IRELAND. THE actual state of our sister isle will, of course, engage our most attentive consideration; its wants shall be made known; its fine resources developed; its condition improved; this we shall be enabled to effect by our local knowledge of the counties of Ireland; of which, for the present, we offer the following view, and invite correspondence from each province. LEINSTER. Province. ULSTER. MUNSTER. CONNAUGHT. Counties. Area Houses. Mouths. 1832 A FABLE. THE WOOING OF MASTER FOX. Once upon a time "there was no particular enmity between the various species of brutes; the dog and the hare chatted very agreeably together, and all the world knows that the wolf, unacquainted with mutton, had a particular affection for the lamb. In these happy days, two most respectable cats, of very old family, had an only daughter; never was kitten more amiable, or more seducing; as she grew up she manifested so many charms, that she in a little while became noted as the greatest beauty in the neighbourhood; need I to you, dearest Nymphalin, describe her perfections. Suf379739 fice it to say that her skin was of the most delicate tortoise-shell, that her paws were smoother than velvet, that her whiskers were twelve inches long at the least, and that her eyes had a gentleness altogether astonishing in a cat. But if the young beauty 112391 had suitors in plenty during the lives of 125546 Monsieur and Madame, you may suppose 148984 the number was not diminished, when, at 145843 the age of two years and a half, she was left 166883 an orphan, and sole heiress to all the here190309 ditary property. In fine, she was the richest marriage in the whole country. Without Total...... 6927 296369 1961109 troubling you, dearest Queen, with the ad Dublin... Wicklow in Wexford 868 30011 Antrim.. Cavan Down Donegal 122301 182991 81649 111141 193432 760 58778 372938 332 39736 220653 600 38982 228040 682 66920 360853 1493 49804 300694 Londonderry 630 39980 222416 Tyrone.. 931 54586 304247 Monaghan.... 463 37381 195532 Fermanagh 530 35856 147555 ventures of the rest of her lovers, with their suit, and their rejection, I come at once to the two rivals most sanguine of success ;the Dog and the Fox. "Now the Dog was a handsome, honest, straightforward, affectionate fellow; For my part,' said he, 'I don't wonder at my cousin's refusing Bruin the bear, and Gauntgrim the wolf; to be sure they give themselves great airs, and call themselves 'noble,' but what then? Bruin is always in the Total....... 6421 412023 2353928 sulks, and Gauntgrim always in a passion; Grand Total 27402 1287749 7839469 It will be seen from the foregoing, how densely peopled Ireland is; the total average being 2 86 to the square mile, which is equal to that of China, with its 368,000,000 mouths. a cat of any sensibility would lead a miserable life with them: as for me, I am very good tempered when I'm not put out; and I have no fault except that of being angry if disturbed at my meals. I am young and good-looking, fond of play and amusement, and altogether as agreeable a husband as a cat could find in a summer's day. If she marries me, well and good; she may have her property settled on herself—if not, I shall bear her no malice; and I hope I shan't be too much in love to forget that there are other cats in the world.' "With that the Dog threw his tail over his back, and set off to his mistress with a gay face on the matter. "Now the Fox heard the Dog talking thus to himself-for the Fox was always peeping about in holes and corners, and he burst out a-laughing when the Dog was out of sight. 'Ho, ho, my fine fellow,' said he, 'not so fast, if you please; you've got the Fox for a rival, let me tell you.' "The Fox, as you very well know, is a beast that can never do any thing without a manœuvre; and as, from his cunning, he was generally very lucky in any thing he undertook, he did not doubt for a moment that he should put the Dog's nose out of joint. Reynard was aware that in love one should always, if possible, be the first in the field, and he therefore resolved to get the start of the Dog and arrive before him at the Cat's residence. But this was no easy matter; for though Reynard could run faster than the Dog for a little way, he was no match for him in a journey of some distance. 'However,' said Reynard, those good natured creatures are never very wise; and I think I know already what will make him bait on his way.' "With that, the Fox trotted pretty fast by a short cut in the woods, and getting before the Dog, laid himself down by a hole in the earth and began to howl most piteously. "The Dog, hearing the noise, was very much alarmed; 'See now,' said he, if the poor Fox has not got himself into some scrape. Those cunning creatures are always in mischief; thank heaven, it never comes into my head to be cunning.' And the good-natured animal ran off as hard as he could to see what was the matter with the Fox. "'Oh dear!' cried Reynard; 'what shall I do, what shall I do! my poor little sister has gotten into this hole, and I can't get her out-she'll certainly be smothered.' And the Fox burst out a-howling more piteously than before. "But my dear Reynard,' quoth the Dog very simply, 'why don't you go in after your sister?' "Ah, you may well ask that, said the Fox; but, in trying to get in, don't you perceive that I have sprained my back, and can't stir; oh dear! what shall I do if my poor little sister gets smothered.' ""Pray don't vex yourself,' said the Dog; I'll get her out in an instant;' and with that he forced himself with great difficulty into the hole. "Now no sooner did the Fox see that the Dog was fairly in, than he rolled a great stone to the