-named place is somewhat impeded by the shallowness of the harbour, which prevents vessels of large burden coming up to the quay, except at spring tides.

All the rivers which pass through the interior of the county are small. Of these, the Flurry, Stranarn, Cully, and Creaghan rise in the county of Armagh, and flow eastward into the bay of Dundalk. The Fane has its source in the beautiful lake of Castle Blaney, in Monaghan, and flowing south to Candleford, turns eastward, and, passing by Ring Castle, Grange, and Clermont, falls into the same bay at Lurgan Green. The Lagan water, which rises near Carrickmacross, in the county of Monaghan, enters Louth near Killany, and, having joined the Glyde, divides the county into two nearly equal portions, and falls into the sea below Castle-Bellingham. The Dee rises near Drumconrath, in Meath county, and, passing through the rich vale of Ardee, meets the White river near Poe's-court, and falls into the sea close to the mouth of the Lagan. Several minor streams rise in the interior: they all flow eastward, and contribute much to the fertility of the tracts they irrigate, and to the beauty and freshness of the surrounding scenery. The estuaries of the Boyne and of the Newry water form the extreme boundaries of the county to the south and north. The roads are very numerous, well made, and kept in excellent repair. The proposed great northern railway from Dublin to Armagh is intended to pass through this county from south to north; another, to be called the western line, is designed to be carried from Dundalk bay to the county of Monaghan.

The remains of antiquity are extremely numerous and varied. The Druidical relics at Ballrighan and Carrick-Edmond comprise circles, detached stones and cairns; there are the remains of a Druidical temple on the plains of Ballinahatney, near Dundalk; circles and a cromlech on Killin hill, a fine cromlech at Ballymascanlan, and a large cairn on Carrick-Brant. At Ballrighan was also discovered a curious artificial cave; and near Killin hill is the extraordinary fort called Faghs na ain eighe, or "the one night's work." The most ancient mounds appear to be the ordinary tumuli, such as are seen between Dundalk and Drogheda, in which latter vicinity is a very celebrated structure at Grange. Next are those encompassed with a deep trench, and generally met with in the neighbourhood of some old castle or place of note, such as those of Castle Guard at Ardee, Greencastle, near Castle-Bellingham, and at Killany. Some mounts have a square redoubt, or other works, attached to the main encircling trench, as at Castletown. Besides those above mentioned, the places where camps of different kinds occur are, near Ballinahatney plain; Mount Albani, about two miles from Dundalk; Rosskugh, near Carrick-Brant, on the banks of the Dundugan river; Mount Ash, near Louth; a Danish fort near Dunleer; another at Castletown, near Dundalk; a round fort at Louth; Castle Ring, near the same place; Faughart, to the north of Dundalk, Mount Bagnal, and a Danish fort near Castle-Bellingham. A fine round tower is still standing at Monasterboice, and part of another at Dromiskin. The number of religious houses that have existed in the county is no less than 23: there are still remains of those of Carlingford, where the ruined buildings are very interesting; Faughart, where the vestiges consist merely of St. Bridget's stone and pillar; Mellifont, the abbey of which place was very sumptuous, and its ruins are still curious; and Monasterboice, where there are two crosses, one of which, called St. Boyne's, is one of the largest, most ancient, and richly decorated in Ireland. Of the numerous ancient castles, there are remains of those of Haynstown (three miles from Dundalk), Miltown, Killincool, Darvor, Carlingford, Castle Roche, Dungooly, Rood's-town, Ballug (near the northern shore of Dundalk Bay), Dunmahan, Glass-Pistol (near Termonfechan), Clonmore, Rath (three miles from Carlingford), Ardee, Termonfechan, Ballrighan (two miles west of Dundalk), and Castletown. All of these, together with the modern mansions of the nobility and gentry, are more particularly described in their respective parishes. A great number of ornaments of pure gold, swords, spears, axes of bronze, and other relics of antiquity, have been found in various places; and in the summer of 1835 a very large head ornament and fibula of pure gold were found near Monasterboice. Sir John Birmingham, in reward of his victory over the Scottish army near Dundalk, in the reign of Edw. II., was created Earl of Louth; but being shortly after slain in an insurrection of his own people in this county, the title became extinct. In 1541, however, Hen. VIII. created Sir Oliver Plunkett, Baron Louth, which title is at present enjoyed by his descendants. Oriel, the ancient name of the district, gives the title of Baron to Viscount Ferrard of Collon.

