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APPENDIX
Plan for a
Harbour at
HiiiLC>end in
1674.
242 THE SCANDINAVIANS, AND
being through Irishtown, nearly along the course of Bathavenue,
and by the line of Mount-street and Merrion-
aquare
to the castle. 1
In the 3'ear I(i74 that following the visit of Sir Bern/in 1
dc Gomme Andrew Yarranton, 2 the publisher of some
plans for the improvement of harbours in England, came to
Dublin, and was, as he states, "
importuned by Lord Mayor
Browster to bestow some time on a survey of the port,"
the result of which was, that considering it impossible to
deepen the water on the bar, he offered suggestions for an
artificial harbour and fort for its defence on the strand
(then covered by the tide) between Ringsend and " the
"
Town's End street the want of some ;
protection for the
trade of Dublin being then a subject which engaged public
1 The ground for Bath-avenue blew one [ship] to sea, where
was only recovered from the sea
about 1792. [" 31st May, 1792:
The marsh between Beggar "sbush
and Ringsend, through which
runs the Dodder on its way to
Ringsend -bridge, is, we hear, taken
by Mr. [Counsellor] Vavasour
from Lord Fitzwilliam, for 150
years, at 190 per
annum. This
tract, which is inundated every
tide, Mr. Vavasour will (it is said)
reclaim by a complete double em-
bankment of the Dodder .
The river is to be turned to its
own channel, which is the centre
of the piece of ground south of
Ringsend-bridge ..." Dub-
lin Chronicle. W. M. G.]
[1796. The branch of the
Dodder which ran out between
Tritonville and Irishtown was
diverted by the Ballast Board
into the New Channel. Ballast
Board Books. W. M. G.]
*"I being at Dublin in the
month of November, 1674, there
happened a great storm which
and men perished, and blew
another upon the rocks near the
point of Howth ... I also
found from Lord Mayor Brewster
and others that the badness of the
harbour did occasion the decay of
trade. I then acquainted him
with my thoughts as to a good
harbour at Ringsend. Upon
which he did importune me to
bestow some time in a survey . . .
If there were a harbour at Rings-
end, as in the map described, this
advantage would be gained. At
present there is at least 500 per
annum paid to persons that carry
and recarry people in the Ringsend
coaches to and from the
ships ; all this would be saved . .
and, by the ships coming up
boldly to Lazy-hill, trade will be
niaile easy." England's Improvement
by Land and Sea to outdo
the Dutch without lighting, to set
at work all the poor of England
. . . pp. 150. By Andrew
Yarronton, gent., small 4to, Lon-
don, 1677.