mouth of the hole, and fitted it so tight, that the Dog not being able to turn round and scratch against it with his forepaws, was made a close prisoner. "Ha, ha,' cried Reynard laughing outside; amuse yourself with my poor little sister, while I go and make your compliments to Mademoiselle the Cat.' "With that Reynard set off at an easy pace, never troubling his head what became of the poor Dog. When he arrived in the neighbourhood of the beautiful Cat's mansion, he resolved to pay a visit to a friend of his, an old Magpie that lived in a tree, and was well acquainted with all the news of the place. For,' thought Reynard, 'I may as well know the weak side of my mistress that is to be, and get round it at once.' "The Magpie received the Fox with great cordiality, and inquired what brought him so great a distance from home. "Upon my word,' said the Fox, 'nothing so much as the pleasure of seeing your ladyship, and hearing those agreeable anecdotes you tell with so charming a grace; but, to let you into the secret-be sure it don't go farther' "On the word of a Magpie,' interrupted the bird. "Pardon me for doubting you,' continued the Fox; 'I should have recollected that a Pie was a proverb for discretion; but, as I was saying, you know her majesty the Lioness.' is 'Surely,' said the Magpie bridling. ''Well; she was pleased to fall in—that to say-to-to-take a caprice to your humble servant, and the Lion grew so jealous that I thought it prudent to decamp; a jealous Lion is no joke, let me assure your ladyship. But mum's the word.' "So great a piece of news delighted the Magpie. She could not but repay it in kind, by all the news in her budget. She told the Fox all the scandal about Bruin and Gauntgrim, and she then fell to work on the poor young Cat. She did not spare her foibles, you may be quite sure. The Fox listened with great attention, and he learnt enough to convince him, that however the Magpie exaggerated, the Cat was very susceptible to flattery, and had a great deal of imagination. "When the Magpie had finished, she said, 'But it must be very unfortunate for you to be banished from so magnificent a court as that of the Lion.' "As to that,' answered the Fox, 'I consoled myself for my exile, with a present his majesty made me on parting, as a reward for my anxiety for his honour and domestic tranquillity; namely, three hairs from the fifth leg of the Amoronthologosphorus. Only think of that, Ma'am.' "The what?' cried the Pie, cocking down her left ear. "The Amoronthologosphorus.' "La!' said the Magpie,' and what is that very long word, my dear Reynard?' 'The Amoronthologosphorus is a beast that lives on the other side of the river Cylinx; it has five legs, and on the fifth leg there are three hairs, and whoever has those three hairs, can be young and beautiful for ever.' "Bless me: I wish you would let me see them,' said the Pie, holding out her claw. "Would that I could oblige you, Ma'am, but it's as much as my life's worth to show them to any but the lady I marry. In fact, they only have an effect on the fair sex, as you may see by myself, whose poor person they utterly fail to improve; they are, therefore, intended for a marriage present, and his majesty, the Lion, thus generously atoned to me for relinquishing the tenderness of his queen. One must confess that there was a great deal of delicacy in the gift. But you'll be sure not to mention it.' "A Magpie gossip, indeed!' quoth the old blab. where he saw an immense Griffin sitting on his tail, and smoking a huge pipe. PILGRIMS OF THE RHINE. (To be continued in our next.) THE COLONIES OF GREAT BRITAIN. "Britannia needs no bulwarks, no towers along the steep, Her march is on the mountain wave, her home is on the deep." THE small domestic and vast transmarine "The Fox then wished the Magpie good Empire of Britain may be thus seen. night, and retired to a hole to sleep off the fatigues of the day, before he presented himself to the beautiful young Cat. "The next morning, heaven knows how, it was all over the place, that Reynard the ever. As "The Cat was the first to learn the news, and she became all curiosity to see so interesting a stranger, possessed of 'qualifications' which, in the language of the day, 'would render any animal happy!' She was not long without obtaining her wish. she was taking a walk in the wood the Fox contrived to encounter her. You may be sure that he made her his best bow; and he flattered the poor maid with so courtly an air that she saw nothing surprising in the love of the Lioness. "Meanwhile let us see what became of his rival, the Dog. "Ah, the poor creature! said Nymphalin; it is easy to guess that he need not be buried alive to lose all chance of marrying the heiress. "Wait till the end, answered Fayzenheim. When the Dog found that he was thus entrapped, he gave himself up for lost. In vain he kicked with his hind-legs against the stone, he only succeeded in bruising his paws, and at length he was forced to lie down, with his tongue out of his mouth, and quite exhausted. However,' said he, after he had taken breath, it won't do to be starved here, without doing my best to escape; and if I can't get out one way, let me see if there is not a hole at the other end; thus saying, his courage, which stood him in lieu of cunning, returned, and he proceeded on the same straightforward way in which he always conducted himself. At first the path was exceedingly narrow, and he hurt his sides very much against the rough stones that projected from the earth. But by degrees the way became broader, and he now went on with considerable ease to himself, till he arrived in a large cavern, Bengal U. Kingd. Madras 50,520 Divisions. Area in British Subjects. 