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trict. The town is divided into two nearly equal portions
by the river Shannon, over which is a bridge erected in
the reign of Elizabeth, which, though 100 yards in length,
is only twelve feet wide; the passage, therefore, is often
attended with difficulty, and on market-days and at the
fairs with danger; it is further obstructed by the traf-
fick of three flour-mills, one at each end and the other
on the bridge; the narrowness of the arches, which are
ten in number, and the width of the piers between them,
prevent the free course of the water, and in time of
floods cause an inundation on the shores of Lough Ree.
On the south side are various sculptured tablets inserted
in a wall, about nine feet broad, rising above the parapet
and surmounted by a pediment ornamented with mould-
ings; their various inscriptions afford a curious history
of its erection. It is in contemplation to build a new
bridge by a loan from Government, which, on the re-
commendation of the Shannon Navigation Committee,
it is expected, will be granted for the improvement of
that river from Lough Allen to Limerick. The total
number of houses within the limits of the town is 1027,
of which 546 are slated and the remainder thatched;
they are built chiefly of limestone, though bricks of
excellent quality are made in great quantities a little
below the town. A regatta is annually held on Lough
Ree in August, and continues for four days; and races
take place occasionally at Ballykeran. About a mile
and a half from Athlone, on the Leinster side of
the Shannon, is Moydrum Castle, the handsome resi-
dence of Viscount Castleraaine, a solid castellated
mansion with square turrets at each angle, beautifully
situated on the edge of a small lake, and surrounded
by an extensive and richly wooded demesne. The
other gentlemen’s seats near the town, and also on the
same side of the river, are the Cottage, the seat of
W. Cooke, Esq.; the Retreat, of F. E. Moony, Esq.;
the moorings, of Capt. James Caulfield, R. N; Spring
Park, of P. Cusack, Esq.; Lissevolan, of H. Malone,
Esq.; Auburn, of W. F. Bruce, Esq.; Bonahenley, of S.
Longworth, Esq.; and Creggan Castle, the property of
F. Longworth, Esq. On the Connaught side are Sham-
rock Lodge, the seat of J. Robinson, Esq.; and Hands-
field, of A. Robinson, Esq. At Burnbrook are some
corn-mills with a good residence, belonging to E.
Burne, Esq.
The manufacture of felt hats was formerly carried
on here to a great extent, but only a few are now made
for the supply of the immediate neighbourhood. There
are two extensive distilleries, each producing from
40,000 to 50,000 gallons of whiskey annually; two tan-
neries, two soap and candle manufactories, two public
breweries on a large scale, and several corn-mills.
The amount of excise duties collected within the district,
in 1835, was £37,927. 3. 10. A communication by
steam-boat between this place and Limerick has been
lately established, and passage boats meet the steamers
at Shannon harbour and proceed to Dublin by the
grand canal. The market is held on Tuesday and
Saturday, of which the latter is the principal, when
sheep, swine, and great quantities of grain are ex-
posed for sale: it is held in an open space under the
wall supporting the castle mound, but the principal meat
market is at the shambles near the river, and is abun-
dantly supplied with provisions of all kinds; fish is
procured in the lake and the river Shannon, and salt-
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water fish is brought from Galway. The fairs, to which
is attached a court of pie poudre, are on the Monday
after Epiphany, March 10th, Holy Thursday, and Aug.
24th, each by the charters ordained to last three days.
A branch of the Provincial Bank of Ireland has been
established here for the last eight years; and there is a
constabulary police station.
The town was incorporated by charter dated Dec.
16th, 4th of Jas. I. (1606), which was seized by Jas. II.
on a judgment of forfeiture obtained in the court of ex-
chequer, and a new charter was granted in the 3rd of
that monarch’s reign; but the judgment being subse-
quently declared void, the former has since been and
still is the governing charter, and the latter has not been
acted upon since the accession of Wm. III. Other
charters confirming and extending the privileges of the
corporation were granted on the 16th of Jas. I. and 17th
of Chas. II.; and the “New Rules” made by the lord-
lieutenant and privy council, in the 25th of Chas. II.,
provided that the appointment of the sovereign, recorder,
and town-clerk should be subject to their approval. The
style of the corporation is “The Sovereign, Bailiffs, Bur-
gesses, and Freemen of the Town of Athlone;” and the
officers are a sovereign, two bailiffs, thirteen burgesses
(including the constable of the castle, Viscount Castle-
maine), a recorder, town-clerk, serjeant-at-mace, and
billet-master; and there is a select body called the
common council. The sovereign is elected by the com-
mon council from among the burgesses, annually on the
29th of June, and has the privilege of appointing a vice-
sovereign with the approbation of the bailiffs and a ma-
jority of the burgesses; the bailiffs are elected from the
freemen by the common council, on the same day as the
sovereign, and are ex officio members of the council;
the burgesses are elected for life from among the free •
men, and the freemen also for life, by the common
council, of which body, according to the practice of
the corporation, twelve must be present to consti-
tute an election; the recorder and town-clerk (who
is also deputy-recorder) are appointed by the common
council; and the serjeant-at-mace and billet-master,
of whom the former acts as constable in the borough,
are appointed by the sovereign. The common council
are unlimited in number, but usually consist of not
more than twenty persons, including the sovereign
and vice-sovereign and two bailiffs; they hold their
office for life, and vacancies are filled up by themselves
from among the burgesses and freemen. The borough
sent two representatives to the Irish parliament prior
to the Union, since which period it has sent one to the
imperial parliament. The right of election was for-
merly vested in the burgesses and freemen, amounting,
in April 1831, to 71; but by the act of the 2nd of
Wm. IV., cap, 88, the non-resident freemen, except
within seven miles, have been disfranchised, and the
privilege has been extended to the £10 householders.
The limits of the borough comprehend under the charter
a circle of a mile and a half radius from the centre of
the bridge, but, as regards electoral purposes, were
diminished by the late enactments and now include only
the town and a very small surrounding district, com-
prising 485 statute acres; they are minutely described
in the Appendix. The number of voters registered at
the last general election amounted to 274, of whom 179
polled: the sovereign is the returning officer. The