Volume 1

A universal geographical dictionary; or, grand gazetter. Of general, special, antient and modern geography: including a comprehensive view of the various countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; more especially of the British dominions and settlements throughout the world ... / by Andrew Brice.

  • Andrew Brice
Date:
1759
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A universal geographical dictionary; or, grand gazetter. Of general, special, antient and modern geography: including a comprehensive view of the various countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; more especially of the British dominions and settlements throughout the world ... / by Andrew Brice. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    f40 I ft E Pharaoh of Egypt, came hither (abt. the Time the Ifraelites left Egypt) he call’d it from her Scotia, and the Language was from him call’d Gaothcla. ’Tis certain the Scots High¬ landers call themfelves Gael Sc Gaelicks ; and their Language Is call’d Gaoidheilge in the old Way, all which feem deriv’d from the Name of Gathelus or Gael, and Mr. Llhuyd in his | Irijh-Eng. Ditt. calls the Irijh the antient Sir P. Wzljh fays the Irijh call their own Language Gaodhlee from Gathelus, whom they call Gaodhcl, and that they call the Albion Scots, Albanach Gaodhlcach; i.e. an Albanian of Gathelus's Extrac¬ tion. The Air is generally now full as pure and wholefome as that of England, and lo temperate that the Inhabitants are not forced fo to fly to Shade in Summer nor to Fire in Winter. And Salmon denies, what others affirm, that they have more Wind Sc Rain than we. But furely in fome Parts the Air mull be more grofs Sc impure, by reafon of the many Lakes and Marflies, which occafions Fluxes, Rheums, life. | to Strangers, tho’ not fo much as before fo many Bogs were j drain’d. They are freer from Froft and Snow than we. The Soil is fitter for Failure than Tilth, the Grafs being in fome Places fo long, yet fweet, as would furfeit Cattle unre- Erain’d. In other Places the Soil’s fo fat as not to admit of Bung, Many ioo Acres of Bogs, having been of late j drain’d, are now excel. Meadow, &c. yet ’tis faid there are ! iiill fome of diff. Sorts, the deepeft not paffable in Summer, except fuch as have fome Paths of firm Ground, known only to the Natives, and fhake as they tread on ’em, and iheref. call’d fhaking Bogs. Others are call’d watery, com¬ monly large, yield good Turf, are cover’d with Grafs, yet fo as the Water appears. Others are call’d Haffocky Bogs, full of Mud at Bottom, having Water of various Depths, & might pafs for Lakes, were it not that they’re full of fmall Tufts of Reeds, Rufhes, high Grafs, and fomet. little Shrubs, with Plalhes of Water betwixt them. The Natives when purfued, nimbly leap from Tuft to Tuft. In red Bogs thofe j who dig for Turf find large Trees. The Bogs are occafion d j by Springs, Streams fr. high Ground, and Rain not having free Paffage. Here are Iron Mines: They had Lead ones j too, but thefe were deftroy’d by the Rebels, and never fince \ improv’d. Here are Ridges of Hills from io to 50 m. lo. j fome very high, partic. betw. Dundalk Sc Carlingford, which are feen 40 m. off, and many 50 at Sea. Their own Cattle j are gen. fmall; but thofe from England thrive exceed, well. Here are many Quarries of Free-ftone, Marble, and fome Sea-coal; but moll Fuel is Turf: Only near the Coaft they are fupply’d with Coals from Britain. Their chief Com- ; modifies for Export are Cattle, Hides, Furs, Tallow, But¬ ter, Cheefe, Honey, Wax, Salt, Hemp, Linnens, Pipe- Haves, Wool and Woollen, Rugs, Shag Mantles, Freezes, Ratteens, Camlets, Fowl, Fifti, Salmon, Herring, &c. fome Lead, Tin, and Iron. Formerly it was overfpread with ' Woods, & abounded with Wolves, which did great Mifchief. But fince the Relloration the Woods have been cleared away in fo extrav. a Manner, that they at this Day are obliged to import Timber. ’Tis at prefent fo well inclos’d and culti- j vated that the Face of it much refembles England, and in j this exceeds it, <vi%. The Roads are the fineft in Europe, car- i ried many m. in ftrait Lines; to Effect which no Expence has been fpared to cut thro’ Mountains and fill up Valleys; j yea in fome Places they are for Miles carried thro’ the Mid- I die of Bogs before impaffable. Here’s no fuch Thing as a heavy Waggon, fo that the Roads are hard and refemble Gravel Walks. Since the cutting down the Woods, the j Wolves have been effectually deffroy’d, fo that for Years pall j a Wolf has not been known in the Kingdom: In Confe- quence the noble Species of Dogs, peculiar to Ireland, call’d \ Wolf-Dogs, is aim. extinfl, and the Breed only kept up by fome Gentlemen for their Beauty. They’re much larger than MaftifFs, fhap’d like Greyhounds, gentle as Spaniels. But the Breed ever degenerates out of Ireland. The chief Riches of the ant. Irijh confift in their nuraer. Sheep, which they fhear twice a Year, great Herds of Bl. Cattle, & abund. of fmall Horfes call’d Hobbies, noted for their foft round Amble. Here’s Variety of Game, tho’ the Gentry here are feldom fond of Hunting. Here are many Springs, feveral medicinal ; and many which the fuperftitious credulous Vul¬ gar call Holy-Wells, to which they aferibe great Cures beca. dedicated to Saints. Of their chief Rivers, thofe of the