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A n Leabharlann Chathartha, Corcaigh CORK CITY LIBRARY

REFERENCE D E P A R T M E N T

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47 facturer, and his principles as a christian man. Is it necessary for me to say that 1 refer to John Henry Gamble of Cork, and his varied specimens of Preserved Provisions ? I have myself gone through the concern of Mr. Gamble; and two things which I then especially remarked afforded me peculiar pleasure—one was the exquisite neatness and order that pervaded its every department—the other was the contented and happy appearance of the many persons to whom he afforded constant and profitable employment. W h a t reason is there, I would ask, why this city should not have the advantage of a Government contract for Preserved Provisions, when the folly of trusting to foreign contractors in a matter of such vital interest to the health and efficiency of the Navy has been made shamefully apparent by the late fraud, and when there is amongst us a man who has given the most complete satisfaction in his former dealings with the Govern­ ment—indeed, I should rather say, with the public ? t h e provision t r a d e . e have three exhibitors of a different class of preserved provisions, which are by far too important not to be alluded to at some length. Every one has heard of " specimens of salt beef and pork," such as are exhibited by Mr. Selby Clare, and of "hams (mild cure) of Cork curing," such as are exhibited by Uncles, Brothers; but, until this Exhibition, I never heard of "curiosities in beef, pork, 8fc"—a strange title for very popular and well-known articles of native growth and manufacture—which merits for Patrick Murphy and Son, their exhibitors, a prize for ingenuity, if not for the intrinsic value of the excellent articles so described. The Irish Provision Trade was formerly one of the most extensive and prosperous of any in the country; but it has lallen off considerably of late years, and, in some branches, is not likely to be ever restored to its former position. The Cork provision trade was immense, when the Irish trader enjoyed peculiar privileges over the foreigner, especially in the important markets of Newfoundland and the West Indies.

48 Previous to a period of twenty-five years since, there was a high duty on all foreign provisions imported into New­ foundland, which, of course, gave an advantage to the Irish merchant, of which he readily availed himself; and the con­ sequence was, that the export of provisions from Ireland to that island was very great, especially from Waterford and Cork. But when the duty was taken off, and the foreigner was allowed the same advantages as the home producer, the merchants of the North of Europe and America sent thenprovisions into that market, which in a short time became the almost exclusive monopoly of the American, from the greater facility of transit which the nearness of the shores of Newfound­ land to the sea-ports of the New World afforded the shipper, and from that period to the present, there has scarcely been one cargo of cask provisions sent from Ireland to that country. There was, likewise, a high differential duty on the expor­ tation of foreign provisions to the West Indies, and in favour of the Irish exporter. But, not many years before the total change effected by the policy of Sir Robert Peel, all duties on provisions imported into the West India Islands were equalized; and the practical result of this concession to the planters was, that the American soon obtained the mastery of the market, from two causes—the one, that he sold a cheaper, because much inferior, article—the other, that America was so much nearer to those islands than Ireland. Then came the grand change of all, Sir Robert Peel s tai iff, which effected a complete revolution in this as in other trades. But previous to 1846, foreign cask provisions were allowed to be taken duty free out of bond, so that they were intended for ships' use, while duty was paid on the same article if taken out for home consumption. By those sweeping changes in the commercial system of England, the great home market was flung open to the whole world; and the Irish provision cure: now finds a competitor in the English market, in the curers of England, Hamburg, America, and even France. A n important alteration with respect to the foreign salt used in the preparation of cask provisions, also had its effect

49

upon the Irish trade. During the War, there was a duty of £40 a ton paid on foreign salt imported into England, while the duty on the same salt imported into Ireland was but £4—just one-tenth. Therefore, it was a matter of great importance to have provisions made up in Ireland; for sup­ posing that one ton of salt cured twenty casks of provisions, the balance in favour of the Irish curer would be nearly £2 on each cask. This enormous duty was taken off at the termina­ tion of the War, and one of the greatest advantages of getting provisions made up in Ireland necessarily ceased with it. Ihen, as to cure for home consumption, the difference is now much in favour of the English curer—or, to speak more accurately, was up to this moment; for he had his Cheshire and other salt on the spot, while the Irish curer had to bring it across the Channel, with all the heavy charges for freight and river dues added to the first cost. And thus it is that what stands the Englishman about 6s. or 7s. a ton, stands the Irishman more than double that sum. I qualified my statement when alluding to this disadvantage; for, as the reader will have perceived in another part of this work, the great want has been supplied by the discovery of an inexhaustable salt bed near Belfast, which the Marquis of Downshire, the owner of the property on which it was found, states, would suffice for the consumption of a thousand years. There is still another reason to account for the falling off in the Irish Provision Trade. I t is the wonderful facility of intercourse and transit afforded by the Steam communica­ tion between this country and England. Instead of sending provisions in cask, we now send them on four legs, and in a whole skin. The export trade in cattle has become one of immense importance, from having been of the most trifling nature. A few figures will best exhibit its growth. Number of Oxen Exported from Ireland to Great Britain:— Three years ending 25th March, 1800, Three years ending 5th January, 1826, One year ending 5th January, 1847, One year ending 5th January, 1850, G

14,105 57,395 186,483 201,811

50 Here we have, at a glance, a sufficient reason for the falling off of the Irish trade in cured provisions. ^ I I t nevertheless happens that the Irish cask provisions, beet and pork, retain their old reputation; and an illustration oi this may be afforded by the fact, that the Government allow a higher price for the Irish than for the best foreign; and that the contractor is compelled to accompany the delivery o his contract with a solemn declaration that it is Irish cure, and no other. These contracts are now thrown open to the com­ petition of the world; Ireland still supplying a considerable proportion, and this city supplying the principal part of what is given to Irish houses, and even making u p large quantities for some of those in England. Mr. Clare and Mr. Murphy, the present exhibitors, are among those who have taken portions of this year's contract. The chief trade in provisions has, of late years, been con­ fined to the curing of bacon for the home and English market; and as long as Ireland was able to a sufficient quantity, she was always sure of a ready consumption in the mining and manufacturing districts of the sister country, and m London But this bacon trade has fallen off immensely, from natural causes a l o n e - t h e loss of the potato, the disappearance of the great class of pig growers—the cottiers andsmall farmers—and, consequently, of the pig itself. Figures can alone give an adequate idea of the falling off in the production of the pig in this country; and the following comparison between the number of swine exported from Ireland to England m the years 1847 and 1850, exhibits the difference in the most startling manner— s u p p l y

I n 1847, I n 1850,

480,827 68,058

I t will be at once manifest, from these figures, that the diminution of the raw material to about one-seventh of what it was, must have placed the Irish provision merchant m a very inferior position as respected the foreigner. The foreigner commanded an unfailing supply of the raw material, at a low

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51 rate, and was, therefore, able to send in his manufactured article at such prices as to insure a ready sale; whereas the Irishman laboured under the double disadvantage of a scanty supply and high prices, which crippled his operations, narrowed his production, and precluded him from anything beyond a limited competition; though his was confessedly a superior article. I t is to the loss of the pig that the great falling off in the home trade must be attributed ; and to the restora­ tion of that animal must we look for the extension of this trade. Of the market, there can be no fear whatever— 20,000,000 of people have a prodigious appetite, which must be appeased; and so long as the shores of England and those of Ireland are within a few hours' sail of each other, the Irish provision merchant must have an advantage which no amount of commercial generosity towards the people of other nations can ever give the foreigner. Let the potato and the pig again flourish in Ireland, and down, as a matter of course, will come the price of the raw material, and necessarily of the manu­ factured article; the consequence of which must be, that the English people being able to have an essential article of food, and of the best quality, at a much reduced rate, will consume much more of it than, from its high price, they are now able to do. Without the restoration of the pig, we may not hope for any marked revival in the Irish bacon trade; but of this restoration, there cannot be a reasonable doubt, for the class of fanners which is left in the country is commencing to rear pigs in larger quantities, and the high price which they bring must have the effect of stimulating production. Still it is doubt­ ful if the efforts of the farmer can entirely make up for the loss of the great pig-rearing class—the Irish cottiers. Irish bacon brings the highest price in the London market at this moment, being considered superior to the best Hamburg, and infinitely superior to the American, which is inferior to the other foreign bacon. France now sends cured provisions into the English market; but if the price were much diminished, France, that has a vast mouth of her own, would find it much more profitable feeding herself, than supplying

52 the wants of England, which she could only do at greater cost. Without in the slightest degree attempting to enter into the question of Free Trade or Protection,—which, like all questions involving politics or religion, I strictly avoid—I may make this remark, that had not the people of those countries free access to foreign supplies since 1846, the price of animal food would have risen so high, as to place it beyond the reach, not only of the labouring and working classes, but of those above them. I n fact, it would have become a luxury, instead of an essential article of diet. Even now, there are vast numbers totally deprived of the enjoyment of animal food, and who are certain to remain so until the present supply has been increased by greater production, and also diminished in price from the same cause. t h e buttertrade. The great staple trade of Munster was represented b y Mr. Charles E . Welland, who exhibited two firkins of butter. Little could these two small casks afford an idea of the extent to which the manufacture of butter has of late years grown in Ireland—of its importance to the farmer, to the buyer, and to the merchant—the capital invested in it, the employment which it promotes, or the noble fortunes which it has realised. I n this instance, Cork may well represent the whole of Ireland; as Munster is the great butter-producing province, and Cork is the seat and centre of the trade, especially the foreign, which, from many causes, it almost entirely monopolises. The receipts of butter in the Cork market have steadily increased within the last five years, since 1847, as may be seen b y the following table :— Year ending 30th April, 1847, T e a r ending 31st March, 1848, Year ending 31st March, 1849, Year ending 31st March, 1850, Year ending 1st March, 1851, Year ending 1st March, 1852,

253,361 275,857 327,449 342,259 306,626 316,962

Since then, it has increased nearly one-fourth, and may be now set down at, what it really is—400,000 firkins for this current year. Within the short period of six months and a-half, from April 1, to October 16th, the returns for 1851 and 1852, were as follow:— 1851, 1852,

215,237 253,626 Excess i n favour of 1852,

38,389

The 400,000 firkins for which I take credit, in anticipation of the return in March, 1853, represent a capital of, at least, £800,000, embarked by the merchants of Cork in this branch of trade, in the course of a single year; than which calculation nothing can more accurately or impressively denote the importance of the Irish Butter Trade generally. Of these 400,000 firkins, at least 200,000 are destined for foreign consumption; this city practically enjoying the monopoly of the foreign export trade. Cork was, in the time of the War, the great port of departure for foreign countries, and then carried on an extensive trade in provisions with them; and the character which Cork had then obtained for its butter, it has maintained up to the present time, by the superiority of the article, and the integrity and liberality of the respectable class of merchants into whose hands it has continued, or since then fallen. The principal foreign trade, at present, is with Portugal, the Brazils, the West Indies, the Mediterranean, California, and Melbourne, in Australia. Pormerly, before Brazils became independent of the mother country, all butter intended for Brazils should go through Portugal; but now the trade is direct between Ireland and Brazils. There was a much larger trade with Portugal than there is at present, owing to the high duty—over forty per cent.—imposed by the Portuguese government upon Irish butter, as a kind of reprisal for the loss of the differential duty which protected the wines of that country in the British market

54 against those of Spain and France. But should the 1 ortuguese tariff be liberally modified, there is every certainty that the butter trade with that country will be restored to its former position. I t is at present in the proportion of lb,000 to 50 000 firkins, which it was some eight years since. ^ The great Irish trade is now with Brazils, and is increasing annually, in spite of a severe duty which meets the Cork shipper, and which is somewhat of a retaliatory character there, as in Portugal. I a the one case, wine was the cause of grievance, in the other it is sugar. The duty on the slavegrown sugar of the Brazilian planter being higher than that on our colonial produce, the result is, naturally, an interference with its consumption in the greatest market of the world; and hence the heavy impost upon Irish butter imported into that country. Still, in spite of this restriction, the trade is steadily increasing. , , • The reputation of the Cork butter m foreign markets is owing alike to its excellent quality, its peculiar mode of pre­ paration, and the recognised character of the Cork market, or, more popularly speaking, the Cork Butter Weigh House. The butter of Waterford, Limerick, and Belfast, is more adapted foi immediate consumption, from its lighter cure—less salt being used in its preparation; whereas the Cork butter, being more heavily salted, can be preserved much longer than the others, I t thus happens that each has its peculiar season in the English m a r k e t ; and while the Waterford, Limerick, oi Belfast may be preferred in Summer and Autumn, with a view to its immediate consumption, that of Cork is preferred in t e Winter season, when buyers are laying in their stocks, because of its keeping qualities. Lightly-salted butter is a far more precarious article than the other; for should a glut come, and the sale grow languid, the butter which would be admirably suited for immediate consumption, would soon deteriorate ni quality, and, of course, in value. For the foreign trade, the light-cure would be totally unsuited. B u t there are degree, beyond which salting is injurious; and this, as well as other matters important to the trade, is regulated by the brand

55 which the butter receives on inspection by competent and sworn inspectors, of whom there is a regular staff of four, each receiving a respectable salary. Every firkin of butter that passes through the Cork Weigh House—and nearly every firkin of butter that enters this city passes through it—is rigidly examined, and its quality accu­ rately determined; and when this butter is received by the foreign buyer, he has a sufficient guarantee, as to the character and quality of the article, in the well-known brand upon its cask. The farmer, the merchant, and the foreign buyer, are equally protected against fraud, by the rigid system of inspect tion which has rendered this market famous. The farmer cannot palm off a bad or fraudulent article on the merchant— neither can the merchant cut the farmer down in his price. The inspector declares the exact quality of the article, whether it is entitled to the " first," or ought to be degraded to the " s i x t h a n d the market fixes the price—which the farmer ought to receive, and which the merchant must pay. Did it stop here, and were the local seller and buyer alone protected from mutual injustice, the system would be sadly deficient. But it does not—the brand of the market, which protects the farmer from the merchant, also protects the foreign dealer from the possible fraud of a dishonest merchant, who might— that is, who could—without such vigilant inspection as is maintained to the very moment of shipping the article from the quays—" decant" inferior butter into high-brand firkins, and thus impose, for once, at least, on the foreign dealer. Happily, there is not in the world a more honourable or upright body of men than those on whom the management and protection of this most important trade devolves. The " Committee of Merchants" are the body responsible to all parties for the character of the Cork Butter Market; and it is their pride, as well as it is their interest, to encourage honesty in dealing, and to punish every attempt at fraud with rigorous severity. They have a great trade to maintain and extend, and their own honour to defend and protect; for they well know how fraud would destroy all confidence in their

56 character, and how, if sanctioned or excused, it would fatally re-act on themselves, the producers of butter, and the country generally. Fully conscious of their responsibility to all classes, they have brought the system of inspection to the greatest perfection; by the necessary operation of which they have made it the interest of the farmer to improve the quality of his make, and to avoid the slightest attempt at fraud or adul­ teration—inasmuch as, if his butter be declared a ' first, he is entitled, say to 79s.—if " third," to 70s. if "fifth, to 56s.—and if " sixth," to 46s* So that it is clearly his own interest to devote his best attention to its improvement—to the care and feeding of his cattle, and to the cleanliness and general management of his dairy. Irish butter is now making head against the Dutch, in the London market; and, consequently, with the increase in the Cork receipts, do we find a decrease in the receipts of Dutch butter in the London market. DUTCH BTITTEB.

Receipts in the London market from June 1,1851, to October 18, 1852: 265,059 1851, 220,419 1852,

Decrease.

44,640

But, in order to extend this trade, as it ought and might be extended, special care must be taken as to one matter—the quality of the firkin. Good butter made up in a well-seasoned and well-made oak firkin, will keep pure and sound for an entire year; while butter, ever so good, that is packed in a firkin made of green or unseasoned timber, must speedily deteriorate and grow bad. The sap of the timber oozes out into the butter, completely spoiling the quality of so much of it as it penetrates through; thus rendering the article, when stripped of the timber, for use, unsightly to the eye, and unpleasant to the taste, and, of course, entailing a heavy loss on the retailer. A v e r y trifling additional expense, a mere fraction in the cost * These were t h e

44

c a n t " prices i n Cork m a r k e t , October 22, 1852.

57 of the material of the firkin, would preclude the possibility of injury to the quality of the butter, and the reputation of the country. Bad cooperage is another evil which should be avoided, for the safety of the exported article mainly depends on the preservation of its pickle. I n fact, there is an almost unlimited field opened to the energetic skill of the maker, and the honest enterprise of the merchant; and it entirely depends on them whether the people of a peculiarly favoured country shall not eventually enjoy the monopoly of the home and foreign markets. Tralee has lately established a regular market, which is doing a good business.* Clonmel has also a good market, and " I am indebted t o a k i n d f r i e n d f o r t h e following i n t e r e s t i n g s k e t c h of t h e formation of a r e g u l a r B u t t e r M a r k e t i n t h e i m p o r t a n t t o w n of T r a l e e , t h e capital of the County of K e r r y . I t is, a t once, a practical t e s t i m o n y t o t h e fairness of t h e principle o n w h i c h t h e C o r k m a r k e t i s b a s e d , a n d a n evidence of the spirit of enterprise w h i c h distinguishes t h e enlightened m e r c h a n t s of that town:— " I n the year 1847, t h e people of T r a l e e w e r e compelled, f r o m t h e s t a t e i n which the town invariably w a s , o n f a i r a n d m a r k e t d a y s ( b e i n g sometimes literally impassible) t o m a k e s o m e exer tion t o g e t r i d of a n evil f r o m w h i c h t h e y had suffered so l o n g ; a n d accordingly a c o m p a n y w a s formed f o r t h e establish­ ment of a general m a r k e t , w h e r e t h e p r o d u c e of t h e c o u n t r y c o u l d b e sold, a s previously everything h a d b e e n b o u g h t a n d sold i n t h e public streets. T h e mercantile community of T r a l e e , w h o t o o k t h e m a t t e r u p , w e r e j o i n e d i n t h i s project by m a n y of t h e l a n d e d pr opr ietor s i n t h e vicinity, w h o f e l t t h e necessity of t h e c a s e ; a n d a s u m of a b o u t t w o t h o u s a n d p o u n d s w a s q u i c k l y subscribed for t h a t p u r p o s e . "Fortunately, a s i t e i n t h e v e r y c e n t r e of t h e t o w n w a s obtained f r o m M r . Gun, who liberally g a v e a l e a s e f o r e v e r a t a m o d e r a t e r e n t ; a n d t o w o r k t h e affair more efficiently, t h e C o m p a n y b e c a m e a n incorporated b o d y , a n d w e r e duly registered u n d e r t h e t i t l e of The Incorporated Merchants of Tralec Company. " The piece of g r o u n d , a b o u t o n e a n d a - h a l f acr e, w a s speedily enclosed with a good and h i g h w a l l , h a v i n g s i x h a n d s o m e i r o n g a t e w a y s — f r o m a s many different entrances. A C o r n E x c h a n g e w a s b u i l t ; a l s o a c o n v e n i e n t weigh house for grain of all k i n d s , a n d , w h a t w a s m u c h n e e d e d , a fine meat market was erected. Tw o sworn g r a i n clerks, t w o sworn w e i g h - m a s t e r s , w i t h ten labouring m e n , attend t o t h e d u t i e s of t h e c o m d e p a r t m e n t i n t h e m a r k e t , and during t h i s season a n average,u p t o t h i s t i m e , of a b o u t 100 t o n s of g r a i n per day has b e e n weighed t h e r e i n . T h e r e i s a g o o d w e i g h - b r i d g e f o r f a r m produce, such a s h a y , straw, t u r n i p s , m a n g e l s , carrots, &c., a n d t h e q u a n t i t y of green crops coming i n t o m a r k e t i s y e a r l y increasing. H

58 so has Dungarvan. I have no figures to guide me in reference to what is done in the butter trade in Limerick and Waterford; but the trade in each of those cities is considerable, especially the latter, which is, besides, a great butter-shipping port. " T h e C o m p a n y h a y i n g seen, f r o m t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t , t h e necessity that existed f o r t h e establishment of a B u t t e r W e i g h - h o u s e , cm t h e principle of sworn inspection and public weights, w e r e g l a d t o r e s p o n d t o a c a l l made on t h e m b y t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l i n t e r e s t s of t h i s district, t o g e t u p a butter m a r k e t o n a similar principle w i t h t h e Cork Weigh-house, a n d to do a w a y w i t h t h e old a n d pernicious s y s t e m of b u y i n g b y lump—which has a l w a y s p r o v e d s o v e r y g r e a t a d r a w b a c k o n a l l i m p r o v e m e n t i n the m a n u f a c t u r e of b u t t e r w h e r e v e r i t w a s i n existence, a n d w h i c h prevents invariably t h a t m e r c a n t i l e confidence b e t w e e n b u y e r a n d seller, without w h i c h y o u c a n scarcely h a v e progress. Accordingly, advertisements were inser ted i n t h e provincial p a p e r s , a n d , a f t e r m u c h c a r e a n d consideration, a m o s t c o m p e t e n t a n d h i g h l y respectable m a n , f r o m W a t e r f o r d , w a s selected— a liberal salar y given t o h i m — a s w o r n clerk a n d a s w o r n w e i g h - m a s t e r duly a p p o i n t e d — a n d t h e n e w B u t t e r W e i g h - h o u s e opened t h i s s u m m e r . The C o m p a n y a r e g l a d t o f i n d t h a t t h e s w o r n inspection i n t h e i r W e i g h - H o u s e is giving g r e a t satisfaction i n L o n d o n , a n d a l r e a d y t h e b r a n d of t h e ' Incorpo­ r a t e d M e r c h a n t s of T r a l e e C o m p a n y ' e n j o y s h i g h r e p u t e i n t h e metropolitan m a r k e t . H o w e v e r , a l t h o u g h good t h e principle, t h e s w o r n inspection and p u b l i c w e i g h t s y s t e m h a s n o t a s y e t f o u n d f a v o u r w i t h t h o s e previously in t h e t r a d e i n T r a l e e , w h o still cling t o t h e old p l a n of l u m p b u y i n g ; and, in consequence, t h e receipts of b u t t e r i n t h e m a r k e t d o n o t exceed, as yet, an average of 100 firkins p e r d a y . A t t h e s a m e t i m e , t h e f a r m e r s a r e beginning t o see t h e i m p a r t i a l j u s t i c e of t h e principle, a n d t h e e n c o u r a g e m e n t i t offers t o m a k e a good a r t i c l e ; t h e r e f o r e t h e m a r k e t is securely a n d steadily advanc­ i n g , a n d i n a s h o r t t i m e i t w i l l b e difficult t o t e m p t a f a r m e r t o sell anywhere b u t i n t h e public market. " T w e n t y - o n e directors a r e a n n u a l l y a p p o i n t e d b y t h e C o m p a n y , w h o select a t r e a s u r e r a n d secretary, a n d n a m e a w o r k i n g C o m m i t t e e of t h e i r number, w h o m a n a g e t h e details of t h e m a r k e t . T h e C o m p a n y i s c o m p o s e d of about one-half l a n d e d proprietors, a n d t h e o t h e r h a l f of t h e m e r c a n t i l e community of T r a l e e , w i t h a f e w p r i v a t e g e n t l e m e n a n d professional m e n ; s o that all interfests a r e efficiently r e p r e s e n t e d . T h e f u n d s of t h e C o m p a n y axe derived f r o m a v e r y m o d e r a t e r a t e of charges for w e i g h i n g a n d o t h e r accommodation; a n d a s n o shareholder c a n h o l d over a v e r y small n u m b e r of s h a r e s , all private speculation i s t h e r e b y r e n d e r e d impracticable; a n d , c o n s e q u e n t l y , n o obstacles of a selfish n a t u r e p r e s e n t i n g themselves, t h e o b j e c t i n v i e w w h e n t h e Com­ p a n y w a s formed—namely, t h e a d v a n c e m e n t of t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l a n d com­ m e r c i a l interests of Tralee a n d t h e c o u n t y K e r r y i n general—is certain to be carried o u t , a n d t h e r e i s n o d o u b t b u t m u c h good m a y b e effected b y a society so constituted."

59 But I am still justified in taking the trade of Cork as the great criterion by which the reader may form an accurate idea of the condition of this important and flourishing branch of Irish industry. whiskey. There are only two exhibitors of Irish Spirits, or Whiskey, as it is more distinctly termed; but these two—James Daly and Co., and George Waters and Co.—represent one of the greatest trades and most important interests in Ireland. The extent and importance of the distilling trade of this country may be best estimated by a single fact, that, in one year, 1849, when it was recovering from the effects of the former depres­ sion, the Irish distillers consumed in their manufacture about 2,000,000 barrels of grain, or the produce of nearly £00,000 acres of land. This fact is of itself an eloquent proof of the vast amount of employment which this branch of Irish enterprise promotes—directly, in the immediate process of its manufacture—and indirectly, in the cultivation of the raw material. It might therefore be assumed that an interest of such magnitude would be deemed worthy of the protection of the laws, and that it would be the policy of the Government to afford it all reasonable encouragement. Such, however, is not the case; for there is no branch of Irish trade to which the enhghtened policy of William the Third—the policy of " discouragement"—is more determinedly or more pertina­ ciously applied. If it were the object of the government and the legislature to " discourage" the use of spirituous liquors in Ireland, and thereby assist Father Mathew in his bene­ volent mission, their policy in reference to the Irish distiller might be understood, and indeed appreciated. But it is nothing of the kind. William the Third and his selfish Parliament never attempted to put down the use of woollen cloth; they merely sought to " discourage" the Irish maker of that article. There is no legislative attempt to p u t down dram-drinking, or in any way restrict the consumption of spirits, in Ireland; buty intentionally or otherwise, the policy is to

60 discourage the Irish manufacturer—to sacrifice him to the interest of the colonial rum-producer, or to that of the foreign maker of brandy. The Irish spirit trade has had very serious reverses; the progress of the temperance movement having been tracked throughout the country by the ruin of distillers. Its increase had been rapid, from the abatement of duty in 1823, to 1840; but the temperance movement progressed with mira­ culous speed, and the make of Irish spirits fell off from 12,296,342 gallons in 1839, to little more than 5,000,000 gallons in 1843 and 1844. The home consumption having been thus almost wholly destroyed, and everything like fair play being denied to the exporter, the consequence was what might have been expected—that two-thirds of the Irish distillers were crushed. Since then, the trade has consider­ ably revived, the quantity now manufactured being about 8,250,000 gallons, or about two-thirds of what it was in the days of its greatest prosperity. That the State should impose a duty on spirits, is what few would be irrational enough to object to. I t is not an article of necessity, like bread, without a sufficient supply of which man cannot live; and as the public establishments, such as are essential to the safety and well-being of the State, must be maintained, there must be taxation somewhere ; and upon what article could it be more legitimately imposed, than that which all must admit to be an article of luxury and indulgence ? But fair taxation is one thing, and unfair taxation is another thing. To the one, the Irish distiller is bound to submit; to the other he ought not, at least, without continued remonstrance against its injustice. There are many vexatious regulations and restrictions; some, incidental to the very mildest adminis­ tration of the Excise Laws, and others, pressing exclusively on the Irish distiller—such, for instance, as the heavy penalty imposed upon him for having his worts of a certain gravity beyond the noticed gravity; which restriction does not apply to the English distiller, who can have worts of any gravity on his coolers, provided that the collection, into his " back,"

61 be concurrent with his noticed gravity. But there is one grievance from which the Irish distiller suffers, so absurdly unjust, so flagrantly dishonest and oppressive, that its very mention ought to have insured its instant redress. The Irish distiller is compelled to pay duty on spirits which he has lost, both in strength and in quality, through soakage, leakage, and evaporation. If, for the purpose of improving the quality of his spirit, he put 100 puncheons of his make in bond, and that, through soakage and evaporation, the quantity in each puncheon be diminished by three gallons, he must pay duty on what he has put in, and not on what he actually takes out. Although he has lost 300 gallons on the stock which he put into bond, he still must pay duty for those 300 gallons, as if they were really in existence. The loss may be greater in proportion to the length of time during which the stock is kept in bond; but whatever the loss may be, one gallon or five gallons to the puncheon, the law does not condescend to understand the operation of natural causes in such a case. If but half of what was originally put in bond were brought out, still it would be just the same to the Excise; their concern is not with what is, but what was. Stupidly and indefensibly dishonest as this mode of dealing is, it might be borne with patience, if it were not rendered galling beyond measure by the contrast which it affords to the manner in which the colonist and the foreigner are treated. They are not plundered on the strength of a mere fiction; they are not asked to pay duty on that which has ceased to have existence—they are treated according to principles that are at once honest and rational. If the foreign distiller put his cargo of rum or brandy in bond, and lose 300 gallons, from the causes above mentioned, he is dealt with as if those 300 gallons never had existence. The Excise know practi­ cally nothing of them; they ascertain the quantity which he takes out, and upon that quantity alone he is required to pay duty. This is consistent with common sense. But why is it not applied to the Irish distiller, whose custom it is to bond extensively, for the improvement of his spirit, and for

62 the greater convenience of his customers ? I t is clear, then, that his attempt to improve the quality, and thereby raise the character, of this staple article of Irish production, is rendered penal by the operation of this flagitious regulation, which no explanation can palliate, much less justify. An absurd mode of trying to meet the demand for the redress of this grievance has been adopted. " Oh, the loss per gallon is not what you Irish distillers say it is—it is only one half-penny, or one-penny, and not three-pence, or fourpence, per gallon, as you complain it is." If it were but onefarthing per gallon, the principle would be still the same— one of plunder and oppression. However, it is, in numerous instances, even a greater loss than is stated; and I myself know one concern in this city, highly respectable, but still not of the largest class, to which this regulation is a dead loss of more than £500 a-year. To some, it might be three times that amount. This hardship is aggravated where the Irish distiller exports his produce to England; as, in the case of his losing a large quantity on board ship, against which it is impossible to take precaution, he has to pay the heavy English duty upon every gallon lost during the voyage, when the whiskey is taken out of bond for consumption in that country, or indeed for foreign exportation. There is nothing like a practical illustration in a case of this k i n d ; and I find it at hand, in a series of clever letters written by an eminent Irish distiller—Mr. Robert Cassidy of Monasteraven—on the resolutions agreed to by the Irish distillers in London, in 1840, and presented by them to the Chancellor of the Exchequer of that day. The case is thus detailed:— " O n t h e 2 4 t h J u l y (1840), eleven p u n c h e o n s of w h i s k e y w e r e t a k e n out of b o n d e d w a r e h o u s e i n D u b l i n , f o r s h i p m e n t t o L o n d o n , t o b e f r o m thence s h i p p e d t o t h e B r i t i s h colony o n t h e S w a n R i v e r . " T h e E x c i s e e x a m i n e d t h e s e eleven p u n c h e o n s of w h i s k e y , a n d ascertained t h a t w h i l s t u n d e r t h e i r o w n char ge , w h e n t h e p r o p r i e t o r h a d n o t t h e power of inspection or e x a m i n a t i o n , b u t i n t h e presence of a n officer of Excise, tlie n a t u r a l w a s t e i n q u a n t i t y a n d s t r e n g t h a m o u n t e d t o t w e n t y - s i x gallons. On t h i s q u a n t i t y so w a s t e d f r o m n a t u r a l causes, t h e distiller h a d t o p a y duty a m o u n t i n g t o £ 3 9s. 4 d .

68 "Theseeleven puncheons of w h i s k e y w e r e l a n d e d i n L o n d o n , a n d w e r e re-shipped for Swan R i v e r o n t h e 5 t h A u g u s t , t h a t is twelve days a f t e r e x p o r t rom Dublin; the active officers of t h e E n g l i s h E x c i s e d e p a r t m e n t h a d t h e casks again examined, a n d discovered a f u r t h e r decrease of 13'12 gallons. On this decrease t h e distiller h a d t o p a y a d u t y as i f c o n s u m e d i n E n g l a n d at 7s. lOd. per gallon, s a y £ 5 2s. 6d.—showing a t o t a l of £ 8 11 1 0 d . "

One of the resolutions adopted on that occasion exhibits the continued but unavailing efforts made by the trade to obtain redress for this manifest injustice. I t is as follows: "That the equitable object of all regulations f o r collecting a r e v e n u e o n articles of consumption should b e t o charge t h e d u t y o n t h e q u a n t i t y o n l y which goes to t h e consumer, i n accordance w i t h w h i c h principle provision i s made that duty shall n o t b e c h a r g e d o n t h e decrease i n w a r e h o u s e of foreign or colonial spirits arising f r o m n a t u r a l w a s t e . B u t n o s u c h provision is m a d e in regard to home-made spirits, w h i c h a r e char ged w i t h d u t y o n all w a s t e that takes place, whether o n shipboard o r i n b o n d e d warehouses i n t h e a c t u a l custody of the crown. T h i s s u b j e c t w a s f u l l y investigated i n 1834 b y t h e Commissioners of Excise i n q u i r y , w h o r e p o r t e d t o t h e T r e a s u r y t h a t t h e practice teas a grievance which ought to.be redressed; a n d t h a t t h e c r o w n h a d 'a right to expect duty only on that ichich goes into consumption.' T h i s r e c o m ­ mendation has not y e t b e e n acted u p o n . T h e I r i s h distillers h o p e t h a t i t w i l l be now carried into eifect."

The same injustice which was officially admitted in 1834, remains without redress in 1852. I t is a humiliating fact to record, that this matter, which ought to have been dealt with as a simple question of trade, and settled upon principles of commercial justice, has been played off by one party in the State against another, for purposes of a purely political nature; and that the redress which should at once have followed upon the demand, has been compounded for by a worthless and mocking concession. The loss by leakage is never the mate­ rial loss. There may be an occasional instance of accident, or of bad cooperage; but it scarcely ever happens that any serious loss occurs from this cause; whereas loss by soakage and evaporation is inevitable, and will continue to be so, as long as spirit is afineand volatile essence, and timber is cap­ able of absorbing moisture. The redress, which should go to the root of the evil, is limited to this case of rare occurrence; and it is now permitted that the party who loses by leakage, may memorial the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, and must

64 establish, by sufficient evidence, the statement made in said memorial; whereupon the Lords of the Treasury may, if they happen to be in special good humour at the time, allow and remit the duty 011 the quantity lost. This contemptible concession only proves the fairness of the demand made by the Irish distillers, and the glaring injustice of the regulation under which their property is taken from them, and their reasonable profits are diminished. " I shall do all in my power, said the patriotic William, " to discourage the Irish woollen trade." I n what do our modern Chancellors of the Exchequer differ from that wise Monarch, so far as Ireland is regarded? Let the plunder and oppression of the Irish distillers reply. Passing over many minor causes of annoyance, of which the Irish distillers have just reason to complain, there is one other injustice which should be noticed in any sketch of the trade. I t is thus p u t forth in their resolutions of 1840 :— " T h a t t h e colonial i n t e r e s t possesses a n u n f a i r m o n o p o l y i n t h e exclusive s u p p l y of t h e n a y y w i t h r u m , a n d generally a t prices h i g h e r t h a n those at w h i c h B r i t i s h a n d I r i s h spirits of t h e b e s t q u a l i t y c o u l d b e supplied, a n d that t h i s m o n o p o l y o u g h t t o b e abolished.