LOUTH, a post-town and parish, partly in the baronies of ARDEE and UPPER DUNDALK, but chiefly in the barony of LOUTH, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 5 1/2 miles (W.) from Dundalk, on the road to Kingscourt, and 39 1/2 (N. by W.) from Dublin; containing 9721 inhabitants, of which number, 613 are in the town. This place, called anciently Knockfergus, and also Cluain-Caoin, was celebrated for an abbey founded here by St. Patrick, over which he placed St. Mocteus or Mochtalugh, a Briton, who died at a very advanced age in 534. The monastery became a very extensive seat of learning under the superintendence of St. Mocteus and his successors; and it is said that 100 bishops and 300 presbyters, all eminent for learning and piety, were educated in this school. St. Dichull, who became abbot about the commencement of the 8th century, and several of his successors, were styled indifferently abbots or bishops; and the monastery continued to flourish till 830, when it was pillaged by the Danes, by whom the abbey was destroyed in 839 and many of the brethren killed. In 968, while in the possession of the Danes, the abbey was plundered by Muirceartagh, son of Donell, King of Ireland, who slew many of these invaders; and in 1043, this place and the adjacent country were plundered by Andatus O'Ruairc, who was himself soon after slain. In 1075, the town, with all its churches, was destroyed by fire; and in 1133 and 1148 the abbey experienced a similar calamity, from which it never seems to have recovered. Donchad O'Kervaill, prince of Orgial,. and Edan O'Coellaidhe, Bishop of Clogher, who had recently founded the abbey of Knock, jointly erected a priory on its site for Canons Regular, which was subsequently made a sanctuary by Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh: the prior sat as a baron in parliament. The town was destroyed by fire in 1152, 1160, and 1166, when it was also plundered; and in 1242 a grand chapter of the order was held in the priory by the. Archbishop of Armagh, at which were assembled all the abbots and priors of the Canons Regular in the kingdom. Edward Bruce and other leaders of the Scottish army were entertained here, in 1315, by the prior, who was afterwards pardoned by Edw. II. on payment of a fine of £40; and in 1488, the prior, who had been concerned in the insurrection of Lambert Simnel, received the king's pardon. John Wile, who had alienated a considerable portion of the revenues of the establishment, and who was prior at the time of the dissolution, voluntarily resigned his office into the king's hands and received a pension of £16. 13. 4., for the remainder of his life; and the priory, with all its revenues, was granted in the 33rd of Hen. VIII. to Oliver Plunkett, ancestor of the present proprietor. The town is situated on the river Glyde, and from a grant made by Hen. IV. to the "Bailiff and Commons of the Town of Loueth," releasing them from two parts of the chief rents during the minority of Lord D'Arcey, it appears to have had a municipal government prior to 1406. It contains 126 houses, and has a sub-post-office to Ardee, Carrickmacross, and Dundalk. There is a constabulary police station, and another at Glyde Farm, in the parish. Fairs are held every month in the village of Mullacrew, and petty sessions every Thursday in the town.

The parish, according to the Ordnance survey, comprises 17,842 3/4 statute acres, of which 208l 1/4 are in the barony of Ardee, 1654 1/2 in that of Upper Dundalk, and 14,107 in that of Louth. The land is of very good quality and principally under tillage, producing abundant crops; the system of agriculture is improved; there is very little bog, and not any waste land. The principal seats are Stephenstown, the residence of M. Fortescue, Esq., a handsome mansion in a highly improved demesne of 500 acres, well planted and watered by the river Fane, which here separates the parish from that of Killincoole; Glyde Farm, the property of T. Fortescue, Esq., at present in the occupation of G. Wade, Esq., a handsome residence in tastefully disposed grounds; and Corderry, of Faithful Fortescue, Esq. There is an extensive flour-mill at Channon Rock, and there are also two corn-mills at the southern extremity of the parish, near Killincoole. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Crown for two presentations, and the Lord-Primate for one. The tithes amount to £1988. 1. 9.; the glebe-house was built in 1813, at an expense of £4940. 6. 1 3/4., and the glebe comprises 64 3/4 statute acres of cultivated land, valued at £147. 14. 2. The church is a plain structure, erected about 1807 and enlarged in 1828 by parochial assessment; it has a tower and spire, which are not yet completed, and has been recently repaired by a grant of £242 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church; there are three chapels, situated at Louth, Knockbridge, and Stonetown; the two first are spacious edifices. About 500 children are taught in four public schools, of which the parochial school in the town, with an infants' school attached to it, is partly supported by the rector; one near Glyde Farm by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity, also aided by the rector; and one on the demesne of Stephenstown, supported by the rector and M. Fortescue, Esq. There are five private schools, in which are about 400 children; and a dispensary for the poor, who, when unable to attend, are visited at their own dwellings. At Ardpatrick, in this parish, a church was founded by St. Patrick, of which no part remains; and at Knock a monastery for Canons Regular, and dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, was founded in 1148, by Donchad O'Kervaill, prince of Orgial, and Edan Coellaidhe, Bishop of Clogher, who also founded the priory of Louth. Marian O'Gorman, who was abbot in 1167, composed a martyrology in the Irish language, which existed in the time of Colgan and was then in great esteem; the endowment was augmented by Hugh de Ardiz, in 1260, but was yet insufficient for the maintenance of its establishment. The abbot surrendered the monastery, with its revenues, in the 31st of Hen. VIII.; and Jas. I., in the 3rd of his reign, granted it to Sir John King, Knt., at the yearly rent of £16. 10. 4.; there are no remains. On the summit of a hill near this place is Mount Ash, a curious fort, supposed to be of Danish origin; it consists of an oval mount, the surface of which is depressed, and surrounded with a vallum, and around two-thirds of the circumference is a second vallum with a ditch. On the glebe land is Fairy Mount, an abrupt conical eminence surrounded by a high earthen vallum; and Castle-Ring, near the town, is of similar construction, but more elevated, and has a small stream surrounding it between the vallum and the counterscarp; on the summit are the foundations of a hexagonal mural fort. The remains of the ancient abbey of Louth, founded by St. Patrick, or rather of the priory subsequently erected on its site, are extensive but in a very dilapidated state; and the cemetery is still a favourite place of interment. Dr. Plunkett, the R. C. Archbishop of Armagh, who was executed in London for high treason, was for some time resident here.

