IRELAND. This beautiful and naturally rich portion of our Empire contains six coal districts: the Leinster, or Castlecomer district; the Slieve Arda, or Tipperary district ; the Munster district; the Lough Allen district, round the source of the Shannon ; and the Monaghan and Tyrone districts ; there is also a coal district of small extent in Antrim. The coal raised in the southern districts is anther). cite, or blind-coal; that raised in the districts north of Dublin is bituminous. In addition to these the central district of Ireland contains upwards of one million acres of bog, compre hended for the most part within that portion which would be embraced by lines drawn from Wicklow to Galway, and from Howth-head to Sligo. In respect to lakes and rivers, it has been estimated that the water power afforded by the different rivers and natural dams of Ireland is greater than in any equal extent of Accessible country in Europe : this is a very important feature in connection with the future industrial progress of Ireland.
Of the 20 millions of acres of land in Ire land, it has been estimated that 51 are arable and garden ground ; 61 meadows, pastures, and marshes ; 5 improveable wastes ; and the rest unimproveable wastes. In 1841 there were about 350,000 acres of plantations in Ireland. In 1817, about one-fourth of the whole area of Ireland was under crop, corn Prising about 5,000,000 acres ; of which two thirds were under corn-crops, and one-third under crops of beans, potatoes, turnips, clover, flax, &c. The corn prodncc in that year was about 16,000,000 quarters ; comprising wheat, oats, barley, here, and rye ; and giving about quarters average per acre. The Irish fish. eries are carried on upon a considerable scale, under the management of the Board of Works. The whole coast of Ireland has been divided by the commissioners into 28 fishery districts, in which are registered about 20,000 vessels and boats, and about 100,000 fishermen and boys.
Among the manufactures of Ireland, that of linen takes the lead ; it gives a flourishing character to the district around Belfast and Coleraine. Cotton spinning and weaving, and calico bleaching and printing, also occupy many hands. The woollen and silk manufac tures, once carried on to a respectable extent, have greatly declined within the last few years. In grinding, malting, brewing, and distilling, a considerable trade is carried on. The malt made in Ireland in 1850 was 1,682,102 bushels. The quantity of spirits charged with duty in Ireland in the same year was 7,408,080 gallons. There are numerous paper-mills, glass-works, and tobacco manufactories.
The inland traffic is kept up by tolerably good roads, rivers, canals, and railways. The chief canals are the Grand Canal, Royal Canal, Shannon Navigation, Limerick Navigation; Lagan Navigation, Newry Navigation, Tyrone Navigation, Boyne Navigation, Slaney Naviga tion, Barrow Navigation, and Ulster Canal, giving about 020 miles of available navigation. Railways will very shortly cross the island from east to west and from north to south. The external traffic is greatly aided by steam power ; steam vessels of large size run from London, Plymouth, Bristol, Holyhead, Liver pool, Fleetwood, Greenock, and Glasgow, to Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Dublin, Belfast, Londonderry, and other Irish ports.
Every one at all interested in the welfare of Ireland is anxious to see her great industrial capabilities developed. That her manufac turers can produce manifold and excellent specimens of shill was sufficiently shewn at the Dublin Exhibition of Manufactures in 1850, noticed in our Introduction. That Ire land is not insufficiently supplied with mineral wealth is exemplified in the black and white marbles of Galway, the slates of various dis tricts, the coal of her various beds, and the peat which—though pow an incumbrance and an eyesore—may yet become a mine of re sources. That the Ulster cultivators and manu facturers are not blind to improvements is shewn by the eagerness with which the inves tigations concerning flax are now being re garded. That the merchants of Ireland are alive to the energy of commercial enterprise, let Cork and Limerick, Waterford and Dublin, Belfast and Derry, bear witness. The castings for an iron bridge for the South Wales Rail way have just been made at Dublin—a feature which has excited well-merited attention. When we find that 19 Irish counties contain iron, 17 copper, 18 lead, and 16 coal, we can not but hope that a brighter future is in store for that country.
At the forthcoming Industrial Exhibition, Ireland will occupy about 10,000 square feet of floor and counter, and 14,000 of wall space. In the section relating to manufactures there are more exhibitors than in the other three combined. From Cork the contributions will comprise marble, pottery clay, fine sand and silex for glassmaking, wool, leather, friezes, blankets, ginghams, models of inventions in machinery, and cabinet work. From Clonmel —cutlery, ivory turning, crochet and other work; woollens, models of agricultural imple ment. From Tipperary—coal, copper ore, &e. From Kilkenny the marbles for which it is so celebrated, Kellymont flags, anthracite coal, hunting breeches, and friezes, and specimens of the leather used in making them ; together with an interesting cabinet of the materials used in the manufacture of artificial flies for angling, flies and fishing tackle. From Wex ford—porphyry, sand for glass, clay, the her ring nets made by the fishermen of that loca lity', models of machinery, architectural mo dels, and philosophical instruments. From Limerick—the beautiful Limerick lace, gloves, brushes, cutlery, army clothing,fishing tackle, worsted work, leather, and tobacco ; in raw materials, alumina, silex, Pottery clay, fire-clay slates, flagstones,' building stone, marbles, copper and iron ore ; in fancy woods, bog oak, bog yew, and arbutus ; and in the mechanical section, models of machinery and inventions ; and from Mountmellick, the bits and stirrups for which it is famous. These are from the south and west of Ireland; the north and east will contribute yet more largely.