Bann, Barrow, and Boyn, have diftintt Articles; the others we bring in here. The noble Shannon rifes from Loch-Allen in Connaught Province, divides it from Leinfer and Munfer, and after running thro1 feveral Lakes falls into Sea betw. Kerry-Point and Loop-Head, after a Courfe of 145 nv. befides Turnings. The Bay at its Mouth is abt. 10 m. br. This River is moftly wide and deep, but not navigable by I & E Ships abovA 50 m. by reafdn of a Catafafl 6 m. aboite £/* meric. It has fev. fruitful pleafant Iflands, a fertile Soil oil both Banks, and receives fev. lefler Rivers. The Lifffy* tho’not fo confid. as the Shannon, yet as it graces thi Kgd.’s Capital ’tis call’d the Princefs of the Irijh Rivers. It riles in Mounts, abt. 10 m. S. of Dublin; but has fuch Wind¬ ings that its Courfe is betw. 40 and 50 m. ere it falls into the Bay of Ringfend. The Ouze, in Leinfer, naviga. by fmall Boats, joins the Barrow near Rojs, and thefe mixing with the Sure fall into H aterford-hamen. The Slane falls into Wexford Harbour. Here are numer. Loughs, fait and frelh, of which the former are Inlets of the Sea at Rivers Mouths. The Chief are, i.Lough-Ern, inLtyfcrProVi form’d of 2 fpacious Loughs* with a Channel or River be-* tween ’em, and runs into Donnegal-Bay, below Bally-Shan¬ non. In it are fev. inhabited Iflands contain. 8 or 900 A- cres, where is good Fowling and Filhing, and others left for Pafture; 2. Lough-Neagh, in Ulfer s N. E. falls into Sea by the Bann below Colerain. As to the Wild Irijh, aS they are call’d, i. e. thofe Kernes, Rapparees, &c. who* have not yet been thoroughly civiliz’d, «— [For as to thofe of Englijh Extraction, or even genuine Irijh, of the civili¬ zed Sort, they are in no wife included]— they were charac¬ terized thus. They are of mid. Stature, ftrong & nimble* yet have wonderful foft Skins and tender Mufcles. They’re quick of Apprehenfion, prodigal of Life, patient of Hard¬ ship, lullful, credulous ; but conflant in Love, and civil to Strangers; impatient of Abufe and Injury, indeed too too much implacable in Enmity, and in all Affeftions vehement and paflionate. Some People unworthily reprefent the Irijh, in a Lump, as a Nation of Blunderers, Sc we have amongft us a Number of Stories for Inllances; fome of which are probobly invented, or elfe improv’d, fometimes perhaps by the Englijh-Irijh or Englijhed-Irijh themfelves; for the choi- cell of thofe that I have heard have been from Gentlemeil of that Nation, who often make themfelves as well as others merry in relating them. That many of the ignorant Irijh Vulgar often enough blunder is very true : But then, is it not as true of our own ? Can any Thing be more commoit than to hear cry’d out. That's fpecial good Irijh ! at odd Ex- prelfions of our own People ? A demonftrative Proof of our being alike guilty. Nor is it impoflible but fome Stories of Blunders father’d upon Ireland were the real Offsprings and Natives of England, only new drefs’d up with a little of what they call the Brogue. On the other hand too, it’s undeniable that Ireland has produced Perfons of as elevated a Genius as any Nation in Europe can boaft of. The Mu- fick the abovefaid Irijh are fondeft of is the Harp and Bag* pipe. Their Language is orig. a Dialed of Britijh, but by their Intermixture with Foreigners, ’tis much degenerated. The Greateft Men have often an O before their Names, as O Bry an, O Carrol, and fome that of Mac, fignifying Son ; but when chrillen’d they often add fome odd Name or other taken from any Event, and nev. give the Parent's Name, whiltl living, left it Ihould haften Death ; but when the Fa¬ ther dies, the Son commonly takes his Name. They feed much on Herbs Sc Roots, Sc are fond of Oatmeal, Whey, Beef-Broth, and oft eat Flefh without Bread, laying up the Corn for their Horfes againft a Dearth. They’ll eat Flefh raw aft. the Blood’s prefs’d out, drinking much.Ufquebaugh after. They com. wear little Woollen Jackets, Breeches clofe to Thigh, and over ’em a Shag-Rug deeply fringed ; wea¬ ring Brogues on their Feet, and the Men Caps and the Wo¬ men Handkerchiefs on their Heads. They moftly go bare¬ headed, and wear long Hair. Thefe Wild People are fo far from thinking Robbery a Crime ; that when they go out for a Booty they pray to God for it : And they think that if e- ven Murther offended God, he’d not let ’em have Opportu¬ nity to do it, nay, and count it Sin to let fucli Opportunity flip. They fay they tread but in their Father’s Steps, and that ’twere a difgraceful Degeneracy to work for a Living. They’re foolifhly credulous, fwear almoft at every Word by Jefus! by Chrifi! by St. Patrick l by my Godfather s Head! Sec, nor boggle much at Perjury. They’re much given to lnceff, and then Divorces are common, pretendedly for Confidence. When one lies a dying, Women hired for the Purpofe Hand in Crofs-ways calling upon the Perfon with moft hideous & frightful Outcries, and abundance of ridic. Expostulations; and after the Party is dead they make fuch a loud Howling, fo wofully clap their Hands, & follow the Corpfe with fuch a fhocking Peal of direful Hallo-lo-lo-loes, that a Stran¬ ger would think they thought themfelves following the De¬ ceas’d in Throngs to Topheth, and into Moloch'% very Arms. The Religion of thefe Wild and wretched Gentry is Popilh to the utmoft Stretch of Credulity, and Folly, it being atten¬ ded-