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LETTER XVI.

KILLARNEY TO CORK.

Town of Macromp-Beautiful Approach to Cork-Dinner at the Mansion-house-Cork in its early State-Canals arched over —Marshes drained—Irregularity of Buildings-Public Edifices -The County Jail-Excellent Regulations of-Black RockDundanion Castle-Banks-Dress-Equipages-The Institution-Excursion down the Lee-The Harbour of Cove-Yacht Club and Yachts-The Didon French Frigate-Population— Visit to Blarney Castle-The Blarney Stone-Return to Cork -Departure for Castle Martyr.

Cork, 30th September, 1835.

ON the morning of the 26th I took my leave of Killarney and its lovely scenery, by his Majesty's mail, a conveyance I never fail to secure when it passes along my line of road in the day-time, as I am always sure that it will be the best. This was a good coach, and the roads were not less so; but the scenery, excepting the view of some mountains on our right, was dreary and uninteresting as far as Millstreet, a poor-looking town, distinguished only by a barrack without soldiers, and a gentleman's house in the neighbourhood, called Mount Leader, probably after the name of the Here we turned sharp off to the southward as far as Macromp,-or Macroom, as it is usually

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called, the road hilly, but equally uninteresting. Macromp is a moderate-sized town, and there was an appearance of business transacting in it, and the country immediately surrounding it had greatly improved. I took the opportunity, while they were changing horses, to run into the grounds belonging to Captain Hedges, in which is a venerable old mansion completely buried in ivy, said to have been one of the strong-holds of Oliver Cromwell. Here the road once more resumes its easterly direction, and so continues along the left bank of the winding river Lee, on either side of which are scattered many gentlemen's seats and villas, increasing in number as we approached Cork, where the scenery on the left bank, with the villas and the hanging woods, became quite picturesque and beautiful. A fine broad road leads into the city, on which were numerous vehicles of all descriptions moving about;-elegant carriages, such as would almost attract attention on a Sunday in Hyde Park;—private and public jaunting-cars; and several of a new class of carriages, called jingles, which are nothing more than inside jaunting-cars, having iron stanchions with canvass stretched across them, to serve as awnings from the weather.

I took up my quarters at the "Imperial,❞—the grand hotel of Cork, and perhaps the Clarendon of all Ireland, in which are numerous suites of elegant apartments, a noble ball-room, and a large saloon or reading-room. To be alone in this great city,

amidst a crowd, without an acquaintance, was but a gloomy thought; and as I had a letter of introduction to Mr. Sainthill, with whose brother, a captain in the navy, I was already acquainted, J called to deliver it, and had the good fortune to find him at home. Mr. Sainthill informed me that Mr. Andrew Spearing, the mayor of Cork, was to give a grand dinner that evening at the Mansion-house to the officers of his Majesty's 90th light infantry, who were on the eve of embarking for Ceylon, and said he would guarantee me a hearty welcome from his worship, if I would go with him. There was no resisting such an invitation, affording so good an opportunity of seeing something how they manage matters of this kind at the Mansion-house of Cork. I therefore trudged back to the Imperial to dress for dinner. The Sainthills called for me, and we rattled through the streets in a jingle to the door of the Mansion-house. On entering the room where the company was assembled, I was duly presented to Mr. Mayor, and most cordially welcomed. The room was full of red coats, with a few green, stragglers from the rifles, and a fair proportion of

blacks and blues." On dinner being announced, we proceeded into a long, narrow apartment, well calculated for a public dining-room, at one end of which was a statue of the great and good King William. The dinner was good and well served, and I think not at all inferior to some of those snug little parties of forty or fifty which you and I have

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sometimes enjoyed at the London Mansion-house. The toasts were most loyal and conservative. Robert Peel's health was received with thundering applause, and followed by the appropriate air of the "Fine old English Gentleman, all of the olden time."

You may suppose how kindly attentive his worship was to me, when I tell you that, on proposing the "wooden walls of old England," he was pleased to couple with it my name (or rather yours), which compelled me to rise (with no small embarrassment, you may be assured), and return, as the reporter would say," a neat and appropriate speech." It was a jovial evening, and long after midnight before I could make my escape.

The Irish are fond of prophecy. Crofton Croker has a couplet, regarding the future prosperity of Cork, which runs thus

Limerick was, Dublin is, but Cork will be

The greatest city of the three.

It has no doubt attained the rank of the second city of Ireland already, and is, though but slowly, of growing commercial importance. It was originally built on a swamp, or marsh, through which the river Lee pursued its sluggish course, and of which the original founders availed themselves, by leading its waters among the buildings, to feed the canals which were dug through the several streets, precisely in the same manner as in the towns of Holland. About the beginning of the seventeenth century,

Camden describes Cork as being " in the forme of an egge, with the river flowing round about it, and running betweene, not passable through but by bridges, lying out in length, as it were, in one direct broad street." This is " Main-street," which still exists. Though by means of these canals, and a gradual system of drainage, the marshes have disappeared, various portions of the city are still distinguished as marshes by the names of individuals who drained them, as Dunscombe's Marsh, Pike's Marsh, Hamond's Marsh, &c. From the last an embankment, planted with trees, extends about a mile to the westward, called the Mardyke, which was once the great promenade for the fashionables of Cork, but, like many other places of a similar kind, has now almost entirely fallen into disuse.

The canals which intersected Cork have nearly disappeared by being arched over, having thus all the advantages of drains, without the inconvenience and probably unwholesomeness of open stagnant water. In consequence of this change, great im provements were made in the buildings, both public and private. In these, however, there is less uniformity than perhaps in any other city. Scarcely any two contiguous houses are of the same height, or size, or plan; some are of brown and some of grey stone; some of red brick, and others covered with weather-slates, blue or purple; some washed white, and others yellow. Mr. Croker quotes a