I myself am no advocate for the use of spirituous liquors; b u t as they are used, and in great quantity, b y the British navy, it is only right that the Irish manufacturers, who pay heavy taxes for the maintenance of that navy, should have the advantage of sharing in the contract; the more especially so, as whiskey is considered by all competent judges to be a better, purer, and more wholesome spirit than rum. Yet the Irish distiller, one of the few remaining manufacturers in the country, is still shut out from any share i n the supply of the 700,000 gallons of spirits which are annually required for the use of the navy. a l e a n d poetee. Strangman, Davis and Co. of W^aterford, represent a vast and influential trade in Ireland, b y the exhibition of two casks of Ale and Porter. I t would be rather a difficult matter to express any opinion as to the character of the liquor

-

_

65 from the appearance of the vessel in which it is contained; besides, I must admit my total incompetency to pronounce a judgment, in any shape, upon an article which is so popular, and so largely consumed. I t is only necessary to say, with respect to the Irish brewing trade, that it is recovering from the serious injury which it sustained by the temperance move­ ment, and the renewed depression in the years of famine; that its home consumption is very little interfered with by English importation—Bass' pale or bitter Ale being the chief article which finds anything like favour in this country; and that the Irish brewers, on the contrary, do a large and increasing business in England, and with foreign countries. Cork Porter, Drogheda Ale, and Dublin Stout, are well known and highly appreciated out of Ireland. The firms of Beamish and Crawford, and Lane, of Cork, and Guinness of Dublin, are amongst the most eminent in the United Kingdom. Abbott of Cork also enjoys a high reputation. There are, besides, several prosperous breweries in the principal towns throughout the country. Kinsale, Bandon, Fermoy, Youghal, Dungarvan, and many others in the neighbouring counties, have each their thriving brewery. t o b a c c o ajstd s n t j t t . It is a singular fact, that, whilst the consumption of other articles was materially affected by the famine, or by the con­ sequent poverty of the humbler classes, its influence on the tobacco and snuff trade was beneficial rather than injurious. Seeking and finding " consolation in a pipe," has been proved something more than a fancy, and that with a force and weight of evidence such as, I trust, no nation or people may ever again furnish. Though thousands of fires were quenched upon the hearth, and hunger and disease spread their terrors around, and death assumed every appalling form of horror, still, tobacco and snuff, the sedative and the stimulant, were resorted to at that very time with greater pertinacity and zest than ever. I t is a well-known fact, that the fumes of tobacco not only exercise a soothing influence on the mind, but, from I

66 the effect of the narcotie on the stomach, deaden the pangs of hunger; which double result will at once account for the extraordinary consumption of the article at a period when misery was in every house, and hunger in every stomach. The Arab tightens his shawl round his waist, when, amidst the desolation of the desert, he feels the gnawings of hunger; the poor Irishman has recourse to his friend and consoler, the short-stemmed, smoke-blackened pipe, when he is equally visited, amidst the beauty and fruitfulness of his own Green Isle. I t was the constant companion of his happier hours, the soother of his cares in better days, and perhaps, too often, the inducement to a lazy lounge over his gate, or an idle loiter through his fields; and now, when ruin followed ruin in successive crash, stunning and bewildering his poor brain, it is not to be wondered at that he clung to the pipe—the " dudeen"—as his best friend, and only solace. I f the poor Irishman's genuine love of the pipe could find expression in words, he might exclaim somewhat in the spirit, at least, of Byron's apostrophe— " S u b l i m e tobacco ! which., f r o m east t o w est, Cheers t h e tar's labour or t h e T u r k m a n ' s r e s t ; W h i c h o n t h e M o s l e m ' s o t t o m a n divides H i s h o u r s , a n d rivals o p i u m a n d h i s b r i d e s ; Magnificent i n S t a m b o u l , b u t less g r a n d , T h o u g h n o t less loved, in W a p p i n g o r t h e S t r a n d . "

Besides the cause which I have given for the great consump­ tion of tobacco in the famine years, there was another—and that was the money payment made under the Board of Works, when vast numbers of the most destitute of the people were employed on the public roads. Scanty as their payment was, still a certain portion of it was willingly devoted to the pur­ chase of the darling tobacco, which was, at the time, the cheapest enjoyment they could procure, and which frequently enabled them to endure with philosophic composure the many privations and sufferings of that dreadful period. But, from whatever cause it arose, the increase was most remark­ able, as the following statement will shew.

67 Qmntity of Tobacco entered for IIom* consumption !sn'

i is ;

,o4, J ! ' '

5,128,850 lbs.

K r

4

2

5,579,234 5,871,888 5,949,691

I doubt much if there be a more singular fact connected with that eventful period than this extraordinary increase, in an a r c e 0 l u x ui ' 7 - > t o which I have referred. But in 1850 the consumption fell to 4,737,267-or nearly a million and a quarter of pounds less than what it was in 1847! P aid °n the entered for 1850 was i i/49,„38, or about one-sixth of the entire paid by the United Kingdom, and twice that paid by Scotland. This trade is a very important one in Ireland, affording large employment, and involving considerable capital. The principal article manufactured is the rolled, or twist, tobacco; and this article is made so well, as to preclude all competition. I n fact there is none; scarcely any quantity of manufactured tobaeco, unless m cigars, English and principally foreign, and a few hundred pounds worth of foreign snuffs, being imported; whereas, on the contrary, the Irish manufacturers of snuff, especially James Lambkin and Co. of Cork, and Lundy Foot of Dublin have established a considerable trade throughout England' or their snuffs—in the stimulating properties of which many a jaded statesman, or over-worked lawyer, has found momen­ tary enhvenment. The Cork " h i g h toast" has made its way m all parts of Ireland, and rivals the popularity of the ong-famous « Lundy Foot." There is a considerable manu­ facture of tobacco in Belfast; but the Cork snuff has a lar-e consumption in the prosperous capital of the North. This trade is now m fewer hands than it was previous to the famine, several of the smaller manufacturers, of which there WC1C t 0 b e f o u n d o n c ' two in nearly every town of any i importance, having dropped off; the payment of the duty in advance being too heavy a drain on their slender resources at such a timfi.

68 The exhibitors are—Mary Blackledge, W . Clarke, John England, Jonathan Hosford, and James Lambkin and Co., C o r k ; Arthur Mason, Waterford; and Lundy Foot, Dublin. book-printinga n d binding. To those who doubt that books can be printed or bound in Ireland, I say, glance at the publications of Hodges and Smith, M f Glashan, Gill, and Duffy, of Dublin, or Nash of Cork; or at the bindings of Duffy, or Shaw, of Dublin, Guy of Cork, or Redmond or Sutherland of Waterford. Something disparaging of Irish engraving was publicly asserted, and in connection with this Exhibition. Take a fact as its best refu­ tation. N o t long since, a gentleman, a friend of mine, happened to be in the establishment of a publisher in Dublin, and accidentally stumbled on some parcels of a work loosely made u p in sheets. On looking more closely at them, he found they consisted of a work of travels, elegantly brought out, and illustrated in the finest style of art, but bearing on the title page the name of an eminent publisher in London. On my friend expressing his surprise at seeing such a work in an unfinished state in the wareroom of a publisher in Dublin, the quiet, matter-of-fact reply of the Irish publisher was, that if the work were known to be of Irish origin, it would prove a failure; and that his guarantee for its sale was the name of the English publisher. As a matter of trade, he was compelled to submit to the degradation. But the best proof that we can have as to the artistic ability of the Irish engraver, has been afforded the visitors of our National Exhibition in the eight beautiful engravings published by their exhibitor, Thomas Cranfield of Dublin. paper. And until a very recent period, when the conviction of absolute peril roused our people to a sense of their danger, the Irish manufacturer was compelled to brand a lie on his paper, and have it christened " London," or " Bath," instead of Donnybrook, or Blarney. But even the most fastidious of the gentler sex will now and then condescend to write an

69 invitation, or indite a love-letter, on such " cream" or " ivorylaid" note-paper as Mr. Greer—the only present exhibitor of paper—manufactures in his mills at Dripsey and Glenville. The paper manufacturers of Ireland are in a position to defy foreign competition; and if the duty which now so considerably obstructs the manufacture of this important ai tide, were taken off, Ireland, from its abundance of rags, and the cheapness of its labour, would beat the English maker out of the market; and thus, at the risk of diminishing the available quantity of the raw material, effect a most beneficial change in the clothing of its poor. This is one of the few trades which have out-lived reverses, and which now flourish vigorously in the land. The Chairman of the Great Southern and Western Railway, Sir Edward M'Donnell, to whose prudent, able, and judicious government that magnificent national undertaking owes a large share of its success and prosperity, is one of the most eminent paper manufacturers of the Irish Metropolis, which boasts of many of the highest repute. The steady increase in the quantity of paper manufactured in Ireland, may be best described by figures :— 1834, 1840, 1845, 1849,

2,374,403 lbs. 3,591,472 5,662,104 6,272,563

w r i t i n g ink. But what would paper be without ink ?—a mind without an idea—a ray less and unmeaning blank. Nor need we remain long in want of that admirable medium, through which mind communicates with mind, and heart often speaks to heart; for we have every variety of ink from the house of M'Dermott and Co. of Dublin—the prosaic black, for the ordinary pur­ poses of business; and that elegant fluid which borrows from the modest violet its colour and its perfume, and which might be fittingly employed in the most delicate and interesting of all communications.

70 l i n e n s , d i a p e r s , c a m b r i c s , &c. T o the patriotic and liberal spirit of several of our Northern manufacturers, we were indebted for a gratifying display of those beautiful and costly fabrics for which that portion of our island is so celebrated. These consisted of linens of every quality, and every degree of fineness. For instance, one manufacturer—Richardson and Co. of Banbridge exhibited linen, the mere workmanship, or labour, of which was paid for at the rate of twelve shillings a yard to the operative who wove it. Besides linens, there were cambrics, damasks, diapers, sheetings, towellings, tickens, and a variety of other articles which enter largely into our daily use, and ^ are equally appreciated at home and abroad. The exhibitors from Belfast were—Michael Andrews; Birner, Colles and Co.; Coulson and Co.; Ewartand Son; Fenton, Son and Co.; Thomas M'Cay, and Robert Roddy; besides M r . T . M'Adara, junior, of the Royal Flax Society, who sent specimens of flax in various stages of preparation. Richardson and Son nobly represented the enterprise of Lisburn; while Banbridge was done justice to b y Clibborn, Hill and Co., and John Henning ; and Drogheda, the prosperous and growing capital of the border county of Louth, had its estauiished reputation upheld by the contributions of Patrick Malone, Robert O w e n s , and John Rowland. The Southern exhibitors of linen a r i ^ D ° g j °f Thomas Brassay, Esq." which exhibited his powers in quite a new walk of his art.

347 R. Barter, Dublin,—Besides several busts, which were spirited and faithful, this young and promising artist exhibited a number of medallion heads which were exquisitely carved. Thomas Kirk, Dublin,—Beautiful busts of the late Thomas Moore, and the Right Honorable Frederick Shaw, Recorder of Dublin. E. Ambrose, Cork, exhibited a charming marble group of Cupid and Psyche, in which was displayed great ability, and promise. The other exhibitors were—George Newenham, Cork, and E. Hannigan, Dublin—clever bass reliefs ; R . Hibson, Dub­ lin—" Achilles drawing the dead body of Hector"—a noble subject well represented in bass relief; William Burnett, Dublin—a good bust of the late Archbishop Murray ; G Stanley, Waterford—elegant vase in Caen-stone ; F . Burnett, Dublin—figure in the same material; R. Ball, LL.D., Dublin, —casts, models, &c. The pupils of the Schools of Design of Dublin and Belfast sent some clever things, some spirited groups by C. E . Powell, Dublin, being among the best ; and the Cork School was well represented by J . Morrogh's admirable " Baptismal Font." F . Harty, Cork—bust of the late George Newenham. The Fountain of Mr. Langstaff, Cork, and the Crucifixion of D . Keily, Cork, are worthy of favourable mention. Under the same head, I may class the ivory carvings of Joseph Corbett, Cork, an active member of the Executive Committee, Doctor Hemphill, Clonmel, and Charles Shaw, Dublin, the late R. O'C. Newenham, and C. B. Newenham, Cork—all of which, were perfect miracles of Art. Also, the wood carvings of C. De Groot, Dublin; E . Hickson, Dungannon; T. Rogers, Dublin ; J . A. Clarke, Dublin ; H . Williams, Dublin ; and P . Macdonagh, Dublin—of various degrees of excellence, and all displaying fine taste and skilful execution. Amongst the lady artists, Mrs. Fitzgibbon, Cork, and Miss. Lewd, Dublin, may be mentioned—the former for her group of Venus and Cupid, the latter for a pretty statuette.

348 MODELS

Among the architectural and other modelsj were those of the Cork Court-house, of the Dominican Church, Cork, and of the Agona, Athens, by Sir Thomas Deane and Kearns Deane; a model of the design for the Cork Town-hall, by John Benson, Esq.; a second model of a Town-hall by R. W. Buckley, Esq.; model of bridges by Professor Lane, Queen's College, C o r k ; model of an Irish Village, T. Chandlee, Fermoy; a Swiss Cottage, Miss Crofts; Ruins, in rottenstone, Miss Sarah Glummer, Dublin ; scagliola pedestals, Henry Hill, Cork; the Rock of Cashel, J . D . White. Models of ships were exhibited by Stephen Smith, Waterford ; G. Robinson and Company, Cork; S. N". Parker, r.n., Cork; J . Osborne, Cork; S. M'Clean, Dublin ; G. Harvey, Cork; J . H . Gamble, Cork; J . Fitzgerald, Waterford; F, A . Daunt, Cork; G. H . Buckley, Cork; J . and W . M'Gill, Cork ; and J . Atkinson, Cork. R . Turner, Dublin, exhibited several model-specimens of iron roofing for railway stations, conservatories, &c. G. H. Headley, Limerick; S. Williams, Cork; and Mr. French, Bandon, also exhibited models of different kinds. CURIOSITIES AND NATURAL HISTORY.

Mr. Abraham Whyte Baker, M.K.I.A. exhibited a curious collection of heads and horns of red deer found in Ireland. Mr. R . L. Dunne, Kinsale—a very large variety of foreign, and native stuffed birds. Mr. Glennon, Dublin—two cases of stuffed birds. Doctor Joseph R. Harvey, Cork—a very large collection, comprising nearly 180 specimens, of native birds, stuffed, and the eggs of native birds. Mr. Samuel Moss, Youghal—seven cases of native stuffed birds. Mr. J . J . Walters, Dublin—one case of stuffed birds. Sir George Hodson, Bart., Dublin—a collection of native woods from Wicklow.

349 Miss Jane Jennings, Cork—specimens of sea-weeds and lichens. Mr. John Nelis, Omagh—a collection of pearls and the shells in which they are formed, found in the rivers of Tyrone. Mr. H . O'Donovan, Cork—two aerolites which fell in the county of Limerick. Mr. Pratt, Bandon—specimens of fac simile ferns. Mr. S. Wright, Cork—a collection of native fresh-water and marine shells. W A X FLOWERS A N D

FRUITS

Were exhibited by Mrs. Patten, Cork; Miss Seward, Dub­ lin ; E . M. Keane, Dublin ; 11. Partridge, Cork ; H . Keily, Cork. irish antiquities. The utility of placing a collection, exhibiting the condition of ancient Irish A r t in juxta-position with its modern tri­ umphs, is of highvalue in an historical sense. Such articles afford a ready answer to the flippant caviler, and the selfsufficient opacity of the Utilitarian, who can discover 110 evidence of either civilization or progress in Ancient Ireland until she had been schooled by her stem Saxon teachers. The late Doctor Brinkley of Cloyne, was one of that class of thinkers, who could only discern, in the long vista of Ireland's past history, some faint shadowings of naked un­ skilled savages, lurking in the obscurity of primeval forests, or basking in their lairs, ignorant of every art. I n the fulness of his complacent ignorance, he once said to one of our archaeologists, in a learned assembly, " Surely, sir, you do not mean to tell us, that there exists the slightest evidence to prove that the Irish had any acquaintance with the arts of civilized life, anterior to the arrival in Ireland of the English." The assembled remains of that early period, displayed in the Exhibition, although not very numerous, still embraced the products of every age, extending from pre-historic times and primeval rudeness, to the comparatively recent period of the sixteenth century; and were of a character and importance to

350 justify being pointed at, as evidence for a reply to such an interiogatory. I t is absolutely impossible that any person, however large his incredulity, or strong his prejudice, could inspect the shrines, the fibulae, the croziers, the harps, the brazen vessels and bronze implements, evidencing so much excellence and skill in their execution, such wondrous elabo­ ration of detail, and such varied taste, capacity, and power of invention, without being impressed with the conviction, that the people to whom they had belonged had reached a high position in arts and manufactures, especially in all articles appertaining to metallurgy. Could they, in like-manner, have witnessed what had been achieved in the illustration and illu­ mination of their manuscript literature, in the sculptor's art— as exhibited on their ancient stone crosses, and the decoration of their ecclesiastical structures, covered as they are with most complex ornament, of beautiful design and execution scepticism would cease, and the character of those who could produce such works would stand forward fully vindicated. Taking the articles exhibited in the order of their date or era, we commence our review with the OGHAM INSCRIPTION

contained on the coffin-shaped stone, about three feet in height, placed upon the central table, in the compartment devoted to antiquities. This monument presented itself in strongest contrast, in its simple and artless form and execution, to the many other more elaborate remains of ancient times in the collection. The inscription was cut on the angles of the stone. The letters representing this character were mere straight lines or small lozenge-shaped indentations, deriving their value or power from their peculiar position either to the right or the left or as passing obliquely through the angle, which served as the medial line for their dependant arrange­ ment. Our oldest writings, our most trusted senachies, attri­ bute the origin of this peculiar writing to the most mythic of the early colonists of Ireland—the Tuatha de Danann, one of whose princes, Ojmu, a son or a brother of the Suu, invented

351 and gave it as a hieratic character to the priesthood, who used it as a veil, to conceal the details of their creed and mysteries from the vulgar. Like every other subject of Irish Antiquity, this has become a theme for warm controversy. The sceptics who cavil at every thing, deny this remote origin, and dog­ matically lay it down that the heathen Irish, contrary to all the evidence of our early literature, were ignorant of letters, and that it was only with Christianity they received a writ­ ten character. One of the hierophants of this school has had the felicitous ingenuity to discover its resemblance to the Runic character of the North, and, another, with an ad­ mirable dexterity has contrived to shew, that an inscription of the sixth century, commemorating the burial of a French bishop, in an obscure Bath near Mallow, was derived, by some strange inversion of time and common sense from those Runes, introduced, it is alleged, in the ninth century, by the Scandinavian sea-rovers. The site in which this inscription was found, a Mel, or unconsecrated burial ground, near the mountain of Mushery, affords of itself evidence of a Pagan origin. The stone forms one of several, deposited in the Cork Institution, which had been discovered in the course of long prosecuted researches by Mr.Windele and his friends, who have devoted themselves in an especial manner to the elucidation of this particular department of Irish archaeology. ST. PATRICK'S BELL.

Assuming that the inscription described belongs to the preChristian period, we now pass on to the next object of highest antiquity, the Clog an eadhachta Phatriac—the Bell of St. Patrick's Will or Testament—also called Campana Sancti Patricii. I t is a plain hand-bell of quadrangular form with rounded angles, and composed of two pieces of sheet-iron riveted together. I t had been externally coated over with an alloy resembling brass, and was held by a rude handle at top. The metal is much corroded, and a hole has been eaten through one of the sides. This article certainly possessed but small merit as a work of A r t ; not so, however, the

352 jewelled shrine, or reliquary which enclosed it. The best skill of the artists of its time has been lavished upon it, evincing the value set upon the relic itself. I t is ten-and-ahalf inches in height, and nearly six inches broad at foot. The ornamentation consists of scroll or fillagree work, in gold and silver gilt, representing crosses, birds, serpents, and snakes, the latter curiously and elegantly intertwined in folds and intricate knots; to these are added several gems, such as garnets, cornelians, the Irish diamond, or rock crystal, &c. On one of its sides is an Irish inscription, stating that the reliquary had been made for Donnell O'Loghlin, (King of Ireland, 1083,) and for Donnell, the successor of Patrick, and for Cathalan O'Maellchall, and the maer or keeper of it, and for Condulig O'lninairen with his sons, who covered it. The families of O'Mellan and Mullholland were its joint keepers down to 1441, when the sole custody was granted by the Archbishop of Armagh to the Mullhollands. By the last of this family, it was presented to the late Adam M'Clean of Belfast, from whose representatives it was purchased by the Eev. Dr. Todd, of Trinity College, Dublin, its present proprietor. On this bell and case, a very beautiful book has been written, by one of the ablest of our present antiquaries, the Rev. William Reeves, of Ballymena. Its history proves, if other evidence were wanting, that bells are of the highest antiquity in Ireland; but, beside this, we have it sufficiently well recorded, that hand-bells, at least, were very generally in use here from the first dawn of Christianity. St. Patrick, himself, was a large distributor of them. H e bestowed as many as fifty upon churches founded by him in Connaught. Wherever bells had apper­ tained to men eminent for holiness, they were preserved with peculiar veneration; oaths were frequently sworn upon them, and these oaths were often deemed more sacred than those taken upon the Holy Evangelists. The most ancient which have descended to us, are always small and quadrangular, fitted only to be rung by hand, as by the aistire, that is, bellringer or porter. None of those alleged to have been

353 suspended in Campaniles and Round Towers are now to be found. I t is right to observe, that Doctor Petrie possesses, in his museum, an ancient hand-bell which he represents as the veritable Bell of the Will, so that it is clear there must be a mistake somewhere. W e want the Doctor's evidence in support of his claims; of course, he does not advance them without authority to warrant them. TORQUES.

In a glass-case, set apart for the purpose, were exhibited six articles of gold, found in the year 1852, rolled up together in a Rath, on the lands of Herberstown, in the county of Limerick. After having been sold by the finder to a silver­ smith in Limerick, they were purchased from him by the Rev. Mr. O'Higgins of that city, who, fully estimating their value, placed them in the Cork Exhibition. These remains consist of one large Torquis, or neck ornament, and five armillse or bracelets. The whole were formed of long thin bands or strips of gold, rudely twisted spirally, and terminating in hooks of very simple design. The diameter of the Torquis is eight inches, of the armlets five, and of the bracelet two-anda-half, and the entire weighed between two and three ounces. Since the Exhibition these articles were purchased by Lord Londesborough for £30, and exhibited by his Lordship to the Society of Antiquaries on the 10th of February, 1853. Their antiquity is no cloubt of a very high date, as this species of personal ornament is recorded to have been worn, not only by the early Irish, but by the Celtic nations. The student of Roman History will remember that Titus Manlius, surnamed Torquatus, obtained his name from the trophy which he carried off from the neck of a gigantic Gaul, whom he had slain in single combat. Publius Cornelius collected from the Boii conquered by him, no less than 1,470 torques. The Irish monarch Cormac Mac Art wore, according to an old MS., a purple mantle fastened by a golden brooch (Liagh delg oir) with a golden torquis, (mum tore oir) around his neck. 2Y

354 BROOCHES.

Of brooches there was a very beautiful collection, in gold, silver, and. bronze, deposited in the Exhibition by Waterhouse, of Dublin. Several of these were ancient specimens, and some others very successful modern imitations. The extraordinary artistic ability displayed in the execution of the former, with which alone we have now to deal, afforded the most satisfac­ tory proof that in the fabrication of metallic articles, especially for ornamental purposes, the ancient Irish had attained the highest cultivated skill. The " Tara Brooch" was an object of special interest. This article was fabricated in white bronze. I t was found in 1850, on the sea shore near Drogheda, and, although sold for a trifle, has been since actually valued at £500. On its exhibition in the Royal Irish Aca­ demy, D r . Petrie read a very interesting descriptive paper, wherein he spoke in terms of the highest admiration, of its workmanship and the beauty of its ornamentation. It is covered with various patterns in filigree work, inlaid below the surface. Attached to it is a portion of a silver chain, of that peculiar construction known as trichinopoli work, so rarely to be met with and of such high antiquity. In this specimen both sides are equally ornamented. The designs of patterns exhibited no less than twenty-six varieties, some of which, to be sufficiently appreciated, must be studied through a lens of considerable power. They consist of amber, variegated glass, and carvings of the same material cast into the forms of the human face, gold rosette and examples of Niello. But what attaches an extraordinary interest to this Brooch is the startling fact, that " the gold wire, of which the inlaid designs of the front are made, and mounted on flat plates, has defied the best filigree workers of the present day to account for its manufacture; for, unlike works of Art in general, the more highly the Brooch is magnified, the more beautifully ingenious the work appears, developing patterns indiscernable to the naked eye." The oriental cha­ racter of this ornament also, it has been observed, adds a

355 still further confirmation to its acceptance as a work of Irish manufacture. R I N G MONEY.

Ill the large glass-case, upon the centre table, as also in collections exhibited by Sir Thomas Deane and Z. Hawkes, Esq. were several specimens of ancient bronze articles. One of these, placed on a card, exhibited a collection of the bronze King Money, annular and penannular, once current in Ire­ land. With these was shown, for illustration, a piece of African Ring Money, in iron, which, unless specially pointed out, would be regarded as one of the Irish species, so exactly similar was it in its form. The appropriation of this class of antiquities was long a difficulty to the Irish archaeologist. I n the old writings, gold and silver were always mentioned b y weight, and it was very questionable whether we had any coined money. Certain it was, that no specimens could be produced. Valiancy conjectured, arguing upon the evidence of Caesar that the money of the Britons consisted of Rings, that this also was the circulating medium of Ireland. The knowledge that such is the currency, at the present day, at Bonny and Senaar, on the Atlantic and Red Sea coasts of Africa, and had been that of Ceylon and Siam to a recent time, and, in ancient periods, that of Egypt and Assyria, has added positive confirmation to his hypothesis. This is further evident, in the ascertained fact, that all these Rings were graduated to a certain weight—the multiple of twelve. Whilst specimens in gold and bronze are numerous, those in silver are rather rare. There is considerable variety in their forms, and occasionally some are found carefully carved. The favourite ornament, in such cases, is the well-known chevron, or zig-zag pattern, so prevalent in all early Celtic remains. Mulcts, and penalties, stipends, tributes, and gifts, were usually paid in these Rings. One of our early princes, doubtless on account of his wealth, was called Rossa of the Rings; and some of the Northern invaders, because of their acquisitive practices, obtained the name of " Exactors of

356 Rings." This money was known by various denominations, as Unga, Fang, Boil-reann, &c., each probably indicative of a form or metal. I t was also used as an article of personal ornament, as a fastening to the mantle. One royal lady, named Boann, who gave name to the Boyne, " used to have her arm covered with rings of gold for bestowing them on poets." W e find, too, on the Assyrian sculptures the open ring employed as a clasp for the royal tunic. CELTS.

Another card contained various specimens of spear-heads and javelins; also, a very unique skean or dagger, and varieties of those perplexing articles, vaguely called Celts. One kind of Celt, always flat, and without socket or loop, is generally regarded as a hatchet. These are seldom of large size, and it is conjectured that they were attached to handles, somewhat in the same way that almost similar implements are fitted on, at the present day, in some parts of Africa, and in the Polynesian islands. One of these in the present collection, belonging to Mr. Hewitt, is of an ornamental description, being covered with rude en­ gravings, having been, probably, a favourite article with its ancient owner. Others of the Celts are fitted with sockets, and more with ears turned up at the sides, and central checks for the reception of handles. These were evidently domestic implements, used for handicraft purposes, as knives, chisels, gouges, &c. I n an Egyptian painting, a cook is depicted opening a fish with a Celt-like knife. The metal of which these several articles are composed has been found, on analysis, to be amalgamated in the justest proportions for securing permanency and flexibility. It admits of a fine polish, and is known to be admirably adapted for fabricating weapons, being tough, and capable of taking a hard and keen edge. Those competent to pro­ nounce in such matters declare that its composition evinces great metallurgic skill in its fabrication, and high mechanical perceptions on the part of those who cast it.

357 TRUMPETS.

In the same case were portions of the large Stoc, or bronze Trumpet, belonging to Messrs. Herrick and Windele. Although now incomplete, the parts preserved show what the proportions and power of the original instruments must have been. They were found in a turf bog, with other similar remains, the relics, doubtless, of an ancient brass hand. One of them had, at the broad extremity, the orna­ mental cone spike, similar to those on the Bandon Mazer, hereafter described. The other, Mr. Herrick's, consists of two parts, a curved and a straight joint, the latter having rings for suspension attached; the seams in this were united, not by rivets, but as if they had been brazed. We associate with these ancient horns, those old times redolent of romance and deeds of high emprise, when the celebrated Fenian legions or the no less renowned sons of Degaid, or Dalgais, hunted the wild deer in the sounding woods or on the hill side; or when warrior kings, " With, banner of green unfurl'd, Led the Red-branch Knights to danger."

Stewart, in his history of Armagh, describes a perfect trumpet of this class, which, on being sounded by a modern dragoon trumpeter, gave out a deep hoarse tone, which was heard for an immense distance around. Walker, in his Paper on Irish Musical Instruments, says, that the stoc was used at the summit of Bound Towers, to summon the Sun-worshippers of old to the sacrifices. BALLYDEHOB TUBE.

A singular trumpet-shaped wooden tube, contributed to the Exhibition by J . W . Clarke, Esq., of Skibbereen, excited much speculation as to its use, although there could be but little doubt as to its remote era. I t measured about three feet, and consisted of two joints, a larger and smaller, the latter being only about three inches in length. I t was formed of yew, hollowed throughout, and had an open slit,

358 extending down the inner curve, for about two-thirds of its length. I t was discovered in the shaft of an ancient copper-mine, near Ballydehob, of whose working there is no record. On re-opening the shaft, in 1846, it was found filled with the rubbish of the original operations, and the upper surface was covered over with some feet of turf. At the bottom of the cutting, stone-hammers were discovered, and the remains of a primative ladder, about twenty feet in length, formed, out of the solid oak, and notched, so as to constitute rude steps. The whole have been referred to the period of the Phoenician intercourse with Ireland. COIRE.

Not the least interesting portion of the archaeological col­ lection, was a group of ancient bronze mazers, of various sizes and proportions, but all probably coeval. The majority of these were the property of our own eminent numismatist, John Lindsay, Esq., the well-known author of so many works on the Irish, Saxon, and Scottish coinage. These vessels had but little pretension to any attempt at decora­ tion. The larger of them was wide and open on the upper surface, rather circular in form, measuring about two feet in diameter, and in depth somewhat less than one foot. A series of rude punchings, oblique and vertical, which covered the whole surface, were the only attempts at orna­ ment. I t had neither handles to be held by,' nor feet to stand upon. Another mazer, of somewhat about the same proportions as that just described, came from the collection of the Earl of Bandon, and from its symmetry of form, and superio­ rity of execution, attracted very deserved attention. This beautiful vessel was found in June, 1845, beneath eighteen feet of turf, in a bog, at Derry, the estate of Lord Bandon, near the village of Inniskean. I t is circular at the upper surface, and oval beneath, seventeen inches in diameter, and eleven-and-a-half inches in height, weighs nine-and-a-half pounds, and contains seven gallons, seven pints. I t is formed

359 of four courses of thin plates, the three upper consisting of two pieces each, fastened by rivets, terminating on the ex­ terior in ranges of projecting cones or spikes, which produce a very handsome effect. Two fluted ring-handles, of wellexecuted patterns, four-and-a-half inches in diameter, and moveable in two ears, are attached to a carved flange or rim turned outwards, which runs round the open margin at its mouth, and is two-and-one-eighth inches in breadth. In inspecting this vessel, one is struck by the peculiarly Etruscan grace of its outline, and if it were not for the unmistakeable characteristics of its workmanship, and espe­ cially the cone-shaped ornaments, which occur also on our ancient trumpets and other implements, it would not be difficult to imagine for it a foreign origin. But the Coire or brazen mazer, or caldron, is a well-known article of ancient Irish and Gaelic economy. I t is alike celebrated in the annals, romances, and legends, as used in the religious, magical, and festive rites. A high value was set upon it, according to its superior capacity and workmanship, and we find it given and received in payments, tributes, gifts, and stipends. A coire such as this under description, found at a depth of twelve feet below the surface of a bog, at Lisdromturk, in the county of Monaghan, in 1834, is en­ graven in Mr. Shirley's work on the Dominion of Farney. Another was dug up, a few years since, from a depth of fourteen feet below the surface of another bog, near Donaghadee, a few years since, and there are some specimens preserved in the Royal Irish Academy Museum. METHEK.

Besides the bronzes lay a small wooden vessel, known in old times by the name of Metlier. The body is of a square taper form, broad at the top and terminating in a circle at the end, and from each of its four flat sides an open handle projects. The surface was covered with incised oblique lines, crossing each other, forming a simple sort of ornament. As the old Irish were remarkable for their

360 hospitality and convivial propensities, and were much given to revelling, and the consumption, on such occasions, of various liquids—ales, aqua vitae, mead, and foreign imported wines, we might expect to find many remains of their drink­ ing vessels; yet such is not the case. Probably the materials were not calculated to endure much wear and tear. No­ tices, however, of such vessels, are frequeut in the old literature, as, for instance, in the poem of " The Chase of Slieve Gullin," where the fair enchantress appears:— " A chalice s h e b o r e of a n g l e d m o u l d , A n d sparkling rich w i t h gems a n d gold."

Last year one of those articles was presented to the Royal Irish Academy; it bore, on each corner, certain astrological and symbolical signs, and also, the name of Dermot Tully, and the date 1590; showing that vessels of this description were in use u p to so late a period. The present wooden " m u g s , " in use amongst the peasantry, seem analogous to the ancient Mether, save that the form is rotund and better adapted for drinking out of. They are probably improve­ ments on the olden drinking vessels, which should be used only at the angles. The exhibition Mether is of Sallywood, and belongs to the Rev. Doctor Nelligan, There are several of the kind, but of much larger dimensions in the Academy Museum. The measure, or capacity, of this was somewhat about a pint. CROSS O F C O N G .

To the twelfth century belongs the Cross of Cong, which is far and away the most valued treasure belonging to the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy. A beautiful and most accurate water-colour drawing of it was placed in the Exhibition, and from its striking fidelity, if any pictorial representation could be accepted as a sufficient substitute, this well might. The original magnificent relic, which is a proud testimonial in favour of the advanced progress attained in Art by the Irish of that period, was purchased for one hundred guineas by the late lamented Dr. M'Cullagh,

361 and by him generously presented to the Academy. I t s history is preserved upon it, in several inscriptions in Latin and Irish, which state that it was executed by Maelisa Mac Bratdan O'Echan, as a shrine for a portion of the true Cross which had been presented to the monarch, Turlogh O'Conor, in 1123, and which is supposed to be still contained under the crystal in its centre. I t was preserved in the Abbey of Cong, in the County of Galway, down to the suppression and abandonment of that house, and subsequently amongst the members of its Order, (the Augustinian,) to a recent period. As a work of Art, no other article of its time that has descended to us, could compete with it in value. I t is a lasting monu­ ment of the skill and taste of a period whose written history would hardly lead one to expect so much excellence. I t is covered with a profusion of minute and most elaborate devices, tracery, grotesque animals, &c. the execution of which must have been a work involving an immense amount of labour. CROZIER.

A Crozier, the workmanship of the same century, sent for exhibition by the Duke of Devonshire, was placed in a handsome coped glass-case in the Fine Arts Hall. Its length was about four feet, and its material was apparently copper with the high colour of remote age. The Crook is of a simple antique form, and under it, on a raised band, is an Irish inscription, recording that it had been made for Nial, the son of Aeducain, by Nectan, the artist. This Nial was bishop of Lismore, and died in 1112: Ware has his death in 1113. The execution and style of ornament of this antique relic are in strict accordance with the Cross of Cong, the Bell-shrine, and Tara Brooch. Thus each sustains the antiquity of the other, by unmistakeable charac­ teristics, and, although we know that the age to which they belong was an era of convulsion and demoralization, when the country was torn with dissentions, and groaned under the miseries of foreign invasion and domestic turbulence, 2z

362 yet, it is highly interesting thus to be assured that, even then, products of national Art betrayed neither decline nor deterioration. HARPS.

Nor was our National instrument—that which Ireland, at every period of her chequered career, has been so proud the Harp—forgotten in this remarkable National Ex­ hibition. Two specimens lay on the table for inspection. One the Clarseach, or great H a r p , certainly modern, but constructed rigidly on the ancient model, the other, the Cfuit or hand H a r p , a cast taken from the, so called, Brien Boru H a r p , in the Museum of Trinity College. The Clarseach has thirty-two strings; the Cruit twentyeight. The former was manufactured in Drogheda, some years since, for the Rev. Mr. Bourke, of that town; who, actuated b y a fine feeling of nationality, and a love of his country's beautiful music, was desirous of restoring the use of the H a r p , and combining it with the temperance move­ ment, which he ardently favoured. His premature death terminated these projects, and the revival of the Harp must now await " those other times and other men" which poor Emmet hoped for his country. This H a r p belongs to Mr. Windele. The smaller H a r p was long credulously believed to have belonged to the monarch Brian Boroimhe, which consequently gave it the respectable antiquity of over 800 years; the history of its transmission and its conveyance to Rome, where it lay, deposited in the Vatican, until the grateful Pope presented it to the " Defender of the Faith," before truth had beamed on him from Bullen's eyes," and the subsequent detail of its perigrinations, until its location in our Irish Vatican, at Dublin, is all very circumstantially told. But, unfortunately for its age and original royal ownership, it is now ascertained, that it was manufactured for the O'Neils of the North, and probably in the fourteenth century. The escutcheons upon it, and other details, leave no doubt upon this head. Nevertheless, it is quite a

363 venerable relic of antiquity, and its elegant symmetry of form, and the care with which i t was finished, and orna­ mented, are most creditable to its artist and period, and may well justify our boast, that we have such an instru­ ment to exhibit. Indeed, our music and musical instruments are a just cause of national pride to Irishmen. I f there was any thing peculiarly distinctive i n the Irish beyond their neighbours, it was i n their excellence in the two kindred arts of poetry and melody. I t is true, that i n learning and holiness, in the zeal of our missionaries, the generous hospitality to strangers, in imparting instruction, food and raiment, Ireland stood distinguished for ages, b u t her musical celebrity even exceeded t h a t ; as a " land of song" neither ancient Languedoc nor modern Italy excelled her. Old Hecateus, even before the dawn of Christianity, pointed to our shores, then resonant with the songs of the Harp, chaunted to the praise of the Sun-deity, by worship­ ping druids. I n the first division of their island of destiny, by the conquering sons of Milesius, the rival brothers contended for the possession of the poet and harper who accompanied them from sunny Spain, and the latter fell to Heber, with his province of Munster, and hence came the boast of aftertimes, that in music and the H a r p this province excelled all the rest of Ireland. W e have, at Ullard in the county of Kilkenny, an ancient sculpture of the seventh century, in which is an example of the H a r p , without a fore-pillar, which exactly assimilates that instru­ ment to some discovered b y Bruce i n Egypt, and clearly bears out the oriental origin ascribed to our early colonists. As affecting the character of our ancient population, our music has also its great value. I t is unquestionably a national monument, bearing upon it, strongly, the impress of the poeple's progress, as i t reflects their mental culture, in speaking their feelings and sentiments. A people with whom music had attained the perfection i t did in Ireland, could not have been savage, as their revilers would fain make believe, and they must have advanced far in civilization.

