7 APRIL 1894, Page 26

The Irish Diurnal, 1898. Compiled by W. Geo. Cox and

Joseph Robert Clegg. (Harrison and Sons.)—This is the first 138110 of what promises to be a useful book. It is, to quote the descrip- tion given on the title-page, "a record from day to day chiefly of Irish affairs in and out of Parliament." An appendix is added of Irish Statistics from Parliamentary Papers, a list of Irish articles in the magazines and reviews, &c. Between 1882 and 1892, horses and mules have increased from 565,925 to 635,213, cattle from 3,987,211 to 4,531,125, sheep from 3,071,755 to 4,827,777, while pigs have decreased from 1,430,128 to 1,113,472. The acreage under crops is almost stationary. Marriages in 1882 was one in every 231 of the population, in 1892 one in 217. The rise is not

large, but it is significant. Probably agriculture is more pros- perous in Ireland than in Great Britain.