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204 THE SCANDINAVIANS, AND
APPENDIX, traded to the port were not only differently constructed but
were much smaller than those now employed, there are
historical incidents which show that at an early period the
Liffey was so shallow near the city that it presented no
great obstacle to predatory incursions from the southern
parts of Leinster into Meath.
Unfortunately, however, no map could be found older than
the small outline of the city published under the date of
1610, in "Speed's British Theatre" 1
and as it gives no
information respecting the position of the fords or shallow
places in any part of the river it becomes necessary to seek
that information from documents of another kind.
Shaliowness of In the State Paper Office, London, there is a report, made
the Liffey in
1590. about the year 1590, which very minutely describes the
circuit of the city walls, with its other defences, and states
that the depth of water in the Liffey opposite Merchants'-
quay and Wood-quay varied from 3 to 6 feet. 2 This sur-
vey, however, only refers to that part
of the river front-
ing the city walls. But among our unpublished records I
found two with more important information respecting
the state of the river, and in the preceding century.
Apparently these documents had been heretofore unnoticed.
Their contents are not specified in the list of unpublished
statutes made by the Record Commissioners, nor are they
to be found in the list printed in the " Liber Hibernise." 3
1
Theatre of the Empire of Keeper of H. M. Pub. Records,
Great Britain, by John Speed,
8vo > 1867 > PP- 590-592.
3
Liber Munerum Publicorum ab
London, folio, 1610.
anno 1152 usque ad 1827, or the
31 A note of the whole circuit of t w L e T i j r
., -. .. _ . ,. establishments of Ireland from the
the City walk of Dublin from the mh of K ^ fco ^ nh
towercaUed "Bremegham'sTowre"
ofGeorgeIVth ... Extracted
of the Castle unto the East gate from the pnbUc Recordg b ial
called Dame is Gate " of the said
Commission, being the Report of
City according to the direction of
the Lord Deputy. Calendar of
Rowley La8Celles of the Middle
Temple,Barrister-at-Law,P ursuant
the State Papers (Ireland) of
to an address of the Commons
Elizabeth, A.D. 1574-1585, by
Hans Claude Hamilton, Assistant
ordered to be printed A.D.
vo
1824, 2