The only manufacture in Monaghan is that of linen ; and for it this county is rather celebrated. The inhabi tants are chiefly weavers, as well as farmers ; women hire themselves out to spin the yarn : their wages are V. 10s. or 41. per annum, besides their board and lodg ing ; if they spin at their own houses, they earn about three shillings a week. It requires about three weeks to weave a web of 25 yards ; the average pay is 11.; hence it appears that the weekly wages of a weaver is about 6s. 8d. The consumption of a manufacturing fa mily, consisting of six individuals, is estimated at 5s. a week ; their food being potatoes, herrings, and butter milk : the weekly expense of an agricultural family, of the same number, is 7s. 6d. as they will occasionally use oat-meal, milk, and pork. The principal markets for the linens within the county are, Monaghan, Castle Bla ney, and Carrickmacross. The linen trade of this county is averaged at about 200,0001. a year. • The catholics in this county are as five to one com pared with the protestants ; the latter are chiefly pres byterians. In the year 1792, there were 21,523 houses, and 118,000 inhabitants, in this county ; on the supposi tion that there are 280 square miles, there will be 76.86
inhabitants to a square mile ; and on the supposition that there are 179,600 acres, there will he 83 acres to each house. The state of the peasantry, from what has already been mentioned, it may be conceived, is wretch ed ; and yet there are parts of the county where im provernents are going on, and civilization is advancing. As a proof of the poverty of Monaghan, it may be stated, that, though the smallest county in Ulster, it contains more houses with only one hearth than any of the other counties, except Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone and Down ; whereas Londonderry, which contains twice the number of acres, has only one half the number of one-hearth houses.
Monaghan has scarcely any antiquities, except a round tower, and two of those rat& called Danish forts, at Clones. This place was formerly the seat of an episco pal see, and a borough ; in the ruins of the abbey burial ground are several magnificent tombs. See Sir Charles Coote's Survey of Monaghan ; Wakefield's Ireland ; Dr. Beaufort's Memoir of a Map of Ireland. (sr. s.)