13,086,675 803,000 29,605 2,365,930 7,839,469 306,012 72,000,000 COMMERCE. What then has raised England, a small island When we contemplate this wondrous Em- To the most remote as well as to the nearest sections of the vast Empire thus depicted, it is our intention to direct public attention, being convinced that the Colonies of England were raised up for her by Providence, for the purpose of promoting and extending civilization and Christianity to the remotest ends of the earth. Δ. merce of England, especially in regard to such articles as she cannot produce herself is one of the main objects of this work. There is no article deserving of more attention either in a commercial, financial or social point of view than sugar, which while it yields upwards of £4,000,000. annually in revenue to the state, gives employment to a great capital. Of its advantages in a social point amount of shipping, and a large extent of of view it may be observed that not only do the inhabitants of every part of the globe delight in sugar, when obtainable, but all animated beings; the beasts of the field-the fowls of the air, insects, reptiles, and even fish have an exquisite enjoyment in the consumption of sweets, and a distaste to the contrary; in fact sugar is the alimentary ingredient of every vegetable substance encumbered with greater or less proportion of bulky innutricious matter. A small quantity animal frame to undergo corporeal and mental of sugar will sustain life, and enable the fatigue better than any other substance. negroes, although then hard worked, become cane is the most efficient remedy for various West India Colonies, Sugar cut. Supply. Rev. 4,000,000 t 4,000,000 600,000 600,000 5,000,000 5,000,000 Tax at 208. (now 248.).......... 4,800,000 Totals....cwt. 12,000,000 14,400,000 to visit any country where sugar composes the Chancellor of the Exchequer would a material part of the diet of the inhabitants. be extended from £4,000,000 sterling to Drs. Rush, Cullen, and other eminent phy- £14,000,000 sterling, as thus shewn :sicians, are of opinion that the frequency of malignant fevers of all kinds is lessened by the use of sugar; in disorders of the breast it forms an excellent demulcient, as also in weaknesses and acrid defluxions in other parts of the body. The celebrated Dr. Franklin found great relief from the sickening pain of the stone, by drinking half-apint of syrup of coarse brown sugar before bed time, which he declared gave as much, if not more relief, than a dose of opium. That dreadful malady, once so prevalent on shipboard, scurvey-has been completely and instantaneously stopped, by putting the afflicted on a sugar diet. The diseases arising from worms, to which children are subject, are prevented by the use of sugar, the love of which seems implanted by nature in them; as to the unfounded assertion of its injuring the teeth, let those who make it visit the sugar plantations and look at the negroes and their children, whose teeth are daily employed in the mastication of sugar, and they will be convinced of the absurdity of the statement. The most savage and vicious horses have been tamed with sugar, and the most ferocious animals domesticated by means of feeding them with an article which our baneful fiscal restrictions and erroneous commercial policy have checked the use of in England where millions pine, sicken, and perish for want of nutriment. The impolicy of the past system has been a heavy tax on importation,* and the granting to the West India Colonies (to the exclusion of the East India Colonies) a virtual monopoly of the home market; the result has been a diminished consumption, and the average annual use of sugar per head throughout the United Kingdom, of not more than 5 oz. per week or 18 lbs. a year to each individual, which is an allowance barely adequate for a new born infant. Now when we consider that the workhouse allowance is from 10 to 12 oz. a week, and that the meanest household servant has 16oz. a week or 52 lbs. a year; we see how greatly our commerce would be benefitted by a change in the present erroneous system:i. e. by diminishing the taxation on importation and extending the market of supply thus the consumption of sugar would be increased from less than 4,000,000 cwts. to 12,000,000 cwts. (giving 16 oz. a week for each individual). While the revenue of By means of the change proposed maritime commerce would be benefitted by the employment of half a million tons of additional shipping; Colonial trade would be benefitted, and domestic manufactures find a market among those whose inability to take our goods arises not from disinclination but from our mischievous policy of refusing to take from others (and our own fellow subjects) what they are ready to give in exchange for the produce of our looms, smithies and potteries. The advantage to every interest of adopting the altered system, or rather the removal of (comparatively) recent restrictions, and an absurd and baneful monopoly will be more fully developed on another occasion,-for the present we have given our readers materials for thinking. Mercator. AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS. IN 1749, the population of England and In the amount, at 54s. per quarter, being 5,196,574 quarters of wheat. Thus, in 1812, 60 million of taxes could be paid with about ten million quarters of wheat to pay one third less taxes!-So, also, with the poor rate, in 1812, little more than a million quarters of wheat would pay all the poor rates of England and Wales, while in 1832, with an increase in the poor rates of one fourth, it would take upwards of three million |