LOWESGREAN, or ROESGREEN, a hamlet, in the parish of ST. PATRICK'S ROCK, barony of MIDDLETHIRD, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Cashel, on the road to Clonmel; containing 62 inhabitants. Fairs are held on Aug. 2nd, and Oct. 23rd; and one of the R. C. chapels of the union or district of Cashel is situated here.

LOWEY.--See LAVAY.

LOW ISLAND.--See KILDYSART.

LOWRYSTOWN.--See BEREGH.

LOWTHERSTOWN.--See IRVINESTOWN.

LUCAN, a post-town and parish, in the barony of NEWCASTLE, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 7 miles (W.) from Dublin, on the mail road to Galway and Sligo; containing 1755 inhabitants, of which number, 1229 are in the town. After the English settlement it appears to have been granted to Richard de Peche, one of the earliest English adventurers, and in 1220 was the property of Waryn de Peche, who founded the monastery of St. Catherine, near Leixlip. In the reign of Rich. II. it was in the possession of the Rokeby family, and in the 16th century it belonged to the Sarsfield family, of whom William, one of the ablest generals in the service of Jas. II., was by that monarch, after his abdication, created Earl of Lucan, from whom it descended by marriage to the ancestor of Col. G. Vesey, its late proprietor. The town is beautifully situated in a fertile vale on the eastern bank of the river Liffey, over which is a handsome stone bridge of one arch, built in 1794, and ornamented with balustrades of cast iron from the Phoenix iron-works, near Dublin. At the other side of the bridge, on the eastern bank of the river, is the picturesque glebe of the incumbent, the Rev. H. E. Prior. The total number of houses is 187, most of which are well built, and many of them are fitted up as lodging-houses for the reception of visiters, who, during the summer season, resort to this place to drink the waters, which are found efficacious in scorbutic, bilious, and rheumatic affections. A handsome Spa-house has been erected, consisting of a centre and two wings, in one of which is an assembly-room, 62 feet long and 22 feet wide, in which concerts and balls are given; the house affords excellent accommodation for families. The mineral spring, from its having a higher temperature than others in the neighbourhood, is called the "Boiling Spring;" the water, on an analysis made in 1822, was found to contain, in two gallons, 70 grains of crystallised carbonate of soda, 20 of carbonate of lime, 1 1/2 of carbonate of magnesia, 2 of silex, 6 1/2 of muriate of soda, and 14 of sulphur. The scenery of the neighbourhood is beautifully diversified, and its short distance from the metropolis renders the town a place of fashionable resort and of pleasant occasional residence. A chief constabulary police force is stationed in it, and petty sessions are held on Tuesdays. The parish, through a portion of which the Royal Canal passes, is in a high state of cultivation; the soil is fertile and the crops are abundant. Lucan, the interesting residence of Mrs. Vesey, is a spacious mansion, situated in a highly embellished demesne, comprising nearly 500 statute acres extending along the banks of the Liffey; within the grounds is a monument to one of the Sarsfield family, near which are an ancient oratory, dedicated to St. John, and thickly covered with ivy, and a holy well. Of the other seats the principal are St. Edmonsbury, that of T. R. Needham, Esq., a tasteful demesne beautifully situated and commanding some fine views; Weston Park, of J. Hamilton Reid, Esq., finely situated on the Liffey; Woodville, of Major-Gen. Sir H. S. Scott, K.C.B,; Hermitage, of Sir John Kingsmill, Knt.; Finstown House, of J. Rorke, Esq.; Lucan Abbey, or Canon Brook, of J. Gandon, Esq.; Primrose Hill, of A. Heron, Esq., M.D.; Glenwood, of J.Bingham, Esq.; Villa, of T. Smullen, Esq.; View Mount, of Major J. Wolfe; Lucan Lodge, of Capt. T. P. Poe; and Mount Pleasant, of E. Mac Farland, Esq. On the river Liffey, and within the grounds of Weston Park, is a salmon leap, from the Latin name of which, "Saltus," the barony of Salt derives its name; it consists of a succession of rocky ledges, too extensive to be cleared at one bound, and in passing over it the fish consequently sustain great injury; it forms a beautiful cascade, the picturesque effect of which is greatly increased by the richly wooded banks of the river and the tastefully embellished demesne of Leixlip castle. An inquest was taken in the reign of Edw. II. to ascertain to whom the right to the fish taken here belonged; and another to enquire into the erection of certain weirs, "obstructions to the boats passing to our good city of Dublin with fish and timber." The latter is supposed to refer to a canal which at some very remote period must have been carried along the bank of the Liffey. In excavating the foundation for a mill, recently constructed at the salmon leap by Messrs. Reid and Co., the masonry which formed part of the lock of a canal was discovered; the sill of the lock is still to be seen, and more masonry for the same purpose has been found further down the river. At a later period a canal appears to have been formed along this line, as far as Castletown, two miles above the salmon leap, by which, according to tradition, coal was conveyed from Dublin to that place, and of which some remains are still to be seen. The flour-mills erected by Messrs. Reid and Co. are capable of producing from 700 to 800 barrels weekly; the water wheel is 28 feet in diameter, and in turning 5 pair of stones acts with a power equivalent to that of 60 or 70 horses.

