Of the Bogs, and Loughs of Ireland by Mr. William King, Fellow of the Dublin Society, as It was...

Of the Bogs, and Loughs of Ireland by Mr. William King, Fellow of the Dublin Society, as Itwas Presented to That SocietyAuthor(s): William KingSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 15 (1685), pp. 948-960Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/102137 .

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Xthe Bogs) and Loughs of Ireland by AMr. Williatn King) Fellow of zhe Dublin Societyas it: was pre fiented to that Society.

l 5 Z B- liere in an IJland almoR-ilsfi¢mous for BoZw, an 5/ V yet, ldonorremember, that any one+as at-

telupted much corlcerniIlg thgm; I beleive it may be of uSe to confider tl;ieir Origi nei their conveniencys, and iNCOllVtNiCSCyS; and how they may be remedyed, or n;ade nfefull.

I;Ihall give yoa my thou$htsa and obiersrations on each oftheIe; tho I ana Satisfydy thNat what I Ihall be able to fay, will be very littlej in refped;t of what would be re q.uired, on fuch an xmportant Iub}ed, and lo rery ne ceflsaryl to the improvement >ofthe Kingdom Asto the Orzgixceof Bogs, it is to be obEerved, thattherearefew places, xn our northern world, bllt halre been famous jor Bo,gs, as well as this; every barbarous ill inhabited copn- tRy 11;13 t11t; I telto tl1t toca algAtria, or palgdet, to be the very {ame we call Bogs: the ancient Sa#, (;ermans, anct Britsa retiring, when beaten, to thepaludew, isvthe- rery fame that we hate experiellced;in the Iri,/b, and one ffiall firld Jthofe places i-altaly, thatwere barbarous, fuch ns Lzguia, were infeRed with them; and therefore I*be {ieve tlle true callfe of them is want of i-ndllfiry; at leaPc xtldtlRry £nay remove, much more prevznt themw There 3remany Bogw of late kandingin Ireland; when dsdo7Zv1 andrlirone-came to tae relief oft;ngrale, they wafted the Cotlatry, eEpeciallyas theycame thro Aonnaaght, which bythe means ofthe Earl of ClanricbardX was generally oyall; and tllere is a great tradt:of ground now aBog, that was then plowed land; and there remains tllC manz fion 11ouSe of my Lord-----irl the midPc of it:now if want of induAry has in our remembtancc made one Bog; rao wono

der

L 948 ]



[949] derlif a CountryZ fious for lazi£leX3as AretNd asaOnd With them.To Rzew youahow want of illdukry cauSes 3ogs5

-y(3u muk remembel4, t]\ t lreiaBd al)oullds witll [prin=,s C

thtat there Mprings are gerlerally dry, or near drya in the Summer titne and the wrs, and weeds grow thick about theniplaces sllere they burit allt-*< In the winter they fwellX and t11n and fo£teny arid lootell all -tlle CECartll about -them, now that fwerd or fWurf of the Larth, that cone :{iIts oftZtne roots o-f 3grafs, being litted up and luade fus<y by the water ia the wintera (as I have at the head of Iame Springs {een- it-lof;t u-p a ior or two,) is dried ln -the lbrt}g and dotll not falI together, but svither in a tuft, and -newgrafs-fprirxgsthrou;llit; vllicll, tlle ttext wxrlter i-5

again lift up, atld fo the fprin$ is more and more 0Opta

the fcurf grows tllicker and thicker tlll at firPtst nake tl1at w-hich we call a qgating Bog- attd asK rt grows higherX atld dryer,-andth@graSs roots and other vegetables be come more putrid t-ogether with the mud and {lime c)f -the water itacqlliraa blacknefi, and grows into tllat

which we call- a tarfBog I beliesre Wllen tiLe regeta-bles

ror the faline pa-rticles are 8;enerally waSledL away with t-he water, aXsbeing a-pyt to be diluted iS it e bUt the oyly or {ulphurea1 are thoSe that chiey rem$isa, and fwim orlthe water, and this is that w}wich gtves turt its in-

flan-mab-lsty.To m^ake this apeara tis to be obServed tllat in Irels¢d our higheit mountai$ls are covered vlth - Bogwa aswellas the plains; becaute our nlountaills abound more with fprings then could be imagirwed : I remember one high meFuntaia, in the north of Ireland, lz-as + Loag/ias o11 rhe fs-de of itatar thetop; acxw IlO idyliving oa 43wo mountains; &nd no care betug taken to clear the fprrrp, the whole mountair a-re overru-n witll Bsgw? as X hve defcrlbed.

