the account of which in the Encyclopaedia, under the name of Catherbrugh, occupies only a very few lines, lies almost entirely between the rivers Barrow and Slaney. It is about 33 English miles long, from north to south, and about 29 miles broad at its greatest breadth; but it narrows in very much from east to west, between Kilkenny and Wexford. It is divided into five baronies, and into fifty parishes. According to Dr Beaufort, its area is 214 square miles Irish, or 344 English, equal to 137,050 Irish or plantation acres, and 220,098 English acres. The principal towns are Carlow, Carlow, Tublow, Leighlin-Bridge, Rutland, Palatine Town, Hackets-town, and Gousbridge.

The surface of the greater part of this county is pleasantly undulated; and, with the exception of the high and rough hills which occupy the small portion of it that lies to the west of the Barrow, and the mountainous district in the south-east, on the borders of Wexford, the hills yield little in fertility to the vales. The prevailing soil of the lowlands is a strong fertile loam, mixed with limestone, and incumbent upon it; and that of the uplands is generally a light gravel.

Mr Wakefield gives the following statement of the cultivated and uncultivated land in this county:

<table> <tr> <th>Baronies.</th> <th>Cultivated Land.<br>Acre Irish.</th> <th>Mountains and Bogs.<br>Acre Irish.</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Ruthvilly,</td> <td>28,510</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Carlow,</td> <td>18,487</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Forth,</td> <td>21,601</td> <td>1937</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Idrone,</td> <td>38,615</td> <td>7100</td> </tr> <tr> <td>St Mullins,</td> <td>16,803</td> <td>3171</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>123,516</td> <td>12,217</td> </tr> </table>

The principal rivers are the Barrow and the Slaney; the former runs along the whole of the western borders of the county, with the exception of a jutting part of Idrome barony, which it separates from the main body. The Barrow is navigable for barges as far as the town of Carlow, and thence there is a communication with Dublin by means of the Grand Canal. The Slaney, which rises in Wicklow, crosses the eastern part of the county.

The mineralogy of Carlow is very imperfectly known. The river Barrow seems to separate the soil in this part of Ireland; to the west of it there is limestone in abundance, whereas there is none in Wexford and Wicklow; the best in Ireland is found near Carlow. Marl and a great variety of clays are also found in this county. The mountains, called Black Stairs, from their black appearance at a distance, and their perpendicular height, which separate Carlow from Wexford, are chiefly composed of granite. It also contains iron ore, and a considerable quantity of oxide of manganese. In the time of Charles I. there appears to have been a large iron-foundry near Idof, in which, ordnance, pots, and small round furnaces, were cast. It belonged to Mr Christopher Wandsworth, Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and afterwards Deputy of that kingdom, under the Earl of Stafford (Natural History of Ireland, p. 73, Dublin, 1726). By the same authority we are informed, that the first coal mine was found out in Ireland, a few years before 1726, in the same hill, where the iron mine was. "In that iron mine, after that for a great while they had drawn iron-ore out of it, and that, by degrees, they were gone deeper, at last, in lieu of ore, they met with sea-coal, so as ever since, all the people dwelling in those parts have used it for their firing, finding it very cheap; for the load of an Irish car, drawn by one garron, did stand them, besides the charges of bringing it, in nine pence only, three pence to the digger, and six pence to the owner."—"These coals are very heavy, and burn with little flame, but lye like charcoal, and continue to the space of seven or eight hours, casting a very great and violent heat." (Natural History of Ireland, p. 84.) The same author informs us, that "little smith coals were dispersed every where in great quantity, and had been used by the smiths, even before the mine was discovered." At present, this mine is either forgotten, or not deemed worth working, as the county is chiefly supplied with coals from Kilkenny.

There are no large estates in this county; and very little minute division of property. The hiring tenant is generally the occupier, except of small pieces. The fee has been more transferred here than in any other part of Ireland. Carlow was formerly noted for the extent and luxuriance of its pastures, being one of the greatest sheep counties in the kingdom; but in consequence of the bounty which was granted about the year 1768, on corn conveyed by land-carriage to Dublin, Mr Young calculated that sheep-feeding had declined so much, when he was there in 1776-8, that four farmers had a greater number of sheep twenty years before, than were kept in the whole county at that period. There are still, however, some excellent flocks of large woolled sheep. Four sheep of the Irish breed, and five of the English are called a "collop," and three collops are allotted to two acres of the best land. But it is for its dairies that Carlow is famous; and, in this respect, it is not excelled by any county in Ireland. The farmers spare no trouble or expense to procure good cattle for their dairies. From twenty to fifty are generally kept; and, during the season, each cow produces on an average about 1 1/2 cwt. of butter. The dairy system pursued in Devonshire, Dorsetshire, and some of the northern counties of Ireland, of letting cows to dairymen, is followed here; but this custom was more prevalent when the Catholics could not legally purchase land, as they then employed their capital in hiring cows. The butter made in Carlow is divided into three sorts, according to its quality. The first in point of quality is sent to Dublin and England, and thence exported to the East and West Indies. It is highly esteemed in the London market, where it is often sold as Cambridge butter. That of the second quality is exported to Spain, and the worst to Portugal. It is all packed in large casks, weighing upwards of three hundred weight.

From the following statement, given by Mr Young, it appears that the bounty on land-carriage corn soon operated to the increase of tillage in Carlow. No great additional quantity of corn was brought from this county to Dublin till 1769, when the bounty had risen from about L. 150 to L. 849. In the years 1770 and 1771, it declined. In 1772, it rose to L. 1025; and in 1773 to L. 2676. In 1774, to L. 2813. In 1777, the last year Mr Young quotes, it was L. 2479.

There is not, however, much wheat grown, and Barley. it is not of a bright colour, or a very good quality. But the barley of Carlow is excellent; according to Mr Young, the best in Ireland. At the time of his tour, it was the only interior county which produced it; and at present more is grown here than in any other part of the kingdom. It is principally consumed by the illicit distilleries in the north of Ireland, being carried to Dublin by the canal; by the breweries and distilleries at Cork; or by the malting-houses at Wexford. The potatoes grown in Carlow are excellent. There is little or no flax. The county is tolerably wooded. In the vicinity of Carlow, a great many onions are grown, which are sold all over Ireland.

Carlow is not distinguished as a manufacturing county. In Carlow, coarse cloth, reaping hooks, scythes, shears, &c. are, however, made. At Leighlinbridge is one of the largest corn-mills in Ireland, capable of grinding more than 15,000 barrels a-year.

According to Dr Beaufort, in the year 1792, there were 8763 houses, and 44,000 inhabitants; 15.6 Irish acres to a house; and 40.94 inhabitants to an Irish square mile. The Catholics are reckoned to be ten to one Protestant. The Catholic farmers are becoming wealthy, and have considerable property in leases and farming stock.

In 1792, there were 5503 houses of one hearth; 484 of two; 128 of three; 69 of four; 50 of five; 31 of six; 15 of seven; 8 of eight; 7 of nine; 3 of ten; none were returned above 44: 268 were exempted as new, and 1822 as inhabited by paupers. The total, according to this return, was 8394.

Carlow county sends two members to Parliament, and the town one. The number of registered freeholders of fifty pounds, to February 1815, was 359; of twenty pounds, 295; and of forty shillings, 3263: in all, 3917.

See Young's Tour in Ireland.—Beaufort's Memoir of a Map of Ireland.—Wakefield's Statistical Account of Ireland.