Some parts of this county are very bare of trees, but other parts are extremely well-wooded, and upon the whole may be considered as superior in this respect to any dis trict of Ireland. The ash is very common, running along the hedgerows, and on the northern side of Lough Erne appearing like a weed of the country : it is, however, of modern introduction. Beech grows here to a large size. There are also oaks, firs, sallows, and hazels. Elm is sel dom raised. At Lough Erne, the yew grows to au asto nishing bulk. The only kinds of wood found in the bogs, are fir, oak, and yew. Besides wood, the inhabitants of this county make use of turf and coal as fuel.
Mr Wakeheld computes the average rental of this coun ty at 11. 5s. per green acre. Of course there is a great variety in the rents of land, arising from quality of soil and other circumstances. At Florence court, land lets at 11. 10.9. per acre : near Enniskillen, it lets at 81. 8s. per corn acre. In general the leases run for three lives, or thirty-one years: of late the period adopted is twenty-one years and one life. There are here a few estates whose whose rental is From 1500/. to 20001.; but by far the great est number of the estates are large, and there is no inter mediate step between the proprietors and the leaseholders. Lord Enniskillen has an estate of 13,000/. per annum, as also Colonel Archdale, and Mr Brook of Brookboro. The Marquis of Ely, Lord Belmore, and Sir James Caldwell, have property of from 60001. to 70001. per annum each. There is a good deal of church property belonging to the see of Clogher.
There are several lakes in this county, but the most re markable is Lough Erne. It consists properly of two lakes, the upper being nine miles long, and from one and a half to five wide, and the lower one about ten miles in length, and from two to eight in breadth. The two are connected by a broad winding channel of about six miles, resembling a river. The ground occupied by Lough Erne is supposed to be 85 square miles. Its scenery is remarka bly fine and striking, comprehending both the beautiful and the grand. There are in it between three and four hun dred islands, some of them large and fertile, and inhabited, many of them well wooded, the whole of them disposed in a very picturesque manner, and affording a variety of rich and interesting prospects. The Erne and several other rivers run into it; it discharges itself at the north-west end by a current of about seven miles, which runs very rapidly, and at length precipitates itself over a grand cataract into the sea at Ballyshannon. The falls of Belleek are esteem ed very beautiful, and deserving of the traveller's attention. Lough Erne contains all the fish common to fresh water lakes. The salmon here grow in a wonderful manner ; some young ones having been found to increase at the rate of 1 lb. a week. Great quantities of eels are caught near
Enniskillen ; eighty dozen sometimes in one night. Near the falls of Belleek there is an eel weir, belonging to Mr Pakenbam, which lets at 1201. per annum, and near it there arc three others which let at 1,01. each.
The chief sources of wealth to the inhabitants are the linen manufacture and the rearing of black cattle. The linen produced here is what is called 7-Sths. There are several of those bleach-greens, which finish for sale the bleached linens that arc sent to England. Illegal distilla tion is carried on to a considerable extent. There are mills for grinding oats, but none for grinding wheat.
The principal, and indeed the only town of note in Fer managh, is Enniskillen. It is situated on an island formed by the river or channel which unites the two lakes.
This county contains rich iron ore and coal. On Lord Enniskillen's estate, west of Lough Erne, there are quar ries of marble. It is brown and white, beautifully veined, and of a fine grain.
Fermanagh is divided into two by Lough Erne ; the di vision on the east of the lake containing five baronies, and that on the west containing three. It sends three members to parliament, two of these being from the county, and one from the burgh of Enniskillen. The freeholders in the county amount to 5000; and political influence is so situa ted, that if the Earl of Enniskillen, M r Brook, and Mr Arch dale be unanimous, they may return what member they please. Enniskillen has twelve self-elected burgesses ; and the Earl of Enniskillen is patron.
There are only 18 parishes in the county ; 15 of them are in the diocese of Clogher, and the other three in that of Kilmore. The Protestants are to the Catholics in the proportion of one to three. The hostility of the former to the latter is carried to a high pitch of violence. In every respect the Catholics are discouraged and kept down. All the greatest proprietors are Protestants, and members of the established church. The Protestant dissenters are few in number. Sir Richard Hardinge has an estate of 81 farms, and the tenants in 79 of these are Protestants.
According to Dr Beaufort, Fermanagh contains 719 square miles, or 455,298 acres English measure, the length being 43 miles, and the breadth 33. Of these, Lough Erne occupies 76,311. Mr Wakefield makes the superficial contents 694 English square miles. The population of the county is 71,800, and the number of houses 11,969, being six individuals to a house. Excluding Lough Erne, there are about 31 English acres to a house, or 51. acres to each individual. See Newenham's View of Ireland; Wakefield's Statistical Account of Ireland; Beaufort's Memoir of a Map of Ireland ; and Young's Tour through Ireland. (T)