364 K I L F A N E EFFIGY.

I n an angle of the south-east compartment, placed beneath the stained glass window, lay the cast of a cross-legged knight, taken from an ancient monumental figure in the old Church of Kilfane, County Kilkenny. I t was forwarded b y the Kilkenny Archseological Association, with the object of being presented to the Cork Institution after the close of the Exhibition. The figure is attired in chain armour, and bears on its left breast, a long shield, charged with four annulets, a canton ermine; the arms of the Cantwell or D e Cantaville family, an early Norman race, settled in Kilkenny and Tipperary. The figure, which presents an interesting specimen of the monumental sculpture, and the armour of the fourteenth century, is conjectured to repre­ sent Thomas D e Cantwell, who flourished in or about the year 1319, and is supposed to have founded the Church of Kilfane. RALEIGH.

A handsome Irish oak cabinet, belonging to Mr. John Eustace of Youghal, was described by its owner, as a " Por­ tion of the furniture of Sir W. Raleigh," but what the evidence for this ascription may be, does not appear. Raleigh was certainly Mayor of Youghal in 1588, the duties of which office he however discharged by deputy, and tra­ dition says he resided fqr two or three years at Myrtle Grove, the old College-house of early times; but beyond this, little more is known of Raleigh's connection with Youghal. His military career in Ireland was not much to his credit. His participation in the cold-blooded massacre at Fort del Or, and his base ingratitude to the unfortunate Lord Roche, redound but little to the reputation of this daring adventurer; but these are matters which his biogra­ phers would gloss over, dazzled as they are by the lustre of his discoveries, his accomplishments and his association with Spenser, and moved to compassion by his unmerited

365 sufferings. Out of the forfeited property of the house of Desmond, he contrived to obtain a grant of 42,000 acres which he subsequently sold to the acquisitive first Earl of Cork, from whom a large portion of it has descended to the Duke of Devonshire. A N C I E N T SEALS.

Mr. B. Caulfield exhibited various impressions in wax and gutta percha, of ancient Irish Cathedral and capitular Seals, illustrated by the modern armorial bearings of the sees to which they appertained. Some of these were as early as the thirteenth century. Mr. Caulfield's principal design, in exhibiting these, had reference to a work, then intended and since partly published on the subject. H e hoped by this means to awaken attention to a class of Irish antiquities hitherto much and unaccountably neglected. The armorial bearings of the dioceses having been frequently changed, not only before but since the Eeformation, presented many difficulties in his researches; the Bishops often changing them without any apparent authority from the Herald's College. One object therefore of his enquiries was, as to the quarter whence this privilege was obtained. A collection of all those now accessible would, indeed, possess much interest historically and heraldically. I t has hitherto been believed, that Ireland possesses no seals anterior to the Anglo Norman invasion, certainly none have been hitherto discovered. But when it is borne in mind that seals were used by the Anglo Saxons, and that, owing to the close intercourse existing between them and the Irish, much of the arts, literature, and practices belonging to one was common to the other people ; it may not be too much to hope, that when these remains are more enquired after, that it may be found that the Irish were not behind their Saxon neighbours in this particular department. I n such hands as M r . Caulfield's, this subject will, no doubt, meet with that critical and earnest attention which it has hitherto failed so unaccountably to receive from our antiquaries.

366 MISCELLANEOUS.

Several articles of a later period, deserving of our atten­ tion, present themselves for review; but it is felt that we should far exceed the limits which we have prescribed to these notices, were we to do more than glance at them. Two curious specimens of old oak panelling in excellent preservation, were exhibited. One of these formed a portion of a rood screen, in an old church of the city of Waterford, and was found in 1851, built u p in a brick partition, in a cellar of the Deanery-house, and was sent in by the Dean of Waterford. To the same reverend gentleman, also, belonged a small glass-case, containing several ancient paper documents, with the autograph of the ill-fated Essex, the luckless favourite of the Virgin Queen; another of the infamous confiscator of Connaught, the subsequently decapitated Wentworth Earl of Stradford; and another of the more fortunate, first Lord Cork, called by the worshippers of prosperity, the " Great" Earl, doubtless because of the magnitude of his acquisitions, growing out of very small beginnings. Here were also some old encaustic tiles from Waterford, several so misnamed, " Danish smoaking pipes," an iron cast of a sceptred king, in Roman costume, quaintly an­ nounced, in an old foot inscription, to be a representation of " The most renowned Brien Boiroimhe, who governed ye isle in peace, and through his reign, the Irish were a brave and wealthy people, and wars and discord ceased,"— an Arcadian picture, but pity it is that it cannot be en­ dorsed by the muse of history. Messrs. Hewitt and Tooker exhibited several manuscript volumes of Irish literature, written in a beautiful but modern hand. Their execution evinced that the ancient reputation of the Irish scribes—some of whose performances had ap­ peared miracles of Art to Cambrensis, had not entirely departed. I n the present decay of the Irish language, when by some of the organs of the Royal Irish Academy,

361 we are told that, there now only exist two Irish scholars, it is pleasant to find that even in the South, there still may be found scribes whose writings bear no evidence of the alleged decay. Indeed, the assertion referred to, although conveying a very deserved tribute to the merits of the learned gentleman pointed at, is really unwarranted by the fact, and unjust to many other cultivators of the national literature. Mr. Sainthill exhibited the Corporation Grace Cup, a tall graceful glass vase with moveable cover, the whole somewhat about two feet in height, standing on a short and slender pedestal. The body of the Cup was elegantly|festooned with grapes and vine leaves, and on it was inscribed " Prosperity to the Corporation of Cork." This handsome article, from the style of its execution, seemed to be referrible to the middle of the last century and the palmy days of the now defunct Corporation, in whose social reunions and compotations at the Old Mansion-house, it no doubt fulfilled import­ ant duties. H e also exhibited a curiously carved oaken pannel, found in 1828, on pulling down an ancient house in the South Main-street, Cork, which had stone-mullioned windows, ornamented ceilings, and other marks of medieval times, and was said to have been the house where King James II. rested while in this city. This pannel was discovered in a recess in one of the walls, which had been filled up with a variety of articles, conglomerated into one mass by mortar. The carving seemed to have formed one of a series of subjects—the edges being regularly bevelled. The subject represents Two Tritons in a swimming attitude, upholding between them a branch or flower, and each flourishing a trident of four prongs. The busts are human, with flowing curls and beards, and their lower extremities those of fishes, with curved tails from which issue formidable stings. On the back is deeply cut in the oak A.D., 1504, now much worm-eaten, and thereby proving its contemporary authen­ ticity. Mr. Sainthill bought it from the finder at the price of two guineas. The carving is in the most perfect state of preservation. 3A

368 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS. i am happy to have this opportunity of supplying, in some degree, in the following chapters, the manifest deficiency of the mere hurried allusions which i have already made to two subjects of great and even paramount interest to this country—namely, Flax and Beet Sugar. Since the few pages were written in which I referred to these two subjects, and which were simply meant to serve the pur­ poses of a popular lecture, in which a vast number of topics were to be touched upon, more or less lightly, a consid­ erable advance has been made with respect to both. Flax Markets have been held in several places in the South and West of Ireland ; and the experiment of making sugar from native roots has been made on an extensive scale, and with success. These are facts of such importance in the Industrial Movement of the hour, that I have no hesitation in exceeding the intended limits of this work, for the pur­ pose of placing them on record. I n reference to the Sugar question, I shall place infor­ mation of considerable value before the reader, not only from official documents, b u t also through the ready assistance of a distinguished friend, who has devoted much attention to the subject. Besides these two subjects, to which I devote separate chapters, I am in a position to afford ample information in reference to the great discovery of the present day— the existence of mineral salt in Ireland ; which I do through the kindness and courtesy of the Marquis of Down shire, who was good enough to favour me with a communication which will be read with the deepest interest, not only from the intelligence which it conveys, but from the genuine Irish spirit in which it is written. I also devote a chapter to a new branch of Irish industry— the Manufacture of Cheese ; and, in doing so, I think I shall adduce such evidence as to the character and quality of the article already manufactured, as must satisfy the reader

369 that good Cheese can be made in Ireland, and that, being made in Ireland, it ought to find a ready consumption in Ireland. I commence with— F L A X MARKETS A N D F L A X MILLS.

Since the greater portion of this book was written, I have witnessed a spectacle which has afforded me the liveliest pleasure, in as much as it denoted another and important step in advance, and, moreover, was a fitting sequel to the Exhibition which I have described. I allude to the open­ ing of a Flax Market in this city, on Friday, the 4th of February 1853, and in that portion of the same building in which were displayed the most beautiful of those fabrics for which the Northern Province of Ireland has become world-famous. The first great difficulty which stood in the way of the grower of Flax, was the want of a mill to scutch it, and a buyer to purchase i t ; but there was another difficulty, which stood equally in the path of the grower and the scutcher,—the absence of a market for its sale, when grown and when scutched. Though vastly diminished in its bulk by preparation, Flax was still a costly article to send to any considerable distance—for instance, 200 miles or more—in search of a market; and this difficulty had the effect of deterring many from encouraging the growth of the crop, or promoting the erection of mills. Happily, this difficulty no longer exists, and therefore can no longer be pleaded as an excuse for not growing a crop for which the demand is inexhaustable, and which, if grown and prepared with ordinary care, must always prove amply remunerative to the grower. It is stated, on authority, that the home consumption of Flax is from 100,000 to 120,000 tons annually ; and yet the home supply in 1851 did not exceed 35,000, or the produce of 140,000 acres. I t is therefore clear, that Ireland requires, for the annual supply of her own manufactures, somewhere

370 .about 80,000 tons more of Flax—or the produce, in all, of nearly 400,000 acres. And not only is there an almost limitless home market, but a considerable quantity of Irish Flax is sent to France; the spinners of which country estimate at a high value the produce of our soil, which is adapted to the growth of the finest quality of this valu­ able crop. The export of Flax to France was not less than 1,200 tons in 1852, the total exports for that year being about 6,000 tons. I t is not necessary, in order to satisfy the Irish grower that the demand for Flax cannot b y any possibility diminish, to refer to the changes which have been more than foreshadowed by recent experiments, b y which it has been proved that Flax prepared on certain principles, may be applied to the purposes to which cotton has been for years applied. If this change be brought about, and there is no valid reason to doubt its probability, the supply of Flax necessary for the annual consumption of Man­ chester alone, would require the growth of 700,000 acres of land. But these speculations are not necessary, in order to direct the Irish farmer's attention to the importance of Flax as a crop ; for there is this great fact—that the mills of Ulster annually consume more than three times the quan­ tity of Flax grown in Irish soil—a fact which sets all doubt or uncertainty at rest. The value of a local Flax Market is this—it enables the farmer to obtain the highest price for his produce, and it renders him completely independent of the scutcher, who, were there no such market in existence, might purchase the crop at his own terms, and much to the prejudice, not only of the interests of the seller, but to the progress of the movement. There is, however, nothing in the exist­ ence of local markets to prevent the miller from purchasing the erop of the grower ; but if the miller purchase, it must be on more favourable terms to the grower than if there were no means of fixing a standard value, which the market does. If the market be held even four times a-year, the grower can send a portion of his crop every three months for

371 sale, after having paid the scutcher his price for its pre­ paration, or covenanted with him for its payment. Besides, once that there is an easy means of disposing of any quantity of prepared Flax, there is an inducement given to speculators to erect scutching-mills ; and the greater the number of mills which exist, the greater certainty that the grower shall have a fair return for his money, and that the process of prepa­ ration for the market shall be accomplished at fairer rates. And if the local market gain a reputation for the superiority of the Flax sold in it, its fame will soon induce a more numerous attendance of purchasers, who are always on the look out for the "best article, and who are quite willing to pay the highest prices in order to obtain it for their manu­ facture. Therefore, in order to effect these most desir­ able results, the farmer must devote the greatest care and attention to the growth of his Flax, and the miller must avail himself of every means by which he can bring the fibre to the highest state of perfection. The importance of a Flax-market being thus exhibited, the reader will understand with what gratification the people of the South and West beheld them established in various places,— Cork, Limerick, Galway, New Ross, Athlone, &c.—through the exertions of the Boyal Flax Society, and its active secretary, Mr. Macadam. The quantity of Flax exhibited in Cork was about thirty-five tons, which was disposed of at various prices, ranging from four shillings and nine-pence up to eleven shillings per stone. The latter was the highest price of the day, and was obtained by Lord Yiscount Bernard, who has zealously promoted the growth of Flax not only on his estates but also in his locality. Mr. John O'Brien, who was one of the first to sow on an extensive scale, obtained ten shillings and six-pence for his Flax ; Mr. Allman, Bandon, ten shillings ; Mr. Morty Downing, Skibbereen, ten shillings; and a working farmer from Ballyneen, nine shillings. Ten tons from Mr. Dargan's mill were sold at six shillings and nine-pence per stone. Messrs. Pim, Youghal, sold forty-eight cwts. at six shillings and eight-pence; and other gentlemen,

372 including Mr. Cagney and Mr. Cummins, sold at lower prices. Flax scutched on the dry principle, brought £45 a ton. The highest price was £77, and the average about £60. Amongst the Northern buyers, either present or represented, were Messrs. Richardson Brothers, Belfast ; Messrs. Rich­ ardson, Lisburn ; Charles Daffin and Company, Belfast; Carter and Martin, Belfast; Stewart and Savage, Lisburn, and other eminent manufacturers. I may state that the testimony offered by the Northern buyers as to the character and quality of the Flax exhibited was of the most cheering kind, and calculated to inspirit both growers and scutchers to greater exertions and to greater care. But the promoters of the Flax movement should not deceive themselves with the idea that all difficulties have been now surmounted, and that nothing more remains to be done. This would, indeed, be a lamentable mistake. Enough only has been done to show how greater things can be accomplished; but if there be any pause made at such a period, it were as well that nothing whatever had been done. The cry should be from henceforward for more Flax, and more Mills—for more farmers to grow Flax, and more millers to scutch it when grown. Mr. Macadam has stated that in one parish of Donegal, there are twenty-two scutching-mills —a larger number than there are, at this moment, in the entire province of Munster! I s there any reason why we should not have one in every parish of the Southern and "Western provinces of Ireland? Acre for acre, these portions of the island are as suited to grow good Flax as the land of Ulster; and there is no reason why the cultivation of this crop should not, with the advantages of near and ready markets, prove as profitable in the one district as in the other. Since the foregoing pages were written, the following letter has been addressed by Mr. Macadam to Lord Viscount Bernard, as Chairman of the Bandon Flax Society, in re­ ference to the local Flax-markets to which I have adverted; and I look upon it as so important in the information which

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,

373

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it affords, as well as the advice which it imparts, that I gladly give it a place in this work. I t runs thus:— t, 12tli February,

1853.

" MY LOUD—Being n o w i n p o s s e s s i o n o f t h e r e s u l t s of t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l markets f o r t h e s a l e of flax, j u s t t e r m i n a t e d i n t h e s o u t h e r n a n d w e s t e r n towns, t h e C o m m i t t e e h a v e d i r e c t e d m e t o l a y b e f o r e t h e B a n d o n F l a x Association, t h r o u g h y o u r L o r d s h i p , s o m e s u g g e s t i o n s w h i c h , o n c o n s u l t a t i o n with t h e s p i n n e r s w h o s e n t b u y e r s t o t h o s e m a r k e t s , t h e y c o n s i d e r u s e f u l for f u t u r e g u i d a n c e . " W h i l e f u l l y acknowledging t h e excellent spirit manifested i n all t h e localities v i s i t e d , a n d t h e i n t e r e s t w h i c h t h i s a t t e m p t t o afford l o c a l m e a n s of sale for t h e flax fibre p r o d u c e d i n t h e s e localities, a p p e a r e d t o e x c i t e a m o n g landed p r o p r i e t o r s a n d f a r m e r s , t h e b u y e r s f e e l t h a t i t r e s t s w i t h t h e a g r i c u l ­ tural c o m m u n i t y of t h e s o u t h a n d w e s t t o d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r t h e s e m a r k e t s shall b e c o n t i n u e d , a n d a t w h a t i n t e r v a l s of t i m e .

r

" A l t h o u g h i t m a y a p p e a r t o y o u t h a t t h e t w e n t y - f i v e t o n s of flax w h i c h appeared i n C o r k M a r k e t — t h e b e s t s u p p l i e d of t h e r o u n d * — w a s w o r t h y the a t t e n t i o n of t h e t r a d e , I m u s t f a i r l y s a y t h a t b u y e r s w i l l n o t b e i n d u c e d to come o f t e n a m o n g y o u , u n l e s s t h i s q u a n t i t y b e g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d i n f u t u r e . " W h e n y o u c o n s i d e r t h a t t h e m a r k e t s of A r m a g h , T a n d r a g e e , B a l l i b a y , Derry, M a g h e r a , K i l r e a , &c., i n t h e N o r t h , i n t h e b u s y p a r t of t h e season, often s h o w , e a c h , o n e h u n d r e d t o t w o h u n d r e d t o n s of flax, w e e k l y , a n d that t h e y c a n b e r e a c h e d , t h e b u s i n e s s t r a n s a c t e d , a n d t h e b u y e r s a g a i n i n Belfast, i n t h e c o u r s e of a s i n g l e d a y , y o u w i l l r e a d i l y c o n c e i v e t h a t a n absence of t e n d a y s , i n t h e S o u t h a n d W e s t , d u r i n g w h i c h e i g h t o r t e n buyers o n l y o b t a i n e d fifty t o n s of flax, i s b o t h i n c o n v e n i e n t a n d e x p e n s i v e .

* O n t h e occasion of t h e a b o v e l e t t e r b e i n g r e a d , L o r d B e r n a r d s a i d :— " N o w , w i t h r e g a r d t o t h a t , i t s h o u l d b e b o r n e i n m i n d , i n t h e first p l a c e , t h a t a great d e a l of t h e p r e p a r e d flax h a d b e e n a l r e a d y s e n t b y r a i l w a y t o B e l f a s t ; and, i n t h e s e c o n d p l a c e , t h e r e w a s a g r e a t d e a l of flax s t e e p e d a n d r e a d y t o be s c u t c h e d , b u t w h i c h i t w a s i m p o s s i b l e t o s c u t c h b e f o r e t h e m a r k e t t o o k place. B e s i d e s , w h i l e o n t h e o n e h a n d t h e B e l f a s t s p i n n e r s m i g h t n a t u r a l l y have e x p e c t e d , a t a f u t u r e t i m e , a l a r g e q u a n t i t y i n t h e m a r k e t ; o n t h e o t h e r hand, t h e p r o d u c e r s of t h e flax, u n t i l t h e y s a w t h a t a m a r k e t w a s l i k e l y t o be successfully e s t a b l i s h e d , h a d n o t w o r k e d u p a s m u c h a s t h e y w o u l d a t a f u t u r e p e r i o d . H e ( L o r d B e r n a r d ) also u n d e r s t o o d t h a t a b o u t t w o t o n s of flax h a d a c t u a l l y b e e n p u r c h a s e d i n t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d of B a l l y n e e n , s i n c e t h e m a r k e t t o o k place, b y g e n t l e m e n f r o m t h e N o r t h of I r e l a n d . T h e r e w a s another m a t t e r w h i c h w a s also s a t i s f a c t o r y . I n t h e s p e e c h w h i c h M r . Richardson, t h e e m i n e n t s p i n n e r , d e l i v e r e d i n G a l w a y , h e m e n t i o n e d t h a t £4-5 a t o n w a s p a i d f o r t h e flax p r o d u c e d i n N e w B o s s ; i n L i m e r i c k , £ 5 6 a ton w a s p a i d f o r fine, a n d £ 3 2 10s. f o r coarse ; i n A t h l o n e , i t p r o d u c e d £ 4 0 per t o n , w h i l e t h e C o r k flax p r o d u c e d £ 4 9 p e r t o n f o r c o a r s e , a n d u p t o £ 7 0 a ton for f i n e . "

91 ; « 11

1 1

If

' 1

374 " T h e r e i s a m o n g t h e n o r t h e r n flax-spinners, t h e b e s t disposition to waive, i n t h e b e g i n n i n g , t o a g r e a t e x t e n t , consideration of profit, b u t i t would be w r o n g t o s t a t e t h a t t h e y could contemplate s e n d i n g t h e i r buyers frequently t o d i s t a n t p a r t s of t h e c o u n t r y , unless c e r t a i n of o b t a i n i n g flax i n quantities s o m e w h a t m o r e a p p r o x i m a t i n g t o w h a t t h e y a r e i n t h e h a b i t of getting near home. " F r o m t h e s e explanations, y o u m a y d r a w t h e i n f e r e n c e t h a t vigorous steps s h o u l d b e t a k e n t o increase t h e cultivation of t h e flax c r o p i n y o u r county, and a s a n indispensable s t e p t o w a r d s enabling f a r m e r s t o cultivate i t with profit, t h a t t h e l a n d l o r d s of C o r k s h o u l d endeavour t o p r o v i d e scutch mills on the o n e h a n d , w h e r e t h e flax g r o w n a n d steeped b y i n d i v i d u a l farmers might be c h e a p l y a n d efficiently p r e p a r e d f o r t h e s p i n n e r ; a n d , o n t h e other hand, r e tter ies, w h e r e growers w h o p r e f e r r e d disposing of t h e s t r a w from the field m i g h t readily find a p u r c h a s e r . " I t w i l l b e t h u s a p p a r e n t t o all w h o a d m i t t h e i m p o r t a n c e of establishing t h e c u l t u r e of t h e flax c r o p o n a p e r m a n e n t basis, a n d of affording a new source of profit t o t h e f a r m e r s of t h e s o u t h a n d w e s t of Ireland, t h a t at no f o r m e r p e r i o d h a v e s o m a n y facilities b e e n combined for enabling this t r u l y n a t i o n a l o b j e c t t o b e accomplished w i t h success. I f scutch mills and retteries b e erected, a n d a l a r g e b r e a d t h of flax p u t d o w n , t h e flax-spinners n o t o n l y of U l s t e r , b u t of E n g l a n d a n d S c o t l a n d , w i l l b e o f t e n seen in your m a r k e t s . I a m a u t h o r i s e d t o s t a t e t h a t , according t o t h e supply likely to be b r o u g h t f o r w a r d , t h e B e l f a s t s p i n n e r s a r e p r e p a r e d t o h o l d yearly, half y e a r l y , o r q u a r t e r l y m a r k e t s , a n d t o p a y prices f o r t h e different qualities of flax, e q u a l t o t h o s e t h e y a r e p a y i n g a t t h e m o m e n t i n t h e markets of tho North. " I t r e m a i n s w i t h l a n d e d pr opr ietor s t o e n d e a v o u r t o secure a large sowing t h i s y e a r , b y providing seed f o r t h e i r t e n a n t s , as s o m a n y Ulster landlords a r e i n t h e h a b i t of doing, a n d t o u s e e v e r y effort for t h e establishment of s c u t c h mills a n d r e t t e r i e s . " I have t h e honour t o be, m y Lord, " Y o u r v e r y ob edient a n d h u m b l e servant, " J A M E S MACADAM, Hon.

Sec.

" T h e R i g h t H o n . L o r d "Viscount B e r n a r d , M . P . ' '

The latter paragraph of Mr. Macadam's letter offers a fitting introduction to the following sketch of a private scutching mill, erected by an Irish landlord in the very centre of his demesne, and all the operations of which are carried on under his own management and inspection. It will be seen that Mr. Roche did not wait for a local market before he grew his Flax, or before he erected and worked his mill; but that, after having done both the one and the other, he opened up a market for his produce, on his own

375 account, and by'his own enterprise. I would then call the attention of the reader to the following description of T H E TRABOLGAN F L A X MILL.

Mr. Roche commenced his arduous undertaking on the 1st of September 1852, and was at full work in the following December. The mill, Avhich, estimating its extent by the number of stocks it contains, is larger than almost any other mill in Ireland, is capable of considerable extension. The machinery consists of twenty-four stocks, with a break for crushing the Flax, and a set of powerful rollers, for detaching the seed—all driven by a steam-engine of twenty-five horse­ power. The Flax is treated entirely on the dry principle, which is simple in its process, and sure in the result. The straw is first taken from the stack—many a goodly row of which is to be seen in a spacious haggard; it is then carried to the mill, where it is seeded, by being passed rapidly through the rollers, and then beaten against stands of timber frame-work, by which the crushed bol, or pod, is completely deprived of what seed has escaped the roller. The Flax then undergoes a drying process, in a room artificially heated; after which it is taken to the breaking machine, through which it is passed, by which process the straw is prepared for the scutcher. I t is then sent down, by a wooden shoot, into the scutching-mill, where it is supplied by a number of attendants to the scutchers, who submit it to the last process, by which the shove, or woody particle, is separated from the fibre, and the Flax is brought to any quality that the propri­ etor may choose, according to the particular market to which it is destined. The scutched Flax is then taken by women to the tying-house, where it is made up in bundles, packed in bales, and prepared for immediate shipment.* The waste, or tow, * N o t h i n g t h a t I h a v e seen d u r i n g t h e progress of t h e p r e s e n t I n d u s t r i a l Movement, i m p r e s s e d m e m o r e vividly w i t h a sense of p l e a s u r e , a s w e l l a s a consciousness of a beneficial change, a s t h e spectacle w h i c h I witnessed one fine m o r n i n g i n t h e m o n t h of J a n u a r y 1853. A t a n e a r l y h o u r o n t h a t morning, I b e h e l d , o n t h e little p i e r of t h e r e m o t e a n d b u t rarely f r e q u e n t e d S B

376 is passed through a machine suited to its preparation, which is driven by the steam-engine, being thus cleaned to a con­ siderable extent, and rendered fit for market, to be afterwards manufactured into various coarse articles. Owing to the combination of a portion of the farming establishment with the Flax-mill, nothing goes in waste, but everything is turned to the best account. Immediately attached to this concern, is the corn-barn, the thrashing machine of which is driven by the same engine, together with various winnowing machines for cleaning both corn and Flax seed. At the back of the steam-engine, two large kilns are erected, for the purpose of steaming food for pigs, horses, and cattle. This important result is produced with­ out any additional expense, by taking advantage of the waste steam from the engine. I n these kilns, which, with almost everything else connected with the concern, were invented by Mr. Roche, from ten to twenty tons of mangold wurzel or turnips can be steamed at one time; and the liquor which is distilled from the roots during the process of steaming, and which, from mangold wurzel especially, comes off in a species of rich molasses, is preserved in a tank placed immediately underneath. I n this liquor the Flax bols and refuse of the Flax seed are steeped; and the whole is barrowed off to a numerous colony of promising Berkshires, that are kept in commodious sties placed all round. The shoves, or woody substances, which are detached in the scutching process in large quantities, are used equally fishing village of W h i t e g a t e , t o w a r d s t h e E a s t e r n e n d of Cork Harbour, a l i n e of cars, o n e a c h of w h i c h w e r e several bales, w e l l m a d e u p , and marked i n t h e u s u a l w a y . T h e c a r s b e l o n g e d t o M r . R o c h e ; a n d i t was his Flax w h i c h w a s t h e n a b o u t t o b e s h i p p e d o n b o a r d a s m a l l vessel belonging to himself, a n d t h u s t a k e n t o t h e q u a y a t C o r k , a n d p l a c e d i n t h e hold of the n e x t steamer f o r E n g l a n d . I t h o u g h t i t a c u r i o u s s i g h t t o witness in a p l a c e w h i c h seemed so r e m o t e f r o m t h e b u s y h u m of manufacturing indus­ t r y , a n d w h i c h h a d scarcely ever b e e n visited, s a v e b y t h e peasantry and fishermen of t h e neighbourhood, o r t h e s u m m e r b a t h e r f r o m t h e city. S i n c e t h e n , however, M r . Roche s e n d s h i s b a l e s b y t h e steamer from the p i e r of Aghada, b y w h i c h m u c h t i m e i s saved.

377 for feeding and littering cattle. A general idea has prevailed as to the worthlessness of this particular refuse; but it entirely depends on the mode according to which the straw from which it is detached is treated. If the Flax has been treated on the dry principle, and, therefore, not steeped, the shove is highly nutritious when mixed with turnips, man­ golds, and other roots, and acts as a useful agent of digestion; but if the Flax has been steeped, this refuse is absolutely poisonous to animals, and almost equally injurious to the land, if put upon it. And this seems to have been thoroughly understood by the old farmers of the country; for they in­ variably took care to throw aside this portion of the Flax plant in such places as that it could not come back upon the land,—it might have been seen piled on the roof of a pig­ sty, or flung amidst weeds in remote places. Mr. Roche intends to attach an oil-mill to this concern, for the purpose of extracting the oil from the seed ; and by selling the oil, instead of disposing of the seed, he will be able to preserve the cake for feeding purposes, having seve­ ral hundred head of cattle on the farm. I n fact, as I before remarked, nothing goes waste under the careful management of a man of intelligent and practical mind. Everything re­ lating to the fibre, as well as the good seed, goes to market direct; and all the refuse, such as bols or chaff, shoves or woody particles, and dirty seed, is consumed on the farm, either for the food or litter of cattle. There are many things connected with the Trabolgan Flax Mill which are worthy of notice, but for which it is im­ possible to find space. However, there are a few which it would be improper to omit. The number of persons employed, including men, women, and young people, is about 200 ; all of whom, with a rare exception, have been brought u p on the estate. And all those whose labour may come under the denomination of " skilled," have been actu­ ally taught by Mr. Roche, who has acted from the first moment on his own plans, and carried into practice his own ideas. H e acquired his knowledge in the best possible way.

:

i

II,' IIP

378 H e first read every book which he could procure in refe­ rence to the cultivation of F l a x ; and, having made himself thoroughly master of the theory of the subject, he pursued his investigation in the most systematic manner, by visiting several Flax concerns in England and Ireland, and closely inspecting their modes of operation ; thus adding to his theoretical knowledge practical application. Having made himself master of the whole subject, he set about the erection of his mill, the machinery of which was made by Mr. Perrott, of the Cork Hive Foundry, according to his directions, and partly under his inspection. And it may be mentioned, that from the first moment that the machinery was set in motion, in December last, it never once stopped through accident or breakage; which fact reflects equal credit on the inventor and the manufacturer. But long previous to the erection of the mill in question Mr. Roche had been actively engaged in the promotion of the growth of Flax. H e began in 1850, when he sowed sixty acres. I n 1851, he and the tenants on his property sowed no less than eight hundred acres; and in 1852, the quantity which they mutually sowed exceeded one thousand acres. A t first, it was a matter of great difficulty to induce the farmer to sow a crop for which he could discover no imme­ diate use ; and it was only by example, as well as by encouragement, that their objections could be removed. In order, then, to induce the tenants to sow this crop, their landlord supplied them with the seed, and afterwards pur­ chased the produce. H e likewise supplied them with clover and other grass seeds, also with turnip seed, and with guano in proportion to the quantity of Flax grown—to induce them to cultivate green crops, and thereby, by the produc­ tion of the best manure, to counterbalance the loss resulting: from the taking away of the entire Flax crop from the soil. The Flax thus produced was grown on almost every known description of soil, from heavy clay land, up to light friable p e a t ; and in all cases it succeeded, with due attention and skill on the part of the grower, in yielding a fairly remu­

379 nerative crop. Mr. Roche himself drained several hundred acres of land that might almost be said to have been barren before, as a necessary preparation for the growth of Flax and other crops. The general average production was two tons to the statute acre. I n some instances, it was not more than one-and-a-half, and in others it was two-and-a-quarter; so that the average might be set down as two tons per acre. The length of the Flax, and the quality of the fibre and the seed, vary according to the quality of the land, the seed used, and the amount of skill and care employed in the preparation of the soil, and in sowing. Mr. Roche imported a cargo of Riga seed on his own account in 1851, which he sowed the same year; and since then he has made a further importation, as well as purchased largely from Messrs. Hughes of Clonmel. The same seed is never sown more than twice in the same ground—that is, the Eiga seed, and the seed produced from its growth. Surely, Mr. Roche has good reason to take credit to himself for what he has done, and done without aid, counsel, or the patronage of any public body. H e has imported, and sown, and purchased, 011 his own account; he has planned and in­ vented from his own reflections on the subject; he has erected his buildings, and superintended the construction of his ma­ chinery ; he has taught and trained a rude and ignorant population into practised and even skilled workers; he has applied the motive power of his steam-engine, as well as its waste steam, to various purposes; he has turned what was hitherto looked upon as utterly useless refuse into valuable food, and aids to farming operations ; he has himself opened a steady and certain market for his produce; he packs and transmits that produce with all the method and system of a veteran manufacturer; and, lastly, he affords constant em­ ployment to some two hundred human beings, who, were they deprived of the advantage of his energy and practical knowledge, would be reduced to a condition of destitution, or be a burden on the industry of the rate-payers of their Union, as inmates of its Workhouse. May I not then ask, I s

380 not this an example of Irish energy worthy of a place in this Irish work ?—but, more than all, I s it not one worthy of general imitation 1 What Mr. Roche has done, others also can do; and until those others who can do it will do it, the country will not prosper. The soil, and the seed, the ma­ chinery, and the labour, are within reach; and all that is required, is a moderate degree of energy and some capital, in order to convert their produce into national wealth.* * T h e subjoined sketch, w h i c h i s t a k e n f r o m t h e Cork Examiner of the 2 0 t h of A p r i l , 1853, i s t o o i m p o r t a n t , a s a fitting s e q u e l t o t h e above—which w a s w r i t t e n s o m e m o n t h s s i n c e — n o t t o b e i n s e r t e d i n t h i s place. I t s figures e x h i b i t t h e w o n d e r f u l progress w h i c h M r . R o c h e h a s m a d e , w i t h i n that short time, i n h i s a l m o s t gigantic u n d e r t a k i n g :— " FLAX SOWING I N MTJNSTER.—ME. E . B . UOCHE's PROPERTY.

" M r . E d m u n d B u r k e R o c h e , M . P . , w h o i s n o w t h e largest grower of flax i n I r e l a n d , h a s a d d e d t o t h e b r e a d t h of g r o u n d previously given b y him to the c u ltivation of t h i s p l a n t , a n e x t e n s i v e p o r t i o n of t h e p r o p e r t y of Lemlara, e m b r a c i n g altogether 1000 acres, a n d w h i c h w a s l a t e l y purchased b y him u n d e r t h e E n c u m b e r e d E s t a t e s C o u r t . T h i s p r o p e r t y , a s m o s t of our readers a r e p r o b a b l y a w a r e , i s s i t u a t e d t o t h e east of C o r k , a n d a b o u t seven miles from t h e c i t y . H e r e t h e s o w i n g of flax c o m m e n c e d l a s t M o n d a y o n a scale more extensive t h a n h a s ever before b e e n w i t n e s s e d i n a n y p a r t of t h i s country. I t w o u l d b e difficult t o conceive a m o r e b u s y , cheering, a n d , i t m a y be added, u n u s u a l s i g h t i n S o u t h M u n s t e r t h a n w a s p r e s e n t e d b y t h i s property oil y e s t e r d a y . T h e spectator s w h o stood u p o n t h e b r o w of t h e h i l l near the land a n d looked a t t h e c r o w d of m e n , w o m e n , a n d children, actively engaged below, a n d h e a r d t h e s o u n d s of l a b o u r r i s i n g c h e e r f u l l y f r o m amongst them, would scarcely h a v e i m a g i n e d a t first t h a t h e stood i n t h e f a r S o u t h of Ireland, s u p p o s e d t o b e p o p u l a t e d b y o n l y t h e r a c e of w o r t h l e s s landlords and idle p e a s a n t r y . T o give s o m e i d e a of t h e e x t e n t u p o n w h i c h t h e operations of flax s o w i n g a r e carried o n h e r e , i t i s w e l l t o give s o m e particulars regarding the labour employed. " T h e r e a r e o n e h u n d r e d a n d t w e n t y ho rses, a l l i n first-rate working condi­ t i o n , w i t h f o r t y b u t t s . P o r t y p e r s o n s a r e e m p l o y e d a s guides, one t o each butt. I n addition, t h e r e a r e s e v e n w o m e n a n d b o y s a t t e n d i n g o n each b u t t , picking t h e w e e d s a n d stones off t h e l a n d p r e v i o u s t o sowing t h e flax. F o r t y harrows a r e a t f u l l w o r k t u r n i n g u p t h e g r o u n d . 100 m e n a r e employed at levelling a n d p r e p a r i n g t h e g r o u n d f o r t h e s o w i n g , F i f t e e n m e n a r e occupied in sow­ i n g t h e seed, a n d a r e a t t e n d e d i n t h i s process b y t h i r t y m e n and women. T h i r t e e n rollers a r e i n u s e b e f o r e a n d a f t e r t h e s e e d . T w e l v e pair of bullocks a r e a t w o r k o n different p a r t s of t h e l a n d . T h e b r e a d t h of flax sown upon t h i s f a r m alone e x t e n d s t o 600 acres, all of w h i c h w i l l b e f u l l y sown by Wed­ n e s d a y evening, t h e operations b e i n g t h u s concluded i n less t h a n three days.

