A Chara, - Flann Ó Riain (Where's That?, April 16th) refers to Sir William Petty's "delightful 1685 altas of Ireland, Hiberniae Delineatio".
The atlas has indeed considerable usefulness for historical geography, but it has also the same kind of delightfulness as a list of names of those condemned to the gallows. Sir William was physician-general to Cromwell's army and, after the conquest, he was commissioned to produce the maps of the Down Survey, on which the Delineatiois based, in order to effect the expulsion of Cromwell's opponents from their lands and the "transfer" of those lands to those who either supported Cromwell's wars financially or who fought with his armies.
The human cost of his maps was anything but delightful, or petty.
- Is mise,
PÁDRAIG McCARTHY, Barclay Court, Blackrock, Co Dublin.