The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Dublin, united to the vicarage of Leixlip, to the augmentation of which the rectorial tithes were appropriated by act of Wm. III.: the tithes are included in the amount given for Leixlip. A neat church with a tower and spire was erected in the town in 1822, towards which the late Board of First Fruits advanced £1100 on loan; and in the same year a perpetual curacy was instituted here, in the patronage of the Incumbent of Leixlip; the stipend of the curate has been augmented with £20 per ann. from Primate Boulter's fund. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Palmerstown, Clondalkin, and Lucan; the chapel, a very small edifice, is about to be rebuilt. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists, erected in 1832. About 250 children are taught in two public schools, of which the parochial school, with an infants' school attached, was built and is supported by subscription. The other is a national school. There are three private schools, in which are about 70 children. A poor-shop, with a lending library, and a loan fund have been established; and a dispensary is open to the poor of the neighbourhood. The vicinity affords some highly interesting specimens of irregular stratification of limestone, which occurs in parallel layers separated by seams of decomposed calpe, dipping uniformly at a small angle to the E. N. E. In a bank on the left side of the Liffey, a few yards only above the bridge, the strata become sinuous, forming curvatures of nearly two-thirds of their respective circumferences; and single slabs taken from the disturbed beds have an arched outline, conforming to the general curvature of the strata. At Canon Brook, for many years the residence of the late Mr. Gandon, architect, is a singular cave, discovered by that gentleman; it consists of one principal apartment and two side cells of smaller dimensions, curiously secured all round with stone, to prevent the walls from falling in; many curious relics of antiquity were found, consisting of celts, pieces of bone curiously inscribed and sculptured, military weapons of copper or bronze, and various others of more recent date. The hill in which these apartments are excavated is about 300 feet above the level of the vale, and is called the Fort Hill, from its being crowned with a fortification, the works of which are still in good preservation. The monastery of St. Catherine, founded by Waryn de Peche in 1220, though its endowment was augmented by subsequent benefactors, was, on account of its poverty, assigned, in 1323, to the abbey of St. Thomas, Dublin; there are no remains. Opposite to the gate of Col. Vesey's demesne was a very ancient and splendid cross, round the site of which it is still the custom at R. C. funerals to bear the corpse previous to interment. Above the modern bridge are some fragments of an older structure, said to have been built in the reign of John. Lucan gives the titles of baron and earl to the family of Bingham.

LUDDENBEG, or LUDDON, a parish, in the barony of CLANWILLIAM, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 1/2 miles (S. E. by S.) from Limerick, on the old road to Cahirconlish; containing 837 inhabitants. It comprises 1183 statute acres of good land, as applotted under the tithe act, of which about one-half is in tillage: the substratum consists chiefly of a mixture of basalt and limestone. It is in the diocese of Emly: the rectory is impropriate in Viscount Southwell, and the vicarage forms part of the union of Cahirconlish. The tithes amount to £124, of which £70 is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. At Isertlaurence is a good glebe of 9 acres, and at Luddenbeg is another of 4 1/2 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Ballybricken, and has a small chapel at Bohermore. At the foot of a gentle eminence are the ruins of the old church, by some writers called an abbey, on the walls of which are some figures rudely sculptured in bas relief; and a little to the south stood the castle of Luddenmore, a strong fortress, of which scarcely a vestige can be traced.

LUKESWELL, a hamlet, in the parish of KILBEACON, barony of KNOCKTOPHER, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S.) from Knocktopher, on the road from Waterford to Kilkenny; containing 10 houses and 53 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Kilmacow, which has its source among the "Welsh mountains," in the vicinity.

LULLIAMORE, a parish, in the barony of CONNELL, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 4 3/4 miles (S. E.) from Edenderry, on the road from Prosperous to Rathangan; containing 95 inhabitants, and comprising 809 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Kildare, forming the corps of the prebend of Lulliamore, and part of the union of Kilmague or Kilmaogue, in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £36. 1. 11. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Kildare and Rathangan. Lulliamore is the property of Wm. Murphy, Esq.