381 BEET SUGAR.

I address myself with much satisfaction to this subject, which I approach, if not with an adequate amount of in­ formation, at least with a full consciousness of its importance. I shall endeavour, in the first place, to impress the reader There a r e a b o u t 150 acres of o a t s u p o n t h e s a m e f a r m , besides a q u a n t i t y of other a g ri c u l t u r a l p r o d u c e . T h u s , e v e r y available h a n d i n t h e district i s k e p t actively employed, a n d t h e beneficial r e s u l t s of o n e i m p r o v i n g a n d spirited proprietor a r e f e l t f a r t h r o u g h t h e c o u n t r y . " I m m e d i a t e l y u p o n t h e conclusion of t h e s o w i n g operations ill E e m l a r a , the labourers e m p l o y e d t h e r e w i l l b e r e m o v e d t o t h e f a r m of M o u l i n t o u r a , also t h e p r o p e r t y of M r . R o c h e , a n d s i t u a t e d n e a r K i l d i n a n . O n t h i s f a r m , the H o n o u r a b l e M e m b e r h a s h a d 350 acres of l a n d p r e p a r e d f o r t h e s o w i n g of flax. F r o m t h e n c e t h e y w i l l proceed t o t h e l a n d s of G e r a , Corbally, a n d Shanbally, t h e r e t o c a r r y o n t h e s a m e operations for M r . R o c h e . Besides t h e lands described, M r . R o c h e h a s 200 acres of l a n d u n d e r flax u p o n h i s p r o p e r t y at Trabolgan. H e r e t h e f a c t o r y belonging t o t h e H o n o u r a b l e M e m b e r i s situated, a t w h i c h t h e r e a r e 580 p e r s o n s e m p l o y e d . T h e n u m b e r s altogether employed i n t h e f a c t o r y a n d a t t h i s f a r m alone, w h e r e t h e w o r k i s carried o n day a n d n i g h t , a r e 700. T h e a m o u n t of wages p a i d h e r e w e e k l y f o r l a b o u r alone is a b o u t £ 2 0 0 . F r o m t h e s e f e w particulars, t h e r e a d e r w i l l b e enabled to j u d g e t h a t t h e r e w a s n o t h i n g of exaggeration i n t h e s t a t e m e n t t h a t M r . Roche i s n o w t h e m o s t extensive grower of flax i n I r e l a n d . " T h e operations a t L e m l a r a a r e conducted u n d e r t h e superintendence of Mr. T h o m a s B a r r y , h e a d s t e w a r d of M r . R o c h e , f r o m w h o m w e received t h e particulars already detailed. O n yester day, M r . R o c h e himself w a s p r e s e n t , accompanied b y h i s l a d y a n d childr en. M r . R o c h e w e n t all over t h e g r o u n d , and p o i n t e d o u t t h e n a t u r e of t h e w o r k t o h i s l a d y , w h o evinced t h e u t m o s t gratification a t t h e beneficial effect of t h e e m p l o y m e n t t h u s diffused, a n d seemed to t a k e a s e n t i r e a n i n t e r e s t i n t h e p e o p l e a n d t h e i r comforts as if s h e h a d b e e n ' native a n d t o t h e m a n n e r b o r n . ' O n t h e arrival of t h e H o n o u r a b l e M e m b e r ' s carriage, t h e people all assembled t o e x p r e s s t h e i r e n t h u s i a s m a n d g r a t i t u d e towards h i m . Tierces of p o r t e r w e r e i m m e d i a t e l y broached, b y order of M r . Roche, a n d t h e l a b o u r e r s p l e n t i f u l l y s u p p l i e d w i t h a n excellent m e a l . T h e healths of M r . R o c h e himself, of h i s l a d y , a n d of t h e i r children, w e r e d r u n k with t h e m o s t enthusiastic acclamation. T h e people t h e n r e t u r n e d t o t h e i r labours, a n d t h e l a n d q u i c k l y a s s u m e d t h e b u s y aspect w h i c h i t w o r e u p o n the arrival of t h e visitors. " T h e p r o p e r t y w a s also visited b y M r . Clarke, a g e n t l e m a n f r o m t h e N o r t h of Ireland, a n d connected w i t h t h e g r o w i n g of flax. M r . C l a r k e expressed the h i g h e s t gratification a t t h e m a n n e r i n w h i c h t h e w o r k w a s carried on, a n d frequently declared t h a t , even i n t h e N o r t h , h e c o u l d find n o parallel for t h e extensive scale u p o n w h i c h t h e w o r k before h i m w a s c o n d u c t e d . "

382 with an idea of that importance; then enquire into the capability of this country for the production of the raw material; and, lastly, consider the probability of its manu­ facture being rendered a source of profit. Before attempting to show what an important element of national prosperity the manufacture of Beet-sugar may be­ come in Ireland, I shall briefly allude to its rapid progress in other countries. To Germany belongs the honour of this great discovery— to France its practical application. Margraff of Berlin made the first experiments, to extract Sugar from beet-root, in 1747; and what he recommended at that time, and another German, Achard, of the same city, attempted in half a cen­ tury after him—and both in vain—Napoleon succeeded in accomplishing. The discovery of the chemist, and the enter­ prise of the speculator, would have been of little avail, had it not been for the strong pressure of a peculiar political neces­ sity, and the unlimited power over the mind of his nation of one who was then at the height of his renown, and the summit of his transitory glory. I t is enough to say, that the manufacture of Beet-sugar in France owes its origin to the Edicts of Napoleon, prohibiting the importation of Colonial Sugar, and perhaps not a little to the dread of the British cruiser, that was on every occasion ready to pounce, like a hungry vulture, upon the timid bird of peaceful commerce. Mighty as this modern Caesar was, Napoleon's Edicts would have been of little use had not Nature been propitious. Had not the soil of France the capability of producing the raw material, France would never have witnessed the spectacle of rewarded industry which she does this day, Napoleon's Edicts notwithstanding. Happily, the soil was well adapted to the growth of the root, and the genius of the French people was equally well adapted to the purposes of the manufacture. The result is, that not only has France rendered herself almost completely independent of foreign supply, but she has given such an impulse to the manufacture that it has spread all over the Continent, and been established in different climes;

383 and at this moment there are 1,355 factories in full operation in the following countries :—France has 350 factories; Ger­ many, exclusive of Austria, 370; Austria and Poland, 350; Russia, 210; Belgium, 175. This, on a fair average, would represent half a million of people employed in, and two millions-and-a-half supported by, this single branch of manu­ facture—to say nothing of the vast number employed in the production of the raw material. One fact will illustrate the vigour at which the manufacture has arrived in France. I n 1851, an ordnance was issued placing a higher duty of seven francs per 100 kilos, upon home sugar than upon colonial; and yet, in spite of this restriction, which was to endure for four years, the number of factories has increased, and the manufacture of the native sugar become still more widely extended. Let me now see how far, or in what degree, we may in this country be capable of imitating the example of France. Are we large consumers of sugar ? Considering the depressed condition of the country, its constant poverty, and the fatal want of manufacturing industry, we are. Our annual con­ sumption of sugar is no less than 50,000 tons, representing two millions of money. The duty paid for the year ending June 5th, 1850, amounted to a little over £300,000. I shall not fall into the absurdity of supposing that Ireland may at any time produce every pound of sugar used by her people; but I think I am confining myself within reasonable bounds, when I calculate on the possibility of her being able to pro­ duce from her own soil half the quantity which is now consumed—a quantity, be it remarked, by no means equal to the consumption even of her diminished population. I n all probability, the present consumption may be increased ere long to 75,000 tons, or £3,000,000 worth of sugar annu­ ally. But I base my calculation rather on what is, than upon what may be ; and, for the purpose of indicating the im­ portance of the growth of beet, and manufacture of sugar, I suppose that we may be in a position to produce half the quantity at present consumed.

384 This half would be 25,000 tons, and might be valued at £1,000,000. To produce this 25,000 tons of sugar, it would require 400,000 tons of beet, or the produce of 16,000 acres of land, allowing the fair and moderate average of 25 tons to every acre. Taking each ton of beet at 15s.—the price now paid for it at the factory in Mountmellick—the total amount paid to the grower of this crop would be £300,000. A wellconducted factory would be capable of producing 500 tons of sugar in the year, and would therefore require 8,000 tons of beet—or sixteen tons of beet to one ton of sugar. Now, to supply half the quantity of sugar consumed in this country, fifty factories would be necessary. As each factory gives em­ ployment to 200 persons—that of Mountmellick already does so—fifty factories would afford employment to 10,000 persons; and as each person so employed may on the average be said to represent four more, that number would represent 50,000 in all. But suppose it only represented half that number, who can appreciate the importance of such a vast amount of good as would flow from the employment of so many—or of this change, from a state of idleness and beggary, to a condition of usefulness and independence ? A very imperfect idea of the result may be formed, if we consider the benefit which a well-worked factory, of any description, confers on its imme­ diate locality. I shall not stop to say how the development of an industry of this kind would call into activity many others—how the money now sent out of the country, would be kept in the country, and circulated amongst its people—how those em­ ployed in the growth or the manufacture would themselves become consumers, not alone of the article which they had helped to produce, but of various other articles produced by the skill and enterprise which even one successful effort in any branch of industry would be sure to call into existence, or foster into a fuller developement. I shall rather proceed to enquire into the capability of this country to produce the raw material from which sugar may be extracted, with a profit to the grower and manufacturer; and in doing so, I shall

385 have recourse, in the first instance, to what I regard as an authority on the subject—namely, the Report lately presented to Parliament of an "Enquiry into the Composition and Cul­ tivation of the Sugar Beet in Ireland, and its Application to the Manufacture of Sugar." This enquiry was conducted, in the Museum of Irish In­ dustry, under the superintendance of Sir Robert Kane, the Director of that Institution, by Dr. Wm. Sullivan, Chemist to the Museum, and Mr. Alphonse Gages, Assistant Chemist. It was commenced, as Sir Robert Kane states in the Report— "on occasion of the request of the Royal Agricultural Im­ provement Society of Ireland, that some information should be afforded the Irish Agriculturists as to the relative com­ position and feeding value of different varieties of turnips and of mangol-wurzel; and was extended to the Sugar-beet with special reference to the availability of that plant as a source of Sugar on a manufacturing scale in Ireland," with the sanction of the Earl of Clarendon, then Lord Lieutenant. The Special Report of Messrs. Sullivan and Gages extends to a considerable length, every page of which is full of valuable information upon each branch of the subject, and worthy the attention of those who wish well to the improvement of this country. I t will, however, be sufficient for my purpose to take such extracts from it as will enable the reader to form a clear notion as to the capability of this country to grow roots suited in every way to the production of Sugar. The Report thus deals with a fallacy which, no doubt, had its origin in the association of Sugar with burning suns and tropical climes:— " A n impression appears t o prevail, t h a t h e a t a n d sunshine a r e s o i n t i m a t e l y connected w i t h t h e p r o d u c t i o n of s u g a r i n plants, a n d especially of cane-sugar, that as w e proceed n o r t h f r o m t h e tropics, i t s q u a n t i t y m u s t g r a d u a l l y diminish. S u c h a v i e w applied t o t h e case of t h e b e e t would, of course, l e a d to t h e conclusion, t h a t t h e s o u t h of E u r o p e w o u l d b e b e s t a d a p t e d f o r i t s c u l ­ tivation as a source of sugar, a n d t h a t cold countries l i k e I r e l a n d , h o w e v e r well t h e y m a y b e a d a p t e d t o p r o d u c e foliage, a n d large roots, w o u l d neces­ sarily produce b e e t of inferior saccharine properties. A n o t h e r opinion h a s gained ground, t h a t w i t h t h e diminution of s u g a r w o u l d occur a change i n its nature ; o r , i n o t h e r words, t h a t t h e s a m e q u a n t i t y of crystallizable cane-

386 s u g a r w o u l d n o t b e contained i n roots g r o w n i n I r e l a n d ; a n d , of course, for t h e s a m e reason, i n t h e n o r t h e r n p a r t s of E u r o p e generally—that is, in places n o r t h of t h e a c t u a l beet- sugar districts. * * * * * I t is, therefore, m o r e t h a n probable, t h a t t h e p r o d u c t i o n of crystallizable or uncrystallizable sugar i n a p l a n t is m o r e connected w i t h t h e organization of t h a t p l a n t t h a n u p o n t h e a m o u n t of sunshine, a n opinion which is very str ongly s u p p o r t e d b y t h e fact, t h a t t h e m a x i m u m a m o u n t of sugar is found i n t h e s u g a r - c a n e j u s t before i t flowers, o r a b o u t t h e period of maximum t e m p e r a t u r e a n d s u n s h i n e ; w h i l s t t h e m a x i m u m a m o u n t of sugar is found in t h e b e e t i n N o v e m b e r , w h e n t h e s u n s h i n e a n d h e a t a r e very nearly at a m i n i m u m ; a n d , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i t contains b u t little sugar i n t h e wannest p e r i o d of s u m m e r . A g a i n , t h o s e varieties of t h e b e e t w h i c h protrude them­ selves v e r y m u c h o u t of t h e soil, a n d , i n f a c t , all p a r t s of a b u l b exposed to t h e f u l l action of t h e sunshine, c o n t a i n less s u g a r t h a n t h a t portion covered b y t h e s o i l ; a n d , finally, practical e x p e r i m e n t s a n d chemical investigation h a v e s h o w n t h a t t h e r e i s n o m a t e r i a l difference i n b e e t grown over a region e x t e n d i n g f r o m t h e A t l a n t i c O c e a n t o t h e Caspian Sea, a n d from the Medi­ terranean Sea t o very nearly t h e Arctic Ocean. " W e can, therefore, see n o r e a s o n w h y I r e l a n d s h o u l d b e a n exception; a n d , indeed, b u t f o r t h e assertion h a v i n g b e e n m a d e , w e w o u l d not have en­ tertained t h e matter a t all.''

I a referring to the spread of the Beet-sugar manufacture on the Continent, I stated that Belgium had 175 factories at work. I t is generally admitted that its soil is peculiarly adapted to the growth of beet; and yet we have, in the sub­ joined statement, a result most favourable to this country as contrasted with Belgium. The result is this—that while seventy-six per cent, of the Irish beet submitted to analysis was adapted for the manufacture of Sugar, with profit to the manufacturer, but seventy per cent, of the Belgian beet was adapted for that purpose. The Report thus goes on to state:— " T a b l e I . c o n t a i n s t h e r e s u l t s of t h e e x a m i n a t i o n of 118 specimens of the w h i t e Silesian b e e t g r o w n i n I r e l a n d . A n analysis of t h i s table gives the following r e s u l t s : — Of 118 roots, 12 contained above 12 p e r cent, of sugar. 9 between 11 a n d 12 p e r cent. 19 „ 10 „ 11 „ 32 „ 9 „ 10 „ 18 „ 8 j, 9 „ » 7 „ 8 „ 2 » 6 „ 7 „ a n d 10 contained u n d e r 6 p e r cent.

387 Or i n other w o r d s , s e v e n t y - t w o r oots contained m o r e t h a n n i n e p e r cent, of sugar, eighteen b e t w e e n e i g ht a n d n i n e p e r cent, or n i n e t y above eight p e r cent, and t w e n t y - e i g h t below e i g h t p e r c e n t . " Eoots containing less t h a n eight p e r c e n t , of sugar, could n o t , a t t h e usual price p a i d f o r t h e m , b e employed w i t h economy i n t h e m a n u f a c t u r e of sugar, a t least n o t generally. W e h a v e , therefore, a s t h e r e s u l t of o u r e x ­ amination of beet, g r o w n o n t h e m o s t various soils, m a n u r e d i n every possible m a n n e r , a n d labouring u n d e r t h e disadvantage of being a p l a n t i n a great m e a s u r e n e w t o I r i s h f a r m e r s , a n d , consequently, i t s p r o p e r cultivation by n o m e a n s w e l l u n d e r s t o o d ; t h a t a b o u t seventy-six p e r c e n t , of t h e beet "which w e e x a m i n e d , contained sufficient s u g a r t o enable a m a n u f a c t u r e r t o extract i t w i t h profit, a n d t w e n t y - f o u r p e r cent, u n f i t f o r t h a t p u r p o s e . " T h e analyses of Continental roots h a v e n o t b e e n m a d e o n t h e s a m e e x t e n ­ sive scale as t h e I r i s h , a n d c a nnot, therefore, b e c o m p a r e d w i t h t h e l a t t e r , with a n y t h i n g l i k e accurate results. I t m a y n o t b e uninter esting, h o w e v e r , to contrast a n analysis of t h e tables of determinations of s u g a r contained i n the s u m m a r y of t h e analyses of b e e t w h i c h w e h a v e given above, w i t h t h a t of our o w n r e s u l t s . I n d o i n g so, w e shall a d d t h e analyses of Belgian r oots m a d e by ourselves1, t h e r e s u l t s of w h i c h a r e given a t t h e e n d of T a b l e I . T h e t o t a l number of analyses, i n c l u d i n g o u r o w n , of w h i c h w e h a v e b e e n able t o g e t a record, a m o u n t t o s i x t y - t w o , w h i c h m a y b e d i s t r i b u t e d as follow T h e r e w e r e 4 r o o t s w h i c h contained above 12 p e r cent, of sugar. ^

»

14 13

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9

8

11 10 9 8

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>,

7

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4

»

6

,f

6

,,

under 6

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\ \ h i c h w o u l d give a t o t a l — t h i r t y - o n e above n i n e p e r cent., eleven above eight p e r cent, a n d eighteen b e l o w e i g h t p e r cent, or a b o u t seventy p e r cent, adapted for t h e m a n u f a c t u r e of s u g a r , a n d a b o u t t h i r t y p e r cent, u n f i t f o r that p u r p o s e . ' '

Here, it must be borne in mind, that the weight of the roots is of the greatest importance in judging of their saccha­ rine qualities; for it will be found that the quantity of the sugar will diminish as the weight of the bulb increases. All roots remarkable for the quantity of sugar which they yield, are invariably small, seldom exceeding two pounds in weight. The character of the soil best adapted for the production of beet is another important element in the consideration of this subject. Messrs. Sullivan and Gages give it as their opinion that—

388 " B e e t - w i l l u n d o u b t e d l y g r o w u p o n all k i n d s of soil, b u t experience has s h o w n t h a t a l i g h t r i c h l o a m is b e s t adapted t o p r o d u c e abundant crops of good q u a l i t y . N o p l a n t m o r e tlian t h e b e e t r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e soil be well w o r k e d , a n d t o a considerable d e p t h , i n order t h a t t h e b u l b m a y have room t o e x p a n d , a n d t h a t i t m a y n o t h a v e t o t h r o w o u t t o o m a n y roots i n search of food, a r u l e , indeed, w h i c h applies equally w e l l t o all b u l b o u s and tap roots. Stiff clays d o n o t a n s w e r t h e s e conditions, a n d s h o u l d , therefore, be avoided L i g h t s a n d y soils give crops of good beet, b u t s m a l l i n quantity. Gravelly subsoils a r e exceedingly unf avour able t o all deep-rooted plants, and too large a q u a n t i t y of gravel a n d especially of large pebbles i n t h e soil, which cause t h e b u l b t o f o r k , a r e equally u n s u i t e d . A s a n d y soil r e s t i n g o n a deposit of m a r l h a s b e e n f o u n d v e r y w e l l suited, b u t p r o b a b l y t h e w o r s t combination of circumstances, w o u l d b e a stiff clay soil r e s t i n g u p o n a porous gravel. " I t is difficult t o say in what manner t h e growth of a plant is influenced by the chemical composition of t h e soil. T h e plant derives all its inorganic constituents from t h e soil, and there can, therefore, b e no doubt that if any one or more con­ stituent of a plant, such as lime, &c. b e entirely absent from the soil, the plant cannot grow. B u t there are few soils entirely devoid of all the necessary constituents of plants, and i t has not been a t all decided a t what point a soil must be considered unfertile, i n consequence of t h e smallness of t h e quantity of a particular ingredient. I t often happens that a soil which experience has shewn to be really fertile, will be found o n analysis t o contain much less of all those ingredients which are necessary t o supply plants with there inorganic constituents, than another which has always borne very inferior crops. I t is not, therefore, to the quantities of certain ingredients t o which we must entirely attribute their fertility, b u t rather to t h e condition i n which they exist. B u t w h a t are the proper condi­ tions i n which they should exist ? we are unable t o say. " T h e mechanical properties of soils depend, in a great measure, on the relation of t h e sand to t h e clay, taking into account, of course, the amount of pebbles which may b e mingled with t h e soil, and which act in some measure as sand, though in a much less degree. T h e determination of what is sand in this point of view is very difficult, it may b e composed of lime, of silica, or may be fragments of decomposing felspar or other minerals. W h e n a soil is treated with hydrachloric acid, t h e part which is dissolved, except in t h e case of a limestone soil, is usually very fine, and mechanically must b e considered as clay. * * * * * T h e quantity of lime present in all t h e soils examined b y us was exceedingly small; we regret this, as we would wish t o ascertain whether a calcareous loam was as well adapted for beet as it has been found t o b e i n some districts upon the Continent. " T h e conclusion w h i c h m a y b e d e d u c e d f r o m a comparison between the mechanical composition of t h e soils w h i c h w e e x a m i n e d , a n d t h e beet which w a s g r o w n u p o n t h e m , f u l l y b e a r s o u t t h e p r e c e d i n g r e m a r k s , as the following summary will show.

And tliey give the following summary, as fully bearing out the opinion which they express:—

Royal D u b l i n Society's B o - o t a n i c Garden soil, j 67-

84-3

15-7,,; 33-

8372-2

17' 27-8

44-9

51-2

48-8

50-5

48-1 48-2

64-1

74-4

25-6 35-9

33*6

L o r d T . de Malahide,

J o h n Newton, E s q

454

66-4

29-6

R e v . W . R . Townsend,

32-7

34-9

28-1

26-1

40-5

421

440

24-6

13-4

64-3

69-8

30-2

62-8

61-8

27 "9

77-5

22-5

70-3

51-2

351

770

23-

J a m e s Sinclair, J u n . E s q

22-0 55.4

62-4 349

75-6

24-4

"William D a r g a n , E s q

34-8

54-9

83-

11-6

6-4

11-4

16-8

9-2

7-3

7-8

6-2

17-8

74

1.0-9

8-6

8*1

5-7

* I n October:

5-

3-7

5-9

2-2

0-8

0-6

0-4

22

0-6

05

0-6

0-3

3-6

1-5

Sand. Lime.

Clay.

Silt.

17'

Gravel

Professor M u r p h y ' s soil

N a m e of Grower.

o o

Organic Matter.

1

j

+ I n November,

R i c h clay loam, n o t tenacious; whole c h a r a c t e r porous <

Tenacious clay, r e q u i r i n g a g r e a t amount of tillage, . . j

A good clayey loam, b u t r a t h e r tenacious,

A r a t h e r clayey loam, b u t o w i n g t o t h e size of t h e i grains of sand, sufficiently porous, ] A stiff clay, loaded w i t h i n e r t organic m a t t e r , |

A n exceedingly tenacious clay loam,

Clay loam, b u t r a t h e r tenacious,

R i c h clay, consisting of r i v e r o r tid a l silt, h a v in g t h e mechanical properties of s a n d . T h e soil m u s t be c o n ­ sidered a s a very r i c h loam, R i c h clay, naturally tenacious, b u t apparently v e r y m u c h improved b y good tillage,

Slightly sandy loam,

R i c h Loam,

Loam

Heavy clay, n o t so tenacious a s t h e last,

Tenacious clay, requiring 1 a g r e a t amount of w o r k i n g . .

Character of Soil.

14-8 m a x . 16 0 m i n . 12-20 m i n . 14-7 m a x . 12-7 m i n . 15-5 m a x . 11*2 m i n . 15*4 m a x . 18*6 m a x . 12 3 m i n . 6'2 m i n . 11-5 m a x . 9 2 min. 165 max. 11*4 m i n . 15 3 m a x . 10'6 m i n . 18 0 m a x . 19 4 m a x . 9-2 m i n .

12.7 m a x . 116 min. 10-9 m i n . 15*0 m a x . 13 6 m i n . 15'5 m a x . 19 3 m i n . 22 0 m a x . 15 8 m i n . 20*4 m a x .

12-8 m a x . 8-7 min. 2 6 min. 5 7 max. 5 1 min. 11-4 max. 7 - 3 min. 9*3 m a x . 5-1 min.* 12 5 m a x . 12 5 max.+ 5*1 m i n .

8 5 min. 7 5 max. 8 5 min. 10-8 m a x . 6-2 min. 9 8 max.

10 4 min. 11-1 m a x .

8*5 m a x . 7-3 min. 7*4 min. 9 5 max. 7 5 min. 8*2 m a x . 1 3 1 min; 14-5 m a x . 9-4 min. 13.5 m a x .

Per Centage o: Solid M a t t e r P e r Centage i n Beet of Sugar. grown thereon

390 I feel satisfied that I shall best consult the interest of the general reader by quoting, without curtailment, the follow­ ing summary of the principal conclusions at which Messrs. Sullivan and Gages have arrived in the course of their care­ ful enquiry :— " P R O P E R T I E S OF GOOD ROOTS.

" 1. Tliey must have a symmetrical form, and as few forkings as possible, in order that they may b e readily cleaned, and t h a t as little loss as possible be sus­ tained from too great a development of epidermal tissue. « 2 . They must n o t be too large, n o t exceeding four or five pounds at the utmost, as large roots are too spongy, and contain b u t very little sugar. "3. They must have a solid, hard flesh, with a large development of cylindroidal cellular tissue, must break short, and with a cracking sound, and must rapidly sink

I;

i n water. " 4 . T h e crown and heart must b e as small as possible, in order that there may be as small a loss as possible from t h e removal of those parts which contain little sugar, b u t abound in salts, and because t h e smaller the cut surface of the beet is, t h e less liable i t is t o suffer decomposition from the action of the air. te 5 . T h e roots must have grown as little as possible out of t h e earth, and must not, therefore, exhibit a green segment about t h e crown, as all parts of the beet which grow out of t h e soil, contain scarcely any sugar, having the composition of the crown and leaves. Care should, therefore, b e taken in hoeing them, to keep the tops of t h e bulb covered with earth, close around t h e leaf-stalks. " 6 . T h e juice must b e concentrated, and must have a sweet taste, free from any accompanying acrid or cooling saline taste. " 7. They ought t o yield a juice which, when heated and precipitated with chloride of calcium, ought t o yield scarcely any precipitate with lime water, and t h e precipitate with t h e chloride of calcium ought t o b e very small. " 8 . A fresh section of t h e beet ought not t o exhibit a rapid blackening of the whole surface, which should b e confined t o t h e rings of vascular tissue. if 9 . T h e roots must exhibit as uniform a color a s possible, and, above all, must n o t show any streaks of pale rose red, as they then exhibit a remarkable tendency t o throw out flower stalks, and t o otherwise deteriorate. T h e only remedy for this defect, as well as for t h e tendency t o produce bunches of fine roots like tassels, and t o fork, where it does not arise from fresh dung or from stones in the soil, is a change of seed. fC 10. T h e roots should n o t b e allowed t o remain too long in the ground, or ex­ hibit t h e slightest tendency t o throw out their flower stalks, or t o have the least symptoms of decay. " P R O P E R T I E S O F SOIL S U I T E D F O R T H E BEET.

" 1 1 . T h e soil should b e a rich loam, inclining rather t o clayey than to sandy, b u t should not partake in the slightest degree of a peaty character—that is, the or­ ganic matter should be fully decomposed and thoroughly well distributed through it. a 12. I t should b e exceedingly well cultivated, and free from all clumps of hard clay, or from stones.

891 " 1 3 . The subsoil should neither b e a stiff cold clay, nor an open stoney gravel. " 14. T h e soil should be deep, and drained as thoroughly as possible. " 15. Newly reclaimed land is unfitted for t h e cultivation of beet for t h e manu­ facture of sugar, " 16. N o labour should b e spared upon t h e pulverizing of t h e soil, not only before t h e sowing of t h e seed, b u t during every period of t h e growth of the plant. " M A N U R E S SUITED FOR T H E B E E T A N D MODE OF A P P L Y I N G T H E M .

" 17. Rich nitrogenous manures, such as farm-yard manure, guano, &c., should never be applied t o land intended for t h e cultivation of beet, immediately before sowing, b u t should either b e applied with t h e previous crop, or applied during t h e preceding autumn, or a t least should b e p u t o n as a winter compost. This rule applies equally well t o all crops. " 1 8 . Soluble saline manures should b e applied very sparingly, and never during the growth of t h e plant. " 1 9 . Salt should never b e applied except with t h e greatest care, nor any sub­ stance containing nitrates, or capable of forming them. " 20. Ashes, such as those of wood, peat, coal, &c., may b e employed, and bone earth in any form apparently without any injury. " 2 1 . Lime is always good, and calcareous soils seem t o be t h e best adapted for the growth of all the varieties of the beet, and of most of t h e other root crops. " 22. Green manuring has always been attended with success, and crops of rape, or of other plants having the general composition of the beet, may b e grown upon land heavily manured i n t h e autumn, with fresh farm-yard manure, and then ploughed in early i n spring. " 23. T h a t t h e whole of t h e sugar i n t h e Irish beet is crystallizable cane sugar. " 24. T h a t t h e per centage of sugar i n Irish-grown roots is not inferior t o that of Continental roots grown under t h e same circumstances."

The cost of cultivation is given variously by different persons, and must be considered relatively to the produce per acre. Professor Murphy sets it down at £6 16s. per statute acre, including rent and taxes, and taking credit, as all others do, for the green tops, for feeding purposes. As the produce was, in his case, but sixteen tons to the acre, the cost of growing one ton of beet was eight shillings and sixpence, to which should be added two shillings and sixpence per ton for delivery at a sugar factory—making a total cost per ton of eleven shillings. Mr. Sinclair, of Strabane, estimates the cost of growing one Cunningham acre of beet at £ 1 0 5s. including every­ thing. This, at twenty-eight tons of roots per acre, would 3v

392 make the cost of producing one ton a fraction over seven shillings and sixpence, or for delivery at a factory, nine shil­ lings and nine-pence. Mr. Dargan gives £ 6 16s. as his estimate per acre; which, at twenty-six tons of roots per acre, would make the cost of producing one ton of the beet five shillings and three-pence, or, laid down at a factory, seven shillings and nine-pence. Lord Talbot D e Malahide gives £ 1 3 5s. 8d. as his estimate for cultivating one statute acre. His produce was enormous, being from forty-eight to fifty-two tons per acre. The cost for each ton was therefore five shillings and sixpence, or, laid down at a factory, eight shillings. These estimates give an average of £ 9 per acre as the cost of cultivation. The average production per acre may be set down at twenty-five tons. This I give as the general average, irrespective of the produce of these four growers, whose pro­ duction ranges from sixteen to fifty-two tons per acre. Taking, then, twenty-five tons per acre as an average production, this, at fifteen shillings per ton—the price which I have stated is paid for roots at Mountmellick—would make a total of £1815s. per acre to the grower. Deduct two shillings and six-pence per ton for laying them down at the factory, which, for twenty-five tons, would be £ 3 2s. 6d. This would leave a net return to the grower of £ 1 5 12s. 6d. per acre, or a profit per acre of £ 6 12s. 6d.—assuming that the cost of production is so high as £ 9 per acre, which is clearly excessive. If £7 per acre be taken as a fair average cost of cultivation, and £ 3 2s. 6d. as the expense of carriage to the factory, the profit to the grower who receives fifteen shillings per ton for twenty-five tons, must be £ 8 12s. 6d. The average cost of cultivating an acre of beet in England is set down by competent autho­ rities at from £ 8 to £ 9 . Let me now refer to the subject, as an important branch of manufacture. Sir Robert Kane, writing, in his Report, of the results of the experiments made by D r . Sullivan and Mr. Gages, and by Dr. Sullivan singly, says:—

393 " I t will be found, that although conducted under the dis­ advantages which necessarily attend a manufacturing experi­ ment, with machinery temporarily arranged, the yield of sugar was fully equal to that usually calculated on by the Continental makers." The following extracts from Sir Robert Kane's Report are valuable as giving the conclusions arrived at by one whose authority on such matters is deservedly regarded with respect :— " A s general results of t h e examination of t h e Irish grown beet, I feel myself justified in concluding:— fi 1. T h a t t h e sugar-beet requires, for its successful cultivation, a rich loamy soil, thoroughly and deeply worked, thoroughly drained and divided; and t h a t t h e presence of organic matter in excess, or undecomposed in the soil, is a n important disadvantage. " 2. T h a t t h e employment of saline or rich nitrogenous manures immediately before, or during t h e growth of t h e beet, acts unfavourably on t h e employment of the plant for making sugar, b y rendering t h e juice impure and increasing the p r o ­ portion of azotized materials, which readily ferment, and thereby convert t h e crystallizable into uncrystallizable sugar, which is t h e most usual and important source of loss i n the manufacture. " 3. T h a t i t is fully established t h a t t h e entire quantity of sugar i n t h e beet ex­ ists naturally as crystallizable cane-sugar ; and t h a t uncrystallizable sugar makes its appearance only as a product of decomposition i n t h e manufacture (molasses), a n d is, therefore, so far a source of loss, which may b e avoided b y improved treatment. " 4 . T h a t t h e quantity of sugar present in Irish-grown beet, is in no way infe­ rior t o that usually found i n t h e beet-roots used in the sugar manufactories of t h e Continent, and that, i n some cases, t h e per centage of sugar yielded b y beet a p ­ proaches to that afforded by t h e sugar-cane as usually cultivated. ' ' I t is certain, t h a t b y n o process, as yet employed, are the manufacturers able to extract absolutely all the sugar really contained i n t h e beet in its crystallizable form: yet this is t h e object to which manufacturers should aspire, and towards which, almost every day, a closer approximation is made, and, it is now well estab­ lished, that, b y t h e application of t h e most perfect mechanical arrangements and the adoption of t h e improved chemical processes of refining, t h e quantity of sugar extracted in a marketable form, approaches closely t o that really existing in t h e beet, while t h e proportion of molasses formed is but trifling. I n considering, therefore, t h e position of t h e manufacture as t o Ireland, i t must b e assumed t h a t the manufacture should b e conducted w i t h t h e most perfect means, most accurate knowledge, with careful economy and judicious business management; for, should those conditions not be fulfilled, t h e manufacture would necessarily fail t o succeed here, as i t should fail elsewhere from the like causes, and t h e country or t h e period would b e stigmatised as unsuited or improper for t h e manufacture, when t h e fault

394 really lay with the ignorance or inattention of the individuals who had taken up an occupation for which they did not possess t h e necessary qualifications. te Finally, I beg t o observe that the researches which have been conducted in this Museum, fully point out t h e advantage which may accrue to Ireland from the establishment of t h e manufacture of sugar from t h e beet-root; and, it appears to m e as eminently calculated t o b e of service, not only as creating a new and exten­ sive source of manufacturing employment, b u t , also, that, as the material used can only b e profitably obtained b y means of improved agriculture, and that an im­ portant element i n t h e profits of the manufacture would b e t h e careful economy of t h e scums and pulp either as manures or as food for cattle, t h e manufactories of beet-root sugar should exercise a powerful influence o n t h e agriculture of their districts, inducing a greater variety of cultivation, a more thorough preparation of t h e soil, and a more careful economy of m a n u r e s ; and that, in this way, even should t h e manufacturing speculation become hereafter, by improvement in t h e management of the Colonial sugar industry, or b y any other cause less pro­ bably successful t h a n it n o w appears t o b e , there should still have been conferred o n Ireland a great advantage in t h e improved practice of green crop husbandry which would b e certain t o remain.