z) It is to be oSferxred) that Irezanddotll abound i moffie more then, I believe, -aay Klllgdom; in fo nzacll ihat it z very troublefom, -beirlg apt to fpil frait treesX

S ^ -arxct



[iso] -and qllickfers; I do not temember? tllat they, who have written of Gardenia,>,, or Orchards, mention i£)

vhic;h I am fule tlley vrouldJhad they bin as mucla trollbl- ed with it, a5 we are-s noW this moSs- is of divers-kiuds, -and vlla£ wllich grows in Bogs is retllarkable, your light -pungy-t jrf is nothiLlg but a cougeries of tlle thredsof this tuofs as l havW frequently obServed, before it be fuf- ficielltlv-rotterl, (aud tllen tlle tarf looks white and is light,) t lzave feen it irl ftlch quantitys and {o tough that the turffpades, cc)ul& not cwt t : in ttle rtll of freland, tlley, by way of iogue c-all as old rvives -tom, and curfx: laer that bll<yed i-r, ̂ vllerl it hinders them in cutting the turE, it is not mucll 1lnlike fla-x: the turf holes in time grow llp with it again, and all the little gutters in Bogw are -generally filled with ir; and truly I chw-fly inlpute Ehe red; or turfBog,--tc3 it- alldfrom it even the hardened turf when-broken, wis ftringy ;- tllos there pla-inly appcar ill it parts of other veDetabies : -it is obServable that both veo getablesK -nd Animals lwave--very different forrn-s,-when they a\re kept under and when out oftlze water ; & I am almoR ffrom fome obServations,) tempted to believe that the Seed of this }Sog^nsofwX when it falls on dry and oarchedground begers the Heath: however themoSs is ib fuzzy-and quick growing a vegetables that it mightily :kops the Iprings) atld coneributes to thic:ken the fcurf e- fpecially in rek Bogw,w}ucre orlLJW; I rememb-er tQ have ob- lerved st.

- 3S, It is to be obSersred, that t1ze bOttOlR of B0gs is generally a ltind of white clay, or rather larldy marIe; a little water makes it exceedirlg foft; arld wherl it is dry it isalldtlPr; andtllis corltributesmuch tothe twellingof the Bogs ; for the roots of the graSs -do not hick faS in it X

but a little wet loofens them and the watcr eal:1l ! gets ia between the falrface of the earth and the-m, and lifts >up the fiurEace, as a dropfy doth the skin.

4, 'Tis to be obterved, that Bogs a-re generalLy higher then



[-9.SI g

then the land about themaand hirheit in the lulddle: the chieffprings that callfe them beillg cominoniy about the middle,;fron whencethey dilato themfelves by degreesas onc wollld blow a bladder; but not always equally, beP cauSe.they Io-metimes mect witla greater obPracles on one fide, then on-the other: whoever llas feen Bogs, canlot doubt ofth-Ss; and befides lf- you cut a deep trench throw a Bog; youwillEnd the origlnalifprieag, & vaPc quarstitys of wat¢r will rn away, and the Bog Iubfide; the Bog at Gwafle Drbcs (as I was irlformed,) fubElded 3o foot; I could harddy believe that; but found by compllrationv that itcould not be much lefs then half of it I believe, thefe, axld-othxr orbEervations that might be nzade being laid togetherZit ish-ardly tobe doubted,but thatihave gisr- erl the £rvae origine of3-o,gw:thofe hils,that have 1lo fi?rings, hase- them notjt.hofe that have fprings,and want culture, coEI*antly hav¢- then: where ever they are, £here are great ffrrings: tbe turf ge-rally diScosrers a lregetable {ubltance: it is light 3 and impervious to the water; the ground Iluder it is very pe-rvious: axld all theSe are plain.ly accountable from the cauSes I haare given.