LURGAN, a market and post-town, in the parish of SHANKILL, barony of ONEILLAND EAST, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 13 1/2 miles (N. E.) from Armagh, on the road to Belfast, and 67 1/2 (N.) from Dublin; containing, in 1831, 2842 inhabitants, since which period the population has very much increased. This place formed part of the territory of the O'Nials, and on the settlement of Ulster was, with the lands of Dowcorran and Ballenemony, together comprising 2500 acres, granted by Jas. I. to William Brownlow, Esq., who erected a handsome house at Dowcorran, and shortly after built the town of Lurgan, in which, in 1619, were 42 houses, all occupied by English families. On the other parts of the estate were 45 families, and the colony continued to flourish till the war in 1641, when the town was burned by the insurgents, who converted the church into a garrison, and afterwards demolished it; they also destroyed the mansions of Dowcorran and Ballenemony. After the restoration the town was rebuilt, but was again destroyed by the army of Jas. II., and its proprietor declared an outlaw. It was, however, restored in 1690, when a patent for a market and fairs was obtained, and soon afterwards an important branch of the linen manufacture was established here, which has continued to flourish till the present time. The town is situated in the midst of a fertile and well-cultivated district, and consists of one spacious street, containing 482 houses, substantially built of stone and roofed with slate, many of which are large and handsome. The manufacture of diapers was introduced here by William Waring, Esq., M.P. for Hillsborough, during the whole of the reign of Anne; and the Lurgan and Waringstown manufacturers have always been eminent in this branch of the trade. Damasks of superior quality, and cambrics, are made here in large quantities, and sold in the market weekly, to the amount of from £2500 to £3000; and there is scarcely a family in the district that is not more or less connected with the linen trade. There are two large tobacco-manufactories, two ale-breweries, and an extensive distillery, in which 15,000 tons of grain are annually consumed. A facility of intercourse with Belfast is afforded by Lough Neagh and the Lagan navigation, and the trade of the town is progressively increasing. The market is on Friday, and is abundantly supplied with provisions; and great quantities of linens are sold on the market days in the brown linen-hall, a spacious building, erected by subscription in 1825. Fairs are held on Aug. 5th and 6th, and Nov. 22nd and 23rd. A chief constabulary police force is stationed in the town; a manorial court is held every three weeks, and petty sessions every Friday; the quarter sessions for the county are also held here. The court-house is a large, handsome, and well-arranged building; and there is a district bridewell, containing 7 cells, with day-rooms and airing-yards, and well adapted for classification. The parish church, a handsome edifice with a tower surmounted by an octagonal spire; the R. C. parochial chapel, a neat Gothic building; and meetinghouses for Presbyterians and the Society of Friends, are in the town. A mendicity society and a voluntary poor fund have been established, to which Mr. Brown-low contributes £100 per annum. Near the town is Lurgan House, the residence of the Rt. Hon. Charles Brownlow, now being rebuilt on an extensive scale and in the Elizabethan style, with freestone brought from Scotland; the approach is by a handsome lodge and gateway of the same character, and the demesne, which is very extensive, is embellished with a profusion of stately timber, and with an artificial lake of 100 acres; there are various other seats in the vicinity, which, with the schools and other institutions, are noticed under the head of SHANKILL.

LURGAN, a parish, in the barony of CASTLERAHAN, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, on the road from Kells to Cavan; containing, with the post-town of Virginia (which is separately described), 6387 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 11,327 3/4 statute acres, including 922 3/4 acres of water, of which the greater portion is in Lough Ramor; 8423 acres are applotted under the tithe act, and there is a large portion of bog and moor. In 1831, two townlands were separated from this parish to form part of the district parish, or perpetual cure, of Ballyjamesduff. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Kilmore, united by act of council to the rectory and vicarage of Munterconnaught, together constituting the union of Lurgan, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £233. 9., and the gross tithes of the benefice to £381. 9.: the glebe of the union, which comprises 999 1/4 acres, is valued at £694. 2. 6. per annum. The glebe-house, situated about two miles from the church, was erected about 1814, at an expense of £3276. 18. 5 1/2., of which £1384. 12. 3 3/4. was granted as a loan, and £92. 6. 1 3/4. as a gift from the late Board of First Fruits. The church, in the town of Virginia, was erected in 1821, at a cost of £2492. 6. 1 3/4., of which £1846. 3. 1. was a loan from the same Board, and the remainder was contributed by the parishioners; having been accidentally burnt in the winter of 1830, it was repaired by subscriptions amounting to £900, contributed chiefly by the bishop and the parishioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms the head of a union or district, comprising also part of the parish of Loghan, in the diocese and county of Meath, and containing the chapels of Lurgan and Maghera. In the national schools at Whitegate, Caponagh, and Lattoon, and a school aided by subscriptions, about 360 children are educated; and there are four private schools, containing about 290 children.

