Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/825

Rh DUBLIN. 815 DUBLIN. tfter pursuing a winding course, finally discharges 73 into the bay of Dublin. The climate is lemperate ; frosts rarely continue more than a few "ays, and snow seldom lies. Its manufactures arc ariiuis. but of inferior importance. The numerous small treams by which the county is watered afford advanta- 'cous sites for the erection of manufactories. The great xtent of sea-coast presents facilities for obtaining an bundant supply of fish. Salmon, herrings, whiting, and ollock, are caught in great quantities ut the various easons of the year. The county returns two members the imperial parliament. A court of assize is held ery six weeks at the court-house in Dublin. The L'al government is vested in a lieutenant, 17 deputv- m.'ii :ints, and 88 magistrates, with the usual county In military arrangements the county is the all the districts throughout Ireland. There are uard stations, 26 martello towers, and 9 bat- tries on the coast capable of containing 68 1 men. The nternal communication of Dublin is excellent. It is I in a westerly direction by the Royal canal '. irand canal, both of which carry on an immense The main roads are those to Howth, Malahide, Jrogheda, Katoath, Navan, llullingar, JEnniskerry, uunty are the Dublin and Drogheda line, with a branch i Jluwth; the Great Southern and Western; the '. Great Western ; the Dublin, Wicklow, and ! ; and the Dublin and Kingstown. Pagan ntiquiues are not numerous. There is a cromlech in lowth; another to the S. of Killiney; and a third, r dimensions, at Brennanstown. There are urne so-called Druidical remains on the commons of lalkey. It is rich in ecclesiastical and military relics. tinong them may be mentioned the round towers of 'londalkin, Lusk, Shankill, and Ireland's Eye ; the ntiquities of Swords, consisting of a palace of the areh- ishops of Dublin in ruins, a square steeple of the old hurch, and a round tower 73 feet high ; and the hamlet f St. Dowlagh's, one of the most singular stone-roofed hurches in Ireland. The castles of Clontarf, Baldan- an, Naul, and Castlcknock, are chief military edi- ces. Among the minor natural curiosities are some halybeato springs. The principal towns are Kings- ' i.-ilbriggan, Eathmines, Skerries, Blackrock, )onnybrook, Ringsend, and Sandymount. Of the prin- ipal seats of the nobility and gentry, the best known re Phoenix Park, the palace of the lord-lieutenant ; lowth Castle, of the Earl of Howth ; Blackrock, of Lord 'loncurry ; Bray, of the Earl of Meath ; Blessington, f the Earl of Milltown ; Marino, of the Earl of Charle- HJiit; Cabra House, of the Earl of Korbury ; also tedesdale and Tallaght, seats of the archbishop. At Jlasnevin is a botanic garden and cemetery. At Kil- .lainham the Templars had a preceptory. DUBLIN, the metropolis of Ireland, the seat of the jrd-lieutenant, of an archdiocese and university, and a lunicipal and parliamentary borough. It is situated on iio banks of the Lift'ey, here joined by the Dodder and ,'olka, 10 miles from its entrance into the bay of Dublin, i 53 20' 38" N. lal., and 6 17' 29" W. long. The city mtains a population, according to the census of 1861, 219,733, and its suburbs 46,231. The municipal orough is divided into 15 wards, and is governed by a )rporation of 15 aldermen and 45 town councillors, he of whom is annually elected lord mayor. For isuring the safety of the city and its dependencies, it is ivided into 7 districts, placed in charge of 2 commis- oners of police, 7 superintendents, and 24 inspectors, ith 100 sergeants and 1,000 constables. The parlia- lentary borough returns two members to parliament ; ic university of Trinity College also returns two mem- ers.- The existence of this city, under the name of the >wn Eblana, is first recorded by Ptolemy. It origin- ly occupied the summit of the elevated ridge that now jrms its central portion, and was called by the native rish Drom-G'ol-C'oillc, or, the "hill of hazel wood," om the number of hazel-trees that flourished on it. was also designated by another ancient name, still retained by the natives, as Batty-Ath-Cliath-Iluibltlinite, or, the " town of the ford of hurdles on the black water," owing to the people having access to the river by means of hurdles laid over its marshy borders before it was embanked. From the latter part of this phrase is said to be derived its present name of Dublin. Its early history is involved in great obscurity. A battle is stated to have been fought by a certain Fiacha Sraotine, monarch of Ireland, against the inhabitants of Leinster, in 291, the latter being defeated at Dublin ; after which its annals are silent till 836, when the Danes entered the Lifl'ey in a fleet of 60 ships, and took possession of this city, which they occupied (though constantly attacked by the natives) to nearly the end of the 12th century. In 1066 Godred Crovan, King of Man, obtained possession of it, and assumed the title of king ; but at his death the sovereign power again re- verted to the Danes. At the invasion of the English, in 1169, Binder Fitz Stephen, to assist Dermod McMur- rogh in the recovery of Leinster, Dublin, intimidated by reports of their numbers, capitulated. On Strong- bow being compelled to surrender all his conquests, Henry II. landed in Ireland, and celebrated Christmas in Dublin. Previous to his departure, he granted it a charter entitling it to the same privileges as Bristol. By a subsequent charter the citizens were freed from toll, passage, and pontage, throughout England, Nor- mandy, Wales, and Ireland. In order to secure their conquests, the English erected a castle on the eastern brow of the hill on which the town stood, and issued an order to compel the inhabitants to repair and strengthen the fortifications. The castle was com- pleted in 1220. King John, on his visit to Ireland, established courts of judicature on the model of those in England, and issued a coinage of pence and farthings of the same standard as the English. Henry III. granted several charters, which were confirmed and extended by Edward I. At the commencement of the 14th century a great part of the city was destroyed by fire. la 1316 a considerable extension of the city took place, the citizens having pulled down some of the old walls and suburbs to the W. of Thomas-street, and erected a new line of defence on the approach of the forces of Edward Bruce. Owing to the adherence of the citizens to Henry IV. during the civil war, the king granted a confirmation of all their former charters, and the present of a gilded sword to be borno before the mayor in public, as in London. The Refor- mation was established here in 1535, and in 1591 Trinity College was founded. After the termination of the struggles in favour of the Stuarts, the improvement of the city was resumed, and from this period till the Union Dublin rapidly increased. In 1803 an insurrection broke out, planned and carried into effect by Robert Emmett, but was checked, and the leaders executed. On his accession, George IV. landed in Dublin, and held a chapter of the order of St. Patrick, at which nine knights were installed. On the history of Dublin there was not extant any reliable work till the appearance of a " History of the City of Dublin," by J. T. Gilbert, M.R.I. A., to which the Royal Irish Academy in 1862 awarded their prize gold medal, which is regarded as the highest literary and scientific distinction in Ireland. This city, which was originally confined to the summit of the hill now occupies a space of 1,264 acres, and is about 9 miles in circumference. It is somewhat more than 3 miles long, and contains upwards of 800 streets, which are well paved and lighted. It is supplied with water from the Royal and Grand canals. A circular road of nearly 9 miles, carried round the town, affords great facilities of communica- tion, and also walks and drives of much beauty. In addition to the fine line of communication presented by the quays on both sides of the Liffey, there are several noble avenues of streets, among which is Sack- ville-strect, the handsomest street in Dublin, conspi- cuous for its great width and the magnificence of the public buildings which embellish it, and for the lofty monument to Lord Nelson which stands in its centre, consisting of a fluted Doric column on a massive
 * d Kingstown. The railroads traversing the