I muBc collfeis there are qxakingBaos, caufedother- wife; when a RreaFm, or Epring runs thro a Bat; if the paffiage be nOlt teaded,it fills with weeds in Summer, trees faill a croEs it, and dawitup ; .the n, in winter, the watcr Sagnattes firther & farther every year, till the whole flat be c(3vered ; then there grows up a courfe lind of grafs

p¢¢.uJliar to theSe Bagw; this graSs grows in tuft$, and thxir i roots - confqlidate together, and yearly grovF hlghr, in fo muchs that I have.Seen of them to the hig}st of a wan; -the .grgafs xots ine wtater X and fals oa the tufit$, and the feedwith it, whighfpringsup nextyear,

and fo- Rill makes an addition; fome times the tops Qf h-gs and grafs are interZwove4 oa tto furface of the wao ter, and this becomes by degree$ Scksr,; till it ly like a

er oa tbz W&t¢r i tien rl;>sF Kakg toQt in it 7 a-nd by a T plesif



[ 9f;-] tSesta of the roots it becomes very 0rong) fo as to bear a man ; I tzave gone on Bogs thatwwould tife before alld be- 11indX anel fitlk where I Prood to a colzfiderable deptll; elldele was clear xon.terj as fOme of us experienced by fal- ling ill Witll olle leg 1lp ro tlle Iniddle, alld ehar by break- ing vlle furface-of tlle-earth where we ftood: eYen thefe ill tillle wtll grcxw red Bogs; but may eaf1ly be turne-d in- to meadosv,as I llave Scen feverall times, meerly by cIear- ing a tretlch to let t-llc varev -rtln awayw

T11e inCoilveniences of thefe Bsgj are very great; a confiderable part ofthe Killgdom beiIlg rendered uIelefs by tllem; tiley keep People at a diflcance from one anoX tller, alld collfequently hinder them in tlseir affairs, and weaken them; for ir is certain, that lffuppofe a xooo ule1l lisre on 4 contiguous acres-, they can both bet- teraSllE, anddefelld'oneallother, then-iftlleylivedon 4 not contigllolls: and therefore ig were good for IrelanJ; tile Bogw were f,Isk in the- Sea, Io their good land- were all contiguous; but it is furcher oSferrrable llere, that ge- nemlly the landX which gi-ould be our medows, and fineil; eveneR plaiss, are conrered- with B-ogs; this I obferved thro all Ao-ffXatlgh; bur moreeEpeclallyin LonX,ford[& likewite in AMeJX geath and i-n theNorth of Irelozrad. TheSe Pogs are a gre-at llindrance i-n paE1ng from place to place; ill as much as that you are forc t ro go far ab{>ut- to avoid th-em,and on this accztlnz the roads are rery crooked in freland ;or forc t (b-y vaflc cillarges to the collatry,3through Bo,;s; by tllefe means they are torlg, and hard to find.

TheBo,gs are a great-cieP:rud;tion; to Cattle, the cheif commodity of Irelarad; i n the fFri-tg tme when tlv Ca*t tle are weak and .hu:ngry>lle- edges ot tlae flofgs h-Ave c-om- monly grkfs; Ana the Catttle vensurEngS in to get- fit, fxll illtc) pits or flouges;8c u-re -eitlier d-rowad,c>t(it they are found,) Spoiltill thepullingout; elienumber o-ftz-tel loR this way is luctediiblae;

4, They are a {helSr-and re-fugee>TorR) a.ad thieses, who-can hardly liVe withewt them The



[ 9s3 ] , The f2nel iand;vapours that are from Bo,w are

accounted v-ery unwholfomesatid the fogs ellat rife fror them are conlmorlly plltrid, and itinki ng for thv X ain, that fills on themZ will not fink -into tllem; tllere l @ing

hardly any {ubRance of its foftllets,more impotletrable by water7then turf,nd theretore rain-water Rarlds on tlletn, and in their pits; it corrupts there, alld is exlaled al I Izy the Sun, rery little of it rllat;ing away, wllich lnuR of eceAityaffCA theair. 6,Theycorrllptourwater. bothas to i-tscolour, and

tafl;for the colour of the:water that ftands in tlle pits, or lys o1l the furfac;e of the Bog, is tindured by the leddifh black colour of the turf; and when a Jhourer comes, tllat makes thefe pits overflow, the water tllat r uns over tillC-

tures all it meets , arsd gives both its colour and flcink, to a great maPy of our rivers; as, I obServed thro a11 the -Northsof Ireland.

