Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/606

Rh LIMERICK. 698 LIMERICK. circuit of about 3 miles ; and Sir Henry Sydney, the Lord Deputy, when he visited it in 1567, 1569, and 1576, states that he was received here with greater magnificence than he had hitherto experienced in Ire- land. In 1642 the citizens threw open the gates upon the approach of the insurgent army, under Lord Ikerrin and General Barry, who besieged the royal garrison of 200 men in the castle. It was subsequently garrisoned by the Marquis of Ormond and Earl Castlehaven for the king, and sustained a siege of six months in 1651, when Ireton invested the town. During the siege a brilliant sally was made by O'Nial, who commanded the garrison, on the besiegers, which nearly proved fatal to the par- liamentarian army. The siege being protracted until the approach of winter, famine, misery, and death made formidable ravages among the ranks of both parties ; and the city would not even then have been taken, only for some officers of the garrison who took possession of one of the gates and turned the cannon against the city. The garrison were suffered to march out unarmed, and the inhabitants to remove their effects to such place as they might be assigned to live, while the soldiers and English adventurers were installed in the forfeited houses at six years' purchase, and for five years the city was subjected to military government. The siege cost the parliamentarians one of their bravest generals. Ire- ton, who died here of the plague. In 1656 the municipal government was restored by the election of a mayor and 12 English aldermen. The accession of James II. once more threw the government of the city into the hands of the Roman Catholic party ; and after the battle of the Boyne the Earl of Tyrconnel established his vice-regal court here. The fortifications and natural defences of the town were speedUy restored, and the Irish army, under Generals Boileau and Sarsfield, prepared to resist the victorious arms of William III., who was unable, with his 20,000 veteran troops, to take the town, though he assaulted it three times. In 1691 it capitulated, after six weeks' siege, to Ginkell, who signed a treaty, as is said, on the " Treaty Stone," near the Clare end of Thomond Bar, promising the Roman Catholic inhabitants free toleration of their religion; but this treaty was violated in Queen Anne's time. During the Scottish rebellion, in 1745, strenuous pre- cautions were employed to prevent any commotion, but no symptom of disaffection was discovered ; and in 1760 Limerick was declared to be no longer a fortress, and the dismantling of its walls and other defences was immediately commenced, and completed by slow degrees, as the extension of the various improvements rendered it necessary. The modern town, built on King's Island and on both sides of the Shannon, consists of three portions the English Town, the Irish Town, and New- town-Pery. The two first constitute the older part of the town, and are subject to occasional inundation by storms and high tides, which on several occasions have caused the loss of many lives and property. The houses of the English Town are antique, chiefly built in the Flemish fashion, and the streets are dirty and ill paved, most of the wealthy inhabitants having removed to the New Town, which is one of the handsomest modern towns in Ireland, containing New-square, Richmond- place, and many good streets. It stands on elevated ground below the union of the two streams of the Shannon, and has been wholly built within the present century, on property belonging to the Pery family. On the Clare side of the river is the populous suburb of Thomondgate, once the only entrance to the ancient city, and protected by a strong castle, which is still of considerable extent. There are five bridges ; one of which, the Wellesley bridge, is a five-arched structure crossing the harbour. It was built in 1827, of stone, at a cost of 85,000, and has a swing-bridge for ship- ping. Thomond bridge, to Irish Town, was rebuilt in 1839, to replace the old level fourteen-arched bridge constructed in 1210. Baal's bridge, of one arch, rebuilt in 1831. Park bridge, across the canal, which shortens a bend of the Shannon. New Bridge, over Abbey river, to King's Island ; besides Athlunkard bridge, on the Killaloe road, built in 1830. The principal build- ings are the cathedral, mentioned below ; the county court house, built in 1810, at a cost of 12,000 ; city court-house, built in 1763, measuring 60 feet by 30 feet, with a gaol attached; county gaol, built in 1821 in the castellated style, with a tower 60 feet high ; custom- house, built in 1769 ; exchange, in 1778 ; Commercial buildings, erected in 1806, where the Chamber of Com- merce meet ; townhall, linen hall, flax factory, lace factory, district lunatic asylum, which admits 347 patients ; Bushy Park lunatic asylum ; workhouse and auxiliaries, capable of containing 4,000 inmates ; model school, savings-bank, three commercial banks, lite- rary institution, to which is attached a library and mechanics' institute ; theatre, assembly-rooms, Mount St. Vincent Orphanage, County hospital, built in 1759 ; Barringtou's hospital, or city infirmary ; fever and lock hospitals ; markets for corn, butter, meat, and hay ; a chief police station, four military barracks, comprising the Castle, Keith's Strand Ordnance, St. John's, and Boherboy ; police barrack, and lately the Mont de Piete, or charitable pawnhouse this last was a handsome building with portico and dome ; but its affairs having become involved, it was wound up about ten years ago. There are seven breweries, distilleries, tanneries, foundries, flour mills, a patent slip for vessels of 500 tons, and three shipbuilding slips ; also Eussell's pro- vision stores, covering three acres, paper mills, and others. Limerick is also celebrated for the manufacture of fishing-hooks and of lace, which latter was introduced by the Walkers in 1829. The manufacture of linen, which had nearly expired, has recently been revived through the enterprise of Messrs. Russell and Sons ; and that of gloves continues, chiefly for houses in Cork. For the purposes of local government the city is divided into eight wards, each electing one alderman. It is governed by a mayor, who is admiral of the port, &c., 8 aldermen, and 32 councillors, with other officers, bearing the style of " the mayor, aldermen, and bur- gesses of Limerick." It has a revenue of about 8,100, derived from tolls and customs, supplemented by the rents of houses and lands and the fishery of the salmon weir. It comprises an area of 60* square miles, or 38,863 acres. The population in 1861 was 44,476, against 53,448 in 1851, showing a decrease of 8,972 in the decennial period. The borough returns two members to parliament since the passing of the Reform Bill, the bounds being those of the county of the city, which include Newtown-Pery, in St. Michael's parish, the Old or English and Irish Town, in St. Mary's, also Cahir- narry, Cahirvally, Derrygalvin, Donoughmore, Killeely, Kilmurry, St. Patrick, and parts of Abingdon, Carrig- parson, Crecora, Kilkeedy, Kilnegarruff, Knocknegaul, Mungrot, and Stradbally, besides several extra parochial places. The constituency in 1860 was 2,013, the sheriffs being the returning officers. The net annual value of property under the Tenement Valuation Act is 63,237. The assizes for the county and county of the city are. held here, also quarter and. petty sessions. The mayor holds a court of conscience for pleas under 40s., and the assistant-barrister holds a civil bill court for the county and city. Limerick Poor-law Union contains 19 elec- toral divisions in counties Limerick and Clare, with 34 guardians. The city is the headquarters of the South- western military district, and contains artillery, cavalry, and infantry barracks ; there is also a city police barrack. The Hanging Gardens, constructed in 1808 by William Roche, Esq., at an expense of 15,000, form a singular ornament to the town, being raised on arches from 25 to 40 feet high, with ranges of hothouses and greenhouses at the angles. The facade of these gardens extends about 200 feet, and the top of the highest terrace, which is 70 feet above the street, commands a most extensive view of the city and the Shannon, the noblest river in Ireland. The harbour at the head of the estuary ex- tends above 1,600 yards in length and 150 in breadth, with from 2 to 9 feet at low water, and 19 at spring tides, which latter enables vessels of 600 tons to moor at the quays, on which- there are cranes. The quayage and