an inland county in the north-western extremity of the province of Leinster, in Ireland, bounded on the N. by the counties of Leitrim and Cavan, on the E. and S. by Westmeath, and on the W. by Roscommon, from which it is separated by the Shannon. Excluding Carlow and Dublin, it is the smallest county in Ireland, comprising an area of 420 square miles, or 269,499 acres, of which 191,823 are arable, 58,937 uncultivated, 4610 in plantation, 364 in towns, and 13,675 are under water. The uncultivated land consists either of heathy pasture, or of flow-bogs. The latter may amount to about 30,000 acres, of which about 18,000 acres are susceptible of improvement for cultivation, by a system of perfect draining, followed by a coating of from three to four inches of clay and gravel, which occur abundantly near the edges of most of the bogs. The whole might be considered capable of cultivation; but owing to the expense of conveying gravel from the edge, even by the assistance of railways, the surface cannot be coated with clay at a remunerative price at a greater distance than half a statute mile from the bog edge; but the entire extent might be advantageously drained, by which means, in a few years, coarse pasture would be produced. Including the mountain pasture and a portion of the bogs, this county contains 18,000 acres which may be reclaimed for cultivation, so as to produce corn and green crops; 38,000 acres may be improved for pasture; and 3000 acres are incapable of improvement.

The county, according to Whitaker, was peopled by the tribe of the Scoti, who spread themselves over most of the inland regions. Afterwards, under the name of the Analy, it became the principality of the O'Farrells. In the reign of Elizabeth, it was made shire-ground, being one of the seven counties into which Connaught was then divided; but it was afterwards transferred to Leinster, of which it still continues to form a part. It is divided into the six baronies of Ardagh, Granard, Longford, Moydow, Rathcline, and Shrute, which are subdivided into twenty-six parishes, all in the diocese of Ardagh, except one, which is in that of Meath.

The diocese of Ardagh, which was founded in the fifth century, was in 1658 united with that of Kilmore, from which it was subsequently separated, and, after being for some time held alone, was united with the archdiocese of Tuam; but according to the recent ecclesiastical arrangements, it is united with the sees of Kilmore and Elphin. No traces of the cathedral are now in existence.

By much the greater part of the surface of the county is level, but in its northern angle it rises into bleak and rugged hills of no great elevation; and some hills also protrude in various parts of the plain country. The general surface, Longford, however, is of considerable elevation, the summit-level of the Royal Canal, which is within the county, being 290 feet above the level of the sea. The only rivers of any size are—the Camlin, which rises near Granard, and flows by the town of Longford into the Shannon near Tamron-harry; and the Inny, which has its source in Lough Shillin, on the borders of Cavan, passes by the southern border of the county, through a fertile and well-peopled district, and discharges itself, after a winding course, into Lough Ree, being navigable from Ballymahon. There are several lakes within the county, but none of them of great extent. The most remarkable are Lough Gawnagh in the north, Derrylough, Lough Drum, and Lough Bannow. The fine expanse of Lough Ree, on the western side of the county, may be considered as partly belonging to it. It has in it the islets of Innisbofin, Inniscothran, and Innismac-saint. Lough Derrymacar is merely an arm of this lake.

The quantity of bog in the county is considerable. Some of the bogs contain deep places, which are known by the name of swallow-holes, and throw up large quantities of water. In 1809, part of the bog near Johnstown burst away from the main body, and moved to a considerable distance crossing in its passage the River Camlin, the channel of which it choked up, and caused all the adjoining lands to be flooded.

The northern boundary of the great limestone field of Ireland passes through this county. The line of division is marked by the Camlin as far as Longford town, and thence proceeds by Johnstown to Lough Shillin. To the north of this line the formation is of clay slate and grey-wacke. Isolated hills of sandstone show themselves at Slievegoldry and at Ballymahon, on both sides of the Inny. Indications of iron are abundant in the northern parts. Near Lough Gawnagh very rich iron ore has been observed. Marble of fine colour, and susceptible of a high polish, has been raised from quarries near Ledwithstown.

