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"Fill in his Majestys Phanix Park

DESCRIPTION of the City of DUBLIN.

DDAM, by the Welch Dulin, and rebellions, as well as foreign in

UBLIN, called by the Saxons been very liable to domestic troubles

and by the Irish Balacleigh, a town upon Hurdles, the ground on which it ftands being foft and quaggy.

It is the capital of Ireland, and doubtless very antient, being mentioned by Ptolemy; but we meet with no certain history of it till the Danish wars, when Saxo Grammaticus fays, it was fadly thattered; and afterwards became fubject to Edgar king of England. The Norwegians next got poffeffion of it; and Harold fo greatly augmented and embellished, after fubduing the greater part of Ireland, that he is faid to have built Dublin. On the first arrival of the English in Ireland, they foon took this city, and gallantly defended it, when it was vigorously attacked by Aufculp, prince of Dublin, and afterwards by Gothred, king of the Ifles. A little after this, an Englith colony was tranfplanted hither from Bristol, by king Henry II. who gave them this city, with all the liberties and free cuftoms enjoyed by Briftol. From that time it continued to flourish, and in times of the greateft difficulty has given many and ample proofs of its loyalty to the kings of England, who have always defended it when attacked by the enemies of that crown. During thefe contests it has been fometimes forely distressed, particularly at the time of the maffacre in 1641; but if we except fome part of the years 1689 and 1690, when the earl of Tyrconnel and the Irish army had poffeffion of it for the abdicated king James II. it always held out and remained faithful to the English. And as Ireland had from time to time March 1764.

vasions, the earl of Wharton, when lord-lieutenant, obtained thirty-one thousand pounds fterling of queen Anne, to be applied for building and furnishing an arsenal near this city, with a fufficient quantity of arms and military ftores, to be in readinefs for oppofing all future attempts to difturb the tranquility of that ifland.

An antient writer, Jofcelinus de Farnefio, in the life of St. Patrick, tells us, that this city was then nobly peopled, very pleafantly fituated among sweet plains, woods of oak, and fine parks, famous for trade, and well fupplied,with fish from the river and the fea: and William of Newburgh long ago obferved, that for its trade and concourfe of merchants, it even rivalled London. Its fituation is indeed particularly pleasant and wholesome, having hills on the fouth, plains on the welt, and a navigable river called the Liffey, running through it, and near the mouth' of which it stands.

It is the grand mart and the center of commerce for the whole kingdom, efpecially for the communication of trade with England; and from hence the greater part of the inland cities and towns are fupplied with goods. The only misfortune of this city is the deficiency of its harbour, occafioned by the bar at the mouth of the river Liffey, where there are fuch heaps of fand brought in by the tides, that it is difficult for loaded fhips to come in, except at fpring-tides, and even then thips of great burthen dare not venture in; the water on the bar being fo fhallow, X

that

that at low water it is but fix feet deep, and at high water not above fixteen or eighteen, except in extraordinary high tides. Nor when they are in the harbour, can any fhip come to the quay, if they draw above feven or eight feet of water; all the reft being obliged to lie below in the river, and deliver their goods by lighters and other veffels at Ringfend, about three miles within the bar.

On the fame fpot where Allhallows monaftery, ftood formerly, there is now a fine building called Trinity college, founded May 13, 1591, and made an univerfity by queen Elizabeth, who, Mr. Camden fays, added a liberal endowment, and a good library; which, together with the univerfity, have been fince im. proved and increased in proportion with the city, and are now in a very flourishing condition. The college has been enlarged by a gift of three thousand pounds from king William III. upon an addrefs of the houfe of commons. As Dublin is the fee of an archbishop, he has a very handsome palace called St. Se pulchre, in the fuburbs of St. Patrick, fo denominated from the cathedral dedicated to that Saint. This ftructure is venerable for its antiquity, and numbers feveral kings in its lift of benefactors. It is added that Gregory, a king of Scotland, came in pilgrimage hither in 890, that he might pay his devotion to the image of St. Patrick; and that king John of England built part of the Eaft-end, and greatly beautified and enlarged the whole structure.

