But, though the established religion of Ireland is the same as that of Faigland, those woo profess it bear hut a small proportion to these who do not. The Catholics are far more numerous than the Protestants of all denomina tions. At least two Ciirds of the whole population arc Catholics ; according to some th•ee-tinn ths. And in the north and north-eastern counties of Ulster, the Presbyte rians are much More numerous than those who profess the church of Ireland, The Catholics are by far the most numerous in Connaught, Munster, and the north-western counties of Ulster.
The means of education, which the great mass of the Irish people possess, are very limited. As early as the reign of James 11. free schools were erected in sevc ral of the large parishes. They have since been extcmied to some parts of the country. There is but one umversity, that of Dublin. There is also a college for Catholics at I\Lytiooth, supported by government. 13ut the state of education at present, will best appear from the following quotations from the last report of the commissioners of edu cation in Ireland.
It appears from these Reports, there arc 33 endowed classical schools in Ireland (besides 14 of private founda tion) the united emoluments of which amount to about 90001. per annum, and the number of Scholars educated in them to nearly 1000.
" That, exl lusivc of the parish schools in the city of Dublin, and of other schools in different places, supported bynrivarc endowments, the number of which is 72,—there arc 44 public establishments for the education of the lower classes, in which upwards of 4200 arc lodged, maintained, clothed, and educated at an annual expence of about 70,000/.
" The following 'alums have been communicated to us from 17 dioceses out of the 22 into which Ireland is divided : frequently not included in them, we are confident that more than 200,000 children, of the poorer class, receive an nually such sort of instruction as those schools afford.
That instruction, except in a very few instances, ex tends no farther than reading, writing, and the common rules of arithmetic, and the prices paid arc, on an average, 10s. per annum for reading, 17s. 4d. when writing, and 11. 6s when arithmetic is added." (Fourteenth Report from the Commissioners of the Board of Education in Ireland.) In the history of Ireland, the union of it with England has been noticed; and also the number of peers and repre sentatives, which, by that union, she is entitled to send into each house of the British Parliament.
The following Table exhibits the number of registered freeholds in each county, of the values of 40s. 201., and 50/, Ardagh and Tuam arc united dioceses.
Front the returns, it appears, that, exclusive of the charitable institutions, there are 3736 schools in these dioceses, it) which are taught 162,467 children, of which number 45.590 are Pros. stants, and 116,977 Catholics.
Of the schoolmasters, 1271 are Protestants, and 2455 Catholics.
" Hence we collect, that, as these dioceses may be esti mated to contain foul -firths of the population of Ireland, the wilole number ol schools, including the parochial school's, amount to 4600—the scholars taught in them to 200.000 being an average of 43 to each school ; and as those returns were made get orally in the winter, when many children ate unable to attend, and as itinerating chooimasters, whose number is very considerable, arc A viceroy, or lord lieutenant, still resides in Dublin, to administer the executive government of Ireland. There are some minute differences between the statute and com mon laws of this country and those of England.
The Irish language is a dialect of the Celtic. It is spoken throughout the province of Connaught by all the lower orders, a great part of whom scarcely understand any Engiish. It is also spoken very generally' in the other provinces, except among the descendants of the Scotch in the north. It is supposed that there arc about two mil lions of people in Ireland, who are almost entirely ignorant of English. The music of the Irish is strictly national. It is distinguished by a pensive simplicity. L4 Few nations have given more undeniable proofs of a genius adapted to scientific and literary pursuits; but it is to be lamented, that the prevalence of dissipation has exerted so unfavourable an influence upon the general habits of life, that scarcely any European country is less distinguished by the produc tions of its press." The principal antiquities of Ireland, are the cromlechs; the cainedds ; the oratories, chapels, and round towers ; the stone crosses ; earthen works; and religious build ings. The round towers are singular buildings, supposed to have been erected about the ninth century. Of the re ligious buildings, the chapel at Cashel exhibits elegant and rich architecture, of remote and singular antiquity.
Bea utoi es Memoirs of a Map of Ireland.
Tour in Ireland.
AV akeliele's Account of Ireland.
Preston's Prize Essay on the Manufactures of Ireland, in the 9th vol. of the Irish Transactions.
Dr. Stephenson on the Linen and Hempen Manufactures in Ulster, in the 2d fasciculus of the Select Papers of the Belfast Literary Society.
Newenham On the Population of Ireland.
Boate's Natural History of Ireland.
0,1 tire ralogy of the Vicinity of Dublin, in the 1st vol. of the Geological Transactions.
Dewar On the Character of the Irish.
Reports from the Commissioners of Education, and from the Commissioners for Improving the Bogs ; and Accounts and Papers relative to the Manufactures, Trade. Revenues, F.rfc of Ireland, laid before Parliament, from 1812 to 1817. • (w. s.)