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arms. In 1646, Owen Roe O’Nial seized upon several
forts in it. In 1650, Cromwell’s forces entered the
county and met with much resistance: in the course of
the struggle most of its fortresses were dismantled by
his generals, Hewson and Reynolds. During the Revo-
lution of 1688, a signal victory was gained by the troops
of William at a noted togher or bog-pass near Cappard,
where they defeated a much superior number of the
Irish. After the termination of the war, the country
was so harassed by the ravages of the rapparees that
the resident gentlemen applied to King William to have
a force of infantry and dragoons quartered in it, and
specified the castle of Lea as one of the principal sta-
tions for their reception.
The county is partly in the diocese of Killaloe, partly
in those of Dublin and Glendalough, partly in that,of
Kildare, but chiefly in those of Ossory and Leighlin.
For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the
baronies of Ballyadams, Cullinagh, Maryborough East,
Maryborough West, Portnehinch, Slievemargue, Strad-
bally, Tinnehinch, and Upper Ossory. It contains the
greater part of the borough and market-town of Portar-
lington; the disfranchised borough, market, and assize
town of Maryborough; the ancient corporate and
market and post-town of Ballinakill; the market and
post-towns of Mountmellick, Mountrath, Stradbally,
and Abbeyleix; the post-towns of Burros-in-Ossory,
Rathdowney, Ballybrittas, Clonaslee, and Ballyroan;
and the suburb of the borough of Carlow called
Graigue: the largest villages are those of Ballylinan,
Castletown, Emo, Newtown and Aries. It sent eight
members to the Irish parliament, two for the county at
large, and two for each of the boroughs of Portarling-
ton, Maryborough, and Ballinakill. Since the Union it
has been represented by three members, two for the
county, and one for Portarlington: the election for
the county takes place at Maryborough. The consti-
tuency, as registered up to Feb. 1st, 1836, consisted
of 405 £50, 270 £20, and 1210 £10, freeholders;
5 £50, 16 £20, and 97 £10, leaseholders; 26 £50,
and 72 £20, rent-chargers; and 37 clergymen of
£50, in right of their respective incumbencies, 3 of
£20, and 2 of £10; making a total of 2143 registered
voters. Queen’s county is included in the Home
Circuit: the assizes are held at Maryborough; and
general sessions of the peace at Maryborough, Mount-
mellick, Mountrath, Stradbally, Burros-in-Ossory, and
Abbeyleix, twice in the year at each of these places.
The county gaol is at Maryborough, and there are bride-
wells in Burros-in-Ossory, Stradbally, and Abbeyleix.
The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 18
deputy-lieutenants, and 82 other magistrates; besides
whom there are the usual county officers, including four
coroners. There are 42 stations of the constabulary
police, having a force of a sub-inspector, 9 chief officers,
45 sub-constables, 291 men and 15 horses; besides
which there are three stations of the peace preservation
police. The amount of the Grand Jury presentments,
in 1835, was £21,575. 15. 7., of which £293. 16. 0. was
for the roads, bridges &c, of the county at large;
£4124.16. 0¼. for those of the baronies; £9835. 15. 0¾.
for public buildings, charities, officers’ salaries, and in-
cidents; £6680. 8. 2. for the police; and £541. 0. 4.
for the repayment of advances made by Government.
The district lunatic asylum for the Queen’s and King’s
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counties, Westmeath, and Longford, is at Mary-
borough; as is also the county infirmary, and there
are dispensaries at Abbeyleix, Ballybrittas, Ballymoyler,
Ballinakill, Clondonagh, Errill, Mountrath, Mountmel-
lick, Newtown, Coleraine, Portarlington, Rathdowney,
Stradbally, Swan, Ballickmoyler, Burros-in-Ossory, and
Clonaslee, which are supported by Grand Jury pre-
sentments and private subscriptions, in the proportion
of one third of the former to two-thirds of the latter.
In the military arrangements it is included in the
eastern district, and contains one barrack for infantry
at Maryborough, constructed for the reception of 61
non-commissioned officers and men.
The surface of the county is generally either flat or
gently undulating with small hills, exhibiting a pleas-
ing variety rather than picturesque effect. The inequality
is mostly caused by the escars, ridges of which traverse
the county in several parts: they are mostly formed of
rounded nodules of limestone, calcareous sandstone, and
coal shale, the parent rocks of which are found in the
county or close to its confines. The principal of these
escars, called the Ridge, rises near Athlone and thence
proceeding across the King’s county, enters the Queen’s
at Mountmellick and proceeds to Rathleague through
the extremity of Maryborough, forming in this county
an unbroken line about 6 miles long, varying in height
from 12 to 45 feet, being generally broad at the base and
narrowing upwards to the width of a few feet; to the
north of Maryborough a road is carried along its summit;
south of the town it is planted. Near the same place a
very copious spring bursts from it, called the Blessed well
of Maryborough, and much resorted to by the peasantry,
who perform devotional ceremonies, called stations, round
it. Beyond Rathleague the escars maintain a south-
eastern course, and are broken and interrupted, but they
soon resume a regular ridge-like form and divide into
two branches, one southwards to the Doon of Clopoke,
the other eastwards to Stradbally, again forming an un-
broken line of more than 6 miles. The tract extending
from Urlingford, in Kilkenny county, to Dawson’s
Grove near Monastereven, on the confines of Kildare,
is the most improved of any in Leinster. It is gene-
rally well planted, not in isolated patches close to the
mansion-houses, but over the whole face of the land-
scape, so as to give it much the appearance of an
English woodland scene. The Dysart hills, which are
situated in this rich tract of country, add much to its
variety and beauty; they are wholly composed of lime-
stone, and their direction is north and south between
the baronies of Maryborough, Stradbally, and Cullinagh,
not forming a continuous elevation, but in most cases
standing singly: the rock of Dunamase and the Doon
of Clopoke are two of the most striking of them. To
the west the land rises into the lofty range of the Slieve-
Bloom mountains, which form a marked line of division
between this and the King’s county: their summit is
called “the Height of Ireland,” from a popular opinion
that it is the most elevated point in the island; near it
is the. Pass of Glandine, a narrow defile, impassable for
carriages, and forming the only mountain communica-
tion between the King’s and Queen’s counties. The
northern side of the mountains of this range is very
fertile, while the southern, though more exposed to the
genial influence of the sun, is nearly barren and mostly
covered with heath. Towards the southern boundary
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