The space now left at my command will not enable me to refer, as I should wish, to various other points of interest connected with this subject. However, I enjoy the satisfac­ tion of placing before the reader a communication which I justly regard as of the greatest importance to the right un­ derstanding of this question. Being anxious to procure the best possible information, from a disinterested source, with respect to the operations carried on at Mountmellick, I wrote to my distinguished friend D r . Sullivan, from whose reports I have quoted so fully in the preceeding pages, requesting him to give me the benefit of his opinion as to the success or failure of that experiment, and, also, for the most recent facts in connection with it. Instead of a short note, which, considering the pressing engagements of Dr. Sullivan, was all that I had reason to expect, I received from him a lengthened communication, full of the most interesting details, and containing an amount of practical information with respect to the manufacture of beet-sugar, that cannot fail to prove of much service to a cause which no one has done more to promote than himself. I give it without the slightest alteration or curtailment. I t brings down the history of the beet-sugar movement to the latest moment.

395 " Museum of Irish Industry,

15th March, 1853.

" M y DEAR SIK,

" I feel g r e a t pleasure i n complying w i t h y o u r r e q u e s t , b u t r e g r e t t h a t , owing t o t h e shortness of t h e notice, I w i l l n o t b e able t o give y o u s u c h accurate n u m e r i c a l i n f o r m a t ion a s I w o u l d w i s h . " T h e B e e t - s u g a r F a c t o r y , a t M o u n t m e l l i c k , w a s c o n s t r u c t e d , as y o u a r e aware, i n t h e A u t u m n a n d "Winter of 1851, b u t d i d n o t commence w o r k i n g until A p r i l , 1852, w h e n , o w i n g t o t h e lateness of t h e season, o n l y f r o m t h r e e to four t o n s of r a w s u g a r , of r a t h e r inferior q u a l i t y , w e r e m a n u f a c t u r e d . Various causes l e d t o t h i s u n f o r t u n a t e c i r c u m s t a n c e ; a m o n g w h i c h , I m a y mention t h e g r e a t difficulties w h i c h a l w a y s b e s e t a n e w u n d e r t a k i n g , a n d especially one, u p o n t h e success of w h i c h considerable d o u b t h a d b e e n thrown, a n d p r o b a b l y , also, t o some e x t e n t , t o t h e w a n t of experience, i n such m a t t e r s , of t h e p e r s o n s char ged w i t h t h e a r r a n g e m e n t of t h e building, and t h e f i t t i n g u p of t h e m a c h i n e r y . T h a t gr eat delays w o u l d have occurred, where t h e e x e c u t i o n w a s e n t r u s t e d t o engineers w h o h a d n e v e r f i t t e d u p a sugar fa c t o r y , h o w e v e r c o m p e t e n t i n o t h e r respects, m i g h t h a v e b e e n antici­ pated ; a n d i t is, therefore, t o b e r e g r e t t e d t h a t t h e C o m p a n y d i d n o t , i n t h e first instance, s e c u r e t h e services of some practical m a n f r o m t h e C o n t i n e n t . As a general r u l e , I t h i n k , i n s t a r t i n g a n e w m a n u f a c t u r e i n a c o u n t r y , i t would a l w a y s b e b e t t e r t o t a k e a d v a n t a g e of t h e experience of t h e district where i t h a d a l r e a d y succeeded, b y securing t h e services of o n e e d u c a t e d i n the business i n t h a t district, t h a n t o t a k e i t s e c o n d - h a n d f r o m p e r s o n s having n o practical k n o w l e d g e of i t . T h e y w o u l d , u n d o u b t e d l y , h a v e b e e n in a different position n o w , if, i n s t e a d of p u r c h a s i n g t h e i r m a c h i n e r y h e r e and t h e r e , t h e y h a d g o n e t o some respectable m a c h i n i s t i n F r a n c e , a n d contracted w i t h h i m t o p u t u p a complete factory, w i t h all t h e m o d e r n i m ­ provements, a n d t o h a v e i t i n w o r k i n g order, a t t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t of t h e beet season, i n t h e m o n t h of October. A n o t h e r g r e a t m i s t a k e w a s c o m m i t t e d in p u r c h a s i n g a n old building, a n d e n d e a v o u r i n g t o accommodate i t t o t h e new p u r p o s e . I h a v e n e v e r k n o w n a n old b u i l d i n g applied t o a n e w purpose, t h a t d i d n o t cost m o r e i n t h e e n d t h a n w o u l d h a v e b u i l t a suitable edifice i n the first instance. T h u s w a s t h e first y e a r lost. " L a s t S u m m e r , t h e C o m p a n y e n g a g e d t h e services of M r . "William H i r s c h , for some y e a r s m a n a g e r of t h e celebrated f a c t o r y of Serret, H a m o i r , D u q u e s n e , and Co. of Valenciennes. H e , a t once, s e t a b o u t remodelling t h e w h o l e factory. T h e greater p a r t of t h e old b u i l d i n g h a d t o b e t a k e n d o w n , a n d a complete c h a n g e m a d e i n t h e disposition of t h e m a c h i n e r y . A p o r t i o n of t h e apparatus first p u t u p , w a s r e m o v e d altogether, a n d considerable a d d i t i o n made. T h e o n l y p a r t of t h e old b u i l d i n g w h i c h r e m a i n s , i s t h e r o o m i n which t h e operation of r a s p i n g t h e b e e t t a k e s place, a n d t h e boiler-house. I n t h e old f a c t o r y , t h e r e w e r e o n l y f o u r h y d r a u l i c pr esses—ther e a r e n o w s i x ; b u t , o w i n g t o t h e smallness of t h e room, a n d i t s i l l a d a p t a t i o n f o r t h e present p u r p o s e , t h e f u l l a m o u n t of r oots c a n n o t b e w o r k e d u p i n a d a y , which m i g h t o t h e r w i s e b e done. Considerable i m p r o v e m e n t m i g h t also b e made i n t h e boiler-house, b y w h i c h a considerable saving of f u e l w o u l d b e

396 effected. A s y e t , n o provision h a s b e e n m a d e f o r t h e storeage of roots, which h a v e , consequently, b e e n m u c h exposed, d u r i n g t h e W i n t e r , t o t h e action of t h e w e a t h e r , a n d m u s t h a v e , consequently, suffered considerable deterioration. " W i t h t h e s e t h r e e exceptions, w h i c h will, n o d o u b t , b e a t once remedied, t h e f a c t o r y i s q u i t e e q u a l , if n o t superior, t o t h e m a j o r i t y of Continental factories. " T h e alterations effected b y M r . H i r s c h occupied a considerable time, o w i n g principally t o t h e unwillingness of t h e D i r e c t o r s t o incur additional e x p e n s e a f t e r t h e f a i l u r e of t h e first year. T h e r e s u l t of t h i s indecision was, t h a t t h e f a c t o r y w a s n o t i n a w o r k i n g order u n t i l t h e e n d of December, by w h i c h t h e t h r e e b e s t m o n t h s of t h e season w e r e l o s t . T o t h e same cause is t o b e a t t r i b u t e d t h e t h r e e defects i n t h e factory, w h i c h I h a v e j u s t noticed, and w h i c h M r . H i r s c h h a d i n t e n d e d t o r e m e d y , if h e h a d t h e opportunity. T h a t t h e f actor y w e n t t o w o r k , e v e n a t t h a t l a t e period, I believe the country o w e t o t h e p u b l i c spirit of M r . D a r g a n , a n d M r . T . T y r r e l l of London. " Before giving y o u m y opinion, a s t o t h e r e s u l t s obtained b y this year's w o r k , I shall j u s t m e n t i o n t h e series of operations t h r o u g h w h i c h the roots go b e f o r e t h e s u g a r i s p r o d u c e d , i n order t h a t m y s u b s e q u e n t remarks may be m o r e intelligible. " F o r t h e operation of r e d u c i n g t h e r o ots t o t h e condition of pulp, and ex­ t r a c t i n g t h e j u i c e : — T h e r oots a r e first b r o u g h t i n t o t h e washing-room, where t h e y a r e weighed, a n d a n e x a c t register k e p t of t h e q u a n t i t y so introduced. H e r e t h e y a r e i n t r o d u c e d i n t o t h e w a s h i n g - d r u m . T h e y issue quite clean, a n d a r e i m m e d i a t e l y r a s p e d u p i n t o a fine p u l p , b y a double rasp, consisting of d r u m s h a v i n g a b o u t o n e h u n d r e d a n d fifty fine s a w s inserted into each of t h e m , a n d w h i c h a r e m a d e t o revolve w i t h g r e a t velocity i n a case. The p u l p , as i t is delivered f r o m t h e s e r a s p s , i s i n t r o d u c e d i n t o k n i t t e d woollen-yarn sacks, a n d t h e n placed, w i t h a p l a t e of s h e e t - i r o n b e t w e e n each sack, under a s t e a m press, w h i c h acts b y t h e force of h i g h p r e s s u r e steam, and which r e m o v e s a b o u t one-half of t h e j u i c e . F r o m t h i s press t h e y are transferred to t h e h y d r a u l i c presses, w h e r e t h e r e m a i n d e r i s expressed, leaving a cake of p u l p i n e a c h sack, w h i c h i s a d m i r a b l y a d a p t e d f o r feeding cattle. The juice, a s i t r u n s f r o m t h e presses, i s conveyed i n t o a cistern, f r o m which i t is lifted u p t o t h e t o p of t h e b u i l d i n g b y a s o r t of contrivance called a monte-jus, w h i c h acts b y t h e p r e s s u r e of steam, a n d t h i s does a w a y w i t h t h e necessity of a p u m p , w h i c h w o u l d i n j u r e t h e j u i c e . T h e r e i t flows i n t o large copper vessels called defecating p a n s , of w h i c h t h e r e a r e f o u r , w h i c h can be heated b y a coil of s t e a m - p i p e circulating t h r o u g h t h e m , w h e r e i t is heated up to a c e r t a i n t e m p e r a t u r e , a n d m i x e d w i t h m i l k of lime, w h i c h separates all the f o r e i g n substance w h i c h w o u l d a l t e r t h e s u g a r , a n d p r e v e n t i t from crystal­ lizing. T h e s e foreign substances f o r m a t h i c k s c u m , w h i c h comes to the surface, a n d f r o m u n d e r w h i c h t h e clear j uice i s d r a w n a w a y . The scum is t h e n filtered i n l o n g l i n e n bags, a n d t h e t h i c k m a s s i s t h e n pressed in sacks t o separate t h e r e m a i n d e r of t h e j u i c e . T h e c a k e of solid matter in the sack f o r m s a n admir able m a n u r e . " T h e clear l i q u i d separated f r o m t h i s s c u m i s t h e n conducted b y a pipe to t h e filters, of w h i c h t h e r e a r e t e n , consisting of l a r g e cylinders of sheet-iron

397 filled •with a n i m a l charcoal, o r b o n e - b l a c k i n s m a l l g r a i n s ; h e r e t h e l i q u i d i s freed f r o m a n y excess of l i m e e m p l o y e d i n defecation, a n d i s decolorized. From t h e filterers i t flows i m mediately i n t o t h e e v a p o r a t i n g p a n s , of w h i c h there are f o u r , w h e r e i t i s b o i l e d d o w n t o t h e consistence of a t h i n s y r u p . Prom t h e evaporating p a n s t h e j uice passes i n t o a reservoir, f r o m w h e n c e i t is again s e n t u p t o t h e t o p of t h e building, b y a n o t h e r monte-jus, t o t h e clari­ fying p a n s , of w h i c h t h e r e a r e t w o , p l a c e d alongside t h e defecating p a n s . Here i t i s f u r t h e r purified b y b e i n g h e a t e d w i t h m i l k , a g a i n passes t h r o u g h the charcoal, a n d i s t h e n r e a d y f o r b e i n g boiled d o w n i n a v a c u u m p a n , of which t h e r e a r e t w o o n l y , o n e of w h i c h i s u s e d f o r t h e j u i c e , t h e o t h e r b e i n g reserved f o r s u b s e q u e n t operations. A s soon as t h e s u g a r i s boiled t o t h e proper consistence, i t i s l e t d o w n i n t o a l a r g e cistern, w h e r e i t i s u n i f o r m l y mixed, w h e n c e i t i s t r a n s f e r r e d i n t o sheet-iron t r o u g h s , w h e r e i t i s allowed to crystallize. W h e n t h e crystallization i s f u l l y effected, i t i s p u t i n t o t h e centrifugal m a c h i n e , of w h i c h t h e r e a r e t w o pairs a t M o u n t m e l l i c k . T h i s machine consists essentially of a sieve of wire-gauze, m a d e t o revolve w i t h extraordinary velocity, t h e solid s u g a r r e m a i n i n g i n t h e d r u m o r sieve, a n d the uncrystallized s y r u p flowing o u t . T h e sugar t h u s obtained directly f r o m the j u i c e i s called t h e first jet. T h e s y r u p separated f r o m i t i s s u b j e c t e d t o a second boiling, a n d yields s u g a r of t h e second jet, w h i l e t h e s y r u p w h i c h i s separated f r o m i t , w h e n good, is boiled a t h i r d t i m e , giving s u g a r of t h e third jet. T h e s y r u p o b t a i n e d a f t e r t h e t h i r d j e t , is t h e n laid a s i d e f o r a couple of months i n i r o n cisterns, w h e n a n additional p o r t i o n of s u g a r separates a n d sinks t o t h e b o t t o m , w h i l s t t h e l i q u i d p o r t i o n f o r m s t h e molasses. T h e s u g a r obtained b y t h e different boilings i s of different qualities, i n t h e o r d i n a r y process; b u t i t i s n o t necessarily s o ; a n d , i n general, a t M o u n t m e l l i c k , as good s u g a r w a s o b t a i n e d f r o m t h e second a n d t h i r d boiling, as f r o m t h e first, when r e q u i r e d ; i n d e e d , t h e w h o l e s u g a r m a y b e obtained a s refined s u g a r by one continued series of operations. " T h e different s u g a r s , w h e n t a k e n f r o m t h e centr if ugal m a c h i n e , a r e r e ­ moved t o t h e c u r i n g floor; w h i c h is a r o o m w a r m e d b y t h e w a s t e s t e a m of t h e building, w h e r e t h e s u g a r i s u n i f o r m l y m i x e d a n d dried, s o as t o fit i t f o r t h e market. " W e m a y d i s t i n g u i s h t h r e e distinct periods i n t h e m a n u f a c t u r e of t h e b e e t sugar. T h e first consists of a b o u t t w o - a n d - a - h a l f m o n t h s , commencing a t t h e opening of t h e season, a n d e x t e n d i n g f r o m t h a t o f t e n t o t h e m i d d l e of O c t o ­ ber ; t h e second period commences a b o u t t h e first of J a n u a r y , a n d t e r m i n a t e s about t h e m i d d l e of F e b r u a r y ; a n d t h e t h i r d i s i n c l u d e d b e t w e e n t h e l a t t e r period a n d t h e e n d of t h e season i n t h e commencement of A p r i l . D u r i n g t h e first period, t h e s u g a r c o n t a i n e d i n t h e r oots i s a t a m a x i m u m , a n d t h e j u i c e i s in its purest s t a t e ; w h e n c e i t g r a d u a l l y declines u n t i l t h e e n d of t h e season, when t h e ro o t s e x h i b i t a g r e a t t e n d e n c y t o t h r o w o u t leaves, a n d t h e s u g a r attains i t s m i n i m u m . B u t n o t o n l y does t h e p e r centage of s u g a r e x i s t i n g i n the root g r a d u a l l y diminish, b u t t h e difficulty of e x t r a c t i n g t h a t w h i c h exists increases also. I f t h e p e r centage of s u g a r obtained i n t h e first t h r e e m o n t h s averages s e v e n , i t w i l l b e f o u n d t o fall i n t h e second t o s i x o r five-and-a-half; and i n t h e t h i r d , u n l e s s g r e a t care i s t a k e n i n t h e preservation of t h e roots, i t

398 m a y f a l l t o f o u r - a n d - a - h a l f , a n d even t o f o u r . T h e manufacturer estimates h i s p e r centago u p o n t h e average of t h e w h o l e season, w h i c h m a y be taken at a b o u t s i x t o s i x - a n d - a - h a l f p e r c e n t u n d e r o r d i n a r y circumstances. When, h o w e v e r , g r e a t care i s bestowed i n g r o w i n g t h e r o o t s , i n their subsequent preservation, a n d i n t h e process of m a n u f a c t u r e , f r o m seven t o seven-and-ah a l f p e r cent, a n d e v e n m o r e c a n b e obtained. W h e r e t h e culture of the roots i s n o t p r o p e r l y u n d e r s t o o d , o r w h e r e r i c h spring m a n u r i n g is h a d recourse to, a l t h o u g h t h e a m o u n t of s u g a r , i n t h e first instance, m a y b e quite equalto that i n car ef ully g r o w n ones, t h e s u b s e q u e n t deterioration w i l l b e greater, and the difficulty of e x t r a c t i n g crystallizable s u g a r will b e considerably increased. " I m a k e t h e s e r e m a r k s , i n o r d e r t h a t t h e r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d a t Mountmellick m a y b e p r o p e r l y u n d e r s t o o d . A s I h a v e a l r e a d y r e m a r k e d , t h a t factory did n o t w o r k a t all, d u r i n g t h e first p e r i o d w h i c h I h a v e j u s t indicated, conse­ q u e n t l y t h e r e s u l t s of i t s w o r k i n g m u s t b e b e l o w t h e average which could h a v e b e e n obtained, h a d i t w o r k e d t h e w h o l e period. W h e n I visited the f a c t o r y i n t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t of J a n u a r y , t h e average of t h e first few weeks' w o r k i n g w a s f r o m s i x t o s i x - a n d - a - q u a r t e r p e r c e n t , of superior quality s u g a r . I m a d e t h i s e s t i m a t e f r o m a c a r e f u l observation of a n entire day's w o r k i n g , a n d f r o m d a t a k i n d l y s h o w n t o m e b y t h e officer of the Revenue in c h a r g e , a n d I f o u n d t h a t i t corresponded, i n every particular, w i t h the state­ m e n t g i v e n t o m e b y M r . H i r s c h . A f e w w e e k s subsequently, I visited the f a c t o r y again, a n d , b e i n g i n c o m p a n y w i t h o n e of t h e parties interested, I had a n o p p o r t u n i t y of seeing all t h e details of t h e w o r k i n g u p t o t h a t period, and I w a s glad t o find t h a t , i n e v e r y p a r t i c u l a r , t h e y corresponded with the per­ f e c t l y i n d e p e n d e n t e s t i m a t e w h i c h I h a d previously m a d e . " A t t h a t t i m e , t h e average cost of p r o d u c i n g o n e t o n of sugar, exclusive of t h e v a l u e of p u l p , s c u m ( or m a n u r e ) , a n d molasses, w a s a b o u t £23. I n this w a s i n c l u d e d l a b o u r , coal, oil, a n d o t h e r miscellaneous i t e m s , and t h e price of t h e r a w m a t e r i a l . I t d i d n o t i n c l u d e t h e cost of direction, or of manager's salary, o r t h e i n t e r e s t u p o n capital, or t h e w e a r a n d t e a r of plant. The sugar p r o d u c e d a t t h i s cost, s o l d a t a n average of £ 3 3 p e r t o n , leaving a handsome s u m f o r pr of it, c h a r g e s f o r direction, a n d i n t e r e s t u p o n capital. " T h e season m a y n o w b e considered t o b e t e r m i n a t e d ; a n d as far as can be j u d g e d a t p r e s e n t , f o r t h e absolute r e s u l t s c a n n o t b e g i v e n u n t i l t h e last syrups h a v e b e e n w o r k e d u p , t h e average of t h e w h o l e season will yield above fae per cent. N o w , w h e n w e t a k e i n t o aeeoimt, t h a t t h e season was exceedingly unf avour able, t h e r oots h a v i n g b e e n f r e q u e n t l y d u g o u t of t h e water, that no provision w a s m a d e f o r t h e p r o p e r stor age of t h e roots, a great quantity of w h i c h w e r e m o r e o r less i n j u r e d , o r e n t i r e l y destroyed, a n d t h a t the work­ people w e r e completely i n e x p e r i e n c e d , t h i s r e s u l t i s v e r y satisfactory; espe­ cially w h e n w e recollect, t h a t w h e n t h e m a n u f a c t u r e w a s commenced in G e r m a n y , a n d even a t a l a t e r p e r i o d i n B e l g i u m , t h e average per centage of the whole season w a s scarcely four per cent. T h e r e cannot b e t h e slightest d o u b t t h a t , h a d t h e f actor y w o r k e d d u r i n g t h e first t h r e e months of the re­ g u l a r season, t h e p e r centage w o u l d h a v e b e e n f u l l y six-and-a-half per cent. " B u t , i t w i l l b e asked, w i l l s u c h r e s u l t s p a y ? T h a t a n experiment con­ d u c t e d u n d e r s u c h difficulties could afford a l a r g e profit, is n o t to be expected,

399 but t h e p r o d u c e from t h e sale of t h e s u g a r , w i l l s o m e w h a t m o r e t h a n c o v e r t h e expenses of i t s m a n u f a c t u r e ; a n d i f t h e v a l u o of t h e p u l p , s c u m , a n d m o ­ lasses c a n b e realized, t h e r e w i l l b e e n o u g h t o cover t h e expenses of management, r e n t , a n d i n t e r e s t u p o n c a p i t a l . * " N o w , if w e recollect t h a t t h e i n t e r e s t u p o n capital, t h e r e n t , t a x e s , a n d cost of p e r m a n e n t staff, i s t h e s a m e , n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e f a c t o r y m a y h a v e been a t w o r k , a n d i f w e a s s u m e t h e c o s t of m a k i n g o n e t o n of s u g a r t o b e exactly t h e s a m e a s i t h a s b e e n a t M o u n t m e l l i c k , b u t t h a t t h e f u l l season of six m o n t h s h a d b e e n w o r k e d o u t , a n d a m i n i m u m p e r c e n t a g e of s i x p e r c e n t , of sugar o b t a i n e d , t h e concern w o u l d h a v e y i e l d e d a h a n d s o m e p r o f i t ; b u t , under favourable circumstances, t h e p e r c e n t a g e of s u g a r i n t h e e n d of t h e season w o u l d h a v e b e e n m o r e , f o r g r e a t e r c a r e c o u l d have b e e n b e s t o w e d u p o n the preservation of t h e roots, m o r e e c o n o m y observed i n t h e f u e l , a n d i n s t e a d of f r o m t h i r t y t o thirty-five t o n s of r oots b e i n g r a s p e d daily, f or ty-five c o u l d have b e e n w o r k e d u p , w h e n t h e w o r k - p e o p l e w o u l d b e m o r e expe rienced, and t h e d e f e c t s of t h e p r e s s - r o o m r e m e d i e d . " I a m p e r f e c t l y satisfied t h a t , u n d e r s u c h circumstances, t h e cost of p r o ­ ducing o n e t o n of s u g a r w o u l d h a v e b e e n r e d u c e d t o £ 2 0 , o r e v e n t o £ 1 8 . " W i t h r e g a r d to- t h e q u a l i t y of t h e s u g a r p r o d u c e d , i t i s u n n e c e s s a r y f o r me t o s p e a k . A l t h o u g h t h e t o t a l q u a n t i t y m a d e w i l l n o t e x c e e d one h u n d r e d tons, still i t i s sufficient t o e n a b l e t h e p u b l i c t o j u d g e of i t s q u a l i t y . I d o n o t attach m u c h v a l u e t o t h e p r i c e a t w h i c h i t h a s sold, as, n o d o u b t , t h e p r e ­ mium w h i c h i t f e t c h e d over t h e c a n e s u g a r , w a s , i n p a r t , t o b e a t t r i b u t e d t o the n o v e l t y of i t s b e i n g I r i s h s u g a r ; b u t , I c a n s a y , f r o m a k n o w l e d g e of t h e raw beet-sugars of t h e C o n t i n e n t , t h a t I h a v e s e e n n o n e w h i c h a t a l l e q u a l l e d that p r o d u c e d a t M o u n t m e l l i c k . " I f I c o u l d h a v e ever d o u b t e d of t h e p r a c t i c a b i l i t y of i n t r o d u c i n g t h e b e e t sugar m a n u f a c t u r e i n t o I r e l a n d , t h e r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d t h i s y e a r a t M o u n t m e l ­ lick w o u l d h a v e s e t t h e m a t r e s t . A n d , I a m q u i t e s u r e , t h a t t h e g r e a t e s t opponent of t h e m o v e m e n t , i f h e h a d t a k e n t h e s a m e p a i n s t h a t I h a v e t a k e n to s t u d y e v e r y d e t a i l of t h e s u b j e c t , w o u l d c o m e t o t h e conclusion t h a t t h e r e are f e w m a n u f a c t u r e s , if, i n d e e d , t h e r e a r e a n y , w h i c h h o l d o u t t h e s a m e p r o s ­ pect of a l a r g e r e t u r n of t h e c a p i t a l i n v e s t e d i n i t , t h a n does t h a t of b e e t - s u g a r . " I h a v e b e e n accused of b e i n g t o o s a n g u i n e , b u t I a m , a t least, a p e r f e c t l y disinterested advocate of t h e c a u s e ; a n d , n o w , a f t e r h a v i n g devoted a c o n ­ siderable t i m e t o t h e consideration of t h e q u e s t i o n , I a m m o r e p e r s u a d e d t h a n ever, t h a t n o t h i n g b u t t h e m o s t gross m i s m a n a g e m e n t , o r t h a t w a n t of s p i r i t and of perseverance w i t h w h i c h w e a r e sometimes t a x e d , a n d w h i c h , I a m sorry t o s a y , h a s v e r y o f t e n c a u s e d t h e r u i n of good enterprises, w i l l p r e v e n t the m a n u f a c t u r e of b e e t - s u g a r b e c o m i n g o n e of t h e s t a p l e m a n u f a c t u r e s of Ireland. " I t i s scarcely possible t o give y o u a n i d e a oft h e benefits w h i c h , I believe, t h e introduction of s u c h a m a n u f a c t u r e w o u l d confer u p o n t h i s c o u n t r y . I n t h e * I h a v e u n d e r estimated t h e result, as t h e company h a s actually been able t o declare a dividend of f o u r p e r cent, f o r t h e h a l f y e a r — o r a t t h e rate of e i g h t p e r cent, p e r a n n u m ,

3

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400 first place, i t w o u l d completely a l t e r o u r p r e s e n t i m p e r f e c t system of agricul­ t u r e , a n d i n t r o d u c e exact n o t i o n s of economy a m o n g s t t h e farming classes; s econdly, i t w o u l d give considerable e m p l o y m e n t t o t h e people—afactory like t h a t of M o u n t m e l l i c k w o u l d employ, d u r i n g t h e w o r s t season of t h e year, about 150 p e r s o n s ; t h i r d l y , t h e s e factories b e i n g s i t u a t e d i n t h e r u r a l districts, and t h e n a t u r e of t h e processes r e q u i r i n g t h e exercise of t h e intelligence, would a c t m o s t beneficially u p o n t h e i d e a s of t h e p e a s a n t r y ; fourthly, it would c r e a t e a school of skilled ar tizans a n d machinists o n t h e one hand, and of y o u n g m e n fitted t o e n g a g e i n n e a r l y every o t h e r m a n u f a c t u r e , where a know­ l e d g e of c h e m i s t r y a n d m e c h a n i c s w o u l d b e u s e f u l , o n t h e o t h e r ; fifthly, it w o u l d k e e p a l a r g e s u m of m o n e y a t h o m e , w h i c h n o w leaves t h e country for t h e p u r c h a s e of s u g a r ; a n d s i x t h l y , i t w o u l d considerably benefit the West I n d i a n colonies, b y t r a i n i n g p e r s o n s c a p a b l e of i m p r o v i n g t h e manufacture of tropical sugar. " A l t h o u g h I h a v e a l r e a d y e x t e n d e d m y r e m a r k s t o a v e r y unreasonable l e n g t h , I c a n n o t r e f r a i n f r o m n o t i c i n g s o m e of t h e r e c e n t objections which h a v e b e e n u r g e d a g a i n s t t h e s u b j e c t i n several E n g l i s h j o u r n a l s . I cannot s a y t h a t t h e s e articles p r e s e n t a n y n e w f e a t u r e ; w e h a v e merely the old s t o r y , t h a t i t c a n n e v e r c o m p e t e w i t h tropical s u g a r ; b u t w e a r e n o t told why. T h e Daily News, i n d e e d , i n f o r m s u s t h a t a n a c r e of b e e t produces ten cwt. of s u g a r , w h i l e a n a c r e of cane, w h i c h costs b u t o n e - t e n t h a s m u c h , produces f o r t y t o fifty c w t s . W h a t w i l l t h e w r i t e r s a y , if t h e a c r e of beet produces m o r e t h a n t w e n t y c w t . a n d t h e a c r e of ca ne, o n a n average, n o t more, and costs m o r e t h a n h a l f a s m u c h i n r e n t ? A l l t h o s e p o i n t s , I have already answered, a t f u l l l e n g t h , i n m y p a m p h l e t s o n t h e s u b j e c t , e n t i t l e d " F a c t s a n d Theories a n d I h a v e n o t h e a r d t h a t m y s t a t e m e n t s h a v e b e e n controverted, n a y more, s i n c e t h e n , I h a v e collected a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n , w h i c h f u l l y proves the a b s u r d i t y of t h e s t a t e m e n t a b o u t t h e r i c h n e s s of t h e cane. " A g a i n , w e a r e told, t h a t t h e s u g a r m a n u f a c t u r e r e q u i r e s t h e growth of t h e l e a s t profitable k i n d of b e e t . T h e r e a r e t w o e r r o r s i n t h i s assertion—first, t h a t s u g a r c a n o n l y b e m a d e f r o m t h e w h i t e or s u g a r - b e e t — a n y other variety w i l l d o j u s t a s w e l l ; b u t t h i s h a s b e e n selected, because i t i s really the best v a r i e t y ; a n d , secondly, t h a t i t is t h e least p r o f i t a b l e . T h e Daily News q u o t e s f r o m t h e R e p o r t of t h e Commissioners of Education, a n e x p e r i m e n t s h o w i n g t h a t t h e s u g a r - b e e t gives a smaller r e t u r n than the l o n g r e d m a n g o l w u r z e l . W h a t , if I c o u l d q u o t e t w o o r t h r e e cases t o prove t h e opposite? D u r i n g t h e p a s t season, w e h a v e m a d e a v e r y extensive inves­ t i g a t i o n o n t h e composition of r o o t crops, w h i c h h a s l e d t o some remarkable r e s u l t s . F o r i n s t a n c e , w e h a v e f o u n d t h a t l a r g e roots a r e considerably infe­ r i o r t o s m a l l roots, sometimes t o t h e e x t e n t of e v e n fifty p e r cent, a fact which y o u w i l l also find noticed i n t h e P a r l i a m e n t a r y R e p o r t . N o w , t h e sugar-beet n a t u r a l l y produces smaller-sized r oots t h a n t h e l o n g r e d mangol wurzel, hence t h e a p p a r e n t advantage of t h e l a t t e r over t h e f o r m e r n o t i c e d b y t h e Daily News. " T h i s f a c t i s of g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e t o t h e f u t u r e prosperity of t h e beet-sugar m a n u f a c t u r e , because t h e r oots r e q u i r e d f o r t h i s p u r p o s e m u s t not be larger t h a n t h r e e t o f o u r p o u n d s , w h i l s t t h e p r e s e n t s y s t e m of r o o t growing is to en­ c o u r a g e t h e g r o w t h of m o n s t e r roots. N o w , h o w e v e r , t h a t t h e advantage of

401 growing small roots f o r cattle-feeding, a s w e l l a s f o r sugar, h a s b e e n estab­ lished, o n e o f t h e g r e a t e s t d i ff i c u l t i e s w h i c h t h e b e e t - s u g a r m o v e m e n t w o u l d have t o contend against—the g r o w t h of a special crop,b y a different system of a g r i c u l t u r e f r o m t h a t u s u a l l y f o l l o w e d — i s c o m p l e t e l y a t a n e n d . " I s h a l l n o t n o w s a y a n y t h i n g w i t h r e f e r e n c et o c o m p e t i t i o n o f b e e t - s u g a r in F r a n c e w i t h t h a t of t h e cane, a n d of t h e gigantic strides w h i c h t h e f o r m e r is e v e r y d a y m a k i n g i n t h e f a c e o f t h a t c o m p e t i t i o n . I h a v e t r e a t e d t h a t s u b ­ ject a t f u l l l e n g t h i n t h e p a m p h l e t a l r e a d y a l l u d e dt o ; b u t , n e v e r t h e l e s s ,d a y after d a y , t h e s a m e o b j e c t i o n s a r e u r g e d , w i t h o u t a n y r e f e r e n c e t o t h e c a s e m a d e a g a i n s t s u c h o b j e c t i o n s . T h u s , f o r i n s t a n c e , a w r i t e r i n t h e Gardener's Chronicle, i n a r g u i n g t h a t i t i s i m p o s s i b l e t h a t I r i s h b e e t c o u l d c o n t a i n a s much sugaras t h a t growni n F r e n c h Flanders, becauset h e temperature there is h i g h e r t h a n i n t h e S o u t h o f I r e l a n d , w h e r e h e a s s u m e s t h e s u m m e r t e m ­ p e r a t u r e t o b e 60° a n d i n t h e a u t u m n 50° w h i l s t i n B e l g i u m t h e s u m m e r t e m ­ p e r a t u r e i s 4° t o 5 ° h i g h e r , a n d i n a u t u m n f r o m 2° t o 3°. W i t h o u t e n t e r i n g i n t o t h e q u e s t i o n of h i s reasons f u r t h e r , I shall j u s t q u o t e f r o m t h e second edition o f m y p a m p h l e t , " T h e M a n u f a c t u r e of B e e t S u g a r i n I r e l a n d , " t h e following f a c t s : —

Cork Paris

Mn. tem. of the year. Mn. Summer tern. Mn. tem. for Aug. and Sept. . 5-4-41° 56-15° 63'08° 51-31° . . . . 64-58° 62-76°

" T o t h e s e , I shall a d d , t h a t t h e m e a n a n n u a l t e m p e r a t u r e of D u n k e r q u e i s only 50*5° ; o f A r r a s , 5 0 ' 3 ° ; a n d of B r u s s e l s , 50*9°; a n d t h e m e a n s u m m e r temperatures a r ei n t h e s a m e proportion. N o w , t h e t h r e e latter t o w n s a r et h e principal seats of t h e b e e t s u g a r m a n u f a c t u r e i n F r a n c e a n di n B e l g i u m , a n d t h e c l i m a t e o f P a r i s i s c o n f e s s e d l y b e t t e r t h a n a n y p a r t of N o r m a n d y . I d o n o t m e a n t o a s s e r t t h a t t h e t e m p e r a t u r e of I r e l a n d g e n e r a l l y i s e q u a l t o C o r k ; b u t I h a v e t a k e n i t a s t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e S o u t h of I r e l a n d b e i n g t h e p a r t b r o u g h t i n t o c o m p a r i s o n b y t h e Gardener's Chronicle. B u t , I could show, if necessary, t h a t t h e g r e a t e r p a r t o f I r e l a n d h a s q u i t e a s w a r m a c l i m a t e a s t h e b e e t districts of F r a n c e a n d B e l g i u m , a n d a m u c h b e t t e r w i n t e r season. " T h e w r i t e r i n t h e Gardener's Chronicle q u o t e s a p a s s a g e i n t h e P a r l i a ­ m e n t a r y R e p o r t , t o s h o w t h a t , e v e nb y m y o w n w o r d s , geographical position has considerable influenceu p o n t h e a m o u n t of s u g a r . H e says, t h a t w h i l e b e e t g r o w n i n l a t . 48° c o n t a i n e d 12*13 p e r c e n t , o f s u g a r , t h a t g r o w n i n l a t . 5° c o n t a i n e d o n l y 6*7 p e r c e n t . N o w , i t i s s t r a n g e t h a t h e d i d n o t s e e t h a t t h i s g r e a t d i f f e r e n c e i s c o v e r e d b y t h e si z e o f t h e r o o t s , a n d t h a t , i n t h e s a m e district, r o o t s c o n t a i n i n g 12*7 p e r c e n t , b e i n g t h e m a x i m u m o b t a i n e d , w e r e also g r o w n . B u t , w h y a r g u e u p o n t h i s s u b j e c t , w h e n m y o w n r e s u l t s s h o w t h a t , i n I r e l a n d , t h e a m o u n t of s u g a r v a r i e s f r o m 3 J p e r c w t . t o 1 4 J , a n d n o t 10*89 a s e r r o n e o u s l y q u o t e d b y t h e Chronicle. " N o person wishes more t h a n I d o t o seet h e whole subject carefully dis­ cussed, a n d m y e r r o r s p o i n t e d o u t ; f o r , o f c o u r s e , I a m l i a b l e , l i k e a l l o t h e r s , t o c o m m i t t h e m ; b u t , I d o t h i n k , s u c h r a n d o m s t a t e m e n t s a s m a k eu p t h e a r g u m e n t s u s e d a g a i n s t t h e s u b j e c t of t h e m a n u f a c t u r e o f b e e t s u g a r i n I r e ­ land, a r e r e a l l y u n f a i r . I f I a n d o t h e r s w h o e n t e r t a i n similar v i e w s a r e w r o n g ,

402 l e t i t b e p r o v e d b y a t h o r o u g h investigation of t h e case, a n d m u c h good -will b e d o n e ; if, h o w e v e r , w e a r e r i g h t , m u c h mischief m a y b e d o n e b y such t h r e a d b a r e a r g u m e n t s a n d erroneous s t a t e m e n t s . I t i s really a complex and a difficult question t o d e a l w i t h , a n d I certainly d o n o t t h i n k a n y one justified i n a t t a c k i n g i t u n t i l t h e y h a v e t h o r o u g h l y investigated i t . " I f e a r t h a t t h e i n f o r m a t i o n w h i c h I h a v e given y o u , i s n o t of t h a t definite c h a r a c t e r w h i c h y o u w o u l d r e q u i r e , still, I h o p e y o u w i l l b e able, with the i n f o r m a t i o n a l r e a d y p u b l i s h e d , t o f o r m a general i d e a of t h e present position of t h e question, a n d oft h e pr obability of i t s u l t i m a t e success, " I r e m a i n y o u r s v e r y sincerely, " W I L L I A MK .

