all ministers of churches, chapels, and other places of religious worship aforesaid, publicly to read this our royal proclamation therein, on the next Lord's day after they' shall receive the same, during the time of divine service, immediately before the homily or service, upon pain of our highest displeasure.

Given at our court at St. James's, the twenty-first day of June, 1765, in the fifth year of our reign.

GOD SAVE THE KING.

A

TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION

OF THE

ISLE OF MAN.

THE most general division of this isle is into north and south, each of which has its castle, deemster or judge, and vicar general; and both are subdivided into seventeen parts or parishes, distinguished by the name of kirks. The saints to whom they were in old time dedicated, viz. Kirk Christ, of Rushen.

Kirk Harbery, dedicated to St. Columbus.

Kirk Melue, dedicated to St. Lapus.

Kirk Santon.

· Kirk Bradon, which signifies a Salmon in the Manx language,

>

Kirk Marcom.

Kirk Concan, dedicated to St. Conca, mother to St.

Patrick.

Kirk Cannon.

Kirk Maughald.

Kirk Christ, of Ayre..

Kirk Bride or Bridget, a Parsonage.
Kirk Andrew, the Archdeaconry.

Jorby, or St. Patrick, of Jorby.

Ballough, a Parsonage.

Kirk Michel.

Kirk German.

Kirk Patrick, of Peel..

Their parishes are again divided into sheadings, as the people call them, viz. the sheading of Kirk Christ, Rushen, the middle sheading, the sheadings of Garf and Glanfaba, Michæl sheading, and Ayre sheading, each of which has its coroner, as the parishes have every one a captain and minister, and every fort its constable, having three parishes in every sheading, but that of Glanfaba, which has but two parishes in it. The island was formerly more populous than now it is. At present there are but four principal towns, viz.

I. Rushen, the chief town, situate on the north side of the isle, and from a castle and garrison in it commonly called, by the English, Castletown. It is the usual residence of the governor, and hath a market and fort, but is under no special officers, as a mayor, aldermen, &c. as corporations are, but offenders are apprehended and brought to justice by the officers of the fort, or constable, as in all other towns and parishes. The castle is a noble piece of antiquity, said to be built by Gutred, the second of their Orrys's, grandson of the King of Denmark. At the foot of the castle is a creek, where ships sometimes venture in, not without danger; but a mile distant is a good harbour, called Derby Haven, secured by a fort, built by the late

Earl of Derby. Pope Gregory IV. or rather St. Patrick, who came into the isle, erected an episcopal See here by the name episcopal Sedorensis, and his jurisdiction was extended to all the Hebrides; but now it is limited to this island. The bishop was formerly reckoned a baron, but never sat in the house of Peers, because he held of a subject, the Earl of Derby, and not of the king, yet hath the highest seat in the lower house of convocation.

II. Douglas, situate on the east side of the isle, the most populous town, and the most spacious and best haven in the isle, the mouth of which is secured so well by a fort, that there is not any attempting either the town or harbour from the seaward. In times of peace it is much frequented by French and other foreigners, who come hither with bay-salt, wine and brandy, and buy up coarse wool, leather, and salt beef, to carry home; by which means this town is become the richest in the isle, and has a good market.

III. Ramsey hath also a good haven, defended by a block-house, built by the late earl.

IV. Peel or Pile, anciently called Holmtown, hath a fort, erected in a small isle, and defended with a strong garrison which secures the harbour. The castle has a platform round it, well secured with cannon. In it stands the ancient cathedral, dedicated to St. German, the first bishop, and repaired by the Earls of Derby, as also a ruined church dedicated to St. Patrick, their apostle. Within this circuit is the lord's house, some ruinous lodgings of the bishop's, and other noble remains of antiquity. There are some other towns of lesser note, but are remarkable for some particulars, as, Balacuri, on the south side of the isle, where the bishop generally resides.

Laxy, which has the largest haven of any town in the jsle.

This isle is compassed with huge rocks round about.

The air is sharp and cold in winter, and on the southwest side it lies open to the chops of the channel, and so is liable to a salt vapour, which sometimes has bad effects, but generally is very wholesome to live in, having no damps or venomous vapours arising out of the earth. They have some frost, but short and seldom.

The soil in the north parts is very healthy, sandy, and gravelly; and the north-east has a large tract of meadow called Curragh, which was formerly under water, but is now drained and well improved; but in the south there are good meadows and pastures.

All parts of the isle produce store of wheat, barley, rye, and oats, of late, since they have learned the art of liming their lands, and manuring them with sea-weeds; and some places have plenty of honey, flax, and hemp, and export yearly some fish-oil.

Towards the middle it is mountainous; and the highest hill, called Sceafell, yields a prospect into England, Scotland, and Ireland, in a clear day.

They have cattle of all sorts; but their meat and horses are small and poor, yet will endure a great deal of labour.

Their sheep thrive well, are fat, and well tasted; and their wool is very good, especially that which they call Laughton wool, which when carefully dressed makes a cloth near a hare-colour, which is one of the greatest natural rarities of the country,

They have plenty of goats and hogs of the ordinary size, besides a small kind which live wild in the mountains, called purs, which are admirable meat; and some red deer in the mountains: but they belonged, before the late cession to the government, to the lord of the isle, the Earl of Derby, who had lately stocked the Calf, a pleasant isle adjoining, with fallow deer, and made it a beautiful park. Their hares are fatter here than in any other country, and they want not otters, badgers, and foxes.

Fowls also of several kinds are found here, as hawks,

which in King Henry IV's time were in such esteem, that Sir John Stanley, the first King of Man, in his patent, was obliged, in lieu of all other services, to present that king and his successors, upon the day of their coronation, with a cast of hawks, geese, hens, ducks, faleons, and wild fowl in plenty.

On the south side of the isle is another island, called the Calf of Man, which is stored with a sort of sea-fowl, called puffins, whose flesh is unpleasant; but being pickled, may vie with anchovies or cavear. They breed in holes like rabbits, and are never to be seen but in the months of June and July, which are their times of sitting.

There is also another kind, called barnacles, which are a kind of ducks and drakes, said to be bred out of rotten wood, but found, upon search, to be produced of eggs as other fowl.

Partridges and farkers will not live here, nor any venomous creature propagate their kind,

Here are many small rills of fresh water, and springs of a pure pleasant taste.

Here is also a pool in the mountainous parts near Kirk Christ, Rushen, of so vitriolic a quality, that no ducks or geese can live near it, which probably proceeds from the frequent spewings of copper that are discovered on all sides of those mountains.

They have sea-fish in abundance, as salmon, ling, cod, haddock, mackarel, ray, thornback, plaice, especially herrings, crabs, lobsters, and cockles, but few or no oysters; but what they have are very large.

They have no wood in the isle, nor is there a tree to be seen, though in former times there was great plenty, as appears from Goddard Crowman's hiding 300 men in a wood, and from the church called Kirk Arbory, which seems to be so called from arbor, a tree, as also from the timber found in their bogs, and especially in the meadows called Curragh; nor have they as yet discovered any sea