Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/175

 S L I S L I 159 in 1554. But want of money, the death of his wife whom he had married in 1546 on his return from the diet of Frankfort and other misfortunes compelled him to delay printing. The book at length appeared, Commen- tariorum de statu religionis et reipublicx, Carolo V. Csssare, Libri XXVI. (translated into English by John Daws in 1560 and by G. Bohum in 1689). But the troubles of Sleidanus were not ended. The work was too impartial to please any one, and even the gentle Melanchthon was unable to praise it. It remains notwithstanding the most valuable contemporary history of the times of the Refor- mation, and contains the largest collection of important documents. The author died at Strasburg in October 1556 in poverty, and inconsolable since the death of his wife. See H. Baumgarten, Ucber Sleidanus Lcbcn und Briefivcchsel (1878), ajid Slcidans Briefwechsel (1881). SLIGO, a maritime county in the north-west of Ireland, in the province of Connaught, is situated between 53 54' and 54 28' N. lat. and between 8 10' and 9 10' W. long., and is bounded N. by the Atlantic, E. by Leitrim, S.E. by Roscommon, and S. and W. by Mayo. The total area is 451,129 acres, or nearly 705 square miles. Its greatest length from north to south, between Mullaghmore Head and Lough Gara, i.i 38 miles and its greatest breadth from east to west is 41. The coast-line is very irregular and in some places rises into grand escarpments and terraces. The principal inlets are Killala Bay and Sligo Bay, the latter subdivided into Brown Bay, Drumcliffe Bay, and Ballysadare Bay. Near the coast are the islets of Inishmurray, Coney, and Oyster. Though Sligo cannot be compared for scenery with the western parts of Mayo, it is in many places charmingly picturesque, being well wooded and possessing several fine lakes and rivers, as well as some ranges of hills which from their situation and grouping have a very striking effect. In the north are the limestone elevations of Ben- bulbin (1722 feet) and Knocknarea (1078), contrasting finely with the adjacent rugged gneiss mountains, among which are King's Mountain (1965 feet) and Gullogherboy (1430). In the west are the ranges of the Slieve Gamph and Ox Mountains, 1300 and 1600 feet respectively. The Curlew Mountains (nearly 900 feet high) separate Sligo from Roscommon. The principal rivers are the Moy, form- ing for a part of its course the boundary with Mayo, and flowing south-westwards and then northwards into Killala Bay ; the Easky, flowing northwards from Lough Easky ; the Ballysadare, with its branches the Owenmore, Owenbeg, and Arrow or Unshin ; and the Garvogue, flowing from Lough Gill. Except the finely situated Lough Gill (3130 acres) extending into Leitrim, Lough Arrow (3010), and Lough Gara (3683), none of the lakes have so large an area as 400 acres. The Carboniferous Mountain Limestone forms the basis of a great part of the county, and includes the Lower Limestone calp or black shale series and the Upper Limestone, which rises occasionally into a lofty tableland. There is a small tract of Yellow Limestone in the extreme north, as also on the north and north-east of Lough Gara, whence it extends into Mayo. The Old Red Sandstone appears in two masses near Lough Arrow. A small tract of granite enters the county on the south-west, coming from between Lough Conn and Foxford in Mayo, giving place to a broad belt of trap porphyry bounded by a narrow fringe of Old Red Sandstone, which stretches in a north-easterly direction along the line of the Ox Mountains to Ballysadare Bay. Iron is abundant, especially in the neighbour- hood of the Ox Mountains, but from want of fuel is not worked. Pure copper is found in the beds of some of the rivers, and sulphate of copper and iron pyrites occur in some places. Agriculture. There is considerable variety both in the character of the soil and in the agricultural advancement in different parts of the county. In some parts it is a light sandy loam resting on a freestone bottom, and in the lower districts a rich and deep mould prevails resting on a substratum of limestone. Owing to the moistness of the climate cattle feeding is found to be the most remunerative method of farming. Out of a total of 451,129 acres 231,753 or 5T3 per cent, in 1S84 were under grass, 86,365 under crops, 38,431 bog and marsh, 70,599 barren mountain land, 7577 woods and plantations, and 417 fallow, the remaining 15,987 acres being under water, roads, fences, &c. The total number of hold- ings was 15,352, there being 752 under 1 acre, 1443 between 1 and 5 acres each in extent, 5834 between 5 and 15, 4592 between 15 and 30, 1520 between 30 and 50, and 1211 of 100 