SULLIVAN.

" J o h n F r a n c i s M a g u i r e , E s q . M . P . M a y o r of C o r k . "

The following instructions for the cultivation of the sugarbeet, written by the Manager of the Mountmellick Factory— one of the most intelligent men I have ever met, and to whom I am indebted for my first knowledge of the subject with which he is so intimately conversant—are too impor­ tant to be omitted, especially as they are given by a person actually engaged in the manufacture :— " CULTIVATION O F T H E SUGAR B E E T , F O R T H E P U R P O S E OP SUGAR MANUFACTURE.

" T h e B e e t - r o o t , w h i c h f o r c a t t l e f o o d i s a p l a n t of t h e h i g h e s t importance, i s f a r m o r e so, if considered a s a s o u r c e of i n d u s t r y capable of giving employ­ m e n t t o t h o u s a n d s of people, a n d j u s t d u r i n g t h a t period, w h e n almost every o t h e r a g r i c u l t u r a l e m p l o y m e n t i s a t a s t a n d d u r i n g t h e w i n t e r months. " T o o b t a i n B e e t - r o o t a n s w e r i n g t h e p u r p o s e of S u g a r manufacture, m u s t t h e r e f o r e b e t h e p r i n c i p a l object of t h e f a r m e r s ; i t m a y therefore be of s o m e a d v a n t a g e , a s w e l l f o r t h e g r o w e r s of B e e t a s f o r t h e manufacturer of B e e t - s u g a r , t o k n o w u n d e r w h a t circumstances t h i s p l a n t i s grown on the C o n t i n e n t . T h i s consideration h a s i n d u c e d m e t o m a k e these few obser­ v a t i o n s t o t h e f a r m e r s i n t e n d i n g t o g r o w B e e t f o r n e x t season. " T h e B e e t - r o o t f o r S u g a r m a n u f a c t u r i n g p u r p o s e s , m u s t b e distinguishe from t h e m a n g o l - w u r z e l generally g r o w n i n t h i s c o u n t r y for feeding pur­ poses. T h e s p e c i m e n of B e e t - r o o t considered b e s t f o r t h e Beet-sugar m a n u f a c t u r e , i s t h e W H I T E SILESIAN SUGAR B E E T . I t i s t h e r e f o r e of t h e

greatest i m p o r t a n c e t h a t o n l y t h i s k i n d b e s o w n f o r t h e Sugar manu­ factories. T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r r e q u i r e s s u c h roots as give h i m t h e highest p e r - c e n t a g e of S u g a r ; t h e g r o w e r of B e e t s u c h a s w i l l give h i m t h e greatest a v e r a g e possible f r o m one a c r e of l a n d . " I t occurs o f t e n t h a t i n a p p e a r a n c e b o t h i n t e r e s t s a r e contradictory, as t h e opinion seems t o prevail a m o n g s t t h e g r o w e r s , t h a t t h e larger roots give a h i g h e r average p e r acre t h a n s m a l l e r on es, a n d as i t i s a n established fact t h a t smaller r o o t s give a h i g h e r p e r - c e n t a g e of S u g a r : n o w experience has

L

II 403 shown t h a t t h e B e c t - r o o t w h i c h gives t h e h i g h e s t p e r - c e n t a g e of S u g a r i f properly g r o w n , gives t h e h i g h e s t a v e r a g e t o t h e g r o w e r s ; a n d w h e r e diffe­ rent results a r e obtained, t h e c a u s e s u r e l y c a n n o t b e a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e B e e t itself, or i t s s i z e , b u t o n l y t o t h e m o d e of cultivation a n d t h e selection of t h e soil. " T h e W h i t e Siiesian B e e t r e q u i r e s a w e l l - p l o u g h e d soil, t o e n a b l e t h e root t o e n t e r d e e p i n t o t h e g r o u n d . T h e soil m u s t b e w e l l loosened, levelled, and s t r e n g t h e n e d a f t e r w a r d s b y r e p e a t e d operations w i t h t h e roller. I f t h e s e conditions a r e observed, a d r y , s a n d y , o r limestone soil, w h i c h gives t h e best Sugar-beet, w i l l also give t h e h i g h e s t average p e r a c r e ; a d e e p l y worked soil i s t h e r e f o r e a n essential p o i n t . " A n o t h e r p o i n t of i m p o r t a n c e i s m a n u r e . S h o u l d B e e t - r o o t b e s o w n immediately a f t e r m a n u r e or n o t f " Y e s : if t h e soil b e n a t u r a l l y compact, a n d if t h e m a n u r e b e w e l l d e c o m ­ posed, close, heavy, o r i n p o w d e r , a n d t h e r e f o r e does n o t r a i s e t h e soil too much. " N o : i f t h e soil b e i n c o h e r e n t , w e a k , soft, a n d if t h e m a n u r e b e l i g h t , long a n d s t r a w y . T h e m a n u r e s saline, s u l p h u r e o u s a n d alkaline, a r e u n ­ favourable t o t h e g r o w t h of B e e t - r o o t a n d t o t h e q u a l i t y of t h e S u g a r . Manures w e l l decomposed, lime, calcareous, plaster a n d p h o s p h a t e of l i m e , a u g m e n t t h e q u a l i t y a n d q u a n t i t y of S u g a r - b e e t . " T h e l a n d f o r B e e t - r o o t s h o u l d b e d e e p l y w o r k e d before t h e w i n t e r , a n d again i n s p r i n g ; t h e m o r e d r y t h e soil is, t h e m o r e i t r e q u i r e s t o b e w o r k e d with t h e roller. T h e t i m e f o r s o w i n g i s generally f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g of April, t o t h e e n d of M a y ; i t i s n o t advisable t o s o w t o o early, a s t h e f r o s t in t h e s p r i n g s o m e t i m e s i n j u r e s t h e y o u n g p l a n t . I f f a r m e r s d o n o t u s e a sowing m a c h i n e , i t i s advisable t o e m p l o y a dibble t o m a r k t h e distances; this i n s t r u m e n t i s m a d e of w o o d , a n d n o t a t a l l expensive.

A

B

F r o m A t o B a r e f o u r o r five p o i n t s t u r n e d a g a i n s t t h e soil. A l a b o u r e r is placed o n t h e e n d C D , a n d goes s t r a i g h t over t h e w h o l e l e n g t h of t h e land a n d m a r k s r e g u l a r l i n e s ; a second l a b o u r e r crosses t h e s e l i n e s w i t h a similar i n s t r u m e n t , t h u s d i v i d i n g t h e w h o l e l a n d i n t o r e g u l a r s q u a r e s , o n e a c h cross so f o r m e d , t h r e e o r f o u r g r a i n s of seed a r e deposited i n a a small h o l e , w h i c h i s t h e n covered u p w i t h e a r t h ; t h r o u g h t h i s m o d e a s a v i n g of seed w i l l b e obtained, a n d t h e r e g u l a r i t y of t h e p l a n t s facilitate t h e f u t u r e l a b o u r s of t h e f a r m e r . T h e distance b e t w e e n t h e p l a n t s varies according t o s o i l ; u p o n a r i c h soil t h e r oots m a y b e g r o w n closer t h a n u p o n an inferior soil, i n general t h e distance i s f r o m f o u r t e e n t o sixtee n inches between e a c h r o o t ; s o m e leave t e n i n c h e s i n o n e direction a n d eighteen in t h e other.

. JOB |J||

404 " I f t h e B e e t - r o o t b e g r o w n t o t h e size of h a l f a n i n c h i n diameter, i t i s necessary t o w e e d a n d t h i n t h e m o u t , n o t m o r e t h a n one single plant s h o u l d b e l e f t i n e a c h place ; after t h r e e w e e k s t h e weeding m u s t be re­ p e a t e d , a n d t h e n o w stronger b u l b covered w i t h e a r t h . A t h i r d operation, of t h i s k i n d i s necessary a f t e r a lapse of t h r e e w e e k s o r a month. Some w e e k s a f t e r t h e t h i r d operation t h e roots become r i p e ; t h i s state is ma­ n i f e s t e d b y t h e leaves assuming a yellow colour, a n d droop towards the ground. " T h e y c a n n o w b e t a k e n o u t ; t h i s t a k e s place generally i n t h e months of O c t o b e r a n d N o v e m b e r , t h e leaves a n d t o p s c u t off o n t h e ground, the r o o t s cleaned f r o m e a r t h a n d t r a n s p o r t e d directly t o t h e factory. I t is desirable t o b r i n g t h e m o n l y i n d r y w e a t h e r , w h i c h r e n d e r s t h e operation m o r e easy, a n d t h e root w i l l b e b e t t e r f o r preservation. T h e leaves and t o p s c a n b e u s e d f o r f e e d i n g cattle, or b e l e f t o n t h e field a s manure. " D i f f e r e n t r o t a t i o n s of crops observed i n t h e g r o w i n g of Beet-root on the Continent. " First year, " Second year,

Beet-root (manured). Corn.

" First year, " Second year, " T h i r d year,

Potatoes (manured). Beet-root. Corn.

"Firstyear, " Second y e a r , " T h i r d year

Oats (manured). Beet-root. Corn.

" F i r s t year, " Second y e a r " Third year, " F o u r t h year,

Corn. Beet-root. Oats. Trefoil.

" T h e s e rotations a r e variable according t o climate, n a t u r e of t h e soil, a n d m a r k e t for t h e p r o d u c e . "

I may here venture to quote a passage from something I wrote upon this subject, when recommending it, through the medium of the public press, to the consideration of the Irish public :— ' ' As t o Beet being a n exhausting crop, i t is n o more so t h a n any other crop, always provided that, like other crops, it b e grown in due agricultural rotation; as otherwise it would exhaust t h e soil, as any other crop similarly grown. Besides the leaves and tops, which are excellent for feeding, t h e pulp, from which t h e saccharine has been expressed, is most nutritive food for cattle, and is highly esteemed, as such, b y the farmers of t h e Continent. I t may be preserved as long as six months, provided it is carefully excluded from the atmosphere, and k e p t in a dark place. T h e general practice is either t o keep i n a darkroom, covered with straw, or in pits in t h e field, covered with earth—as potatoes have

405 been k e p t i u this country. This pulp contains much of what is nutritive, although all that is necessary for the manufacture of Sugar has been extracted from it. I t is sold t o t h e farmers near Mountmellick a t t h e r a t e of ten shillings a-ton. O n the Continent, t h e manufacturer and t h e farmer a r e generally one and t h e same person ; and t h e two operations proceed harmoniously and simultaneously—the refuse of the factory being returned t o the farm i n various shapes and forms, as feeding for t h e cattle, and manure for t h e soil, of which t h e scum of t h e liquor is t h e principal. T h e Continental farmer fattens his cattle with t h e pulp of the Beet i n winter, and sells them i n t h e spring."

I shall now place before the reader some particulars with respect to an interesting experiment which has been made m the City of Waterford, by Messrs. Nind and Company. However, before doing so, I must say a word or two as to the prices which Irish Sugar has already brought in the Dublin and other markets. There have been several sales of the Mountmellick Sugar in Dublin; and on each occasion, the price paid for this Sugar—of which about 100 tons were sold up to the month of March last—ranged from two shillings to three shillings per cwt. higher than that paid for the best Colonial, or Canesugar. I should not wish to base any calculation on this fact, and for this reason, that the price paid was what might be called a " fancy price," in consequence of the novelty of the article, which people were anxious to buy as an experiment, or from a desire to assist the undertaking. But one thing it is necessary to state—that the Mountmel­ lick Sugar was fully equal, in quality and flavour, to the lest Cane-sugar in the market, and was described as such to me by persons extensively engaged in the trade, and whose judgment could not be questioned. Then supposing that the Beet-sugar brings the same price as the Cane-sugar, or even something less, it must be clear, from the statement of Professor Sullivan, that it will pay. I f it bring an average price of even 1

I'!'

'ill

1 *1

1 1

t o w a l k t h r o u g h every p a r t of t h e space enclosed. T h e y w e r e l i t w i t h lines of roof-lights similar t o those of t h e Southern H a l l . T h u s t h e whole available space of t h e E x h i b i t i o n Buildings, a t t h e t i m e t h e y w e r e t h r o w n open t o t h e public, embraced a superficial a r e a of 4 2 , 5 2 5 feet.

i|: | |

A t a l a t e r period i t w a s f o u n d necessary to open a gallery o r passage, connecting t h e m a c h i n e r y compartment a t t h e eastern e n d w i t h t h e banqueting a n d b a l l room. This gallery w a s 9 0 f e e t l o n g b y 15 f e e t i n w i d t h . I t w a s used chiefly t o display articles of antiquarian a n d archceological character, f o r w h i c h i t w a s n o t possible t o find room i n a n y of t h e buildings previously erected. T h e B a n q u e t a n d B a l l Boom t o w h i c h allusion h a s been made, w a s n i n e t y f e e t i n l e n g t h b y fifty-three f e e t i n w i d t h a n d f o r t y f e e t h i g h . I t was lighted b y t e n chandeliers, a n d supported b y columns

•

•!!

442 adorned w i t h banners a n d festoons. Attached t o t h i s room is a drawing-room, 150 f e e t long b y 3 0 wide, w i t h a handsome vestibule o r entrance liall, i n t h o shape, and fitted a f t e r t h e fashion, of a Moorish t e n t . T h e decorating of these rooms w a s entrusted to M r . Dillon I t . Boylan, of Dublin. The Ball Boom was used on several occasions d u r i n g t h e course of tho Exhibition, f o r t h e deli­ v e r y of public lectures. These rooms were detached f r o m t h e main building, u n t i l t h e construction of t h e gallery already noticed, a n d w e r e approached b y a separate carriage w a y . T h e class a n d quality of t h e goods exhibited i n t h e different departments of t h e Exhibition, m a y n o w b e briefly and generallv summed u p . T h e N o r t h e r n H a l l w a s devoted almost exclusively to textile fabrics—poplins, tabinets, laces, ginghams, crochet, netting, and articles of a similar description w e r e t h e principal contents. The g r e a t warehouses of these goods i n Dublin, Belfast, a n d Cork, were all represented. F a n c y works f r o m t h e different industrial and charita­ ble public institutions w e r e also exhibited here. W e a r i n g apparel of different kinds, coats, hats, gloves, &c. were also comprised. T h e W e s t e r n Transept contained f u r n i t u r e and upholstery of every kind, a n d t h e rougher descriptions of textile fabrics, friezes, tweeds, cloths, &c. T h o E a s t e r n Transept held a miscellaneous variety of articles, all, however, of t h e smaller a n d lighter kinds. Almost every shop­ keeper w a s represented here. Glass, stone-ware, cutlery, optical a n d surgical instruments, ornaments of all kinds, bookbinding, musical instruments, confectionary, a n d every specimen requiring b u t small space, m a y b e said to h a v e found a place i n t h i s depart­ m e n t of t h e Exhibition. M a c h i n e r y of t h e larger and heavier kinds, agricultural imple­ ments, bells, a n d every k i n d of m e t a l work, filled t h e compartment off t h e eastern transept. Carriages, saddlery, leather, carpetings, and t h e products of Poor L a w U n i o n Workhouses, principally filled t h e western compartments. T h e Gallery last opened, j o i n i n g t h e ball room, w a s occupied a s w e h a v e before stated. T h e Southern H a l l , or F i n e A r t s ' Court, w a s filled, as i t s name indicates, w i t h t h e proudest works of our National sculptors and painters. J e we l l e r y and silver work, a n d t h e more elaborate and costly descriptions of f u r n i t u r e w e r e also exhibited in this hall.

443 O P E N I N G O P T H E E X H I B I T I O N B Y T H E LOUD LIEUTENANT. (From

the Cork Examiner

of Friday,

the 111>,h of June. J

T h e d a y long looked for i n t h i s City, whi ch w a s t o celebrate t h e opening of our National Exhibition, arose as bright and clear as t h e most fervent wish of its promoters could have desired. M a n y hours before t h e time appointed, t h e streets began t o w e a r a n appearance unusual i n our quiet City. T h e different public buildings, club­ houses, and some of t h e principal shops w e r e decorated w i t h ever­ greens and flowers, and h u n g out gay banners. I n t h e direction of t h e National Exhibition Buildings, crowds began t o assemble early i n t h e day, a n d t h e passage of Anglesea Bridge soon became a n en­ terprise of n o small difficulty. E v e r y measure w a s t a k e n f o r t h e purpose of preventing a n y inconvenience or danger whi ch m i g h t arise f r o m t h o presence of so large a crowd. A strong iron balus­ t r a d e lined t h e edge of t h e quay, t o preclude t h e chance of a n y accident from t h e falling back of t h e multitude gathered i n f r o n t of t h e buildings. I t was arranged t h a t , as t h e accommodation i n seats w a s unavoidably limited, entrance should b e given, i n t h e first instance, t o t h e ladies holding season tickets, i n order t h a t t h e y m i g h t have a n opportunity of seating themselves before t h e r u s h of gentlemen should commence, w h e n confusion m i g h t possibly gain t h e mastery of politeness. This arrangement w a s carried out w i t h m u c h greater attention and ease t h a n m i g h t have been expected, a n d t h e sacrifice of ladies' dresses w a s m u c h less t h a n w e have heard deplored upon occasions of f a r inferior moment. Over a n hour h a d elapsed before t h e great r u s h of visitors a t t h e doors h a d abated. W i t h i n tho building, t h e eye a t first caught nothing b u t a confused blending of b r i g h t colours of all kinds. W h e n , after much fluttering of dresses, t h e greater n u m b e r of t h e f a i r spectators h a d contrived t o fill t h e seats, a n d t h e whole extent of t h e Southern H a l l or E i n e Arts' Court, w h e r e t h e visitors were arranged, could b e comprehended a t a glance, a panorama of t h e most brilliant h u e s m i g h t b e surveyed. E r o m t h e benches of t h e choristers around Telford's Organ, through t h e arch dividing t h e Halls, t o t h e f a r ex­ t r e m e of tho Northern Hall, terminated b y t h e largo Scriptural painting of M r . Eitzgerald, t h e space w a s filled t o i t s uttermost power of comprehension. The rainbow-tinted dresses of t h e ladies, t h e glittering uniforms of Military and N a v a l officers, and t h e robes

444 of Corporate a n d Collegiate authorities, gave to t h e Hall, viewed f r o m a n elevated position, t h e semblancc of a richly-coloured picture, subdued b y t h e relieving shade of t h e vaulted roof. H e r e a n d there t h e v i e w w a s broken b y t h e massive form of some noble statue, arising f r o m among t h e bright crowd. A sensation of refreshing coolness w a s diffused t h r o u g h t h e building b y t h e waters of t h e fountain, w h i c h played throughout t h e day. I n f r o n t of t h e Organ w a s placed tho throne, covered w i t h d a r k p u r p l e velvet, designed f o r t h e reception of t h e Lord L i e u ­ t e n a n t . Around t h e throne were arranged t h e members of t h e Corporation a n d of t h e other Municipal bodies of t h e City, all wearing t h e robes of t h e i r office. T h e Professors of t h e College also attended i n t h e i r robes. T h e members of t h e Executive Committee w o r e t h e i r appropriate badges. T h e General, and t h e different Officers i n Garrison, a n d t h e Officers of t h e Fleet, n o w i n t h e Harbour, assembled, principally all i n uniform, i n t h i s p a r t of t h e building.— E a r l Eective, Colonel Campbell, Admiral Montgomerie, t h e Dean of Leighlin; Captains H i r s t , Hassinger, Lestrange, Aides-de-camp. A r o u n d t h e chair of his Excellency were, among m a n y others, T h e Marquis of Thomond, Marchioness of Thomond, Lord Massareene, L a d y Massareene, Yiscount Guillamore, Yiscountess Guillamore, H o n . Misses 0 ' G r a d y , E a r l of Bandon, Countess of Bandon, Lord Bernard, L a d y Bernard, E a r l of Listowel, Countess of Listowel, Lord Carbery, L o r d Bantry, Lord Dungarvan, Lord Clarina, E a r l Dunraven, E a r l Egmont, L o r d S t u a r t d e Decies, L a d y Denham Norreys, Misses Norreys, Lord Bishop of Cork, Dean of Cork, Archdeacon of Cork, Recorder of Cork, Members of t h e Corporation, Corn Market Trustees, Members of D u b l i n Committee, H o n . Mr. Bernard, Mrs. Bernard, H i g h Sheriff, C o u n t y ; H i g h Sheriff, C i t y ; Sergeant Murphy, M . P . ; E . B u r k e Roche, M . P . ; Yincent Scully, M . P . ; Honoiuable Cecil Lawless, M . P . ; Honourable M r . Yereker, Lord Mayor of Dublin, M r s . D'Arcy, Misses D'Arcy, Mrs. E . B . Roche, T h e Mayors of Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny, Clonmel, Drogheda, Sligo, Sir Thomas Deane, Sir Duncan M'Gregor, Sir James Pitcairn, S i r David Roche, General S i r J . Dennis, Sir Robert Kane, President of Queen's College; Doctor Ryall, Yice-President Queen's College; General Mansel, Commander-in-Chief of t h e Garrison; Major Paget, Colonel F r e n c h , Colonel Mansel—Staff; Admirals—Manly Dixon, Purvis, Correy, Honourable — O ' G r a d y ; Captain Quin, Ajax; Captain Graham, Prince Regent; Captain K n o t t , R . N . Inspecting Commander

445 Coast G u a r d ; Captain F r i e n d , R . N . ; L i e u t e n a n t W e n t w o r t h , E . N . ; Colonel Chesney, E . A . ; Colonel Bell, 1st Royals ; Colonels Eld,' a n d Vaiiglian, 9 0 t h R e g i m e n t ; M a j o r Bentinck, 7 t h Dragoon Guards; M a j o r S t u a r t , S t a f f ; Captain F o x , C o u n t y I n s p e c t o r ; a n d Captain W a l k e r , Sub-Inspector, C o n s t a b u l a r y ; D a n L e a h y , D . L . ; Captain U n h a n d , P . L . I . ; M r . Foott, Royal D u b l i n Society H o u s e ; M r . S. C. H a l l . Ladies—Mrs. Colonel E l d , M r s . M a j o r Paget, M r s . Archdea­ con K y l e , Mrs. Colonel Chesney, H o n . M r s . Beamish, H o n . Miss D e Courcy, H o n . Mrs. A d m i r a l O'Grady, M r s . A d m i r a l Purvis, M r s . Captain H u b a n d , M r s . Tobin. Sir E d w a r d M'Donnell, a n d t h e fol­ l o w i n g Directors of t h e Great Southern a n d W e s t e r n R a i l w a y M r . Bell, M r . Brooke, M r . G. Roe, M r . H a u g h t o n , M r . O'Brien, M r . O'Connor, M r . Gresham, M r . M'Connick, M r . R . R . Guinness, M r . P e n n e f a t h e r . W e also observed M r . J o h n C. Deane, H o n . Secretary D u b l i n C o m m i t t e e ; M r . Dargan, M r . Lentaigne, M r . C. P . Roney, M r . Berger, D u b l i n a n d H o l y h e a d R a i l w a y ; M r . J o h n F r a n c i s W a l l e r , M . R . I . A . t h e auth o r of t h e I n a u g u r a t i o n Ode, w a s present. I t w i l l b e understood h o w u t t e r l y impossible i t would b e t o give a n y t h i n g like a f a i r proportion of t h e names of members of different p u b l i c bodies w h o w e r e present i n a v a s t hall, every i n c h of whose space w a s occupied. E v e n i n t h e gallery a t t h e f a r e x t r e m i t y of t h e N o r t h e r n H a l l , several spectators h a d placed themselves, content t o catch a f a i n t idea of t h e proceedings of a ceremony w h i c h w a s t o t a k e place m o r e t h a n 2 5 0 f e e t f r o m w h e r e t h e y sat. A r o u n d t h e Organ w e r e t h e members of t h e A n t i e n t Concert, Philharmonic, a n d R o y a l Choral Societies of Dublin, conducted alternately b y M r . Robinson, a n d M r . Stewart, T.C.D., Musical D o c t o r ; t h e members of t h e A n t i e n t Concert Society of t h i s City, conducted b y M r . M ' C a r t h y , and t h e leading members of t h e Musical Profession, among w h o m w e r e M r . J o s e p h Robinson, M r . Geary, Messrs. F . a n d W . Robinson, M r . Levey, of t h e T h e a t r e R o y a l ; M r . Barton, M r . Glover, H e r r Ellsner, violincello; M r . R o u r k e , M r . S m i t h , Miss Connery, Miss Keane, Miss Clarke, Miss Balfe, &c. M r . Telford, t h e constructor of t h e Organ, w a s also p r e s e n t . A considerable space of t i m e h a d t o elapse before t h e arrival of h i s Excellency t h e Lord L i e u t e n a n t a n d suite w a s expected. Y e t , t h e brilliancy of t h e scene; t h e paintings, w h i c h could b e gazed a t above t h e heads of t h e c r o w d ; a n d t h e master-pieces of our n a t i v e sculptors, w h i c h arose i n t h e midst, supplied objeets sufficient t o prevent t h e attention of t h e visitors f r o m declining f o r a moment.

446 Several times a clieor f r o m w i t h o u t deceived t h e assemblage into the belief t h a t h i s Excelloncy h a d arrived, a n d t h e scone within became immediately animated w i t h life a n d motion; t h e cheer from without w a s c a u g h t u p a n d echoed, a n d some minutes passed i n confusion m o s t enlivening t o look at, before all could b e convinced t h a t they h a d some t i m e longer t o w a i t . One o'clock h a d passed, w h e n t h e cheer from w i t h o u t became more distinct, and, t h r o u g h t h e windows of t h e N o r t h e r n H a l l , t h e crowd a r o u n d t h e building m i g h t be observed to s w a y a n d w i t h difficulty open. Then, i t became evident t h a t t h e arrival h a d really t a k e n place. E v e r y one rose, a n d t u r n e d towards t h e entrance—as u s u a l upon such occasions, all calling to each other t o " sit d o w n , " b u t n o one shewing t h e least inclination t o set t h e example. T h e n , amid renewed cheers, t h e doors w e r e opened, a passage made u p to t h e throne, a n d h i s Excellency t h e L o r d Lieutenant, preceded b y t h e Mayor, M r . Shea, H o n o r a r y Secretary, M r . E . B . Beamish, and several members of t h e Executive Committee, a n d followed b y t h e Noblemen a n d Officers of h i s suite, w i t h t h e E a r l of Bandon and L o r d Bernard, passed u p t h e H a l l . H i s Excellency took h i s seat u p o n t h e throne, t h e Officers of h i s suite, members of t h e Com­ mittee, &c. standing grouped around h i m . T h e n , t h e notes of t h e sublime H al l el u j ah pealed forth. T h e D u b l i n Societies, t h a n w h i c h t h e r e i s n o more cultivated musical force i n t h e Kingdom, a n d our local Society, joined i n a chorus, whose thrilling tones filled t h e vast enclosure a n d swelled through t h e building w i t h a solemn grandeur. W h e n t h e last note of t h e Choir h a d ceased t o vibrate, a momentary h u s h succeeded, a n d t h e n a n involuntary b u r s t of applause r a n g through t h e H a l l . W h e n t h e h y m n h a d concluded, M r . Shea, Honorary Secretary, r e a d t h e following Address t o his Excellency, upon t h e p a r t of t h e Executive Committee of t h e National E x h i b i t i o n : — " "We, t h e M a y o r a n d E x e c u t i v e Committee of t h e N a t i o n a l Exhibition, o n behalf of t h e Citizens of Cork, g r e e t y o u r E x c e l l e n c y ' s arrival amongst u s w i t h a n a r d e n t welcome. " W e recognise i n y o u r Excellency, t h e distinguished representative of o u r beloved Q u e e n , t h e object alike of o u r loyalty a n d o u r affection, and w h o s e generous example i n sustaining o u r h u m b l e efforts t o rouse t h e drooping energies, a n d t o s t i m u l a t e i n t o greater activity t h e exertions of t h e I r i s h people, y o u h a v e so n o b l y i m i t a t e d . " W e h a v e m a r k e d -with pleasure, since y o u r Excellency's official connec­ t i o n w i t h I r e l a n d , h o w anxiously y o u h a v e availed of every opportunity t o

447 patronize h e r p u b l i c institutions, t o p r o m o t e h e r n a t i v e m a n u f a c t u r e s , t o inspire o u r g e n t r y w i t h a respect f o r h e r i n h e r e n t capabilities, a n d o u r h u m b l e f e l l o w - c o u n t r y m e n w i t h a j u s t reliance u p o n t h e i r o w n i n d u s t r y a n d intelligence. " I n t h e encouragement given b y y o u r E x c e l l e n c y ' s predecessor t o t h e p r o j e c t of a n E x h i b i t i o n in o u r city, w h i c h first l e d i t s p r o m o t e r s t o venture u p o n t h e design, so as t o e m b r a c e t h e A r t s a n d m a n u f a c t u r e s of all I r e l a n d , a n d i n t h e p a t r o n a g e since accorded b y y o u r E x c e l l e n c y t o t h e m a t u r e d u n d e r t a k i n g f r o m w h i c h s o m a n y advantages h a v e r e s u l t e d , w e recognise c o n d u c t t h a t represents i n t h e m o s t beneficial m a n n e r , t h e fostering a t t r i ­ b u t e s of a r u l e r a n x i o u s t o p r o m o t e t h e r e a l i n t e r e s t s of t h e c o u n t r y . " Y o u r E x c e l l e n c y ' s r e a d y acceptance of o u r invitation t o i n a u g u r a t e t h i s d a y ' s auspicious ceremonial, w e r e g a r d a s a h i g h c o m p l i m e n t t o ourselves a n d t o o u r fellow-citizens, a n d w e d e e m t h e v a l u e of t h a t c o m p l i m e n t g r e a t l y e n h a n c e d b y t h e presence of y o u r amiable a n d distinguished Countess, t o w h o m w e offer t h e t r i b u t e of o u r t h a n k s f o r t h u s a d d i n g gr ace a n d l u s t r e t o t h e o p e n i n g scene of o u r N a t i o n a l E x h i b i t i o n . " O u r c o u n t r y h a s passed t h r o u g h a severe ordeal of c a l a m i t y a n d p r i v a ­ tions, l e t u s f e r v e n t l y h o p e , t h a t t h e proceedings of t h i s d a y m a y p r o v e t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t of a n e r a of cheering c o n t r a s t t o t h e y e a r s gone b y , t h a t t h i s N a t i o n a l E x h i b i t i o n m a y b e followed b y t h o s e r e s u l t s w h i c h w e h a d a l o n e i n v i e w , t o secure, i n t h e m o s t profitable development of t h e resources of I r e l a n d , t h e t r i u m p h of t h e skill a n d intelligence of h e r people, a n d t h a t y o u r E x c e l l e n c y m a y h e r e a f t e r look b a c k u p o n t h i s scene, a s o n e w i t h w h i c h y o u w i l l f e e l a j u s t p r i d e i n h a v i n g y o u r n a m e associated i n t h e recollection of y o u r c o u n t r y m e n . (Signed) " WILLIAM B . HACXETT, Mayor, " C h a i r m a n of t h e E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e . "

H i s Excellency, h a v i n g received t h e address, delivered t h e follow­ i n g reply : — " GENTLEMEN—Coming t o I r e l a n d a s t h e representative of a gracious a n d enlightened Q u e e n , w h o s e p a t r o n a g e of science a n d of a r t i s equalled o n l y b y h e r desire t o p r o m o t e t h e b e s t i n t e r e s t s a n d encourage t h e r ational e n j o y ­ m e n t s of h e r subjects, I consider i t a n i m p e r a t i v e d u t y t o give m y b e s t a i d t o a s c h e m e of s u c h g r e a t n a t i o n a l i m p o r t a n c e a n d u t i l i t y . " T o revive t h e energies a n d s t i m u l a t e t h e e x e r t i o n s of t h e people, t o t e a c h t h e m t o r e l y o n t h e g e n i u s a n d resources w i t h w h i c h t h e y a r e s o r i c h l y e n d o w e d i n themselves a n d i n t h e i r c o u n t r y , t o foster t h e i n d u s t r y , t h e r e s u l t s of w h i c h w e see a r o u n d u s i n s u c h r i c h profusion, s h a l l b e m y c o n ­ s t a n t object, so long as I r e m a i n a m o n g y o u ; a n d m o s t f e r v e n t l y d o I t r u s t t h a t t h i s magnificent demonstration of w h a t I r i s h m e n c a n a n d w i l l do, w h e n t h e i r efforts a r e w e l l directed, m a y p r o v e a gr eat a n d l a s t i n g benefit t o I r e l a n d . " I b e g t o express t o y o u , o n m y p a r t , a n d o n t h a t of L a d y E g l i n t o n , o u r b e s t t h a n k s f o r t h e k i n d m a n n e r i n w h i c h w e h a v e b e e n received, a n d t o a s ­ s u r e y o u t h a t w e shall ever r e t a i n a m o s t pleasing recollection of t h e courtesy, liberality, a n d p u b l i c spirit of t h e i n h a b i t a n t s of Cork. 3L

448 The Recorder next read the following Address, upon behalf of the Corporation of Cork :— " M A Y I T P L E A S E T O U R E X C E L L E N C Y — " W e , t h e M a y o r , A l d e r m e n and B u r g e s s e s of Cork, r e s p e c t f u l l y t e n d e r t o y o u r E x c e l l e n c y o u r m o s t grateful

a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s for t h e h o n o r y o u h a v e conferred o n o u r city, i n graciously v i s i t i n g i t o n t h e p r e s e n t national occasion. " A s t h e representative of o u r illustrious a n d beloved Sovereign, w e h a i l y o u r presence t o i n a u g u r a t e a n u n d e r t a k i n g having for i t s object t h e elevation a n d i m p r o v e m e n t of all I r i s h m e n w i t h o u t distinction of creed o r class, as a n auspicious circumstance. T h e h i g h office w h i c h y o u r Excellency holds, i s e v e r seen t o b e s t advantage w h e n disconnected f r o m all p a r t y associations ; i t i s s i m p l y r e g a r d e d as typif ying t h e impartial M a j e s t y of t h e C r o w n ; a n d , i n a n especial degree, does i t c o m m a n d respect w h e r e i t is, as i n t h e p r e s e n t instance, availed of t o p r o m o t e m e a s u r e s of p u b l i c utility, a n d t o stimulate t h e i n d u s t r i a l efforts of t h e people. " A n i m p o r t a n t p a r t of o u r d u t y w o u l d h a v e b e e n omitted w e r e w e t o allow t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o p a s s w i t h o u t conveying t h r o u g h t h e m e d i u m of t h i s addr ess o u r w a r m e s t t h a n k s t o h e r Excellency t h e Countess of Eglinton, for gracing w i t h h e r presence t h e opening of o u r E x h i b i t i o n . T h e m u n i f i c e n t p a t r o n a g e w h i c h h e r Excellency bestows o n t h e manufac­ t u r e s of h e r c o u n t r y , is n o t o n e of h e r slightest claims t o o u r regard. T h a t p a t r o n a g e will, w e hope, d o m u c h t o i n d u c e others t o a d o p t t h e m , especially t h o s e w h o , l i k e h e r Excellency, can ensure admiration f o r w h a t e v e r t h e y adopt. " O n c e again, w e b e g y o u r Excellency t o accept o u r felicitations o n y o u r a r r i v a l i n Cork, a n d o u r t h a n k s for t h e k i n d l y interest w h i c h y o u have t a k e n i n forwarding our National Exhibition. (Signed)

«W . B .