The Natives heretoforetad neverthelefs fome advan- tage by the - woods, and Bogs ; by therrl they were pre- ferved from the corlqutItof the- wIzA i and I 13elievye it is a little remembrance of tlliS, make) theln Rill build nearBogs: itwasall adxrantage then to thenl to llave theircountryunpaSa ble, alld tlle fewer itrangers came near them, theylivedthe cafyer; for tlleyhad no innss every houSe wllerc you came,was your irsn g alld you {aid no more.but put pffyour broges&fate down by the fires8s fince the natllral IriJb hate -to mend lligll ways, and will frequently lhut them up, and challge -them, ̂ (being un- willillgtrangers {hoilld come and burthea vthem; Tho tlley are very inconvenic-nt to us, yet they are of Iome ufc; for mG>ft of Ireland liave their firing from from tllem; Tllrfisaccountedatolerable fweetfireoanXd wellaving very impolitickly dekroyed ollr woced, and not as yet follud kone coal,Iave in few places, we could hardly livc without lome Bogs : I llave leell turf charc'dX

1 2 lt



[9jf43 it fervoto wvork iron, a¢nd as I have bin informed, will ferve to make it in-a bloomery or ir*work: turf charc ed Is reckon the tweetePt and wiholfomell fire, that can be; fitter firo-r a Chamber, and sonfunli-ve Peoplet then eiz ther wood, Soze-coa:l or char-toal.

Ikrlow not if it will be worrh lse obtersrsag, that a %rf:Bog pre-terares things frangely, a Corps Kwfll Iy -tl£e ln one, tor learerall years; I have {een: a piece of leather pretty freSl dug out of a Iarf-Bog,-that had never in the mem-ory of -nsan been - dug betore; Butter has bin foutad, rllat had lain abolre so years, nd ho' not fit to be eaten, yetServedwell enough togrease-wool:Trees arefound iol:2nd, and -intire-in them, and tho-fe Birch, ar Ald:r that are very fubjed;t tO ror. The Trees are -fuppoted by the igS noralat vulga r to haare lsen *ere elrer Snce -he F-iood, but the truth 1S, they bell on tlle; jurEacenc)fthe lEart-h-and the Bog, as t fheved ill the beginning of this diScollrs, hvel lillgbydegrees, at-laIt coveredthem; and beingofan asly veg-erable fubP£aIlce, it, Iqe ab-alfana, EmreIerves them; the TEeeS burn ver-y -1t aiuxl*@re-fior--tc)rchd sn the a-ight: I 1lare feen th-em utd-vL-gh$rtl ca-rchmg of Salmons: I ha-ve--feen af the Ts hfali -funilnx it Bo<(, and not qui-te covered.

Iam in t he lal place to {hew you:how -tlatSe in-anvee iencsrs may be remedied, and our Bogs xPiade aSe-fitlll; 'Tis ce-rtain-the-thing s pothible; it h jstiu dcone i-n 9g lvzz2,EZ*sncsJarld Germany; an-d if we ljad the X-se xnduiv tIy sve<ma-y promife our Selves the f:>e 1utee4b. I koow men eczmmony difltinguinl itWeefi Bogs tha$1iaYeXicX

fali-to-cRarryR away the water from them, and tllofe that h-ax7e >- a<ad dererm-i-- rhe lia-R draelxab4e7 b¢lt 1ot Q tirk # .but I fne }?rofeh I Eleverrwl3S nZeil ofRe 3Jg wsthdut a fiaLI fuiie-rt -to im- it, vf3r de> 1 bekleare there is -aily. But rlac great-+and weit-h-ty obJect jon awg-ai3-Sk them as the cnarge; a-nd it tsS corn-nonly thourhr, tht it wlllcak mudu In-ore tileo wow-lld 8atcshaSe- an eyga t£dpt &