A great portion of the northern part of the county is of a rough, untractable quality, affording little encouragement for agricultural speculations; but all the more level districts, not covered with bog, are of good quality, the soil being mostly rich, and of easy culture.

The extent of land in the county under each description of crops in 1855 and 1856, was:

| Crop | 1855 Acres | 1856 Acres | |-----------------------|------------|------------| | Wheat | 2,233 | 2,847 | | Oats | 38,841 | 35,893 | | Barley, Bere, Rye, Beans, and Pease | 328 | 497 | | Potatoes | 16,238 | 17,262 | | Turnips | 2,730 | 2,800 | | Other Green Crops | 936 | 1,224 | | Flax | 268 | 388 | | Meadow and Clover | 20,156 | 21,036 | | **Total** | **81,744** | **83,047** |

The manufactures are confined to those necessary to supply the limited wants of an agricultural population. The principal are linen, frieze, linsey-woolsey, for the garments of men and women, and leather for shoes and harness.

The only vestige of remote antiquity worthy of special notice is a tumulus at one end of the town of Granard, said to have been a Danish rath, and called the Moat of Granard. It is 593 feet above the level of the sea, and commands a view of six or seven surrounding counties. Though several ruins of monastic buildings may still be traced, few memorials of their history have been preserved. The island of Inchinmore in Lough Gawnagh, and those of Innisbofin, Inniscothran, and Innismacsaint, in Lough Reagh, were each at some remote period the site of a religious house, now in utter ruin. The castle of Longford, once the mansion of the O'Ferrals, was taken at the commencement of the war of 1641, and the garrison slaughtered after their surrender upon terms. Ratheline, placed in a highly romantic position near Lanesborough, was dismantled by Cromwell, and burned in the wars between William and James. The castles of Ballymahon, Barnacor, and Castlecor, were built to command passes over the Inny. Of these, the last named has suffered not only from the ravages of time, but from excavations made to discover concealed money, imagined to have been buried in its interior. The seats of the gentry are numerous. Carrickglass on the Camlin, the seat of Chief Justice Leffroy, is a fine residence; as is also Castle Forbes, the seat of the Earl of Granard; and Edgeworthstown will long be noted in the annals of British literature as the residence of the Edgeworth family. This county is also celebrated for having given birth to Oliver Goldsmith, who was born at Pallas, a village near Ballymahon.

The statements of the population at various periods, with the authorities on which they rest, are as follow:

| Year | Population | |------|------------| | 1760 | De Bargho. | 25,142 | | 1792 | Beaufort. | 50,100 | | 1813 | Parliamentary return. | 93,916 | | 1821 | Ditto. | 112,970 | | 1831 | Ditto. | 115,258 | | 1841 | Ditto. | 115,491 | | 1851 | Ditto. | 82,350 |

The proportion of Protestants to Catholics is as one to eight, and the number of Protestant dissenters is inconsiderable. The number of schools and pupils attending them during the week ended 12th April 1851, was:

| School Type | No. of Schools | No. of Pupils | |-------------|---------------|--------------| | National | 43 | 1389 | | Church Education | 13 | 298 | | Endowed | 1 | 27 | | Boarding | 1 | 30 | | Private | 52 | 788 | | Parochial | 3 | 38 | | Free | 1 | 9 | | Military | 1 | 22 | | Mission | 1 | 8 | | Workhouse | 4 | 751 | | Gaol | 1 | 22 | | **Total** | **124** | **3485** |

The county of Longford returns two members to parliament.

the county town, is situate on the River Camlin, in the midst of an extensive plain of mixed pasture, tillage, swamp, and bog land, interrupted only towards the S. by the hill of Fenighfield, which rises to a height of 200 feet. It contains a Protestant church and a Roman Catholic chapel, a gaol, a court-house, a market-house, a union workhouse, and barracks for cavalry and infantry. It has a tolerable share of inland trade, which has been much enlarged by the extension of the line of the Royal Canal through it. Here are also extensive stores, corn mills, tanyards, &c. Its population amounted in 1851 to 4614 souls.