HACKETT,

Mayor.

H i s Excellency t h e n read t h e following r e p l y : — " GENTLEMEN—If a n y t h i n g w e r e w a n t i n g t o increase t h e pleasure which I feel i n p a y i n g m y first visit t o Cork o n s u c h a n interesting occasion, I should find i t i n t h e cordiality w i t h w h i c h y o u have received m e , a n d t h e flattering t e r m s i n w h i c h y o u welcome m e t o y o u r city. A s t h e representative of m y Sovereign, I s h o u l d h a v e failed i n t h e per­ f o r m a n c e of m y d u t y if I h a d n o t given m y b e s t encouragement t o t h e patriotic u n d e r t a k i n g w h i c h t h e public spirit of y o u r citizens h a s brought t o s u c h a successful i s s u e ; a n d , as a n individual, I s h o u l d h a v e been wanting i n good feeling t o w a r d s y o u , if I h a d hesitated t o accept t h e invitation which •was so p r o m p t l y a n d so k i n d l y proffered t o m e . " I a m f u l l y convinced t h a t I b e s t consult, not o n l y t h e interest of Ireland, b u t t h e d i g n i t y of m y office, b y keeping myself a s m u c h a p a r t as possible f r o m t h e t u r m o i l of politics a n d p a r t y warfare, a n d t h a t i t i s only b y p u r ­ s u i n g a f a i r a n d impar tial course, a n d b y acting j u s t l y a n d firmly to all, t h a t I c a n h o p e t o m a k e myself respected, a n d t o soften d o w n t h e religious a n d p o l i t i c a l asperities w h i c h h a v e b e e n t h e b a n e of I r e l a n d .

449 " I have to thank you, on the part of Lady Eglinton, for your kind appre­ ciation of her endeavours to promote the trade and industry of her native country, and to assure you that it will afford her the most heartfelt gratifica­ tion if her efforts in their cause have at all contributed to improve the condition of the poorer classes. H i s E x c e l l e n c y h e r e commanded h i s W o r s h i p t h e Mayor t o k n e e l d o w n a n d conferred u p o n h i m t h e h o n o u r of Knighthood. H i s Execllency t h e n s a i d — I n t h e n a m e of h e r M a j e s t y Queen Victoria, a n d on behalf of t h e E x e c u t i v e Committee, I n o w declare t h i s E x h i b i t i o n open. M a y i t m e e t w i t h all t h e success w h i c h t h e excellence of i t s objects so w e l l deserve, a n d m a y t h e results of t h a t b e s u c h a s t h e best well-wisher of I r e l a n d c a n desire. L o u d cheers followed t h i s announcement, w h i c h w a s proclaimed t o t h e c i t y b y repeated salvos of artillery f r o m t h e troops i n t h o c a m p field. T h e Chorus t h e n sang t h e following I n a u g u r a t i o n Ode composed b y J . T . W a l l e r a n d arr a n g e d b y D r . Stewart. T h e chorus w a s con­ ducted b y D r . S t e w a r t . STROPHE.

Man arise ! and speed thy mission— Labour of the brain and brow, God assigns a high ambition; Glorify t h y Maker now.

ANTISTROPHE

Raise the song t o praise and bless— liaise the song with glad accord. GOODt o m a n a n d H A P P I N E S S — H O L I N E S Su n t o t h e L O R D .

ANTISTROPHE.

Genius ! from t h y heaven-taught heart Bring the jewels of thy thought— Pensive Science, keen-eyed Art, Toil, give all thy hand had wrought. EPODE.

Earth, which Deity at first For the sin of man had cursed, Conquered by h i s tameless will, Yield thy treasures to his skill: All t h y bosom, all thy heart Yield to Labour, yield to Art. Air, lend all thy favoring wings. Ocean, give thy hidden things. Elemental Fire, inflame, Till the stubborn ore thou tame, Plastic to man's stern command, A s the w a x to infant's hand. STROPHE.

See w i t h soul the canvass glow! See to life the marble start! Hear from string and syphon flow, Sounds that sooth and shake the heart!

EPODE.

Thine the fulness of the land, Lord, w e lay i t at thy throne. I n the hollow of thine hand Thou dost hold the earth thine own. Lauding thee with hearts o'erflowing, W h o dost make the morn's outgoing Evermore t o give Thee praise, Lord, to Thee our souls w e raise. Let Peace and Wealth upon u s smile, Bless our Monarch ! Bless our Isle ! STROPHE.

Shadows of the deep, long night, Draping all the moonless sky, Darkest ere the coming light Of the morning dawns on high— ANTISTROPHE.

Lo ! they melt before the glancing Of the radient light advancing, Till the glorious day arise Lustrous o'er the reddening skies.

450 EPODE.

See t h e sun above the hills All t h e earth w i t h splendour fills. H u e s of Beauty—Shapes of Glory Such as bard ne'er feigned i n story, B u r s t upon t h e wondering sight— Forms of Wisdom—Forms of Might Throng the world, from slumber waking, While the morning prean breaking, I n the vast and mellowed voice Of a Nation's heart, upspringeth, Till wit h praises heaven ringeth And t h e Isles rejoice! STROPHE.

Honour to the swinking arm, Glowing brow and earnest heart! ANTISTROPHE.

Honour t o the potent charm Wizard Science gives t o A r t ! EPODE.

Spirit adorable ! whose will doth move All life t o be thy ministrant— Spirit of Wisdom, Potency, and Love ! T o Thee w e raise our loftiest chant,

Great primal Mind! great primal Hand! Artificer of all that Thou has planned. The fast foundations of the beauteous world Into t h e deep, dark chaos Thou hast hurled, What time pealed out the grand sidereal song: Thyself invisible—serene—alone— Amid the clouds and thunders round thy throne, Thou did'st control each orb that moved along. And Thou did'st breathe into man's lifeless frame The sacred breath of thine Almighty flame Making thy last, best work—a living soul; Then all the sons of God, in loud acclaim, Shouted for joy Jehovah's holy name And to the farthest bounds Of space, in thunder sounds, Creation's jubilant hymn to God did roll!

L o u d acclamations followed t h e conclusion of t h e Ode, which was rendered b y t h e Chorus w i t h magnificent effect. M r .Waller a n d D r . Stewart w e r e t h e n presented to h i s Excellency. T h e L o r d Lieutenant w a s h e r e conducted through t h e Exhibition Buildings b y M r . Shea, M r . E . B . Beamish, and M r . Benson, w h o pointed o u t t o h i s notice t h e principal statues, paintings, and objects of industrial a n d mechanical interest. T h e ceremonies concluded w i t h t h e performance of a chorus arranged t o t h e a i r of H a n d e l ' s Coronation H y m n for George I I I . t h e words b y M r . W a l l e r . A f t e r h i s Excellency a n d suite l e f t t h e buildings, t h e y w e r e closed for t h e day. D u r i n g t h e day, a beautiful copy of t h e Exhibition Catalogue, bound i n green Morocco, a n d emblazoned w i t h a n appropriate motto, a n d t h e n a m e of h i s Excellency, w a s presented t o t h e Lord Lieute­ n a n t b y M r . J". O'Brien of Patrick-street. T H E BANQUET. T h e Banquet took place a t six o'clock o n Thursday evening, in t h e pavilion erectcd for t h e occasion, a n d fitted u p i n t h e manner w h i c h h a s been already described. T h e walls of t h e dining-room w e r e h u n g w i t h banners bearing t h e insignia of t h e principal cities a n d t o w n s of I r e l a n d w h i c h h a d contributed to t h e contents of t h e

451 Exhibition. A welcome to the noble guest of the evening was also inscribed at the upper extremity of the room, over the place at which his Excellency was to take his seat. The attendance was fully equal in numbers and brilliancy to that of any banquet which ever took place within the city. I t was presided over by the Mayor, Sir William Hackett, at whose right sat his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant. In replying to the toast of tho health of His Excellency, which was received with the most enthusiastic applause, the Earl of Eglinton made use of the following sentiments:— " U n d e r a n y circumstances, i t w o u l d h a v e given m e t h e u t m o s t satisfaction t o h a v e visited C o r k , t o h a v e interested myself i n i t s welfare, t o h a v e m a d e m y s e l f a c q u a i n t e d w i t h i t s inhabitants, t o h a v e seen i t s beauties, t o h a v e i n s p e c t e d i t s unrivalled h a r b o u r . B u t , I n e e d h a r d l y assure y o u , t h a t i t i s w i t h m o s t peculiar pleasure t h a t I find myself p a y i n g m y first visit t o t h i s b e a u t i f u l c i t y u p o n a n occasion s u c h a s t h i s . I do, indeed, consider myself m o s t f o r t u n a t e t h a t i t h a s fallen t o m y l o t t o i n a u g u r a t e a n u n d e r t a k i n g s u c h a s t h i s — t o a i d i n c a r r y i n g o u t a scheme projected, a n d s o f a r carried o u t , b y t h e p u b l i c spirit of t h e citizens of Cork, aided b y t h e patriotism of all I r e l a n d — a s c h e m e w h i c h I f e e l will c o n t r i b u t e t o p r o m o t e t h e i n d u s t r y a n d t h e practical science, w i t h o u t w h i c h w e c a n n o t h o p e t o see I r e l a n d h a p p y a n d prosperous. I believe t h a t t h e r e w e r e m a n y w h o h e s i t a t e d a t first t o e n ­ courage t h e u n d e r t a k i n g , because t h e y f e a r e d f o r i t s failure. B u t w e r e t h e r e n o t m a n y w h o h e s i t a t e d t o encourage t h a t g r e a t s c h e m e w h i c h h a s astonished t h e world, a n d w h i c h p r o v e d t h e foresight a n d w i s d o m of i t s r o y a l projector. "Were t h e r e n o t m a n y w h o pr edicted pestilence a n d p l a g u e — w h o foresaw t h a t L o n d o n w o u l d b e overcome b y foreigners, t h a t i t w o u l d b e i n flames, t h a t e v e n o u r o w n people w o u l d b e h a v e ill, a n d t h a t , if all t h o s e evils w e r e g o t over, t h e r e s u l t w o u l d b e o n l y a m o n s t e r Bazaar, t h e n o v e l t y of w h i c h w o u l d w e a r off i n a single f o r t n i g h t . I confess, w i t h s h a m e , t h a t I w a s o n e of t h o s e w h o f e a r e d f o r t h e r e s u l t . B u t I c a n o n l y s a y t h a t t h e first glance w h i c h I g o t a t t h a t m i g h t y b u i l d i n g , relieved m e f r o m all m y doubts. F r o m t h e first m o m e n t t h a t o u r beloved Q u e e n e n t e r e d t h e walls of t h e Exhibition, s u r r o u n d e d b y all t h a t w a s dear t o h e r , a n d g u a r d e d b y n o t h i n g b u t h e r o w n t r u e h e a r t a n d t h e loyal feelings of h e r subjects, i t w a s one continued t r i u m p h o f p e a c e f u l a r t a n d civilization. A n d I w o u l d a s k a n y m a n w h o m I see a t t h i s table—do y o u d o u b t t h e success of t h e p r e s e n t E x h i b i t i o n ? I t i s t r u e , t h a t w e h a v e n o t h e r e t h e s t a t u e s of I t a l y , t h e carvings of A u s t r i a , t h e m a l a c h i t e s of R u s s i a , t h e porcelain of Sevres, o r t h e velvets of G e n o a ; b u t w e h a v e w h a t y o u a n d I v a l u e f a r m o r e , t h e p r o d u c t s of o u r o w n c o u n t r y . "Yfy e h a v e t h e marbles of Cork, of K i l k e n n y , a n d of C o n n e m a r a . "We h a v e o u r t a b i n e t s , w e h a v e o u r lace embroidery, w e h a v e t h e r e s u l t s of t h e i n d u s t r y of t h e sons, a n d t h e h a n d i w o r k of t h e f a i r d a u g h t e r s of E r i n . B u t allow m e t o a s k , w h a t i s t h e r e t h a t t h e genius of I r e l a n d c a n n o t accomplish, w h e t h e r i t b e t h e h i g h e s t effort of h u m a n ambition, o r t h e h u m b l e s t essay of t a l e n t ?

452 D o e s n o t I r i s h blood flow i n t h e veins of h i m whose career of glory n o t one defeat, n o t one selfish act, h a s t a r n i s h e d ? Does n o t t h e capacious m i n d of W e l l e s l e y s p r i n g f r o m a n I r i s h stock ? "Was i t n o t I r i s h genius w h i c h shone i n t h e c a l m a n d l u s t r o u s e y e of Canning, w h i c h sparkled i n Sheridan, w h i c h g a v e c o m m a n d t o B u r k e , w h i c h l e n t p o i n t t o t h e i r o n y of Tierney, a n d w h i c h t a u g h t G o l d s m i t h t o w r i t e of n a t u r e — w h i c h enabled y o u r o w n Moore t o b r e a t h e f o r t h w o r d s of b e a u t y , wor ds of fragrance as s w e e t as y o u r o w n h a r p , b u t n e r v o u s a s t h e a r m b y w h i c h i t w a s s t r u c k . A n d t o come t o y o u r o w n c o u n t y , o r even t o y o u r o w n city, w a s i t n o t t h e genius of Cork w h i c h m a d e C u r r a n w h a t h e w a s ? I w o u l d a s k you, does m o d e r n a r t o w n a b e t t e r o r a m o r e w o r t h y votary t h a n Maclise ? A l l o w m e also t o p a y a passing t r i b u t e of a d m i r a t i o n t o t h e nameless thousands w h o h a v e contributed so efficiently t o t h e s h o w w h i c h w e h a v e i n a u g u r a t e d t h i s d a y . Gentlemen, i t is n o t b y s t r i f e a n d p a r t y contention, i t is n o t b y religious or political dissension, t h a t t h e regeneration of I r e l a n d i s t o b e accomplished. I t i s because of all t h i s t h a t misfortunes h a v e come u p o n h e r — t h a t so m a n y of h e r sons h a v e h a d t o s e e k a r e f u g e o n o t h e r shores—that s o m a n y of h e r h a r b o u r s a r e u n t e n a n t e d — t h a t so m u c h of h e r r i c h l a n d i s uncultivated, E n d o w e d w i t h everything t h a t o u g h t t o m a k e h e r great a n d prosperous, s h e h a s b e e n miserable a n d p o o r , because s h e h a s b e e n disunited. I t is b y t h e merging of all p a r t y feeling i n t h e one gr eat object, y o u r country's welfare,—it is b y holding o u t t h e h a n d of friendship t o y o u r fellow-countrymen—it i s b y preserving order a n d tranquillity a m o n g yourselves, t h a t y o u will see h a p p y faces, f u l l h a g ­ g a r d s , a n d e m p t y barracks—that y o u will see y o u r harbours filled, British c a p i t a l flowing i n , a n d railway enterprise carried t h r o u g h every corner of t h e c o u n t r y . W o u l d t h a t all I r e l a n d could h a v e seen w h a t w e have seen t h i s d a y ! W o u l d t h a t s h e h a d seen t h e peaceful strife, t h e honest emulation, w h i c h Cork h a s given b i r t h t o ! "

On the following day, Friday, his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, "with the Countess of Eglinton, spent an hour in examining the con­ tents of the Exhibition, previous to their starting on an excursion down the river. At twelve o'clock their Excellencies went on board the Prince Arthur river steamer, and proceeded to Queenstown, and round the different points of interest and beauty in the river and harbour. On board the Ajax guardship, addresses and deputations were received and replied to from the inhabitants of Queenstown, presented by William M. Drew, Esq., J.P. ; from the Royal Cork Yacht Club, by Thomas G. Erench, Esq., J.P., and from the foreign consuls, by Bartholomew Yerling, Esq., J.P. On returning to Passage their Excellencies were received by Doctor Lyons, Chairman of the Cork, Blackrock, and Passage Railway Company, and conducted to a carriage specially made and fitted up for the occasion, in which they were conveyed to Cork.

453 A ball took place in the evening in the pavilion, at which his Excellency, the Countess of Eglinton, and their suite, were present. The room was beautifully decorated for the occasion, and at the southern end a throne was placed upon a slightly elevated dais for the noble guests. The attendance included all the fashion and rank of the county and city, as well as that which the opening of the Exhibition had attracted there. On Saturday their Excellencies visited the School of Design, where an address, drawn up by the late James Eoche, Esq., J.P., was presented on behalf of the Committee. Their Excellencies spent some time in examining the drawings of some of the pupils, in which they seemed to take a deep interest. Erom the School of Design they proceeded to visit the newly erected Lunatic Asylum, where their Excellencies were entertained with a dejeuner. Their Excellencies and suite left town for Dublin that evening. I t may be added that, at the close of the Exhibition, the Executive Committee, at their meeting, on Eriday, the 31st of December, unanimously adopted the following address to his Excellency Lord Eglinton, and appointed a deputation composed of Sir William B. Hackett, Mayor; E. B. Beamish, Esq. High Sheriff of Cork; Sir Thomas Deane, and Mr. John Shea, Honorary Secretary, to present it. His Excellency, however, with his usual consideration, intimated his unwillingness to allow those gentlemen to leave their homes at this inclement season, and requested that the address should be forwarded to him through the ordinary channel, which was done in accordance with his Excellency's wishes :— ' TO H I S EXCELLENCY THE EARL OP EGLINTON A N D WINTON, LORD LIEUTENANT " OP IRELAND, &C., &C. " M A T IT P L E A S E YOTJR E X C E L L E N C Y , — W e , t h e C h a i r m a n a n d m e m b e r s

of t h e E x e c u t i v e C o m mittee of t h e N a t i o n a l E x h i b i t i o n (1852), b e g t o a p p r o a c h y o u r E x c e l l e n c y w i t h t h e r e s p e c t f u l expression of o u r sincere r e g r e t t h a t circumstances h a v e d e p r i v e d t h i s c o u n t r y of y o u r services i n t h e h i g h a n d i m p o r t a n t office of i t s Chief Governor. " W e a r e a w a r e t h a t t h i s feeling i s n o t confined t o u s ; a n d i t i s a h i g h h o n o u r t o y o u r Excellency, a n o b l e t e s t i m o n y t o t h e character of y o u r a d m i n is t r a t i o n , t h a t t h e p e o p l e of I r e l a n d , w i t h o u t distinction of creed o r p a r t y , w i t n e s s y o u r d e p a r t u r e f r o m a m o n g t h e m with, r e g r e t . " Y o u r Excellency arrived i n I r e l a n d a f t e r a p e r i o d of unexampled suffer­ i n g a n d difficulty, a n d i t m u s t b e a satisfaction t o y o u r Excellency t o t h i n k t h a t , b y y o u r cordial s y m p a t h y a n d generous assistance, y o u largely contri­ b u t e d t o a r o u s e a n d direct i n t o u s e f u l action t h e p r o s t r a t e energies of t h e I r i s h people.

454 " F o r ourselves, a n d f o r t h e people of Cork, w e o w e y o u r Excellency a d e e p d e b t of g r a t i t u d e . T h e Cork E x h i b i t i o n w a s t h e harbinger of t h e p r o s p e r i t y t h a t seems, a t l e n g t h , t o b e j u s t d a w n i n g o n I r e l a n d ; a n d t h e success of t h a t E x h i b i t i o n w a s m a i n l y owing t o t h e p r o m p t , judicious, a n d cordial s u p p o r t afforded t o i t b y y o u r Excellency i n person, a n d i n y o u r official capacity a3 representative of o u r beloved Sovereign. " T o y o u r Excellency, therefore, a n d t o y o u r amiable a n d w a r m - h e a r t e d Countess, w e t e n d e r o u r w a r m e s t t h a n k s . Y o u h a v e t r i e d , earnestly a n d well, t o serve t h i s l o n g neglected a n d misgoverned c o u n t r y , a n d y o u w i l l b e l o n g r e m e m b e r e d a s k i n d a n d earnest friends b y i t s g r a t e f u l people. " B y order, a n d o n behalf of t h e E x e c u t i v e Committee, " W I L L I A MB . H A C K E T T , K n t . ,

" M a y o r of Cork, Chairman. " J O H N S H E A ,H o n o r a r y S e c r e t a r y .

" C o r k , 31st December , 1852."

To which Ms Excellency transmitted the following reply:— " GENTLEMEN—On t h e e v e of m y d e p a r t u r e f r o m t h i s country, i t gives m e m u c h satisfaction t o receive t h e expressions of r e g r e t w h i c h y o u so k i n d l y convey t o m e , o n t h e p a r t of t h e E x e c u t i v e Committee of t h e l a t e N a t i o n a l E x h i b i t i o n a t Cork. " A m o n g t h e m a n y b r i g h t recollections of Ireland, w h i c h I shall bear a w a y w i t h m e , I c a n assure y o u t h a t t h e varied a n d interesting display I witnessed t h e r e — t h e national e n e r g y w h i c h w a s exemplified—and t h e cordiality of m y reception, will n o t b e one of those w h i c h will afford m e t h e least gratification, a n d I rejoice t o k n o w t h a t , w i t h t h e assistance of y o u r public spirited citizens, I h a v e b e e n p a r t l y t h e m e a n s of preserving for y o u t h e spacious edifice i n w h i c h i t t o o k place. " I h a v e t o t h a n k y o u f o r t h e k i n d wishes y o u convey t o w a r d s L a d y E g l i n t o n a s well as myself, a n d t o express t o y o u o u r sincere desire for t h e prosperity of Cork, a n d t h e welfare of h e r citizens. " EGLINTON AND W I N T O N . "

455 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT CORK. Chairman, T h e R i g h t W o r s h i p f u l T h e M A Y O B . OF C O K E . Vice- Chairman, Sir Thomas Deane. J a m e s Roche, E s q . J . P . Treasurer.-—E. Mullan, E s q . Axt. Treasurer. J o h n Shea, E s q . Honorary Secretary. Viscount Bernard, M.P. F . B . Beamish, Esq. High Sheriff, City of Cork. Sir Robert Kane, F.R.S. President, Queen's College, Cork. James Lambkin, E s q . Ex-Mayor, Sir William Lyons, H . Townsend, E s q . D.L. T h e Yen. T h e Archdeacon of Cork. T h e Rev. W m . O'Sullivan, William Fagan, E s q . j . p . Thomas Tobin, Esq., j . p . Thomas Hewitt, E s q . Professor Shaw, J o h n Francis Maguire, E s q . M.P. Richard Sainthill, E s q . Alderman Dowden, Professor Lane, Denny Lane, E s q . J o h n N . Murphy, E s q . J.P. M . H . Conway, E s q . N . M . Cummins, E s q . j . p .

Colonel Beamish, K.H. J . R . Burke, j.p. Thomas Lyons, E s q . D . Meagher, E s q . Francis M . Jennings, E s q . James Evans, E s q . Robert J . Lecky, E s q . Paul M'Swiney, E s q . Richard Perrott, E s q . Daniel Corbett, E s q . James Hegarty, E s q . J o h n Benson, E s q . c.E. Joseph Corbett, E s q . Michael Murphy, E s q . Alexander Nicholls, E s q . J o h n Besnard, j u n . E s q . William Shaw, E s q . Bandon. Alfred Greer, E s q . Professor Murphy, Cornelius Carver, E s q . D r . Barter, C. P . Roney, E s q . H o n . Mem.

DUBLIN' COMMITTEE. T h e R i g h t H o n o u r a b l e t h e L o r d M a y o r , Chairman. Lord Talbot d e Malahide, Honourable J o h n P . Vereker, Sir George Hodson, Bart. Sir Robert Kane, Sir Edward M'Donnel, Thomas Hutton, Esq. o.T.. B e n j . Lee Guinness, Esq. Alderman, George Roe, Esq. D.L. Alderman, J . Lentaigne, Esq. L . E . Foot, E s q . D r . Harrison, G. Petrie, E s q . IL.D.

Alderman Andrews, William Fry, E s q . James Perry, Esq. James West, E s q . T . M . Gresham, E s q . ) Honorary J o h n Drew Atkin, E s qq.. ) Treasurers Richard Atkinson, E s q . J . Stirling, E s q . Walter Sweetman, E s q . Chairman of t h e Committee of Manufactures, Royal Dublin Society. William H e n r y Porter, E s q .

3 M

456 Henry Darley, E s q . William Thomas Lloyd, E s q . Thomas Connelly, E s q . Michael Errington, Esq. William M ' K a y , Esq. Cheyne Brady, E s q .

George Macdona, Esq, James Sayers, E s q . M.D. Professor Michael Barry, Cusack P . Roney, Esq. Hamilton Geale, E s q . J o h n C. Deane, Esq. Honorary Sec.

LIMERICK COMMITTEE. Thomas Kane, E s q . M.D. Mayor. Francis Spaight, Richard Russell, Robert Potter, Thaddeus M D o n n e l l , Laurence Quinlivan, J o h n Long, Eugene O'Callaghan, William Franklin, J o h n Todhunter, Edward Joseph Corbett. M.D. Daniel Griffin, M.D.

Bernard M'Nulty, Joseph Robinson, Henry O'Shea, Archdeacon Keatinge, Rev. W . Burke, P.P. Peter O'Brien, J o h n M'Donnell, Stephen Hastings, Joseph Fogerty, Patrick M'Namara, William Carroll, Hon. Sec.

CLONMEL LOCAL COMMITTEE. J a m e s Gill, Manager N a t i o n a l B a n k , Chairman. William Davis, W m . Sibbald, Manager Prov. Bank, Richard Graham, J o h n Going, J o h n Murphy,

William L . Hackett, Richard Crean, Thomas Graham, Thomas Hughes, Sam. Bradford, Treas. and Hon, Sec.

WATERPOBD COMMITTEE. T h e Mayor, Right Rev. D r . Foran, R.C.B. T h e Dean, T h e High Sherifl, T h e Honourable M r . Carew, Sir Benjamin Morris, D.L. Richard W a l l Morris. Alderman Davis, Albert White, Henry White, D r . Elliott, D r . Carroll, Alderman Cooke, Thomas Barnes,

William B . Jacob, J o h n A . Blake, T.C. J o h n Lalor, T.C. D r . J o h n Mackesy, James Supple, Terence O'Reilly, T.C. J o h n Power, T.C. Edmond Walsh, T.C. William M . Ardagh, Thomas Murphy, Arthur Mason, William Kizbeg, Benjamin Graham, James Anderson, J.P.

457 Alderman Slaney,

Thomas W . Condon,

Alderman Forietal,

Charles Ambrose,

George W h i t e , J o h n McClelland,

Thomas Barrington, Thomas W . Jacob,

J o h n Hudson,

J o h n Gowan, Henry Kennedy:

Robert Cutler,

GALWAY COMMITTEE. I n d u s t r i a l Committee a p p o i n t e d b y t h e Council of Royal G a l w a y I n s t i t u t i o n . Professor Blood, Peter Finn, Esq, J o h n Gunning, E s q . E . E . Maunseil, E s q . Professor Moffatt, LL.D.

D r . Moran, A . R . Mullins, E s q . Very Rev. B . J . Roche, Professor Steane, LL.B. Secretary.

BAJNTDOST COMMITTEE. Lord Bernard, H o n . R . B . Bernard, Richard L . Allman, D r . Ormston, Stewart R . Tresilian, D r . Wood, J a m e s C. Allman, Charles Allman, j u n . J o h n Wheeler, E s q . J.P.

Maurice Fitzgerald, James Moriarty, Zechariah Hawks, Thomas Sullivan, Solicitor, Thomas Sherldeck, Chairman, Town Commissary, W . C . Sullivan, ) a . N . C. Bowen, $s ^ e U n e s .

SUBSCRIPTION LIST. £

s. d.

Albert, His R i H . Prince 100 0 0 Arnott and Company, 5 0 0 Abbott, Samuel and Company . . 2 0 0 Albani, Francis 1 0 0 Alcock, B . G 1 0 0 1 0 0 Austen, Rev. D r 2 2 0 Allport, Henry, 1 0 0 Adams, Francis, Bristol 2 2 0 Anderson, J oseph, London 5 0 0 Arthur, D . Leahy 5 0 0 Allen, S. and T., Midleton 2 0 0 Archdeacon, the Yen. of Cork.. 1 0 0 Atkinson, Geo 2 0 0 Arbitrators i n the case of the " Ottava," W Messrs. E . Burke, R . Shaw, and R . C h a m b e r s . . . . 5 5 0 A n Old Waterloo Man, per R . S. 1 0 0

£

s. d.

Allen, Francis 3 0 0 Atlas Insurance Company, per William Lumley Perrier . . . . 10 10 0 Bishop, Lord of Cork 5 5 o Brown and Company, Passage. . 2 2 0 Besnard, John jun l o 0 Barter, Dr. Blarney. 1 0 0 Boole, Profes. Queen's Colleg-e.. 0 10 0 Bennett, John i q 0 Burke, "W.D i q 0 Barclay, Captain i q q Bury, Rev. Robert 1 0 0 Barry, J . H . S m i t h , Lota 5 0 0 Ban try, Earl of 5 Q Q Bullen, William 1 0 0 Blacker, St. John T 1 1 0 Barry, Richard 1 q 0 Bullen, Doctor \ q q Buckley, Jeremiah 5*0 0

458 £ s. d. Bank of Ireland, 50 0 0 BassandCo.,Burton-on-Trent.. 5 0 0 Burke Brothers, 5 0 0 Brash, "William 1 0 0 Barry, P a t 1 o 0 Burke, Lieut.-Colonel, Prospect 1 0 0 Barry, Henry l o 0 Bowman, Grinnell and Co., per E . S. Flynn . 5 0 0 Berwick, Walter Q.C., AssistantBarrister 3 o 0 Ballard, E . G o 10 0 Banks, Adam and Company.. . . 1 0 0 Bradford, Messrs 1 l o Bewley, Samuel 2 0 0 Bernard, Hon. and Rev. C. B , Bandon \ o q Bainbridge, G. H., Bearforest.. 1 0 0 Baugh, Daniel, Liverpool, per W . D.Bourke 1 1 0 Bourke, John W l 0 0 Bandon subscriptions, balance of 37 4 0 Burke, Michael, Queenstown.. 0 10 0 Bristol Steam Navigation C o . , . . 5 0 0 Bidgood, Bend and Co., Dublin 1 0 0 Blackburne, Bewick, Valentia. . 5 0 0 Baring Brothers, London, per N . and J . Cummins 10 10 0 Bradbury, Greatorex, and Beale, London, per H.O'Hara 5 0 0 Bates, Josiah i i o Barry, James Redmond 2 2 0 Barnett, Meyers and Co., Lon­ don, per W . Ashton Hackett.. 1 1 0 Brankston, Richard and Co., per P . O'Sullivan 1 i o Broughton, H u n t and Broughton, London, per D.Fitzpatrick 2 2 0 Barry, Captain, B a l l y c l o u g h . . . . 2 0 0 Bannerman, H . and Sons, Man­ chester, per J . Carmichael and Company 5 0 0 Bennet, William, London, per P . O'Sullivan i i Q Beamish, R . D e La Cour 1 0 0 Baker, Godfrey 1 0 0 Beamish and Crawford, 10 0 0 Beamish, Richard 5 0 0 Bristowe, John, Liverpool, per Michael M'Namara 2 2 0 Carmichael and Company, 5 0 0 Cummins, Nicholas M., J.P. . . . . 2 0 0 Corbett, Daniel i o o Corbett, Joseph j q q Cleary, James \ o q Cagney, D . J.P \ O Q

£ s. d. Cork, Right Hon. Earl of 50 0 0 Cummins, N l o 0 Chatterton, Sir W 5 0 0 Cantillon, John 1 0 0 Cotter, John 3 o 0 Clifton, W . A . and C o m pa ny . . . . 3 0 0 Carroll, John and B 3 0 0 Cork and Passage R a i l w a y , . . . . 5 0 0 Cade, Francis 2 2 0 Committee of Merchants, 20 0 0 Coppinger, Richard J 1 0 0 Casey, Edwards 1 0 0 Clare, Selby 1 0 o Corbett, Doctor 1 0 0 Connor, Rev. R . L 1 0 0 Cotton, Mrs 5 0 0 Callanan, Albert M.D 1 0 0 Clanchy, D . J.P 1 0 0 Curtis, J . L 1 0 0 Corporation of Cork 50 0 0 Clarke, John, London, per W m . Hurley 1 0 0 Courtney, Samuel 1 0 0 Courtney, John, High Sheriff County of Cork 3 0 0 Cave, John j 0 0 Cassel, Collector l 0 0 Crowley, James T O O Chabrel, S l 1 0 Collins, E . J . R.M 1 0 0 Corn Market Trustees 50 0 0 Clarke, William, South Main-st. 2 0 0 Chatterton, Geo. T 1 0 0 Conway, M. H 1 0 0 Clarke, Sir William, Bart 5 0 0 Connell, William, South Mall.. 1 0 0 Crawford, Henry 1 0 0 Connolly, James 1 0 0 Constitution Office, 1 0 0 Carbery, Lord 5 0 0 Cotter, Doctor, South M a l l . . . . 1 I 0 Church, Lieutenant W . H., R.N., Admiralty Survey, Kenmare.. 1 0 0 Chatterton, Colonel 5 0 0 Carnegie, James 1 0 0 Copinger, William 2 0 0 Coventry and Sheppard, London 3 3 0 Cole, Hugh, Queenstown 0 10 0 Cahill, Daniel, Queenstown . . . . 0 1 0 0 Curtin, Doctor 1 0 0 Carroll, James 1 0 0 Cremen, James 1 0 0 Cagney, Joseph 1 0 0 Colthurst, James 1 0 0 Copinger, Christopher, Q.C 1 1 0 Cotter, Thomas, Killarney I 0 0

459 £ s. d. Carey, Tlioinas and Company.... 2 0 0 Cooley, Bate and Co., Wolver­ hampton, per Uoche Brothers 2 0 0 Committee of Merchants, 20 0 0 Corporation of Waterford, 25 0 0 Cork Steamship Company, 10 0 0 Cuming, W . and Company l 0 0 Cupiss, Francis, M.R.C.Y.S., Diss. Norfolk, per Constitution Office1 1 0 Coombe, Benjamin and Co., Lon­ don, per W.Ashton Hackett.. 1 1 0 Clonmel Committee, 20 0 0 Coulson, James and Co., Lisburn 5 0 0 Corporation of Limerick, 20 0 0 Croker, T . Croft on 5 0 0 Cording, John Charles, London, per W . Ashton Hackett 1 1 0 Chetwode, Edward Wilmot . . . . 1 0 0 Cyrus, and J . Clarke, Glaston­ bury, per J . Smelt 1 1 0 Deane, Sir Thomas 5 0 0 Dean of Cloyne 1 1 0 Dowden, Alderman 1 0 0 Deane, J o h n C 1 0 0 Deane, Thomas N 1 0 0 D e Vericour, Professor ] 0 0 Darley, Professor 1 0 0 Deaves Brothers, 2 0 0 Daly, J . and Company 5 0 0 Dennehy, C.and W 1 0 0 Del&ny, Bight Bev. D r 3 0 0 De Decies, Lord Stuart 10 0 0 Dunn, Michael 5 0 0 Deane, Alexander 2 0 0 Deane, William 2 0 0 Dowden, John W 3 0 0 Daly, John 1 o 0 Donovan, Bickard 1 0 0 Dublin Subscriptions, Balance of 541 I 6 Day, Bobert 1 0 0 Derby, Bight Hon. Earl of 10 0 0 Dunne, Bobert L., Kinsale . . . . 1 0 0 Devonshire, Duke of 25 0 0 Danckert, A.and Company 1 0 0 Dawson, John 1 0 0 Danckert, J . and Son 1 0 0 Davis, Alfred and Company 3 3 0 Dillon, Charles, Manager Thea­ t r e Boyal, Cork 5 0 0 Doyle, Colonel, Ballincollig, per W . J . Tomkins 1 0 0 Doyle, Major, per W . J . Tomkins 1 0 0 Doneraile, Lord 5 0 0 Drew, W . M., J.P., Queenstown 2 0 0 Deering, James, Midleton 0 10 0