LURGANBOY, a village, in the parish of KILLASNET, half-barony of ROSSCLOGHER, county of LEITRIM, and province of CONNAUGHT, l 1/4 mile (W. by N.) from Manorhamilton, on the road to Sligo; containing 240 inhabitants. This place is most romantically situated in a rich and highly improved tract of country watered by the small river Boonid, which has its winding course through ancient woods and flourishing plantations, with which the surrounding district is embellished. The scenery is singularly picturesque and pleasing, and the view of the distant mountains by which it is encompassed is strikingly beautiful. The nearest of the group, at a short distance to the south-east of the village, is that of Benbo, which has an elevation of 1403 feet above the level of the sea, and is of very peculiar conformation. The higher portion is of fine granite flanked with stratifications of micaceous quartz; and having at the base hornblende rock, hornblende and mica slate, with a profusion of garnets, sienite with green hornblende, and serpentine and green steatite thickly studded with garnets, which are also found in a stream at the base of the mountain. On the western side, some of the rocks are much decomposed, and red, yellow, blueish white, and black clays are found in great variety; a stream called the Red Stone River, which flows through the vicinity, is tinged with the dyes of these several clays. The western base is also traversed by a metallic vein containing copper pyrites, formerly wrought on a small scale, and sulphuret of lead; manganese is also found here, and both sandstone and limestone are abundant. The village contains 45 houses, of which only eight are roofed with slate and the remainder thatched. Nearly in the centre is a neat market-house; and fairs, which are the best in the county for cattle, are held on the 15th of May, and on the 21st of every other month in the year.

LURGAN-GREEN, a post-town, in the parish of DROMISKIN, barony and county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Dundalk, and 37 (N.) from Dublin, on the mail road to Belfast; containing 41 houses and 224 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Fane, and immediately adjoining the beautiful and extensive demesne of Clermont Park, the seat of Thos. Fortescue, Esq. A constabulary police force is stationed here, and fairs are held on July 25th, and Nov. 11th.

LUSK, a parish, partly in the barony of NETHERCROSS, but chiefly in that of BALROTHERY, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (N.) from Swords, on the road from Dublin to Skerries; containing, with the town of Rush (which is separately described), 5849 inhabitants, of which number, 924 are in the village of Lusk. This place was chiefly distinguished as the site of a monastery, over which St. Macculind, styled indifferently abbot or bishop, presided till his death in 497. Cassan, a learned scribe, who is called the chronographer of Lusk, died abbot of this monastery in 695; and either in that or the following year, a grand synod was held here by St. Adamnanus, at which all the principal prelates of the kingdom were present. In 825 the abbey was plundered and destroyed, and in 854 it was, together with the whole town, consumed by fire; it also suffered a similar calamity in 1069; and in 1135 the town and abbey were burned and the whole country of Fingal wasted by Donel Mac Murrogh O'Melaghlin, in revenge for the murder of his brother Conor, prince of Meath. In 1190, a nunnery for sisters of the Aroasian order, which had been founded here at an early period and subsequently appropriated to the priory of All Saints, Dublin, was removed to Grace Dieu, in this parish, by John Comyn, Archbishop of Dublin, who placed in it a sisterhood following the rule of St. Augustine, and endowed it with ample possessions, which were confirmed to it by Pope Celestine in 1196. The parish is divided into three parts, called East, West, and Middle Lusk, of which the last is in the barony of Nethercross, and the two former in that of Balrothery. The laud, with the exception of about 150 acres of sand hills is fertile and in good cultivation; 150 1/2 acres are appropriated to the economy fund of the cathedral of St. Patrick, Dublin; and there are about 200 acres of common, which is good grazing land. There are some quarries of good limestone, in which are found beautiful crystals, and of stone of good quality for building; fullers' earth is also found in the parish, and at Loughshinny are veins of copper, but no mines have been worked. The principal seats are Corduff House, the residence of the Rev. F. Baker, at one time occupied by Stanihurst, the historian; Knock Ardmin, of J. Smith, Esq.; Rochestown, of J. Rochford, Esq.; Bettyville, of -- Byrne, Esq.; the glebe-house, of the Rev. R. Macklin; and Kennure Park, of Sir W. H. Palmer, Bart., which last is described under the head of Rush. The village is pleasantly situated on the road from Dublin, and the surrounding scenery is agreeably diversified. At Rogerstown is a good quay for landing coal; and from a document dated 1175, prohibiting the illicit exportation of corn, and the departure of any of the retinue of William de Windsor from the port of Lusk, it appears that this place formerly possessed some maritime importance. Fairs are held on May 4th, June 24th, July 25th, and Nov. 25th, chiefly for cattle. A constabulary police force has been established here, and also a coast-guard station belonging to the district of Swords.