* ggod



C9-ff3 gd graxTndsan acre of good land sa moE pars of Ireland is about 4sperannulTl7 and the purcha re t4> or Isj years;& therefore three pollad will purchaSe an acteof -good land; and it is very doubtfull with molt,whetherthat fum will reduce a Bog: this-reafonillg paSes current, and- is the great obPracle and inlpedime-nt cxf this work; buttifthefe things following were done anct confidereds I verily beliexre it would be- remoxted.

x, An ad: of Parliamerlt fhould be made, {uch as was for tlle bllilding (3f London; th-at who did not in luch a time3

makeXiome progrefs in drasning tlleir Bog;s, Should part with them to others tlzat wotlld>&allow a paffiage to them thro theirlatlds: ratherellen CSesattemeIl wot1ld let oj tl;iers--come into their bti-unds, they rould purchaSe their Bogs at doubre the rate, as they doe patches of land with in rllem

2dly Tis tobe collfidered- tllat f ualuing BogsX tho' land bc never So cheap; never tail to be worth the draining; one trench drains m-arly acres; at d whea dry, it ls gent raliy nzedowj or tlle beIt graziIng g;ound.

3£lly Every redBo; has abaxlt it a deep marhSr noughy grollrude whiWh tlley call the boands of the Bogws and whlch never fails tO be wortlil the d-ratining-: ot:ze deep t2*ench round the Bog, doth it, bat th-is Cattle are kept out ot the Bog, alld al the bounds of the Bog-turned -into med-ow as I llave frequetltly tten.

Athl-y As tc) redBegs,I rem:enlber one of 60 aCres, wh--ich aGentlcmall drainesd; the land at)(zu- 1t sras 4S) gd per actest was aot worth antr t;blng,but ratller per-rlictous -tc) his Cat-rle; he reduced st to good grazillg Q,rourld w(3rth 3s kKB vacre) t;or ztl X which is leS ehen 3 yearspur_ chate.

sthly .Gent-letnen cought to confider, that wla^t they lay outthiswayZ gLoetlallydegrees, andthcy are not fenXi-

ble of it ; it goeth a tnong the Te'la ntS? alld enables them

tv pay; their rent tllr betrer ̂ tis a ;work e3f charity, a X id T 3 ixe-ploys



t9a6} iillploys h-ands-, - and condllces to both tlle ornament & generall protSt of the Kingdom; and therefore they ougllt to diEpenfe with it, tho- Iomewhat dear.

6thly That even red lSogs might be made fit for gra- zi-ng, at a Inuch cheaper rate,then thcy have bin hither- to, iftllefe rllles were obierved: I a deeptrench muR be made roll£ld the Bog, as before; this reduces all the boun-ds of the Bogwgoes a great way to dry the Bog it feli; alld hinders at leaR its growing -: it ferves likewife as a common fin-k>- into which all your drains vent thenfelves-.

7thly in elle Bog, obEerve which way the lirtle jilfiughs rlln; be fure to ClJt tlleir drains a crors them; orle drain- fo cut doth nlore, then 3 or 4 long ways; as I faw by Ex periellCe

3dly the firPa elrains on the Bog,ought not to be above z -or 3 foot deep (3r wide; deep trellslles ougllt by llo means tobe attempted at ISrit; for the Bog is fo rOft) tllat they will not flcand, but fill up again; neitller can aily body flcand- well in them to Ctlt tllem deep :- but when the furface of the Bog is cut in little trenches fuppoSe at 2 o, OS 4o perzh, dikance, it is hardly credible hoW rnllch il: will be dryed : I remenlber fxlcll a little trench, drawn thro a Bog, vllat was rery wet, dryed it, fo that Cattle collld gra-fe on it all SuPmmer; and the Bag filbf1ded, foran hundred yards, on cach Elde, fovifibly, tllat one would have believed it a naturall valley

4thly a year or z after the little trenches are made, & the Bog a little dry; tlley are (at leaPc every other trench as one fees occafion is) to be made flX foot deep and 1X wide) if the foftnefs of the Bog will pertnit; if not, then fix foot wide and 4 deep is enough; arld this will certainly make the Bog ufefull for graElng : in a year or z after,you may attelapt to cut oue or two of the trenches tQ the bottoln ofthe Bog; for till that be done, I do not reckQu the Bog fecllred.

sthly A Gentlemau ought to oblige all his Tellants to cut



[9S7] cvlt the turf in his tretiches, and likewite CUlt his own fos for this is juk fo much gain, and prevents that pirting o-f Bogw,that renders them deformed & perniciolls to Cattle.

