Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/379

Louis of Baden in 1704. The imperial freedom restored to the town by Joseph I. in 1705 was again lost by re-incorporation with Bavaria in 1714. The abbey of the Holy Cross is still standing, and the neighbouring chapel still preserves the sarcophagus of the unfortunate duchess

Maria.

Arms of Doncaster.

DONCASTER, the Danum of Antoninus and Dona Ceaster of the Saxons, a muni cipal borough and market-town of England, in the west rid ing of Yorkshire, 32 miles S. of York and 156 miles N. of London by railway, in the line of the ancient Roman road of Ermine street or, as some write, Watling street, is situated on the right bank of the Don, over which and an arm of it called the Cheswold it has two bridges. The parish church of St George, occu pying the site of an older structure of the same name destroyed by fire in 1853, was finished in 1858 at a cost of 43,128 ; its tower is 172 feet high. Among the other public buildings are Christ Church and St James s, the mansionhouse, market-hall, guildhall, theatre, grammar- school, infirmary, and jail. The commerce of Doncaster is mainly agricultural, and the corn market is of consider- rable importance. The manufactures are iron and brass ware, sacking and linen, spun flax, ropes, and agricultural machines. About a mile to the south-east of the town is the race course, which is nearly circular, and has a circum ference of 1 mile 7 furlongs and 70 yards ; the principal races held annually commence on the Tuesday after the 10th of September. The grand stand, erected in 1777, has been frequently altered and improved, but has lost much of its importance by the erection of minor stands. Races have long been held at Doncaster, and there was a stand on the course before the year 1615. The St Leger race takes its name from Lieut.-Gen. St Leger, who originated it in 1776; but it was not so named till 1778. Doncaster received its first charter from Richard I. In 1399, after landing at Raven spur, Bolingbroke, subsequently Henry IV., lodged for a time in the town. In 1871 the population of the municipal borough was 18,768. The area is 1691 acres.

DONEGAL, a maritime county in the extreme north west of Ireland, in the province of Ulster, bounded on the N. and W. by the Atlantic Ocean, on the E. by Lough Foyle, and the counties of Londonderry and Tyrone, and on the S. by Donegal Bay and the counties of Fermanagh and Leitrim. It covers an area of 1870/ square miles, or 1,197,154 acres, of which 22,880 are under water.

Coast.—The county possesses a large extent of sea-coast indented by numerous inlets. Ballyshannon harbour, the most southern of them, is small, and has a bar at its mouth, ashave Donegal and Inver harbours farther west. Killibegs harbour is well sheltered, and capable of receiving large vessels. On the western coast are Bruckles or M Swiney s Bay, and Teelin harbour, suitable for small vessels ; and on the north is Sheephaven, within which is Dunfanaghy Bay, where the largest ships may lie in safety, as they may also in Mulroy Bay and Lough Swilly farther east. Lough Foyle, which divides Donegal from Londonderry, is a noble sheet of water, but is shallow and dry at ebb tide, contracted at its entrance, and encumbered with shoals. A few miles from Malin Head, the most northerly portion of the main land of Ireland, the varied and extensive Lough Swilly runs far into the interior. From these two loughs much land has been reclaimed. Numerous islands and rocks stud the coast. The largest island is North Aran, about fifteen miles in circumference, with a lofty hill in its centre, and a gradual declivity down to the sea. On the northern coast are Tory Island, on which is one of those singular round towers marking the holy places of ancient times, and, further east, Innistrahul the ultima Thule of Ireland. The inhabitants of the islands obtain a precarious livelihood by fishing, kelp-burning, and rude husbandry, but are often reduced to extreme destitution.

Mountains.—Mountains and irregular groups of high lands occupy the whole interior of the county, and a con siderable portion is bog and moor land. Arrigal mountain attains an elevation of 2462 feet above the level of the sea, and commands from its summit a fine view over a consider able portion of the country. Bluestack (2213 feet), Muckish mountain (2190 feet) in Kilmacrenan barony, and Slieve Snaght (2019) in Innishowen are, next to Arrigal, the highest mountains. The eastern and southern portions of the county are comparatively level, and contain the most fertile land. Occasionally the scenery attains a character of savage and romantic grandeur in the highland districts and on the sea-coast, and of much beauty in the eastern part of the county ; but a considerable portion of the surface is occupied by ..bogs, and entirely destitute of timber.

Geology— The main body of the county rests upon mica slate, which forms the eastern districts and most of the barony of Bannagh. From Sheephaven to Lochrusmore and the north-western coast, granite forms the surface rock, and quartz is very abundant, often forming mountains of considerable elevation. Carboniferous or mountain lime stone occurs round Donegal Bay. The geological aspect of the county affords many indications of internal wealth, but very few attempts have been made to ascertain the mineral resources of the district. The minerals hitherto dis covered are lead and iron. Steatite is worked to some extent at Gartan. Manganese, copper pyrites, and clay for potteries and brick-making are also found. Siliceous sand, raised in Muckish Mountain, was formerly conveyed in large quantities to Belfast and Scotland for the manufacture of glass Indications of coal have been observed near Lough Swilly, and at Inver on the southern coast ; and marble of fine quality exists in many places. Among the mountain streams the pearl-mussel (Unio margaritifera) is sometimes found. There are several mineral springs, the chief of which is the sulphureo-chalybeate water at Killymard near the town of Donegal.

Rivers—With the exception of the tidal river Foyle, which forms the boundary between this county and Tyrone and Londonderry, the rivers, though numerous, are of inferior size. The branches of the Foyle which rise in Donegal are the Derg, issuing from Lough Derg, and the Finn, rising in the beautiful little lake of the same name in the highlands, and passing through some of the best cultivated land in the county. The Foyle, augmented by their contributions, and by those of several other branches from Tyrone and Londonderry, proceeds northwards, discharging its waters into the southern extremity of Lough Foyle, at the city of Londonderry. It is navigable for vessels of large burden to this place, and thence by lighters of fifty tons as far as Lifford. Boats of fourteen tons can proceed up the Finn river as far as Castlefinn. The fine river Erne flows from Lough Erne through the southern extremity of the county into the southern extremity of Donegal Bay. Its navigation is prevented by a fall of 12 feet, generally called the Salmon Leap, in the neighbourhood of Ballyshaunon, and by rapids between Ballyshannon and Belleek, on the confines of Fermanagh. The Guibarra, the Awen Ea, and the Eagle are the only other streams of any note.

Lakes, or rather tarns, are very numerous in Donegal.