acres and upwards. The total area under corn crops in 1884 was 24,324 acres, while in 1875 it was 30,810 ; under green crops 25,897, in 1875 30,491 ; under meadow and clover 36,120, in 1875 32,396 ; and under flax 24, in 1875 175, the total area under tillage having decreased between 1875 and 1884 from 93,872 to 86,365 acres. Of the corn crops in 1884 oats occupied 23,055 acres, and green crops and potatoes 19,835. The number of horses between 1875 and 1884 increased from 7244 to 8292, of asses from 7588 to 8471 ; cattle decreased from 97,658 to 89,458, sheep from 65,857 to 64,324 ; pigs, again, increased from 19,726 to 26,996, goats from 3081 to 4745, and poultry from 277,113 to 305,509. According to the landowners return Sligo was divided among 856 proprietors, possessing 448,397 acres at an annual value of 210,382, or about 9s. 4d. per acre. The principal proprietors were Colonel E. H. Cooper, 34,120 acres; Sir Robert Gore Booth, 31,774 ; C'harles W. O'Hara, 21,070 ; W. R. 0. Gore, 21,019; Owen Wynne, 12,982; Colonel King-Harman, 12,629; Hon. Evelyn Ashley, 12,426 ; and William Phibbs, 10,507. Manufactures and other Industries. Coarse woollens and linens are manufactured for home consumption, and there are tanneries, distilleries, and breweries in the principal towns. A considerable general trade i a-ried on at the ports of Ballina (on the Moy) and Sligo. The fisheries on the coast are valuable, and there are im- portant salmon fisheries at the mouths of the rivers. Administration and Population. The county is divided into 6 baronies, and contains 37 parishes and 4 parts of parishes, and 1292 townlauds. The county has three poor-law unions Dromore West, Sligo, and Tobercurry with parts of the unions of Ballina and Boyle (Roscommon). It is in the Connaught circuit, and assizes are held at Sligo and quarter sessions at Ballymote, Easky, and Sligo. It is in the Dublin military district, and there are barracks at Sligo. For parliamentary representation the county has since 1885 formed two divisions (Xorth and South), each returning a member. Between 1841 and 1851 the population decreased from 180,886 to 128,515 or 29 per cent., and by 1881 it had decreased to 111,578 (55,144 males, 56,434 females), or 38'3 per cent, since 1841. In 1881 the number of persons who could read and write was 52,602, who could read only 15,574, who could neither read nor write 43,402. There were 2326 who could speak Irish only, while 24,263 could speak Irish and English. There were 10 superior schools with 266 pupils, of whom 142 were Catholics and 124 Pro- testants, and 211 primary schools with 13,714 pupils, of whom 12,070 were Catholics and 1644 Protestants. The principal towns are Sligo (population 10,808 in 1881), Ballina (1442 in Sligo and 4318 in Mayo), Ballymote (1145), and Tobercurry (1081). History and Antiquities. In the time of Ptolemy the district was inhabited by the Nagnatse,, the capital Nagnata being some- where near the site of the present town of Sligo. Afterwards it was possessed by a branch of the O'Connors, called O'Connor Sligo. On the landing of Henry II. it gradually fell into the power of the De Burgos. The district formed part of Connaught, which, in the reign of Elizabeth, was divided into seven counties. On the lands of Carrowmore, between Sligo and Ballysadare, there is a remark- able collection of Druidical remains, consisting of cairns, a circle, cromlechs, and pillar stones. At Drumcliffe is the only round tower now remaining in the county, and a beautiful Celtic cross 13 feet in height. The principal monastic ruins are the abbey of St Fechan at Ballysadare, with an ancient church displaying some curious architecture of the llth or 12th century ; the remarkable group of buildings on Inishmurray ; and the abbey of Sligo, noticed under the town below. There are a considerable number of old castles, but none of special interest. SLIGO, the chief town of the above county and an important seaport, is finely situated at the mouth of the Garvogue, near Lough Gill, 137 miles north-west of Dublin by rail. The town is rather irregularly built and has a decayed appearance, which somewhat belies its actual pros- perity. Formerly it was fortified by a castle and walls, but of these there are now no remains. The abbey, founded in 1252 by Maurice Fitzgerald, lord-justice, is one of the finest monastic ruins in Ireland. It was partly destroyed by fire in 1414 and again in 1642. Within recent years measures have been taken to preserve it. Three sides of the cloister of the quadrangle still remain, and the lofty quadrangular tower at the junction of the nave and chancel is entire. The eastern window, still very perfect, is of the date of the original structure. The