£ s. d. Dawson, John, Liverpool, per W. D. Bourke 2 2 0 Delacour, B o b e r t . . . 1 0 0 Daly, John, Harpur's-lane, (se­ cond subscription 1 0 0 Dring, Simon I o 0 Daly and Foley, 1 0 0 Dyas and H arman, i 0 0 Dixon, Admiral Manly H 5 0 0 Drake andM'Comas,Dublin . . . 1 0 0 Day, Edward Fitzgerald, Edinburn, Castle Island 2 0 0 E a r l of Eglinton, His Excellency 50 0 0 Earl of Egmont, 50 0 0 Exchange,Boyal Insurance Com­ pany 25 0 0 Evans, James 1 0 0 Eustace, Captain, Mallow 5 0 0 Edden, John W ] 0 0 England, John i 0 0 Eyre, Bichard, Postmaster . . . . 1 0 0 Edden, B . W 2 0 0 Exham, B . and Son 1 1 0 Exham and Kift, 1 \ o Fleming, Professor 1 0 0 Fitzgerald, N . M 0 10 0 Fitzgerald, D 1 0 0 Feath, I I . K i o 0 Fitzgibbon, W . and Company . . 5 0 0 Fagan, William, M.P 2 0 0 French, Thomas George 1 0 0 Foot and Fitzsimon, 3 0 0 Farmer, Edward, Mallow 1 1 0 Fitzgerald, Mrs. Blakeney 1 0 0 Fitzpatrick, Denis 1 0 0 Fletcher, John l o 0 Franks, Henry j 0 o Fortescue, Bev. T . F . G 2 2 0 Fahy, Michael F i o o Finn, Thomas, Killarney 1 1 0 Finn, Doctor 1 o 0 Fox, Alexander Ii., Co. Inspector 1 0 0 French, S. T . W . , Cusquinny.... 1 0 0 Fogarty, Edmund 1 0 0 Friend, Captain, R.N L O O Fishbourne, Joseph, Bailw a y . . . . 1 0 0 Fitzgerald, J . D., Q.C 5 0 0 Fulwood, Thomas' 1 0 o Ferguson, David, 1 1 0 Fanning, J . and C 1 o o Frankland, Bichard 1 0 0 Fitzpatrick, Bev. J . Castletownr °che 1 0 0 Fanque, M . Pablo, Circus Boyal, per Mr. Deyos 9 10 o Foster, Porter and Co. London.. 2 2 0

460 £ s. d. Fox, Henderson and Co. London 25 0 0 Gould J . and Co 3 0 0 Grant and Co 1 0 0 Griffith, Richard 2 0 0 Gabvay, Thomas 2 0 0 Galgey, William 1 0 0 Gibbings, John, T.C 1 0 0 Grendon, Thomas and Co. Drogheda 5 0 0 Guisani, John l o 0 Guy Brothers l 0 0 Graham and Co 1 0 0 Galwey, G. and Co I 0 0 Grant, St. J ohn 2 0 0 Graham, Michael, Queenstown.. 0 10 0 Gordon, John 1 0 0 Giiott, D. J . Barrister 1 0 0 Greenwood and Co. London . . . . 1 1 0 Groucock, Copestake, Moore and Co. London, per H . O'Hara . . 10 10 0 Gillett, Foster and Co. London, per Henry O'Hara 5 5 0 Galway Local Committee 8 7 6 Garde, Edward 1 1 0 Gamble, J . Henry 1 1 0 Gt. South and West. Railway.. 10 0 0 Goulding W. and H . M 1 0 0 Herrick, John E 1 0 0 Harris and Bassett, London . . . . 5 5 0 Harbour Board 25 0 0 Hall, Robert and Henry 2 0 0 Hennessy, H 1 0 0 Hardy, Simeon, and Sons 5 0 0 Holmes, Thomas 1 0 0 Harvey, Doctor 1 0 0 Harvey, George N 1 0 0 Hickman, Captain 1 0 0 Hewitt, Thomas and Company.. 5 0 0 Hickson, Conway l 0 0 Hackett, James i 0 0 Hayes, William ] 0 0 Hamilton, Rev. Archibald i 0 0 Hickson, William M 1 1 0 Honan, R i o 0 Harley and Co 1 0 0 Harding, James 1 0 0 Hardy, G. F ] i 0 Haines, John T 2 0 0 Hodder, John i o 0 H a y croft, Messrs 1 0 0 Ilartland, R . and Son 1 0 0 Howes, John l o 0 Heard, John Isaac M.P 2 0 0 Hogg, James I 0 0 Harty, Joseph i o 0 Harrington, William and Son . . 1 0 0

£ s. d. Hodder, Colonel Moore 1 0 0 Headley, Right HonourableLady 5 0 0 Hackett, William A 1 0 0 Hare, Honourable Robert 1 0 0 Hartley, James, London 10 0 0 Huband, Captain P.L.I 2 0 0 Hamilton, William, Queenstown 0 10 0 Harris, John 1 0 0 Hassell, J . A. W. & Co. Bristol 2 2 0 Holmes, Samuel, Liverpool . . . . 5 0 0 Henn, Thomas R 1 0 0 Hunt, James, Danesfort, near Mallow, per C. E . L o g a n . . . . . . 1 0 9 Hutton and Co 3 0 0 Hamilton, Sir William Rowan.. 1 0 0 Hancock, Professor 1 0 0 Hegarty Brothers 2 0 0 IIai grave, Joshua 1 o 0 Hawkesworth, E 1 0 6 Harbour Board, 2nd subscription 25 0 0 Isaacs, Mr. Woodville 1 0 0 Ingestre, Lord 5 0 0 Inderwick, J . per J . Buckley. . 1 1 0 Jackson, Mr. Justice 2 0 0 Jennings, Messrs 5 0 0 Jameson, Thomas 1 o 0 Jeffreyes, St. John 2 0 0 Julian, Robert 2 o 0 Julian, Isaac 1 Q o Jacob, W. and R . Waterford.... 10 0 Jackson, Francis 2 2 0 Johns Brothers, London, per P . O'Sullivan ] 1 o Jackson, Judge 5 0 0 Johnson, Noble 1 0 0 Keane and Turnbull 1 0 0 Kane, Sir Robert 2 0 0 Kellett, R l 0 0 Kinnears, John, Queenstown.. 0 10 0 Kingsale, Lord 5 0 0 Kingsale, Town Commissioners 5 0 0 Kinderly, G. II. Tralee 10 0 0 King, Melville and Co. London 5 5 0 Kilmurry, J o h n o 10 0 Kennedy, Patrick 1 0 0 Keller, Cornelius 1 0 0 Kilkenny—subscriptions per the Mayor 22 8 0 Lord Lieutenant (Earl of Cla­ rendon) 50 0 0 Lyons, Thomas and Company . . 5 0 0 Lane, Professor, Queen's College 1 0 0 Lewis, Professor 1 0 o Lloyd, Farmar 2 0 0 Leahy, F 2 0 0 Lyons, Sir William 2 0 0

461 £ Listowell, Earl of Larcom, Major Litchfield, William Lamert, John T Lambkin, J . and It Logan, W . C Lunham, Alexander Leslie, James E Large, William Leahy, Daniel F Lane, James . . . . » 1 Lane, D. and Company Leahy, Daniel Lindsay, John, Blackrock 1 Lloyd, Doctor Litchfield, John, Ballymaloe.... Linehan, Doctor, J.P Leycester, William Lombard, Rev. J . N Lycester, Joseph Leahy, John Leahy, Miss Leonard, The Misses, Queens-

*. a.

o 0 1 0 g i o 0 i g 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 I 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 5 Q Q 0 0 1 0 0 l 0 0 j g 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 j 0 q 1 Q g

t o w n 0 TO 0 Lansdowne, Marquis of 20 0 0 Lyons and Bresnahan, 2 0 0 Lee, William 1 g q Leslie, Matthew, Wilton 1 0 0 Leslie, Wm. B., Courtmacsherry 1 0 0 Limerick Committee, 50 0 0 Lewis, Stephen, Deputy Chair­ man Cork and Bandon Railway Company 2 2 0 Lane, Captain, Bandon, per Local Committee 0 0 " London Union," Insurance Company, per Exham & Sons 10 0 0 Longfield, R., Longerille 2 0 0 Lawless, Hon. Cecil 5 0 0 Lane, Alexander 1 q q London Assurance Corporation, per D.Hall, agent 25 0 0 Lima, A.Da Silva 1 0 q Listowell, Countess Dowager.... 5 0 0 Leaf, Smith and Company, per J . Carmichael and Company . . . . l o 10 0 Limerick Subscription, balance, per W . Carroll, Secretary . . . . 15 0 0 M'Swiney. Paul 3 Q Q Murphy, Daniel and Company.. 2 0 0 Meagher, Daniel 1 0 0 Murphy, J . N . and J 5 g 0 Mahony, D . F 1 g 0 Malcomson Brothers, 10 0 0 Mazon, Geo X 0 0 Morrogh, James 1 0 q

£ s. d. Mullan, Felix 3 q Q Morrogh, Robert 0 k.. 1 0 Monteagle, Lord 10 g 0 Murphy, Denis 1 0 0 Madden, John 0 10 0 Mansel, Colonel 1 0 0 M'Swiney, Eugene, London . . . . 5 0 0 Morris, Richard 1 0 0 Murphy, N. D 2 2 0 Mansel, General 3 0 0 M'Mahon, James D j 0 O Magrath, William 1 g 0 Mills, Professor 1 0 g M'Namara, Alexander F . J.P. . . 1 0 0 Martin, Hughes 1 0 0 Marquis, Dominick, Governor Richmond Bridewell 1 0 0 Mayor, The Right Worshipful Sir W . B. Hackett ]Q 0 O Murphy, Professor 1 0 0 M'Cormack, James, Liverpool.. 20 0 0 Morris, Captain 1 g 0 M'Carthy, Alexander 1 0 0 Martin, Russell 1 0 0 Moore, Patrick 0 10 0 M'Carthy, Justin T Q Q Mahony, Michael E 1 0 0 M'Daniel, Jeremiah, Kinsale . . 1 0 0 Motherway, Anthony 1 q 0 M ' Evers. Doctor 1 0 0 Maguire, Rev. A 1 0 0 Mitchell & Seymour, Queenstown 1 0 0 Meade, H . T . N 0 10 0 Morris, Henry 1 0 0 Mathews, Captain 1 q q Morgan, Thomas 1 0 0 Myers, Mrs j Q Q M'Carthy, Rev. Mr. C a r l o w . . . . 1 0 0 Mountmorris, Rev. Lord \ 0 0 Morgan, Doctor, Blackrock . . . . 1 0 0 Mitchell Alfred, Amer. Consul. . 1 0 0 Mannix, Henry 1 1 q Martindale and Co., Liverpool.. 10 0 0 Mulvaney, Commissioner 1 1 q Mackreth, Francis Thoma3, D i ­ rector Cork and Ban. Railway 1 1 0 Mackreth, George Edward 1 i g Naas, Lord Q q 5 Moriarty^ John 0 10 0 Meade, W . R j q q Maguire, J . F . , M.P 3 0 9 Moore, John j q q Morgan, James 1 q q Minhear, James j g q M'Carthy, Alexander 3 0 0 National Bank of Ireland, 25 0 0

462 £ s. d. Norreys, Sir Denham, Bart 3 3 0 N ash, George 1 0 0 Newsom, Alderman 1 0 0 Newman, Very Rev. Dean 2 0 0 Newman, Adam, Dromore 1 0 0 Newsom, J . and Sons 1 0 0 Newenham, George 1 0 0 Newenham, Rev. E . Coolmore . . 2 0 0 Nicholson, Thomas, Plymouth.. 2 0 0 Nash, Joseph Ryder I 0 0 Nixon, Charles 1 1 0 Nelson, Knowles and Company.. 2 0 0 O'Neill, Gregory 1 10 0 O'Connor, Doctor 1 0 0 Olden, T . and Company 1 0 0 O'Hara, H 1 0 0 Owens, W., Drogheda 3 0 0 O'Sullivan, Rev. "William 1 0 0 O'Sullivan, Daniel 1 0 0 O'Regan, Mathew 0 10 0 O'Sullivan, C. and J 2 0 0 O'Leary, John, South Mall . . . . 1 0 0 O'Grady, Admiral 1 1 0 O'Connell, Jeremiah, Bantry . . 1 0 0 O'Hea, Michael 1 0 0 O'Brien, James Henry 1 0 0 O'Brien, John 1 0 0 O'Donovan, The 1 0 0 Olden, Robert 1 0 0 O'Sullivan, Rev. Michael 1 0 0 O'Leary, D. M'Carthy 1 0 0 O'Shaughnessy, R . J 1 0 0 O'Mahony, Rev. L 1 0 0 O'Brien, Mark 0 10 0 Oliffe, Doctor, Paris 5 0 0 O'Connor, James 2 0 0 O'Callaghan, Cornelius 1 0 0 O'Brien, John, Castlewhite . . . . 1 0 0 Purcell, George 1 0 0 Peterson, Nicholas 1 0 0 Provost Trinity College 2 0 0 Perrier, William L . J.P 1 0 0 Pennefather, R . D 1 0 0 Purcell, Richard D 1 1 0 Parker, R 1 o 0 Pollock, H 2 0 0 Patton, Admiral 1 o 0 Perrier, Anthony, London 1 1 0 Perrott, J 1 0 0 Pim, Joseph W . & Son, Youglial 1 0 0 Perry, John 1 o 0 Perrott, Richard 3 0 0 Power, John 1 o 0 Pigott, Joseph 0 10 0 Penrose, William Henry, Lower Park, Dedham, Essex 1 0 0

£ s. d. Pennington, Peter 1 0 0 Pitcairn, Sir James 1 1 0 Provincial Bank 50 0 0 Power, William, Allen's Mills ... 2 0 0 Patterson, James, Manchester... 1 0 0 Powell, T . J . and Thos. London 2 2 0 Porteus, James, Belfast, per J . Carmichael and Company 1 1 0 Parker, William Slade, Secretary Waterford and Kil. Railway ... 1 0 0 Puxley, J . Tenby 5 0 0 Quinn, Captain, H . M . S . Ajax.. . . 1 0 0 Queenstown Subscription, bal. of 4 JO 0 Quinn, J . W 1 0 0 RyaJl, Doctor, Queen's College 2 0 0 Read®, Professor,.... do 1 0 0 Roche, Alderman 1 0 0 Roche, James, J.P 2 0 0 River Steam Company 5 0 0 Ronan, Walter 1 0 0 Reeves, W . M 1 0 0 Roche, A. D 1 0 0 Roche Brothers, 1 0 0 Richard and Company I 0 0 Russell Brothers, I 0 0 Riordan, Charles 1 0 0 Roche, Captain Edmund, J.P. . . 1 0 0 Robinson, W . P . , Douglas . . . . l 0 0 Roche, James 1 0 0 Reeves, Edward Hoare 1 1 O Roche, E . B., M.P 5 0 0 Royal Military Mortality Society 1 0 0 Royal Gunpowder Mills, Ballincollig 10 0 0 Radcliffe,J . A. Solicitor 1 1 0 Reid and Grove, London 2 2 0 Redfern. Thomas, Birmingham, per J . Hogg and Company 1 0 0 Rathbone, M r 5 0 0 Ryder, Rev. Joshua B I 0 0 Ronayne, John, Berry Hill, Queenstown 1 1 0 Roddy, Robert, Belfast I 0 0 Ryan, Mis 0 10 0 Swanton, James I I 2 0 0 Shannon, Earl of 5 0 0 Shaw, W . and Co. Bandon 2 0 0 Shaw, Professor, Queen's College 1 0 0 Shea, John 1 0 0 Sugrue, Charles J.P 1 0 0 Sugrue, John 1 0 0 Sullivan, Robert, Warley. Essex 0 10 0 Shaw, R o b e r t B . . . . . 1 0 0 Sherlock, G, and W . 3 0 0 Sheehan, D 1 0 0 Sainthill, Richard 1 0 0

463 £ s. d. Spearing-, J 1 o 0 Spearing-, J . F 1 o 0 Scully, Vincent M.P 5 0 0 Scott, Robert and Company . . . . 2 0 0 Scanlan, Thomas 1 0 0 Sandhman, Forster & Co. London 5 0 0 Slorach, Alexander I 0 0 Sharp, Henry l 0 0 Seymour, I I . E . and G 1 0 0 Spread, J . W .i 1 0 0 Stewart James, Liverpool, per W . D, BonrkeX, 1 0 0 Sheehy, R . J . /. 1 0 0 Shaw, M. and Sons 1 0 0 Sutton, A. and Company l 0 0 Seymour, Nicholas, Queenstown 1 0 0 Smith, George 1 0 0 Shuldham, Lieutenant-General.. 3 3 0 Smith, James 1 0 0 Spring, Patrick 1 o 0 Scraggs, William 1 0 0 Stawell, Lt.-Col. W . St. Leger A. 2 0 0 Schweppe, J . and Company, per W.J.Tomkins 5 0 0 Shuldham, W m . Dunmanway.. 1 1 0 Scott, John and Company 5 0 0 Scott, D . H . M.D , 1 I 0 Swanton, Richard 1 0 0 Seymour, James 1 0 0 Steell, John I l 0 Shinkwin, Miss 1 0 0 Stawell, Rev. Francis, Kilbrack 5 0 0 Savage, C. Domville 1 o 0 Saunders, W m . Herbert, London 5 0 0 Streatsfield, Lauring, and Co. ... 5 5 0 Sweeny, F . B. Bandon, per Local Committee l o 0 Somerville Brothers, Kendal, Netherfield, per J . Smelt 1 1 0 Seward, Henry 0 1 o 0 Shaw, Professor, 2nd Subscrip. 2 0 0 Tobin, Thomas 2 2 0 Thom, Alexander, Dublin I 0 0 Thom, P . Dublin I 0 0 Troy, J . J 1 0 0 Toone, Hastings F . Ballinacor, King's Couuty, per R . B. Shaw 5 0 0 Toleken, John 1 0 0 Thornton, J . and W 3 0 0 Train and Company 5 0 0 Travers, General I o 0 Thomond, Marquis of 10 0 0 Townsend, Dr. W . C 1 0 0 Turner, Lieutenant-General 1 0 0 Townsend, Horace, D.L 1 0 0 Tighe, Lady Louisa 2 0 0

£ s. d. Tomasini,P i y 0 Tuckey, J . T I O 0 Treacy, William and Company... 1 0 0 Tierney, Sir Edward 5 0 0 Tjrie, P 1 o 0 Tanner, Mr y o 0 Teulon, Colonel i o 0 Todd, W . & Company, Limerick 5 0 0 Thompson, Rev. Wm. Hamilton 2 0 0 Teulon, Colonel George 1 1 0 Townsend, D r . Edward l l o Trevelyan, Sir Chas. E . K . C * B . Secretary to t h e Treasury 5 0 0 Taddy and Co. London, per P . O'Sullivan 2 2 0 Tower and Arrott, Glasgow I 0 0 The Recorder 1 1 0 Travers, John Moore 1 0 0 Tooker, Richard B 1 0 0 Tomkins, W . J 1 0 0 Todhunter, J j o q Unkles Brothers l o 0 Usborne, Son, & Moore, London 5 5 0 Van, Ommeran and Company . . 1 0 0 0 Varian Brothers l I o Young, Henry L 1 l o Verling, 3 . J.P I O 0 Wide Street Board 20 0 0 Woods, John i q 0 Waters, John oiO 0 Wise, T . and F 7 0 0 Wood, Captain 1 0 q Wood, Benjamin 1 0 0 Waters, George 3 0 0

W-0

0 5 0

Ware, Charles j 0 q White, Mr., Douglas 1 0 0 Wise, H . B j 0 0 Westropp, H . B 1 q 0 W elland, Rev. W . Coachford 1 0 0 Wentworth, Lieutenant R.N I 0 0 Wright and Stanley 1 0 0 Wood and Son 1 0 0 Willes, James, Temple, London 10 10 0 Wide Street Board, 2nd subscrip. 20 0 0 Wright and Morgan l 0 0 Wall, Doctor j q q Woodford, Bourne, & Company 1 0 0 Westropp, Colonel J.P 1 0 Q Wheeler, Joseph 2 0 0 Westropp, H . B 1 0 0 Wallis, George, Birmingham.... 1 0 0 Wilson, Wm. and Son, Liverpool 2 2 0 Welstead, C. I 1 q q White, James E 1 q Q Walker, Captain, Sub-Inspector I 0 0

3

N

464 £ s. d. Warburg, Messrs.London, per J . Buckly Wrixon, Rev. Nicholas Wrixon, John M Winkworth, Thomas, Director Cork and Bandon Railway Co. Wood, H . Williams, Secretary, Cork and Bandon Railway Co.

R E C E I V E DB

Y

2

0

1 1

0 0

0

0

0

1

1

0

I

1

£ s. d. Williams, W . B., Mallow 0 10 0 Welsh, Margetson and Company, London, per D. Fitzpatrick.... 2 2 0 Warren, Sir Augustus 3 0 0 W i l l o c k , R e v . W m . F.T.C.D., B a l -

0

lymoney Wood, George A Woolsey, John, Castlebellingham

1

0 0

0 0

0

0

Dawson, J ohnS 5 0 Doran, Henry 0 10 Delany, James 0 10 Dublin Bottle Glass Company . . 2 0 De La Rue and Company, London 5 5 Fry, William, and Company.... 3 3 Forrest, James 5 0 Foot, L. E 1 0 Franklin, J . D 1 0 Foot, L. and Company 3 3 Fitzpatrick, P . Y 1 0 Frazer, Hugh 1 0 Foley, Hugh 1 0 Findlater, Alexander 5 0 Gresham, Thomas 10 0 Guinness, Artliur and Company 20 0 Goggin, Cornelius 2 2 Gregg and Company, 2 2 Geach, Charles, M.P 5 0 Geale, Hamilton .. 2 0 Gill, M. H 1 0 Glukman, Professor 2 0 Great Southern & Western Rail­ way, (2nd Subscription) 40 0 Gallie, John 0 10 Ilutton, John, and Sons 10 0 Hibson, Robert 1 0 Halpen, J o 5 Hemans, G.W i o Hodges, J i o Hayes Brothers, 2 0 Hibbert, Messrs 1 1 Hodson, Sir George, Bart 2 2 Hibernian Mining Company . . . . 20 0 Hyam, Benjamin l o Harrison, Doctor ] o Hampson,J 5 Q Ingram, H., Illustrated London News 10 0 Jones, Arthur, and Son 2 2 Jukes, J . Beete 1 1 Johnson, R . W 5 0 Keeley and Leech, \ 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0

T H E D U B L I N C O M M I T T E E .

Atkin, J.Drew 10 0 0 Atkinson, R 5 0 0 Allen, R 3 3 0 Andrews, Alderman 3 13 0 Annesley, Earl of 1 0 0 Askin, John 1 0 0 Ashbury, J 5 0 0 Alliance Gas Company 5 5 0 Ashley, John 5 0 0 Armstrong, W. J 1 1 0 Alio way, R . M 2 0 0 Buckmaster and Company . . . . 5 0 0 Brady, Right Hon. Maziere 1 0 0 Ball, John, P.L.C 1 0 0 Boswell, James 1 0 0 Browne, J 0 10 0 Boylan, P 1 0 0 20 0 0 10 10 0 0 10 0 Beakey, Patrick 1 10 0 1 0 0 0 10 0 Bagot, A. H 0 10 0 Bagot, A. and J 2 2 0 Bellew, M 1 0 0 Cranfield,J . 1 1 0 Cordner and Company....* 1 0 0 Chambers, John 1 0 0 Connolly, John 1 0 0 Children of the late Mr. Porter, 1 0 0 Chamber of Commerce, 10 0 0 Cloncurry, Lord 10 0 0 Caulfield, E . H 1 0 0 Cowan and Company 2 0 0 Carter, J . Bonham 10 0 0 Classon, John 0 10 0 Classon, John, T.C 1 0 0 Campbell and C o m p a n y , . . . . . . . . 5 0 0 Dargan, William 25 0 0 Delany, Brothers 1 0 0 Dillon, Luke 1 0 0 Dixon, George 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 Q 0 0 0 0 0

465 £

s. d.

Kinder, T . W 5 0 0 Kennan, Thomas 1 0 0 Kinnaird, Lady 25 0 0 Kealy, B 1 0 0 Kelly, M 1 0 0 Lord Mayor, The R t . Hon. the 10 0 0 Lentaigne, J . D . L 1 0 0 Law, Mathew 10 0 0 Lambert and Brown 1 0 0 Long, W 1 0 0 L'Estrange, Francis 1 0 0 Lambert, James I 0 0 Lord Lieutenant, His Excellency the, per Colonel Campbell . . . . 20 0 0 Lloyd, Thomas 1 1 0 Latouche, Esq 15 0 0 Lanesborough, Earl of 10 0 0 Lord Chief Baron, Right Hon. 10 0 0 Lord Chancellor, t h e Right Hon. 10 0 0 Magill, George 2 0 0 M'Donnell, Sir Edward . . . . . . . . 1 0 0 Morisson, H u g h 1 0 0 Morisson, A. W . and Company.. 0 10 0 Maclean, Samuel 1 0 0 Macdona, George 1 0 0 Murphy, J 1 0 0 Mitchell, J 5 0 0 Marshall, J . and Sons 5 0 0 Maudslay, Sons and Field, Lon­ don 10 0 0 M'Donnell, Messrs 1 I 0 Miller, D . and C o m p a n y . . . . . . . . 1 0 0 M'Dermott, G. and Company.... 5 0 0 M'Connell,J . E I 1 0 M'Lean,R 5 0 0 Murphy, Martin 5 0 0 Mulvany,R . F 1 0 0 M'Glashan, James 2 0 0 Marr, Gallie and Company 1 0 0 Mickley Coal Co., per W . Miller 5 0 0 M'Connell, J 1 0 0 Morton, James 0 10 0 Marsh, Joseph 0 10 0 Marsh, Sir H . Bart 10 0 0 Merry, L. and R 1 0 0 Nill, C. and Son ... 1 0 0 Nugent, J . , M.D 1 0 0 Orpen, Basil 1 0 0

£ s. d. Perry, J 5 0 0 Peto, J . M., M.P 25 0 0 Papworth, George 1 0 0 Pare, W 2 2 0 Potts, Joseph T 2 0 0 Paxton, Sir Joseph 5 0 0 Poole, Brathwaite 1 1 O Pim, Brothers, and Company, . . 10 0 0 Quan and Sons 1 0 0 Roe, George, D.L 5 0 0 Reed, J o h n . 1 0 0 Rigby, W . a n d J l 0 0 Roney, C. P 5 0 0 Rinell, James M 20 0 0 Rathbone, John and James . . . . 3 3 0 Rawdon, Colonel D 5 0 0 Stirling, J 5 0 0 Strahan, Robert 1 0 0 Sheridan, P 0 10 0 Smith, W . H 3 3 0 Sheridan, James 1 0 0 Stazne, Thomas, and Son . . . . . . 5 0 0 Sweetman, W 5 0 0 Swift, Mr. Sheriff, London 10 0 0 Senior, Edward, 1 0 0 Scott, Joseph 1 0 0 Sturtzer, Jeremiah 0 10 0 Talbot De Malahide, Lord 1 1 0 Do. do., 2nd Subscription.... 5 0 0 Todd, Burns and Company . . . . 10 0 0 Thomas and Higginbotham,.... 3 3 0 Trulock and Sons, 1 0 0 Townley, Charles .... 5 0 0 Thaites, A. and R . and Company 1 0 0 United General Gas Company . . 10 10 0 Warren and Company 1 0 0 Wright and Stanley 2 0 0 Waterhouse and Company 2 0 0 Williams, Brothers and Co 3 3 0 Wright, James 3 3 0 Warden and Sons 1 1 0 Woodhouse, John 1 0 0 West, James 3 3 0 Wright, Joseph 5 0 0 Whitworth Joseph 2 0 0 Whyte, W 0 10 0 Williams, Thomas 0 10 0 Wild^, Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 0

466 R E C E I V E DB

Y T H E L I M E R I C K C O M M I T T E E .

£ 0 1 0 Bourke, Rev. William, p.p 0 Barry, James 0 Beveridge, Edmond S 0 Corporation of Limerick... 20 Corbett, E . J I Caswell and Atkinson 0 Cullen, Daniel 0 Cree, James 0 Deegan, William 1 Doyle, Daniel 0 English, William and Thomas.. 1 Edwards, Rev. A 0 Fogerty, Joseph 5 Fitzgerald, David 1 Franklin, William 0 Fitzgerald, G 0 Goodwin, Edward 0 Gore, W . R 0 Golf, R . F 1 Gubbins, William G 0 Griffin, Daniel, M.D 0 Abell, John Bannatyne, James

1

Harvey, Reuben Harvey, Joseph M H e ad ach, William Hastings, Stephen Hall, William Henry H u n t , Robert Harrold, Edward

1

1 2 0 0 1

0 0

s. 10 0 5 10 10 10 0 0 10 10 10 0 10 0 10 0 0 10 5 10 10 0

d. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 10 0 10 0 0 0 5 0 5 0

Kane, Thomas, Right Worship0 10 5 0 0 10 1

Keayes, Robert Lord Bishop of Limerick

0

0 0 0 0

£ &cd. M'Donnell, Thaddeus 1 .0 0 M'Donnell, John 1 0 0 M'Nulty, Bernard, and Son . . . . 1 0 0 M'Namara, Patrick 0 10 0 M'Mahon, Robert 1 0 0 Murphy, Joseph 0 10 0 M'Murray, Robert 0 10 0 Marshall, James 0 10 0 O'Hara, Charles, and Son 0 10 0 O'Shea, Henry 1 0 0 O'Callaghan, Eugene 1 0 0 O'Brien, Peter 1 0 0 O'Brien, Serjeant, Q.C 3 0 0 Phayer, "William 0 10 0 Pitts, John 0 10 0 Potter, Robert 2 0 0 Quinlivan, Laurence 1 0 0 Quin, Michael 1 0 0 Quinlan, James J 0 10 0 Russell, John N . and Sons 5 0 0 Rodger, Robert 1 0 0 Russell, Francis William 5 0 0 Robinson, Joseph 0 10 0 Ryan, Michael R 0 10 0 Spaight, Francis, and Sons.. 1 0 Stavelly, Rev. Robert 1 1 Sheehy, John J 1 0 0 Seymour, Andrew 0 5 0 Sidley, Thomas 0 10 0 Sheahan, Patrick 0 5 0 Todhunter, Reuben Harvey . . 1 0 0 Usborne, Thomas M 1 0 0 United General Gas Company , . 2 2 0 Vickers, George 0 10 0 Yokes, John W 0 5 0 White, William H 1 0 0 Worrall, James 0 10 0 White, John 0 10 0

JBr. d. 0 n n

g JJ g

JD u u ______

14

8745 0 04

5 8 1

8727 10

8

83 13

**

Cr.

By Printing, Stationery, &c., Police and Detective Force, Deputations, Bands, ••••••.• Miscellaneous, sundry, viz.—Hire of steamer, use 01 f u r n i ­ ture for banquet, balls, lectures, &c., cost of fountain, badges for committee, vote to Passage regatta, liveries t o porters, &c., &c., Preparing plans of buildings, calico, lime, mortar, bricks, &c.; car hire to Belvelly, police, lamps, attendance, glaz­ ing, pictures, &c., &c., not included in material account, 0 or decoration account, Sundry expenses, including messenger, wages, postages, car 0 hire, repairs, damages t o goods, &c., &c., 10 Fire Insurance on Corn Market premises, . Incidental expenses, including staff and office, cartage of goods, &c., to the 14th October, not included in wages or 0 6 railway account, Regatta prize cup, voted, Salver voted to Mr. Belshaw, i n testimony of his services, . . Sundry items, including compensation for injuries, inci­ 94 dental expenses, not coming under the other specified expenses, 4 6 Wages and labour, . Decorations, not including contracts, 11$ Contracts—Richard D . Boylan for decorations, William Jones, on account of ditto, Ormond and Meade, on account, buildings and timber, &c. 0 Law costs, 1 Railway, steam charges and transit of goods, &c., Materials—Paid for building materials, &c., See., Music a t Inauguration Advertisements, &c., Refreshments—Paid Mrs. Fitzgerald for guests, &c., Banquet, balls, Subscriptions not paid

£ s. d.

2799 1 7 J j S J 13 n < « 5 9 31 3 0 g77 0 OF) 5

" ° J ' ® & J J ** ° jj S i n ;»

s. ^4 oo c on n "

£

^75 11 loj 1 674 0

_

^ ^ A) U

lo4 l 4o 1U

_ 80 l o

£ 353 770 62 123

* Besides the £12 I s . I d . due to t h e Treasurer, Accounts t o the amount of twice that sum were outstanding at t h e date of Audit.

s. 3 5 0 6

0 1 14 4 1 19 7 0 0

-1209 133 1902 265 392 26 985 10 8745

0^

7s 6 8 9 7 0

- 581 1 7 J 1731 10 0 199 3 7

£ *. d.

We have examined the accounts and vouchers of the National Exhibition, and find a Balance due t o the T r e a s u r e r ^ Twelve Pounds O n e j h i l h n g and One Penny.* (Simed) JOHN EOBEBT BURKE, J.P. Cork, 24th oj February, 1853. THOMAS T O B I N , J.P.

Balance due to the Treasurer,

Cash overdrawn for regatta cup, Ditto i n Bank,

Police, refunded,

Received from Mr. Dargan for glass-cases, Ditto for forms,

M a t e r i a l — R e c e i p t s of s a l e s b y a u c t i o n ,

Catalogues, Refreshments, per Mrs. Fitzgerald, Miscellaneous—Receipts on account of Lectures,

Season Tickets, Daily Admission, Banquet, Balls, &c.—viz. Banquet Balls,

To Subscription Account—General Subscriptions, Bandon Subscription, Corporation of Waterford, Clonrael Subscription, Corporation of Limerick, Dublin Subscription, Gal way Subscription, Kinsale Commissioners, Kilkenny Subscription, Limerick Subscription, Queenstown Subscription,

BALANCE SHEEET.

Date. Date. H C O •P

511

Fri.

JULY.

Date.

Date.

2 545 477 Tues. 13 455 388 Fri.

23 357

504 Tues. 3

592 Mon. 2

Date.

Sat.

13

14

O r s

SEPTEMBER.

Wed.

745

507

506

477

Date.

50' Mon. 23 340

Thur. 2 252

377

Date.

1891 Tues. 24 185

3 161

27 440 1584 Mon. 6 489 1976 28 254 1003 Tues. 7 260 1143

262 Wed. 25 1570 1056 Fri. 2289 Thur. 26 338 1515 Sat.

17 311 1077 Fri.

16

19

18 1065 969 Sat.

1018

10 885 1710

3365 10202

-

11

j

Fri.

___

Sat.

2s Is'. 6d. Is. 6d,

3737 1335]

359 451 Mon. 30 405 3032 Wed. 8 1610 861 300 549 Tues. 31 205 1014 Thur, 9 288 1627

21 432 1124

604 9119

74,095

RECAPITULATION. No. Paid at Doors. .74,095, viz.: 6 022 a t 18,'937 „ 48,118 „ 1,018 „

4291 11097

496 Wed. 11

4281 10277

4 675

AUGUST.

Date.

637 Fri.

3369 Thur. 12

a o H C O

RETURN OF T H E NUMBER OF VISITORS, COMMENCING 10th of J UNE, E N D I N G 11th of SEPTEMBER.

Date. o H

11 837 237 Tues. 22 575

Mon. 21 546 417 Thur. 1 700 621 Mon. 12 423 1712 Thur. 22 480

Fri. 12 961

Thur. 10 3384

Sat. Mon. 14 1217 Tues. 15 1085 Wed. 16 1560

—

31

436 Wed. 23 1780 429 Sat. 1010 197 Wed. 14 966 268 Sat. 24 593 278 Wed. 4 406 Sat. 310 Thur. 24 830 673 Mon. 5 705 2104 Thur. 15 374 434 Mon. 26 580 3740 Thur. 5 531 Mon. 385 Fri. 25 305 244 Tues. 6 546 604 Fri. 16 402 395 Tues. 27 347 722 Fri. 6 1667 Tues. 326 Sat. 26 1400 243 Wed. 7 1200 337 Sat: 17 1052 461 Wed. 28 268 673 Sat. 7 317 Wed. 158 Mon. 28 610 1285 Thur. 581 641 Mon. 19 2677 Thur. 29 333 1121 Mon. 9 5l0 Thur. 370 396 Tues. 20 490 549 Fri. 30 435 2151 Tues. 10 Fri,

6421 7258

10 985 280Wed. 21 1270 374 Sat.

5657

54,936 74,095

80764768

No. of Visitors on Season Tickets, „ Paid a t Doors,

129,031

12519 2366

18 1020 22 Tues. 29 725 699 Fri. 19 1655 293Wed. 30 1305 267 Sat.

Thur. 17 800 Fri. Sat.

—

Total No. of Visitors,

I No. of Season Tickets. No. Paid at Doors.

SCHOOLS.

02 )»» o M

O 5 R

C C TJ

3

SCHOOLS.

m o M

— —

T o t a l N u m b e r of B o y s . . .

4,206.

_

T o t a l N u m b e r of Girls

5,138.

m

13