Lewis Topographical Dictionary - OSi Online Shop

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begin to appear. The granite base breaks forth again
in Carrigburn and Camorus hills, to the north-west of
Forth; and blocks of granite are strewed over a part
of the county extending towards Bannow on the south.
At Caim, near the eastern foot of the granitic chain, the
clay-slate appears to contain several beds of greenstone;
and the bridge over the Urrin stream is mostly built of
it. Traces of the same rock occur also near Enniscor-
thy, on both sides of the Slaney: the clay-slate and
quartz rock in the vicinity of this town are sometimes
much intermingled. Vinegar hill and the craggy rocks
stretching towards Solsborough are principally com-
posed of the latter; so also is Carrigrua-more, to the
north-east. But the principal ranges of elevated land,
such as Slieve-buy, Bree hill, Slieve kelter, &c., are clay-
slate; and quarries are opened in several parts of the
line adjacent to the granitic chain, some of the best
slates being raised in the neighbourhood of Newtown-
Barry and towards Kilkevin to the north-east. A black,
slightly carbonated clay occurs ntar Enniscorthy, where
it is mistaken for coal, and some trials were made in
consequence: this rock generally contains finely dis-
seminated iron pyrites, and exhibits also thinly inter-
spersed galena. The eastern side of Waterford harbour,
in this county, consists principally of clay-slate in strata
nearly vertical, but it is surmounted by a cap of sand-
stone in Broomhill: a similar cap occurs more to the
south, in Templetown hill, which gradually declines till
it underlines the tongue of floetz limestone which ex-
tends to the extremity of Hook Point. This limestone
is arranged in strata of only a few inches in thickness,
dipping at an angle of from 4° to 8° towards the south,
and contains numerous bivalves and corallites: its con-
nection with the sandstone is most conspicuous on the
eastern coast, proceeding along which to the north the
limestone becomes interstratified with slate clay, and
this latter rock at length predominates, alternating with
very thin beds of limestone and acquiring a much
higher elevation. At the point of junction with the red
sandstone beneath it, at Houseland castle, the latter is
of a fine grain and red cast. More to the north it
acquires a coarser structure, thick beds of conglomerate
being interstratified with fine-grained, red, perishable
sandstone. These rocks form a bold coast of abrupt
precipices, extending to Carnyven headland, eastward
of Templetown hill and south of Bagenbon Head. De-
tached portions of the sandstone shew themselves in
other places. The inner haven of Wexford is partly
lined with four isolated patches of this rock lying un-
conformably on the clay-slate: it is of a deep red colour,
and is principally composed of fragments of quartz, with
a few of clay-slate, cemented by iron-shot quartz. Park
Point, on the south side of the haven, consists chiefly of
this sandstone arranged in strata from one to two feet
thick, which are sometimes separated by a thin seam of
red soapy clay. On the western side of the northern
extremity of the inner basin is another smaller patch of
red conglomerate, situated to the west of the Castle
bridge. In a dell westward of Artramont castle is a
similar small patch, and a fourth of larger extent occurs
in Saunders Court demesne. At Duncormuck is another
patch of sandstone, which comes in contact with floetz
limestone; and it is found in the Saltee islands, where
it is based on the clay-slate. At Ballyback, where Wa-
terford harbour narrows to the north, are caps of sand-
Vol. II.—705
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stone conglomerate, reposing unconformably on clay-
slate, and containing many pebbles of granite, but
fragments of clay-slate are the predominating consti-
tuents. The great body of the rugged and isolated hill
of Taragh, east of Gorey, consists of porphyry, with a
compact felspar base, that sometimes passes into horn-
stone, containing inlaid crystals of glassy felspar; but
greenstone also appears occasionally. Besides the lime-
stone of Hook Point, there is a narrow slip at Drinagh,
a mile south of Wexford, which follows the coast for
four or five miles southward, consisting of a blueish
grey kind, containing corallites and bivalves, and asso-
ciated with a brownish grey, fine, granular magnesian
limestone. A third small limestone district occurs at
Duncormuck, and extends from the coast into the in-
terior three or four miles; it is generally of a reddish
brown cast, apparently derived from the sandstone
conglomerate in its vicinity. A lead mine was disco-
vered at Caim and wrought for several years: the works
are now about to be resumed. At Clonmines the re-
mains of an ancient mine are still to be traced; and
galena has been found here, partly adhering to quartz
and rhomboidal ironstone, and partly thrown on shore
after storms, by which portions of the cliff had been
torn away. The old heaps in the neighbourhood are
supposed to be the remains of the silver mines said to
have been worked by the ancient Ostmen. At Kerlogue,
near Wexford, is a small vein of copper ore, of the ma-
lachite or carbonated green copper ore species. Speci-
mens of plumbago were found, about three years since,
at Greenfield, near Enniscorthy; and in quarrying for
stone at Bloomfield, in the same neighbourhood, about
a year ago, some fine specimens of asbestos were disco-
vered, the only ones known to exist within the county.
The horns and bones of the moose deer have been found
in the alluvial districts both on the east and south,
where there is marl. About a year since, a perfect fossil
skeleton of the Cevus Megaceros, or gigantic horned
deer of Ireland, was found at Ballyhuskard, near the
bog of Itty, exceeding in its dimensions the fossil deer
in the Dublin museum.
Much coarse woollen cloth was formerly manufac-
tured throughout the county, but almost wholly for
domestic use. Cotton-works were erected at St. John’s,
near Enniscorthy, upwards of twenty years since, but
were only carried on for two or three years: at the
latter place were also some iron-works. Linens, diapers,
checks, and woollens were formerly wrought at Tintern,
where the weaving and spinning business was carried
on to such an extent that a yarn market and a market-
house were built for the accommodation of the buyers
and sellers, but both these buildings have fallen into
decay, though there are still many weavers in the neigh-
bourhood. The vicinity of the county to the great
Nymph Bank renders its fisheries an important object
of consideration. In addition to the supply of deep-
water sea fish derivable from this source, the inhabit-
ants along the whole coast are mainly employed in fish-
ing: there are also numerous residents at every creek that
affords shelter for a few boats, who derive their subsist-
ence partly from their little farms on shore, but mostly
from the sea. A valuable fishing ground lies near the
shore, adjacent to the Saltee islands, but the want of a
harbour adequate to the reception and shelter of a better
description of craft prevents the fishery from being fol-
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