6tllly Where a Bo,g is pittedX he is to cut a paflage frot one pitto the llext for tlle water, and fomakeacom- sntlaication to the common drain, and it his pits-be ollce dryed there will grow- grars or heath at the bottom, fit for grafing; alld they will be Ikelter forCattlein fforms.

7thly When Ilis Bog is dryed, it ts th-ereby made bet- ter turi : atld thell -lle is to fet out a part of itfor tllatuSe, and to oblige them to crut it clear away; and the Bog bse- ing removed, tlle bottom will make good meddow: as I halre feen in tlle County of LonXferd.

8thly if he would iluproxte his Bog any furtherthen grafing; he mllk do it eitherby cuttillg off tKlle ftlrface of the Beg a-lld- burrling it, or elSe by brint,ing Earth a-rld layingonit-: Sanding orrather itldeed Gravelling is a great improvement in tltis country; the and fo Ina- nuredowillbring-corn I20r IA years, and wowld bring graSs, - if People did notl Plout it fo long, as to contume ail the fubPrance of it, alld deItr-oy the roots of the graEs, which are not to be re-covered^4in many years, and then they fay gravellsag is bad forgraSs; butehe contrary is apparent, eL-pecially in Bogs.- I have obEerlred- by the way i1de where thote ways pafs thro Bogs, if a little Ea-rth hath fallen on thet Bog, as fome times there dotho il1 a little of that -which they bring- to mend- the high way, ithas turtled the Bag into a - green lody with a lrery fine fcuh graSsonit * andtdoubt-not buttlz-e-:famecharges, that S:atlds or Grarrels laxlds would reduce a ciryed Sog; evetl-to be ar!abls; but thisrequir-es time- asnd experience, which I doubt nor btlt will find out luany compendious aud caty-ulethods of performing theSe things, more then we .can. tllirlk of a

Twere--naturall to;add fonze thing cs31lcerning Laughs, anct



C9S8] aud tgrloXh: tlle llaturall improvenlent of Loggh> or lakess-is lEr to drain thett:l as low as we can; and then turn the reEdue ofthe water into fi{h-ponds,by plaIltng afew Trees about thenzs and ordering them thus they may be made both ufefull, a-nd ornamentfall

As to thofe places we callBrloughwsfgaMiSerreni laat; or lndSlakew; they atlfser t3mi name rery welL, beitlg lakes one part ofthe yearof corlEldrabledepth; and very fmootll fields tExe reR txf wmNr memory :dos not fait me, I jo&or Brorpn defcribes exadtly tlle tike in Hgngary, czr elEt irl the way -between henna & Fevnice * thXe- are in thefeX holes out of whxch the -water rifeth in wirlterX arsd goeth away towards Summet tnany llundred acres being drowned by them; and thofe the mok pleafant, and prczS fitable land in the coustry : the foil is commouly a marl, whicls,byits{tiSnefs, hinders thewater from turningit into a Bog; atld immedsatly when tlle water is golle, it hardens, fO that you ride thro' an even graIsy field; thefe, if tlley could be drained would be fit for any uSe; would make meddow, or bear any grain, but efpecially rape, which is- very profitablew They are chiefly in connaught; a-nd their cauSe is obvious enough, it is a Sony helly Countrey ; the hils have cavitys in rhetn, - throllgh which the water paXes: it is common to have a risulet lEak on one ftde of a hill, alld rife a mile, or half a mile} from the pta£e: the brooks are generally dry in Summer; thewa- terthatfh-ould beintheln, fiaking between th.e-Rocks, and running under ground; in rO much as that irl fome places wire they are- overflowed in winter, they are forced in Summer to Iend theirCattle many miles for .water. There is one place io-a a hill near liam between two ofthefe %z4rloaghw, where there is a hole the Iuperkitious People call the Divels MilZ; and m-ake fables concerning it: if you kand by this place, yoBa will hear a great noife, like that of a water under a bridge: arhere there is a flood in winter? o! o£ the Vrlebs QVflOWS} a-nd vents it

