act, eftimated at 3000l. per annum ; and there are many benefactions given from pri vate perfons. At prefent there are about twelve hundred children provided for, and when of proper age are apprenticed to pro teftant mafters: after their apprenticeships are expired, a portion of 51. is given to him or her, who marries a proteftant, with the approbation of a committee of fifteen of the fociety. A charter nursery is alfo in Dublin, where children fent up from the country are cloathed and educated, from whence they are tranfplanted to country fchools as occa fion offers. The following is a lift of the proteftant charter schools.

1768. + Tarbert

*

Clare

24

Total 2149

Newmarket

Thus marked, all boys.
And thus tall girls.

Families of the Roman Catholic religion, are in this respect, under fome difadvantage with regard to the education of their children, for they will not educate their youth in our universities, neither in this kingdom nor in England, because of the protestant religion therein profeffed; but chufe rather, not being tolerated to have public schools in their profeffion, to educate their children. under private profeffors, or elfe fend them abroad into France or Spain for their improvement. Neither is a priest now among them of any repute, if he has not received a good education and spent fome years abroad and it is with the greatest truth I aver that the clergy of the Roman Catholic perfuafion are of the moft exalted character, and by no means deferve the illiberal accounts which have been given of them by ignorant writers. And it is but juftice to add, that their public difcourfes, their uniform peaceable behaviour and their attachment to his majesty's perfon and government, evinces their gratitude for the late repeal of many penal laws against them in Ireland.

E-5

PRO

PRODUCE.

The foil of Ireland being in moft places abundantly fruitful and fit to be employed to great advantage either under tillage, pafturage or Meadow; as may be observed by every traveller, and is univerfally acknowledged by the natives; from whence it neceffarily follows, as a proof of the natural fertility of the Irifh foil, that as confiderable quantities of land are not made ufe of in tillage, the breed of black cattle and heep must be infinite, which hitherto, indeed was the greatest natural wealth of the inhabitants, and at prefent fupply no inconfiderable articles in their exports. But when it is confidered the number of black cattle which is reared here, and the amazing export of them from the different ports of Ireland, and from Cork particularly, to fupply the shipping from Great Britain bound to America during the prefent war, as well as to Jamaica, Barbadoes, and all the Caribbee iflands, not to mention the prodigious quantities fent to France and Spain, the wonder will ceafe at the little tillage in this kingdom which thereby often obliges the Irish to purchafe corn from foreign markets; this is a confideration well worthy the attention of the legiflature, and of the eftated gentlemen of this kingdom. For though there are great encouragements given for the raifing of hemp and flax, efpecially as we

cannot

cannot now get flax from America, yet there are vast tracts of land which will never be appropriated to that purpose, and therefore, will be continued under black cattle and fheep, unless the minds of the people were turned from thence to fome more beneficial branch; and poflibly an encouragement given by parliament for premiums upon Failing the greatest quantity and exportation of corn, might answer that end.

It must be confeffed that one great obstacle to the profperity and improvement of this kingdom is, the extreme poverty, and oppreffion of the common people by the fubordinate landlords, the produce of the kingdom, being either in corn or cattle not above two-thirds of what by good cultivation it might yield. This kingdom alfo fuffers greatly by remittances to the abfentees both in England and abroad, for there are feveral regiments of Irish in the fervice of France and Spain, befides many officers of this nation in the armies of different powers of Europe.

In the well tilled parts of Ireland it is obfervable that few countries produce larger or heavier grain, tho' Cambrenfis fpeaking. of corn, fays, "That the corn in Ireland.

promises much hopes in the blade, more "in the ftraw, but lefs in the grain; for "that the grains of wheat are fhrivelled "and fmall, and are difficult to be cleanfed "by the help of any van." But from many counties