Surface, 11 ydrography and Communica:iont.—The county of Wex ford is In a great meaanre cut off from the rest of Ireland by natural boundaries. From the extremity of its sea-coast in Waterford Harbour, the testuary of the Suir and the river Barrow, which flows into it, form the boundary of the county for a distance in a straight line of about 16 miles, to the point of junction of the counties of Carlow, Wexford, and Kilkeuny. For 12 or 13 milea farther, in a north-easterly direction, the boundary is pretty distinctly marked by the ridge called Blackstairs Mountain (2409 feet), which rises in aeveml points along the boundary-line of the counties of Wexford and Carlow, to elevations of from 1520 to 2409 feet above the level of the sea, and the Mount Leinater ridge, which attains the elevation of 2610 feet. Three remarkable atimmits upon this ridge of mountains, between Wexford and Carlow, are distinguished as 'The Leaps of Ossian's Greyhounds.' The small river Clody, which rises ou the slope of Mount Leinster, forms the boundary of the county to the town of Newtownbarry, where, after a rapidly descending course, it falls iuto the Slaney. From Newtownbarry the boundary-line runs for a short distance up the course of the Slaney, towards the north-west, after which it turns north-east along the tributary river Derry to a point a little beyond the junction of the counties of Carlow, Wexford, and Wicklow. After leaving the course of the Derry the boundary-line turns abruptly south for a short distance, and then, again turning north-cast, runs over an elevated ridge which forms the southern termination of the mountains of Wicklow. The last portion of the boundary-line is formed by a small stream which falls into the sea near Kilmichael Point.
Wexford contains many single hills of considerable elevation, among which are the Forth Mountains, a range which extends in a south westerly direction for five or six miles from the neighbourhood of the county town. Of the detached hills may be noticed Camaross, 593 feet high, and Carrickbyrne, 767 feet, in tho middle of the county ; Tara Hill, near the northern extremity, and not far from the coast, of which it forms a strikiug landmark, 826 feet high ; and the Lacken Hill, near New Ross, 629 feet high.
Tho principal river of the county is the Stoney, which enters from the county of Carlow a short distance north of Newtownbarry, and flows in a tolerably direct course past that town and Enniscorthy to Wexford Harbour. It is navigable for large boats as far as Enuis corthy, to which place the tide flows. On the left bank it receives, a few miles north of Euniscorthy, the river Bann, which rises in the north-eastern part of the county, and two or three minor streams ; and on the right bank its principal tributaries are the Urn and the Boro, both of which descend from the Blackstairs Mountains. Among the other streams in the county are the Owenavorragh and its tributary the Banoge, the waters of which enter the sea north of Courtown Harbour; the Owenduff, the Corock or Corug, and some other small streams, which flow into Banuow Bay ; and several rivulets which empty themselves into the lakes on the southern coast.
The principal communication between Wexford and the interior of Ireland is by the river Barrow, which communicates with the Grand Canal. The principal roads in the county are—the mail-coach road from Dublin, which enters the county from Arklow, near its northern extremity, and passes by Gorey and Enniscorthy, and thence along the western side of the Slaney to Wexford ; a posteroad on the eastern side of the Money from Wexford by way of Oulart, which joins the preceding at Enniscorthy ; a mail road which branches from this road a little north of Enniscorthy, aud leaves this county for Carlow a few miles north of Newtowubarry ; and the mail road across the county from Wexford to Waterford by New Rees ; a road from Enniscorthy to New Ross; and a mail road from New Ross to Fethard by Arthurs town. The county is however well supplied with roads in every
direction ; and the harbours of Waterford and Wexford afford ample facilities for communication by sea.
Geology, dc.—The county of Wexford forms part of the clay-slate tract which extends along the eastern portion of Ireland from the northern part of Wicklow to tho Atlantic Ocean. Though consider ably inflected in some of the southern parts of the county, the strata generally maintain, in the northern parts, a tolerably uniform direc tion from north-east to south-west, with a dip to the south-east. The clay-slate is found iu immediate coutact with granite, which forms the chief component of the ranges that separate thla county from Carlow. The Forth Mountain consists principally of quartz rock, with occa sional lamina) of clay-slate, and the strata are in some places broken by fissures and veins of quartz, which occasionally show indications of the presence of lead, copper, and iron. Quartz-rock and clay-slate form also the lower grounds iu the vicinity of the Forth ; and the former, which is sometimes iron-shot and of a deep-reddish hue, extends under and to the north of the town of Wexford, and also considerably to the south of the Forth Mountains. Granite appears about Carnsere Point, in the south-east, and at the Carrickbyrne and Camaross Hills; and blocks of that substance are found strewed between those mountains and Banuow, on the south-west. Beds of greenstone also occur in a few places among the clay-slate, which, near Enniscorthy and in several other places, is much intermixed with quartz-rock. The principal ranges of elevated land however consist of clay-slate, and good slates are quarried near Newtownbarry, and in other parts adjacent to 'the granitic chain. A black and slightly carbonated clay is found near Enuiscorthy, and has been mistaken for coal. That part of the county which borders ou Waterford Har bour consists principally of clay-slate in nearly vertical strata, sur mounted in two or three places with a cap of sandstone. From Tetuplctown Hill, near the Hook promontory, such a cap declines until it underlies a tongue of stratified limestone, which extends to the extremity of Hook Point, and is arranged in thin strata dipping at an angle of 4° to 8° towards the south. This limestone con tains numerous bivalves and corallites The sandstone rocks form the precipitous coast about Baginbun Point, and appear in several detached spots in the county, among which is the inner haven of Wexford Harbour. The rugged eminence called Tara Hill, alluded to above, congas of porphyry, with a base of compact felspar, occasion ally passing into hornstone with inlaid crystals of glassy felspar. Greenstone also appears here occasionally. In addition to the lime stone at Hook Point, some is found a little south of Wexford town, and also at Duncormuek, about the middle of the southern coast. The Saltee Islands are clay-slate surmounted by beds of sandstone. Lead has been found and worked at Cairn, or Cairme. Silver was formerly raised near whero there are the remains of an ancient mine; galena has also been found there. Copper-ore exists at Kerlogue, near Wexford; and plumbago and asbestos have been recently discovered at Greenfield, near Euniscorthy. Horns and bones of the moose-deer have been discovered in the alluvial districts on the east and south, where marl occurs; and some years ago a perfect fossil specimen of the Cervus Megaceros, or gigantic deer of Ireland, of extraordinary dimensions, was found at Ballyhuskard, near the Bog of Itty.