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin; the rectory is divided into two portions, one united to the rectories of Ardrie, St. Andrew, and Burgage, together constituting the corps of the precentorship, and the other forming part of the union of Ballymore and corps of the treasurership, in the cathedral church of St. Patrick, Dublin, and both in the patronage of the Archbishop; the vicarage is in the alternate patronage of the Precentor and the Treasurer. The tithes amount to £985. 8. 6 3/4., of which £40 is payable to the vicar, and the remainder to the lessees of the precentor and treasurer. The lands belonging to the precentorship comprise 9865 statute acres, of which 71 are in Lusk, 154 in Ardree, and 670 3/4 in Burgage, exclusively of the chanter's orchard and garden in the precincts of the cathedral church, three tenements in St. Patrick's close, and two houses in Bride-street, and four in Dame-street, Dublin; the whole let at an annual rent of £238. 11. 6 1/2., and an annual renewal fine of £83. 1. 6 1/2.: the gross value of the precentorship is £346. 8. 3 3/4., and of the vicarage, £120 per annum. The glebe-house was built in 1821; the late Board of First Fruits gave £400, and granted a loan of £400 towards its erection: there are two glebes, comprising together 22 acres. The church, built on the site and partly with the materials of the ancient abbey, is in the later English style of architecture, with a massive square embattled tower having at three of the angles a slender circular tower and at the fourth a similar tower of larger dimensions, which is roofless and without battlements. The interior consists of two long aisles separated by a series of seven pointed arches, now filled up with masonry; the eastern portion of the south aisle is the only part appropriated to divine service; the windows of the remaining portions are nearly all closed up, and the whole of the north aisle is almost in total darkness. There are numerous sepulchral monuments, some of which are very ancient and highly interesting; of these, one of various kinds of marble, in front of the altar in the south aisle, was erected about the close of the 16th century to Sir Christopher Barnewall and his lady, whose effigies in a recumbent porture are well sculptured and elaborately ornamented. In the north aisle is a monument of black marble to James Bermingham, of Ballogh, Esq., bearing his recumbent effigy in chain armour; there is also a tomb curiously sculptured in relief, with ah inscription, to Walter Dermot and his lady, which from some obliteration has been by different antiquaries ascribed to the 6th and to the 16th centuries. Near the altar is a piscina, and there are two very ancient fonts; and near the church is the well of St. Macculin, the patron saint. In the R. C. divisions this place is a deanery, comprising the unions or districts of Lusk, Rush, Skerries, Ballyboghill, Garristown, Donaghbate, and Portrane. The chapel, a spacious edifice, was erected in 1809, at an expense of £2000, nearly half of which was given by James Dixon, Esq., of Kilmainham, and the remainder raised by subscription; attached to it is a burial-ground. About 300 children are taught in three public schools, of which two are under the new Board of Education, and one is supported by subscription; there are also four private schools, in which are about 80 children. There are some remains of an ancient church and castle in the demesne of Kennure, and also of the chapel of the convent at Grace Dieu, which, though never extensive, exhibits details of a superior character; and at Whitestown are also the ruins of an old church, dedicated to St. Maur. At Drummanagh and Rush are martello towers; and at the former place the remains of an extensive encampment, commanding a fine view of the surrounding country and of the sea. In digging the foundation for the glebe-house, several stone coffins were found, containing human bones.

LUSMAGH, or KILMACUNNA, a parish, in the barony of GARRYCASTLE, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. S. W.) from Banagher; containing 3420 inhabitants. A Franciscan friary was founded at Cloghan Cantualaig by O'Madden, early in the fifteenth century, of which no particulars have been recorded. The castle of Cloghan, supposed to have been built in the reign of King John, was taken by storm in 1595 by Sir Wm. Russell, Lord-Deputy, who put forty-six of the garrison to the sword, in consequence of O'Madden, the proprietor, having sent him a taunting refusal to surrender. It is now the property of Garret O'Moore, Esq., whose ancestors have been resident here since the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when they were banished from the territory of Leix, in Queen's county. The parish is situated on the river Shannon, and on the Lesser Brosna, one of its tributary streams; and comprises 5876 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. Limestone is found here, and the inhabitants enjoy the advantage of the Shannon navigation to Limerick. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Clonfert; the rectory being partly appropriate to the see and partly to the archdeaconry; and the vicarage forming part of the union of Dononaughta, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £104. 6. l 3/4, of which £64. 12. 3 3/4. is payable to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, in whom the temporalities of the see are now vested; £13. 16. 11. to the archdeacon; and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it forms a separate district. A large and handsome chapel has been lately built at the cross of Capplevane, and the old chapel at Cloghanbeg is now used as a school, in which, and in another school, about 160 children are educated. Some remains of the old church still exist. --See NEWTOWN.

LYNALLY, or LINALLY, a parish, in the barony of BALLYCOWAN, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 1/4 of a mile (N. W.) from Tullamore, on the road to Parsonstown; containing 1846 inhabitants. A religious house is said to have been founded here by St. Colman, who died in 516: the last notice of its abbots is in 884. The parish comprises 6413 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which about 840 acres are woodland, 4800 arable and pasture, and the remainder consists of bog and waste land, called "Callow"; the land is in general poor, and agriculture is in a rather backward state. The seats are Charleville Castle, the beautiful residence of Lord Charleville; Screggan, of Capt. Andrews; Lynally, of the Rev. Ralph Coote; Cluna, of Mrs. Curtis; and Rosse, of Jas. Briscoe, Esq. It is in the diocese of Meath; the rectory is impropriate in the Marquess of Downshire, and the vicarage forms part of the union of Fircall. The tithes amount to £100. 7. 8., of which £64. 12. 3 1/2. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar; and there is a glebe of 325 1/2 acres, valued at £445. 4. 7. per ann., but no glebe-house. The church is a plain but neat structure, completed in 1832 by aid of a loan of £600 from the late Board of First Fruits. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Killina; the chapel at Mucklow is a plain building of recent erection. About 50 children are educated in the parochial school, which is supported by subscriptions, including £10 per ann., from Mrs. Coote, and an annual allowance from the incumbent; the school-house and an acre of ground rent-free are given by Col. Bernard. A school of about 30 children is held in the R. C. chapel. At Screggan Hill are the remains of an intrenchment, said to have been one of Cromwell's.

