Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-06-02
Curiosities of C0rk-A Glimpse at an
Irish City.

Among tho recent visitors to Cork is q
correspondent of the Wheeling West Vir-
ginia) Intelligencer, who thus records his
impressions of the place;
Cork seems to he city where trade,
commerce and manufactures are in -four
fishing condition. Large ships and small
schooners, large ocean steamers and small
tug steamboats,, are peacefully reposing at
the quays secure from the strife of ocean.
The docks and wharfs are crowded with
carts and draws, and the merchandise load,
ing and unloading on the quays and rail.
road stations give little indication OF want
or distress. There arc some fine public
buildings in Cork. The new Provincial
Bank is chaste and beautiful piece of
architecture. The warehouses and bust
ness stores are both capacious and orna-
mental It's hotels are elegany, and have
all the comforts and Injuries which the
best regulated American hotels can boast
of. The dwelling-houses are of all sorts
and conditions, from the lowly stone, white
and slated rows of cottages of the poor, to
the lofty and modern five-story mansions
OF the opuleat Some ola houses may still
be seen that have stood the storm and sun
shine of two hundred years. They have a
quaint and ancient appearance, but are still
strong and substantial, Here We see no
frame buildings of any description, and no
shingle roofs. The houses are built Of
brick, hard sandstone, whinstone (oy trap
which will last for ages.
1.-THE streets of Cork are, with few ex-
ceptions, wide and spacious. They have
broad, smooth sidewalks, are well paved
clean, and at night lit with gas, One of
the public squares contains statue OF
Father Mathew, the great apostle of tenn
perance. 1t is cast in bronze and said to
be very good likeness. One thing struck
me as a novelty: many of the houses have
their side walls, both front and rear
slated This gave them rather singular
appearance, but it is SAID to be good pre-
ventive of dampness None of the streets
have shade trees or brick payements, and
no houses or stores have awnings. We
can find no unpaved streets in the city,
The streets are either well paved or acadia
mixed, perfectly smooth and level, and
clean as a new pin.
Looking at the crowds passing and re
passing on the streets, an American is
struck with some points of difference be-
tween them and what he is used to seeing
in his own cities. Here we find no Ameri
can (nor for that matter lrish) citizens of
African descent But we find mingling
with the crowds of ladies and gentlemen
dressed in the very height of fashion, near
ly an equal number OF barefooted women
and children, who pass along without ex-
citing any remark. Such sight we never
have in America. Cork may lie said to be
situated on an island of the river Lee,
which is about two miles in length. Its
streets are very irregularly laid out, but the
houses of late years seem to be built with
better taste and more uniformity. The
| population does not exceed $4,000. 1t is
both a manufacturing and commercial city.
There are foundries, distilleries, glass
houses, aud wooden factories. Being the
seaport of great agricultural county, il
exports to England large quantities Of
grain, butter, pork and cattle.