There are 214,800 houses returned in this province, which is at the rate of 14.9. acres to a house,

16

This province comprises 181,948§ houses, which is at the rate of 15.3. acres to a house, or

CONNAUGHT. Galway

41.7. houses to a square mile.

This Province contains 95,821 houses, which is 27.4 acres to a house, and only 23.31 houses in a

to a square mile.+

This Province contains 184,546 houses, which numbers are 18.3. acres to a house, and 34.97 houses

§ The difference between this addition and the one above it, arises from Dr. Beaufort's calculation in the houses in the county and city of Dublin: vide p. 44, of the Memoir.

|| Beaufort's Memoir, p. 67.

+ This is without including the City.

Beaufort's Memoir, p.380.

As Dr. Beaufort has omitted to enumerate the inhabitants of Tyrone, it is impossible to estimate the total number of inhabitants of the kingdom at the time he wrote. The sources of information from which he formed his data are unknown to me; but it appears, that his statement does not agree with the results given by Mr. Bushe, whose paper is founded on the official survey books of 1788, and was printed in July 1790. Mr. Wray did not make his return to the Irish House of Commons, until the 22d of March, 1792, and Dr. Beaufort's numbers differ also from those given in this document. The Doctor published his work in the same year, and it was, probably, in the press before the above return was made out; so that I have ventured to fill up the blank in Dr. Beaufort's numbers, from the last mentioned authority.

Dr. Beaufort says in a note, in a note, "by the last returns of the officers employed in collecting the hearth-money to the end of 1790, the number of houses in the several counties of Ireland, amounted to 677,094 ; but I am informed by Mr. Bushe, one of the commissioners of the revenue, who has paid particular attention to this subject, and who obligingly supplied me with these returns, that notwithstanding the successful exertions of the Board for some years past, in improving this branch of the revenue, by the suppression of false and incorrect returns; the deficiencies which yet remain, cannot be computed at less than 23,000.'

I apprehend, therefore, that Dr. Beaufort's calculations were founded on a return of the year 1790, never officially printed; and this affords a strong testimony in favour of the general accuracy of Mr. Bushe's return in 1788, and of Mr. Wray's in 1792, since it was drawn up from an intermediate enumeration.

In 1805, Mr. Newenham published a Statistical and Historical Inquiry into the Progress and Magnitude of the Population of Ireland; a work worthy the attention of those desirous of examining this subject; but all his data bearing on the present state of it, are founded on Mr. Wray's paper, and he makes no mention of the ingenious calculations of Dr. Beaufort.

In the Appendix+ to Mr. Newenham's second work, there are many valuable do- · cuments on population, but they relate only to that of the Roman catholic class of inhabitants, and are not accompanied with any statement of acres, which is important when considering this subject.

Memoir of a Map of Ireland, p. 14.

+ Page 20 and 21.

A Division of the Householders of Ireland, residing in single hearth-houses;
copied from No. 1. of the Papers presented by Mr. Wray to the Com-
missioners appointed to inquire into the state of the Duties of Hearth-
money.

FIRST CLASS--Farmers holding from 40 acres of arable ground and upwards,
and feeders and rearers of cattle, holding large tracts of rough ground or
mountain, &c. in circumstances with respect to self-comfort and indepen-
dence, equal to any man.

SECOND CLASS Farmers holding from 10 to 40 acres of ground, mostly in
tillage, many of them manufacturers; also dairy-keepers, who have no per-
manent holdings, but as convenience best suits, take a residence, and the
milk of 10, 15, 20, 50 or more cows. This class all in comfortable cir-

cumstances.

THIRD CLASS-Labouring farmers, 5, 10, 20, or upwards, in partnership, holding in common from 40 acres of ground up to hundreds, mostly under tillage, generally articled to give a portion of labour to their landlords; when that and the labour of their farms will permit, they are carriers of flour, butter, merchant goods, &c.; also manufacturers, tradesmen, and dealers; also stewards and tradesmen, bound to gentlemen. The holdings of this class may be rated at a yearly value of from 61. to 101. or upwards, and are all able to bear the tax of 28. annually.

FOURTH CLASS - Tradesmen, small dealers, and unbound labourers. Their holdings in town from 11. 10s. to 41. value: in the country, where they have as much land as may give them an adequate supply of potatoes, from 41. to 61.

FIFTH CLASS Cotters, tradesmen, or bound labourers, holding their houses and gardens at will, with an acre of ground for potatoes, the whole of the value of about 41. or 4 guineas a year. Many of this class are exempted from the tax under the present regulations.

SIXTH CLASS-Persons disabled by accident, sickness, debility of limbs,
old age, &c. from earning subsistence; also widows old and without help,
or with a young and burdensome family. This class are totally exempt from
the tax, as it is now collected.

Extract from the Declaration of Mr. Wray:-
:-"I was appointed to the
office of Inspector-general of Hearth-money, in the year 1787; and, under
the direction of Mr. Commissioner Bushe, visited every walk in every part of
the kingdom. I had it in direct and positive charge from Mr. Bushe, to
make it a particular object in the pursuit of my duty to attain a knowledge
of the situation of the poorer orders inhabiting single hearth-houses." Com.
Journ. Vol. XV. App. p. 337, &c.

Mr. Wray declared to Mr. Newenham, in the year 1804, that there was
no truth of which he was more convinced, than that not more than one-
half of the exempted houses were returned.

4 T

1

The above returns, which were made nearly twenty years ago, are the only official documents from which any data can be obtained for calculating the present population of Ireland. Notwithstanding this deficiency of correct information, it is the received opinion, that during the above period, the number of people has increased; and this important fact is confirmed by all my memorandums, amounting to not less than two hundred; from this remark the town of Ennis in Clare must however be excepted.

It is generally believed, that the leaders of the rebellion had returns of this nature, and that they formed from them some calculations on the right of election, which were to serve as the ground-work for the establishment of a future government. It even appears that they proceeded so far as to set down the places which were to be represented, and the number of members to be elected for each, a list of which, as a curiosity, I shall here subjoin, and which was taken from their own manifesto, in the 28th section of which it is said:

"The number of representatives being arbitrary, the provisional government have adopted that of the late House of Commons (three hundred), and, according to the best return of the population of the cities and counties, the following numbers are to be returned for each:"

Among the causes which have produced increased population in Ireland, the minute division of land, for the purpose of making freeholders ought to be dwelt upon. Potatoes form the principal food of the people, which in consequence of their being raised at a small nominal expense encourage marriage, as the people consider a family secure of subsistence. The Roman catholic clergy also, being dependent on their parishioners, are anxious to increase population as the best means of enlarging their incomes, and for this reason promote an early union of the sexes. The middle and common classes are accustomed to make use of what they themselves produce, and to be contented with clothing of their own manufacture, seldom carrying the produce of their labour to market. People in this situation of life have a very erroneous idea of their duties as parents, when they set a value upon the labour of