f-.clf



E9r9] Elfillto tlie llote,f ian the noiSe dotll, illwalI likelyhood, proceed-flhrom a fubterr:neousArea-m; which in Sulumer has room enoAu-gli to-vent all its watersbut in winter, when rains fall, the paSages ;between the lA.ocks cannot vent the water, iand theretore it regurgitates; and covers the- t5.

-

Let uG X be a plain parallell to the horizo-a; let SSS be a hill > B XB a fiar; CCC anotller hill ; cD f D And- tizer flat; and EE E anotller llill : let L I M be a fub -terralleous rivulee Jtha-t runs under the furiace of the fiarth; at M- lertllerele asnavro.wXpaflUagea which ais only vent fiuch a quantity of water ; tlle llead of tlle river above L is [alppofe higller then the ilat B NB or DND;tlle cllrrent SuppOfe is fwolIl with rain, and brings nzore water to iVI, then caU pafs: it is plain tlle rck muQc fill the paSage L 1 and at lat bllrPr out at NlV,the lzoles fu?pold in tlae flats, and cover tlle flats; alld by this lueans tlle wlz-ole Country in the wirster feems full of Lakes; atld a gain in Summer,when the pafliage Afis big enougll for tlle water ofthe rivulet, tIle water {ubfides and falls thm tlae lloles lVlVinto the fubrerraneall paages alld in a little tinze leaves the flats dry till the 1lex;t year.

Thefe 7jurloag/*s are hard to drain; often elley are en- circled witll hils, and then wtis not to be expesE;ted : oftel- tlley have a vent by which they felld out a confiderable flcream; and tllen it is only makingtllat paLEageas low, as the lzottom of the flaNt, and thac will prevent the over

V .flowillK



L gGo3 fcuvong b it Cometimes happcus tllat the flars a-re as Icow as tlze 1leigllEzouring rivulets, & ill probalzlli:ty are hlled; alld ti-Ris itisnot only neceIEary to luakc the EuaS.gt ft'C)In tl1t' flilt to t31e rivulet:> hut llkewi{e to ti1lk the ri- tECt which is sterar trs)S-lLzttnf()toe ; (otnliol\157 tllt patrs gt to be cut Is Recky o }^avillg 1levcr {een any of thcm CUt

:L c. 1 allly Iav t11tl5 SntAlL;

I, 13efore they heeDin, a furveSror ougllt to take the 1cs7e

f3t t1nC gat Wll;ll t11c I)lace illto Sllicll t-Jle velat-*is tobe ;na-le, and if tlle place be lzwer tJle w ent is poBible^> ^

27 -A goodFcorllputatitlt) ot1ght to-beSdeZut-httl! vellt wisl coR? l-aow l-luch land it will drain ? vllat tllx

la nd is wortllter acre as it ls? and wllat it will yield wlleA draxido and lr tlat 11c wA11 fee) wlaetllcsr it be wortll th¢ WililO tO atten:lpt itX

,)a9 T4}t ileses{A7D$(zxz>httobeopened, anddiggetl,anevt fetucezl about) tElat grsltS9 alld otller tlirt, }nazx llot ger Xto tllclll C fnz by this tnearls tlle water will ill its or cl i llarf7 covlrfeX ger ice zer away > aIsti la0!y tlley are to he catell crt! bare t(rwartls the cncl of Sulllmer, that as lit;fSle grafs as is poflible may be fpoilt by the waterO

.w ^t,7Z, /i912 <s



Of the Bogs, and Loughs of Ireland by Mr. William King, Fellow of the Dublin Society, as It was...

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Transcript of Of the Bogs, and Loughs of Ireland by Mr. William King, Fellow of the Dublin Society, as It was...