The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-08-06 00:00:00

English miles from the sea; and as it is in the route from
Dublin to Killarney, a brief notice of its principal featur e
may be acceptable to tourists who may choose to peruse
these hasty sketches.
The city is of great antiquity, having long been the capital
of the kings of Limerick, the last of whom, Donnell
O'Brien, died in 1194. It then fell into the hands of the
English, and though again taken from them in 1198, it was
shortly after recovered, and after some vicissitudes finally
fortified by King John, who erected the pile, still known,
though in ruins, as " King John's Castle," otherwise
" Limerick Castle." The town, like others in Ireland of
any considerable magnitude, is divided into " English Town"
and " Irish Town ;" and there are also two suburban divi-
sions of more modern date, known as Newtown Pery and
Garry Owen. The English Town, (which contains the most
amount of the public buildings,) stands on the south portion
of the " King's Island," which is formed by a division of the
Shannon into two branches, half a mile above the town, and
the re-union of those branches below, the smaller of which
on the east is called Salmon Wear River, or by some Abbey
River. There is also a rural suburb of considerable extent
and population on the Clare side of the Shannon. The Irish
town is for the most part of modern structure, and contains
many handsome streets, together with several new squares,
crescents, and public buildings ; and the principal thorough-
fares present an air of liveliness, wealth, and prosperity,
which forms a striking contrast with the more ancient por-
tions of the city which is confined, dingy, and dirty,—the
abodes generally of poverty and wretchedness. Like most
large Irish places, Limerick exhibits to a considerable extent
the extremes of splendour and destitution, yet it is rapidly
progressing in improvement; and were the navigation of the
Shannon facilitated to a degree commensurate with its capa-
bilities, it would soon become one of the finest and most
thriving cities in the kingdom.
George's-street, (continuous with Patrick-street,) in the
Irish Town, and the streets running parallel to, and at right
angles with it, from the quays eastward, are inferior to few
of the best of those in our English towns. The houses are
of commanding elevation, of neat brick• work or stone ; and
the shops, inns, newsrooms, &c., are all well supplied, large
and elegant. The town has been much benefitted by the
enterprise of the Limerick merchants and manufacturers ;
the former engaged chiefly in the corn and provision trade
with London ; the latter celebrated for a superior and beau-
tiful manufacture of lace. Another staple is fishing hooks,
considered the best in the world, both in form and temper.
At the extensive curing establishment of Mr. Russel, there
are annually salted about 50,000 pigs, and 2000 head of cattle.
There are three great manufacturies, who give employment
to 1700 females. The town until of late was also celebrated
for its manufacture of gloves, of so fine a quality of leather
and workmanship that a pair could frequently be packed in
a walnut shell ; but this branch of industry has wofully de-
clined, and the trade has been principally taken up in Cork.
Nevertheless, the trade in corn, and provisions generally,
and the manufactures noticed, as well as others of minor ac-
count, give employment to thousands, and have tended in a
gratifying degree to promote indistrious and domestic habits
amongst the poorer classes.