MONAGHAN, an inland county in Ireland, in the province of Ulster, is bounded on the north by Armagh and Tyrone ; on the east by the former county and Louth ; on the south by Cavan and Louth, and on the west by Fermanagh. It is the smallest county in the province of Ulster, and indeed in all Ireland, with the exception of four counties in Leinster, viz. Louth, Dublin, Carlow, and Longford. The county of Armagh approaches nearest it in size, Monaghan, according to the best au thorities, containing 179,600 Irish acres, and Armagh 181,450. It is divided into five baronies, Monaghan, Cremowine, Dartrey, Freugh, and Farney : the last is sometimes called Donaghmoyne. The number of pa rishes is 19. The principal towns arc, Monaghan, Cas tle Blaney, Carrickmacross and Clones; but they are all poor and small places. Its length is about 30 miles, and its breadth 22. It is in the diocese of Clogher, and province of Armagh ; and returns two members to Par liament. NIonaghan is one of the most uninteresting and unimportant counties of Ireland, in almost every point of view—our notice of it, therefore, will be brier Its surface is not mountainous, but in most parts is oc cupied by a number of hills, scattered in an irregular manner, without forming continued ridges or chains. On the borders of Tyrone and Armagh, however, these hills rise in height, and are more connected, partaking of the character of the adjacent Few mountains. In the interior of the county there are a number of bogs; but in some places these have been drained with great skill and labour, and at considerable expense ; or, where they could not be drained, have been converted into sheets of water, which greatly add to the appearance of the county. The soil in general is cold and poor, but in some parts naturally rich. This character particularly applies to what is called the Mountain of Cricne, an elevated tract of land, intersecting the centre of the county, the soil of which is a rich loam on limestone gravel. This tract is also rendered more fertile as well as picturesque by a number of small streams which flow through it. With the exception of a few spots, there is little or no wood; and this bareness is not compensated by field-enclosures, as the corn-fields are in general naked, and without hedge-rows.
There are no lakes of any size or beauty; and the only river of the least consequence is the Feller, which rises in the west of the county, and falls into Loch Earne. There are said to be some appearances of lead, iron, and other minerals ; but if there arc, they are neglected. Limestone, marl, and freestone, however, abound ; there are some large quarries of the last in the hills on the borders of Tyrone; and on Cairnmore, the highest of these, excellent millstones are procured. The climate of Monaghan is cold and ungenial.
The agriculture of this county is in a very poor and depressed state. The largest property amounts to 33,000 acres ; but in general the estates are small. Many of them are held under the Crown, since the Scotch co lony was introduced here ; and many small portions of land, some of which do not yield above 20/. annual in come, are possessed by the descendants of Cromwell's soldiers. Nearly the whole of the land in the county is divided into very small tenures, called in Ireland hold ings. The number of forty-shilling freeholders, accord ing to the last returns to Parliament, was 5521 ; of 20/. 146; and of 50/. and upwards, 172. Few of the farms on the larger estates are let in perpetuity ; the more general term is 21 years and a life, or three lives.
According to Sir Charles Coote, in his Survey of this county, the leased farms are under an average of ten acres; taking the large farms, they would not average 25; and as the small ones, which are far more nume rous, do not average six, ten may be the mean rate of the whole county. From this account of the size of the farms, it will naturally be concluded that they are entirely arable, and that the agriculture practised on them cannot be good. A great part of the ground is dug with the spade, or, where a plough is used, it is the joint contribution of three or four farmers, one bringing the implement itself, another a horse or bullock, or even a mulch cow, and a third attending himself. Many hold ings are too small to maintain a family. Some only pos sess a dry cot, that is, a house without land ; these pur chase every year an acre or two of grass for their cow and horse, and corn acres, or ground for potatoes and oats. Yet even these poor creatures pay a high rent, from a guinea and a half to two guineas an acre. Flax, potatoes, and oats, are almost the whole produce of the soil : according to the statistical survey, the whole county has seldom 100 acres of wheat. Some bear, or bigg, (a coarse species of barley) is grown, and in a few rich spots barley is cultivated. The farmers, how ever, do not depend on these crops, but entirely on their flax, potatoes and oats. The pasture husbandry of this county is on a very limited scale, and not well managed : most of the small farmers keep one or two cows, and make butter ; the principal markets for it are Mona ghan and Newry. One cow is generally kept on every five acres ; and one hundred weight of butter, per cow, is considered the usual produce. The stock consists of the small stunted breed, still so common in Ireland. Scarcely any sheep are kept : goats are numerous, and are found round the greater part of the cabins, many of the poorer families being supplied with the milk they use by this animal. Many hogs are kept ; Carrickmacross is a great market for them.