LYNN, a parish, in the barony of FARTULLAGH, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 1 3/4 mile (S. by W.) from Mullingar, on the road to Tyrrel's Pass; containing 1227 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on Lough Ennel, and bounded on the west by the river Brosna, comprises 4436 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The soil is fertile and the land chiefly in pasture; the system of agriculture is much improved, and that portion which is in tillage produces excellent crops: there is very little bog and no waste land. Limestone is quarried for agricultural purposes, and there are some quarries of black flagstone of good quality. The principal seats are Larkfield, the residence of F. Pratt Smith, Esq.; Vylandstown, or Violetstown, of E. Lewis, Esq.; Lynn Lodge, of R. Swift, Esq.; Lynn House, the property of the same gentleman and the residence of the Rev. G. M. Dennis; Lynnbury. of R. Bourne, Esq.; Bloomfield, of the Countess of Belvidere; and Lamancha, also the property of R. Swift, Esq. Petty sessions are held at Moylisker. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, and part of the union of Moylisker; the tithes amount to £180. The glebe comprises 20 acres of profitable land, valued at £46. 3. 1. per ann.; the glebe-house was built in 1813, at an expense of £1055. 18. 7 1/2. (British), of which £200 Irish was a gift, and £500 a loan, from the late Board of First Fruits; the remainder was defrayed by the incumbent. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Mullingar; the chapel is at Gainstown. At Lynnbury is a day and Sunday school, entirely supported by R. Bourne, Esq.; and about 75 children are taught in a school which is held in the chapel. At Kilronan is a large burial-ground; there are some slight remains of the old church at Lynn, and also of an ancient castle, formerly the residence of the Swift family, and there are numerous raths in the parish.

LYONS, a parish, in the barony of SOUTH SALT, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Celbridge; containing 158 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the Grand Canal, comprises 1904 statute acres, of which about 160 are woodland, and the remainder divided in nearly equal portions between pasture and tillage. The soil is fertile and the system of agriculture improved, and there is a very small portion of waste land. Lyons Castle, the splendid seat of Lord Cloncurry, takes its name from an ancient town and castle which were destroyed in the war of 1641; of the former there are no traces, and of the latter, only one of the principal towers, which, with the remains of the ancient church, forms an interesting feature in his Lordship's demesne. The present structure is a castellated mansion of granite, consisting of a spacious centre connected by semicircular colonnades with a stately pavilion at each extremity: the interior contains many superb apartments, of which some are beautifully embellished in fresco by Gabrielli, an artist brought from Rome by his Lordship for that purpose; and in addition to the numerous antiques and choice works of art with which his lordship's collection is enriched, one of the pavilions is appropriated as a gallery of statuary and sculpture by the first masters, as a study for native artists. The demesne, which is very extensive and tastefully laid out, includes the hill of Castlewarden, on which are the remains of an ancient fortification; and nearly in the centre is a picturesque lake. A constabulary police force is stationed here. The parish is in the diocese of Kildare, and is a rectory, forming part of the union of Kill; the tithes amount to £76. 16. 6. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Kill and Lyons; the chapel, a neat plain building, erected in 1810, is embellished with a bronze crucifix, 2 1/2 feet high, given by Pope Pius VII. to Lord Cloncurry, and together with an elegant font of white marble brought from Rome, presented by his Lordship to the chapel. There is a national school, in which about 90 children are taught, under the patronage of Lord Cloncurry.

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Some books on Irish names and genealogy

BAXTER, Angus. In search of your British and Irish Roots

BEGLEY, Donal F. Handbook on Irish Genealogy

DUFFY, Godfrey F. Tracing your Donegal Ancestors

FRANKLIN, Margaret. Tracing your Limerick Ancestors

GREHAN, Ida. Irish Family Names

GRENHAM, John. Clans and Families of Ireland

GRENHAM, John. Irish Ancestors: A Pocket Guide

GRENHAM, John. Tracing your Irish Ancestors

KINEALY, Christine. Tracing your Irish Roots

LEAHY, David. County Longford and its People

MacLYSAGHT, Edward. Irish Families: Their Names, Arms, and Origins

MacLYSAGHT, Edward. More Irish Families

MacLYSAGHT, Edward. Surnames of Ireland

MAXWELL, Ian. Researching Armagh Ancestors

MAXWELL, Ian. Researching Down Ancestors

McCARTHY & CADOGAN. Tracing your Cork Ancestors

O HOGAIN, Daithi. Irish Family Names

O MURCHADHA, D. Family Names of County Cork

O'FARRELL, Padraic. Irish Surnames

O'CONNOR, Michael. Tracing your Kerry Ancestors

OKANE, William. Irish Gravestone Inscriptions

RYAN & SMITH. Tracing your Dublin Ancestors

RYAN, James G. Irish Church Records

RYAN, James G. Sources for Irish Family History

SMITH, Brian. Tracing your Mayo Ancestors
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