This church is famous for its curious workmanship, ftone pavements, arched roof, and high fteeple. It was made a church of prebendaries by John Comyn, archbishop of Dublin, and the grant confirmed by pope

Cæleftin III. in the year 1191. Some time after, his fucceffor Henry Loundres augmented it with the dignities of parfonages, as the founder expreffes it. At the fame time he, by immunities, orders, and cuftoms, rendered it conformable to the church of Salisbury. At present it confifts of a dean, a chanter, a chancellor, a treasurer, two arch-deacons, and twenty-two prebendaries.

In the heart of the city is a collegiate church called Chrift-church, though dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was founded about the year 1012, by Donatus, the firft bishop of Dublin, in purfuance of a grant of the ground given for that purpofe by Sitric, king of Dublin, fon of Ableb, count of Dublin, to the Holy Trinity and to the faid bishop, with gold and filver fufficient both for the church and churchyard; but though it was begun by Donatus, it was finished by Laurence, archbishop of Dublin.

Befides thefe ftru&ures, there are not less than thirteen parochial churches; but Chrift-church is that to which the lord-lieutenant, the lords juftices, &c. always go in ftate.

As this city is also the feat of the government of Ireland, the lordlieutenant refides in the castle. There are alfo the chamber of the privycouncil, the courts of judicature, the fecretary's office, the treasury, the parliament houfe, &c. and hackneycoaches, to the number of betwixt two and three hundred, ply here as at London. There is a ftadt-house or guild-hall, built of fquare-ftone, where caufes are tried before the mayor, &c. and adjoining to it the exchange, called the Tholfel, from the old word toll-ftall, where the officers flood or fate, to receive the

toll

toll or custom for fuch goods as But as to the courts of judicature,

paid a duty to the city. 'Tis a handfome pile built at the charge of the city in 1683. Befides thefe, there is a cuftom house.

was

It has fix gates, befides a large ftone-bridge over the Liffey. The entrance of the city on the Eaft fide is by Dammer-gate, near which ftands the king's caftle upon a rifing ground, well fortified in Camden's time with ditches and towers, provided with a good arfenal, and built by Henry Loundres, archbishop, about the year 1220; but, having received great damage by a blast of gunpowder fome years ago, beautifully rebuilt, or at leaft repaired, as are likewife feveral other of the most decayed buildings of the city. In the fuburbs, on the Eaft fide near St. Andrew's church, Henry II. king of England, as Hoveden fays, caufed a royal palace to be built of fmooth wattles, very curicully contrived after the manner of this country; and kept his Chriftmas here with the kings and princes

of Ireland.

The North-gate opens towards the bridge, which is arched, and was built of free-ftone by king John, who joined Ouftman-town, or, as it is commonly called, Oxman-town, to the city for here the Ouftmanni formerly mentioned, who, Geraldus fays, came from Norway and the Northern islands, fettled, according to our hiftorians, about the year 1050. In this fuburb ftood formerly the famous church of St. Mary de Ouftmanby, as it is called in king John's charter; and a houfe of Black Friars, whither the courts of judicature were transferred. This is now called the king's inns, and here the judges and lawyers meet in commiffions one week in every term. 3

they are now removed to a fumptuous fabric erected for the purpose near Chrift-church. On the Weftfide of the city are two gates, Ormond's-gate and Newgate, which is the common gaol, both leading to St. Thomas, the longest fuburb of the city, where flood in Camden's time a noble abbey, called Thomascourt, founded and endowed with large revenues by king Henry II. to atone for the death of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, but now turned into houfes and ftreets. The entrance of the city on the South-fide is by St. Paul'sgate, and that called St. Nicholas, which opens into the fuburb of St. Patrick. The other chief bridges are, that called Effex, in honour of the earl of Effex, when lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and Ormond and Arran bridges, in honour of the late duke of Ormond and his fon the earl of Arran.

It was formerly governed by a provoft; but in the year 1409, Henry IV. gave them the privilege of chufing every year a mayor with two bailiffs, and of carrying a gilt fword before him. Edward VI.changed thefe bailiffs into sheriffs. Charles II. gave its mayor the title of lord, with five hundred pounds to support the dignity, and a collar, as a badge of the honour; but this ornament being loft when James II. was in that kingdom, William III. gave them another of near one thousand pounds value. Every third year the city and its fuburbs are furveyed by the lord-mayor and the twenty-four corporations or trading companies.

In the year 1646, while they were fortifying the East-suburbs of Dublin, they dug up an antient fepulchre, confifting of eight marble ftones,

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