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by this miserable means air is admitted to a few, but which, it would seem, the occupiers are anxious to exclude. Very few indeed are provided with any thing that can properly be called furniture. No one surely can wonder that this city should never be entirely free from typhus. The clothing of the poor is, if possible, worse than their dwellings; but I am inclined to think they are better fed than those in many other districts. In the slaughtering season offal is plentiful, and from its cheapness comes occasionally within the reach of the poor.

The city of Waterford * is advantageously situated for foreign trade, being built on the north side of the Suir, which is here expanded into a magnificent stream, about fifteen miles from the sea. A well-built quay, upwards of a mile in length, with a sufficient depth of water to admit ships of large burden, is a great convenience for the merchants. The principal exports are beef, pork, and butter; in the quantity of the latter it exceeds any port in the kingdom. A fine wooden bridge, provided with a draw-bridge, extends across the Suir, and may be said to unite the counties of Waterford and Kilkenny. An inscription in the centre proudly records that this noble edifice was built by Emanuel Cox, "a native of America." Every lover of Ireland must surely regret that the cultivation of native genius, in every part of the country so exuberant, should be neglected to that degree as to render it necessary to fetch an engineer or architect from America, to construct a thing so simple as a wooden bridge. On the

* The twentieth county in geographical extent is Waterford. It contains 710 square miles, and has 2183 persons to the square mile; consequently the county population is 155,135, of whom 153,220 are computed to be Catholics. The city of Waterford contains a population

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subject of tithe I have endeavoured to gain information from every one with whom I had an opportunity of conversing, and the answers obtained invariably manifested a stronger repugnance to the payment of this demand than was observable in any other part of the country.

20th. Left Waterford this morning with the Limerick mail, and proceeded to Clonmel, where I arrived in time for breakfast. The road leads along the north bank of the Suir, which is well wooded and surrounded by beautiful scenery, nearly the whole way. The morning was serene, the road good, the country rich and well cultivated, and the harvest most abundant: such a combination of circumstances was well calculated to give life to agreeable feelings; but all such were often repressed by seeing vast numbers of fellow-creatures, more than half naked, who, in many places crowded the road, and consisted almost exclusively of women and children; the proportion of the latter appeared enormous. It is customary in towns, particularly on market days, I know, for beggars to borrow, and even to hire children, that the appearance of a large family may the more strongly excite commiseration; but it is scarcely to be supposed that distressed females would encumber themselves with the children of others in travelling through the country. It would not pay them for the trouble. Some of the most miserable objects I ever beheld came around the coach in the town of Carrick-on-Suir; one unhappy woman had a child in her arms, which, she said, had died of want. The child was certainly dead, but whether its death had been occasioned by famine I could not ascertain. It may here be observed, that the cabins in the neighbourhood of Carrick, as well as the peasantry themselves, present the darkest shades for a frightful picture of human misery.

After breakfast I waited on Mr. Robert Grubb, whom

I found on the road, superintending some improvements which had been commenced for the purpose of giving employment to the poor starving peasantry. It is difficult to say what part of the character of this gentleman is most estimable. Regardless of all petty distinctions of sect or party, the bugbears only of little minds, his whole time is devoted to lessen the sorrows of the afflicted; and for the attainment of this praiseworthy end, his well cultivated mind and unwearied zeal peculiarly qualify him. company with this gentleman I visited most of the public buildings in the town.

In

The county of Tipperary gaol is an extensive building; a moderate share of attention would make it a good prison, a quality to which, I regret to say, it has at present but little of a just claim. There is no employment of any sort, nor have the prisoners an opportunity of learning aught but vice. On Sundays divine service is performed in a room much too small to admit all the prisoners, though there is a chapel in the centre of the prison, in which every class may be accommodated, without being exposed even to each other's view; yet it has never been used. To a question on this subject, the answer returned was, "It would be dangerous to assemble all the prisoners together for that purpose." I confess I do not clearly understand the meaning of this reply; if, instead of "dangerous," the word troublesome were substituted, it would perhaps render the thing more intelligible. Mr. Grubb agreed with me in thinking the apprehension of danger quite groundless.

There are ten yards; but three of them are unoccupied, and of course useless, because the gaoler thinks them insecure. In this, like the former objection, I found it impossible to concur. The whole prison is surrounded by

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a wall of considerable height; and outside of that, at a distance of many feet, by another. In the area sentinels are planted, whose connivance, as well as that of the turnkeys, would be necessary to effect an escape. As the prison now is, classification is defective; if the three yards were put to use, it would be very complete. A strong spirit of accommodation is manifested towards debtors, whose wives and children are allowed to live in the prison; we noticed several women and children who were said to be thus circumstanced, while other debtors complained that they had been compelled to sleep on the floor without beds.

It struck me that parts of the prison were not so clean as they might have been, and should be: some of the waterclosets were very offensive, though metal pipes lead to them all from a cistern at the top of the building. As the prisoners are doomed to idleness, it would be an indulgence to them to work at the forcing-pump, and to keep the cistern filled. There are coal stores, and other conveniences, of which no use is made, while some of the sleeping-cells are filled with coal.

Some distinguished personages, in a fit of ardour, I am informed, undertook the inspection of this prison about two years ago, and attended very regularly for a few weeks; during that time several more humble individuals, who had long shown a disposition to promote its interest, found it necessary to discontinue their attention, which has not since been renewed. Soon afterwards, the zeal of the exalted individuals began to sicken, and in a very little while died outright. Since that time the prison and its inmates appear to have excited but little interest in any class of the community. A late act of parliament, enjoining certain regulations in prisons, has not been carried

into execution, although the judge of assize (Moore) took much pains to impress upon the proper authorities the necessity of complying with the law in this respect. *

Fifteen felons are under sentence of transportation, some

Since this sheet was put to press, I have been favoured with a letter from a friend who visited this prison in the end of the year; at which time its state was so much improved, that I cannot deny myself the pleasure of laying an extract before the reader. That benevolent zeal, which has long characterized the Society of Friends, has been exercised, and a Ladies' Committee formed of all religious persuasions, two of whom attend every week-day. This excellent association owes its being to Mrs. Strangman and her amiable daughters.

"The wards, passages, and rooms were clean and well ventilated. It is highly satisfactory, and much to the credit of the grand jury, and superintendents, from the highest to the subordinate officers of the prison, that the most cordial co-operation has been afforded; so that whatever expences were thought necessary for the purposes of instruction, or fitting up desks, &c. have been liberally defrayed. The experiment of introducing quietness and order was first tried among the men, who very soon manifested their willingness to be instructed, and have become exceedingly tractable and respectful in their deportment. I saw their day-rooms, and was gratified in noticing the lessons hung upon the walls. Many of them appeared to take great interest in their spelling and reading.

"The female prisoners seemed at first the most formidable objects for the ladies' committee to encounter, being far more outrageous and untoward than the men and some progress had been made with the latter, before any thing was attempted with those of their own sex : indeed, their language and appearance, together with their unruly behaviour, gave the impression that nothing could be done with them for their improvement. When I saw them, however, a very short time after the attempt was made, I found them respectful in their manner, clean and decent in their persons, with caps and aprons on, and wellbehaved towards each other. They also took an interest in their spelling and reading. They are employed in knitting, spinning, and needlework; and the contrast to their former broils and quarrels is very striking. It is difficult to find suitable manual occupation for the men "The jailor assured me that his task was now easy, compared with what it had been; that the jail on the female side was orderly and quiet, and that he was seldom troubled with any ebullition of violence."