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CAV
draining, and the peat yields the strong red ashes which
form an excellent manure. There is likewise a small
proportion of moor, having a boggy surface, and resting
on partial argillaceous strata: in these a marl, highly
calcareous and easily raised, most commonly abounds.
The fuel in universal use is peat.
The minerals are iron, lead, silver, coal, ochres,
marl, fullers’ earth, potters’ clay, brick clay, manganese,
sulphur, and a species of jasper. Limestone and vari-
ous kinds of good building stone are also procured,
especially in the north-western extremity of the county,
which comprises the eastern part of the great Con-
naught coal field. A very valuable white freestone, soft
to work but exceedingly durable, is found near Bally-
connell and at Lart, one mile from Cavan. The sub-
stratum around the former place is mostly mountain
limestone, which dips rapidly to the west, and appears to
pass under the Slieve Russell range of mountains, which
are composed of the new red sandstone formation, with
some curious amalgamations of greenstone. To the
west of Swanlinbar rises the Bealbally mountains,
through which is the Gap of Beal, the only entrance to
Glangavlin; and beyond, at the furthest extremity of
the county, is Lurganculliagh, forming the boundary
between Ulster and Connaught. The base of this
mountain range is clay-slate; the upper part consists
entirely of sandstone, and near the summit is a stratum
of mountain coal, ten feet thick, in the centre of which
is a vein of remarkably good coal, but only about eight
inches in thickness. The coal is visible on the eastern
face of the mountain, at Meneack, in this county, where
some trifling workings have been made, to which there is
not even a practicable roadj its superficial extent is
supposed to be about 600 acres. The sandstone of these
mountains, in many parts, forms perpendicular cliffs of
great height; and the summit of Cuilagh, which is
entirely composed of it, resembles an immense pavement,
traversed in every direction by great fissures. Fre-
quently, at the distance of from 80 to 100 yards from
the edge of the precipice, are huge chasms, from twelve
to twenty feet wide, extending from the surface of the
mountain to the bottom of the sandstone. Some of the
calcareous hills to the west of the valley of Swanlinbar
rise to a height of 1500 feet, and are overspread with
large rolled masses of sandstone, so as to make the
entire elevation appear at first sight as if composed of
the same. Iron ore abounds among the mountains of
this part of the county, and was formerly worked. A
lead mine was worked some years ago near Cootehill,
and lead and silver ore are found in the stream descend-
ing from the mountain of Ortnacullagh, near Bally-
connell. In the district of Glan is found pure native
sulphur in great quantities, particularly near Legna-
grove and Dowra; and fullers’ earth and pipe clay of
superior quality exist in many parts. Proceeding to-
wards the Fermanagh mountains, beautiful white and
red transparent spars are found within a spade’s depth of
the surface; and here are two quarries of rough slate.
Potters’ clay, in this part of the county, occurs in every
townland, and some of it is of the best and purest kind;
patches of brick clay of the most durable quality are also
common.
The chief manufacture is that of linen, upon which
the prosperity of the inhabitants entirely depends, as it
is carried on in almost every family. The average
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quantity of linen annually manufactured, and sold in the
county, was estimated, at the commencement of the
present century, to amount in value to £70,000; and
pieces to the value of above £20,000 more are carried
to markets beyond its limits. The number of bleaching
establishments at the same period was twelve, in which
about 91,000 pieces were annually finished. The quantity
made at present is much greater, but the article is con-
siderably reduced in price. Some of the bleach-greens
are out of work, but,.from the improvement of the
process, a far greater number of webs is now bleached
than was formerly; in 1835, nearly 150,000 pieces were
finished, mostly for the English market. These esta-
blishments, around which improvements are being made
every year, and which diffuse employment and comfort
among a numerous population, are principally in the
neighbourhoods of Cootehill, Tacken, Cloggy, Bailie-
borough, Scrabby, and Killiwilly. Frieze is made for
home use, especially in the thinly peopled barony of
Tullaghagh. The commerce of the county is limited
and of little variety: its markets are remarkable only
for the sale of yarn, flax, and brown linen; the principal
are those of Cootehill and Killesandra.
The chief river is the Erne, which has its source in
Lough Granny, near the foot of Bruce hill, on. the
south-western confines of the county, whence it pursues
a northern course into Lough Oughter, and hence winds
in the same direction by Belturbet into Lough Erne,
which, at its head, forms the northern limit of the
county. In most other parts the waters consisting of
numerous lakes and their connecting streams, are
with few exceptions tributary to the Erne. The Shan-
non has its source in a very copious spring, called the
Shannon Pot, at the foot of the Cuilagh mountain
in Glangavlin, in the townland of Derrylaghan, four
miles south of the mountain road leading from Ennis-
killen to Manor-Hamilton, and nine miles north of
Lough Allen: from this place to Kerry Head, where it
falls into the sea, it pursues a course of 243 miles, of
which it is navigable 234 miles, and during that dis-
tance has a fall of not more than 148 feet. The Black-
water has its source in a lake at Bailieborongh Castle,
and flows on by Virginia into Lough Ramor, whence it
enters the county of Meath, and becomes a tributary to
the Boyne. A line of artificial navigation has been
proposed from Belturbet by Cootehill into the county
of Monaghan. The old lines of roads are injudiciously
formed, so as to encounter the most formidable hills.
Although the new lines are made to wind through the
valleys, yet, with the exception of those very recently
made, they are of inferior construction. The material
formerly used was clay-slate, which pulverised in a
short time; but, since the recent grand jury act came
into operation, the newest lines have been well laid out,
and the only material now used is limestone or green-
stone. Several new and important lines have been
formed, and others are in progress or contemplated:
among the roads which promise to be of the greatest
advantage are those through the wild district of Glan-
gavlin; they are all made and kept in repair by grand
jury presentments.
The remains of antiquity are comparatively few
and uninteresting. The most common are cairns and
raths, of which the latter are particularly numerous
in the north-eastern part of the county, and near