Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/402

382 still the centre of an administrative district, the city has sunk into comparative insignificance since the rise of Aurungabad, about ten miles to the east ; but the fortress remains, from its natural position, one of the most remark able in the country. It occupies the conical top of a great granite rock, which rises abruptly from the plain to a height of at least 300 feet, and is encompassed at the foot by a ditch upwards of 30 feet wide. The only means of access to the summit is afforded by a narrow bridge, with passage for not more than two men abreast, and a long gallery, excavated in the rock, which has for the most part a very gradual upward slope, but about midway is intercepted by a steep stair, the top of which is covered by a grating destined in time of war to form the hearth of a huge fire kept burning by the garrison above. In spite, however, of its natural strength and its various artificial defences, the fortress has frequently been taken. When about the Mahometans invaded this part of the Deccan, Deogurh, as the city was then called, was the wealthy residence of a powerful rajah. In it was occupied by Mallek Naib, the emperor of Delhi s general ; and in the early part of the same century Mahomet III., in his anxiety to make it the capital of his kingdom and worthy of its new name of Dowletabad, or Abode of Prosperity, endeavoured, but in vain, to cause a wholesale transmigra tion of the inhabitants of Delhi. About  it surrendered to Ahmed Nizam, shah of Ahmadnagar ; and on the fall of his dynasty it was taken possession of by Mallek Amber, an Abyssinian slave. His successors reigned till, when it was taken by the Moguls, who transferred the seat of government to Aurungabad. In the it passed into the possession of Nizam el Mulk.  DOWN, a maritime county of Ireland, in the province of Ulster, occupying the most easterly part of the island, is bounded N. by the county Antrim and Belfast Lough, E. and S. by the Irish Sea, and W. by the county Armagh. [ts area, including Ballymacarret, a suburb of Belfast (1670 s), covers 967, or 612,409 s. The coast-line is very irregular, and is indented by several loughs and bays. The largest of these is Strangford Lough, a fine sheet of water studded with 260 islets, 54 of which have names, and all of which are finely wooded or rich in pasturage. The lough runs for ten miles north wards, and the ancient castles and ruined abbeys on the islets render the scene one of singular interest and beauty. Further south Dundrum Bay forms a wider expanse of water. In the south-west Carlingford Lough separates the county from Louth. On its north-east shore lies the village of Rosstrevor, now the resort of invalids from all parts of the United Kingdom.

Mountains.—Between Strangford and Carlingford loughs the county is occupied by a range of hills known in its south-western portion as the Mourne Mountains, which give rise to the four principal rivers the Bann, the Lagan, the Annacloy, and the Newry. The highest peak in the Mourne range is named Slieve Donard. It is 2796 feet above the level of the sea, and is exceeded only by one peak, Lugduff, in the Wicklow range, and the higher reeks in Killarney.

Springs.—Down is celebrated for its holy wells and mineral springs. The chalybeate are more numerous than the sulphurous, but both abound. There are springs at Ardmillan, Granshaw, Dundonnell, Magheralin, Dromore, Newry, Banbridge, and Tierkelly. The Struel springs, a mile south-east of the town of Downpatrick, are celebrated for their healing properties. Fifty years ago they were regarded as possessing not only chemical wealth in rare abundance, but miraculous powers ; and the decline of public credulity in the latter was coincident with the failure of the former. To this day, however, the wells, which are four in number, are visited, and certain religious observances maintained, sometimes for a week. Circuits on the knees are made round the wells : and amongst the ignorant the reputation of the sacred waters remains unimpaired. The scenery of the county is pleasantly diversified, the people are intelligent and comparatively well educated, the landed proprietors are resident, and there is a thriving in dependence which may be looked for in vain outside the province of Ulster.

Minerals.—There are several quarries of fine sandstone. The best is that on Scrabb Hill, near Newtownards, where a very close-grained, clear-coloured, and hard and durable stone is raised. Limestone is not very general. Near Comber, on the shores of Strangford Lough, is a very hard and sparkling kind of reddish granular limestone. But the greatest magazine of this rock is in the vicinity of Moira, where the stone lies very near the surface. Granite occurs in many places in detached masses, but the great body of it is confined to the southern and western regions, chiefly in the Mourne Mountains. Crystals of topaz and beryl are found in the granite of Slieve Donard. Indica tions of lead have been discovered near Castlewellan, Killough, Newtownards, and Warrenpoint ; and traces of copper in the Mourne Mountains near Rosstrevor.

Soil.—The predominating soil is a loam of little depth, in most places intermixed with considerable quantities of stones of various sizes, but differing materially in character according to the nature of the subsoil. Clay is mostly confined to the eastern coast, and to the northern parts of Castlereagh. Of sandy soil the quantity is small ; it occurs chiefly near Duudrum. Moor grounds are mostly confined to the skirts of the mountains. Bogs, though frequent, are scarcely sufficient to furnish a supply of fuel to the population. According to Owners of Land Return, there were, in, 3605 separate proprietors, owning a total area of 608,214 s, valued at 776.518. The number of owners of less than 1 numbered 1460, or 40,^ per cent., that of all Ulster being 48 per cent. The average size of the properties was 168^ s, and the average value per was 1, 5s. 6

Agriculture.—Of the total area of the county, which is 610,740 s (exclusive of Ballymacarret), there are 339,541 s under tillage, 187,604 in pasture, and 12,027 under wood. Although comparisons as to yields of crops between different periods is now fallacious, inasmuch &quot;as the increased and increasing importation of wheat into Ireland has altered the system of agriculture, it may be mentioned that, while in five years the cultivation of wheat has fallen from 244,451 s to 119,597 in Ireland, during tho same period in Down the decrease was from 32,734 s to 21,272. There are many landed proprietors who hold large tracts in their own hands. The great bulk of the labouring population is orderly and industrious. Their dwellings are better constructed and furnished than those for a similar class in other parts of Ireland. The pro- 