d quarter-sessions at
the same town and at Banbridge, Newry and Newtownards. The county is in
the Protestant diocese of Down, and the Roman Catholic dioceses of Down
and Dromore. Down returns four members to parliament--for the north,
south, east and west divisions. The borough of Newry returns a member.
Previous to the act of Union the county returned fourteen members to the
Irish parliament.

_History and Antiquities._--The period at which Down was constituted a
county is not certain. A district, however, appears to have borne this
name before the beginning of the 14th century, but little is known of it
even later than this. However, when in 1535 Sir John Perrot undertook
the shiring of Ulster, Down and Antrim were excepted as already settled
counties. That some such settlement would have been attempted at an
early period is likely, as this coast was a place of Anglo-Norman
colonization, and to this movement was due the settlement of the
baronies of Lecale, the Ards and others.

The county is not wanting in interesting remains. At Slidderyford, near
Dundrum, there is a group of ten or twelve pillar stones in a circle,
about 10 ft. in height. A very curious cairn on the summit of Slieve
Croob is 80 yds. in circumference at the base and 50 at the top, where
is a platform on which cairns of various heights are found standing. The
village of Anadorn is famed for a cairn covering a cave which contains
ashes and human bones. Cromlechs, or altars, are numerous, the most
remarkable being the Giant's Ring, which stands on the summit of a hill
near the borders of Antrim. This altar is formed of an unwrought stone 7
ft. long by 6-1/2 broad, resting in an inclined position on rude pillars
about 3 ft. high. This solitary landmark is in the centre of an
enclosure about a third of a mile in circumference, formed of a rampart
about 20 ft. high, and broad enough on the top to permit two persons to
ride abreast. Near Downpatrick is a rath, or encampment, three-quarters
of a mile in circumference. In its vicinity are the ruins of Saul Abbey,
said to have been founded by St Patrick, and Inch Abbey, founded by Sir
John de Courcy in 1180. The number of monastic ruins is also
considerable. The most ancient and celebrated is the abbey or cathedral
of Downpatrick. Dundrum Castle, attributed to the de Courcy family,
stands finely above that town, and affords an unusual example (for
Ireland) of a donjon keep. The castle of Hillsborough is of C