The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-08 00:00:00

CONNEMA.RA.

The designation of Conmaiene-Mara, corruptly pro-
nounced and written Connemara, signifying Bays of the
Ocean, is applied generally to the whole tract of country
from Lough Comb to the Atlantic, although, in fact, it
is subdivided into the separate districts of Connemara
Proper, Jar-Connaught, and Joyce's Country. It is
singular enough that, barring the wild beasts and the
trees of which he speaks, both of which have disappeared
totally, the description of a worthy chorographer of
1684, from whom I have before borrowed, pretty accu-
rately represents the Connemara of 1852. He paints it
thus :--‘ The country is generally coarse, moorish, and
mountainous, full of high rocky hills, large valleys,
peat bogs, and some woods, whereof it had abundance
before they were cut. It is replenished with rivers,
brooks, lakes, and standing waters, even on the tops of
the highest mountains. On the sea-side are many ex-
cellent large and safe harbours for ships to ride on an-
chor ; the climate is wholesome, so as divers attain to
the age of 90 years, 100, and upwards. The land pro-
duces wild beasts, as wolves, deer, foxes, badgers, hedge-
hogs, hares, rabbits, squirrels, martins, weasles, and the
amphibious otter, of which the white-faced otter is very
rare. It is never killed, they say, but with loss of man
or dog, and its skin is mighty precious. It admits no
rats to live anywhere within it, except the Isles of Arran,
and the district of the west liberties of Galway. The
water streams, besides lampreys, roches, and the like,
of no value, breed salmons (where is recourse to the sea),
eels, and divers sort of trouts. The sea here is plenti-
fully stored with fish—as cods, lings hawkfish, coale-
fish, turbots, plaises, haddogs, whitings, gurnards,
macrells, herrings, pilchards, &c. ; and no ess librall of
shell-fish, as oysters, scollops, cockles, muscles, razares,
together with lobsters, crabs, shrimps. &c. It now and
then casts ashore great whales, gramps, porcupisses,
thanies. Both sea and land have their several kinds of
birds. Here the ganet soars high into the sky to espy
his prey to the sea under him, at which he casts himself
headlong into the sea, and swallows up whole herrings
in a morsell. This bird flies through the ship's sailes,
piercing them with his beak."
The worthy author gives an account of various other
" foules," in addition to barnacles, wild geese, swans,
cocks of the wood, and woodcocks, and especially of
" the bird engendered out of timber long lying in the
sea." "Here, too," he adds, " are rivers which breed
pearls, and the sea, shoars have amber-greese often cast
into them. The greatest number of cattle are of cows,
the soil being for the most part good only for pasture and
grazing, and very fertile of all kinds of herbs. The chief-
est product, therefore, and greatest commodity is beef,
butter, allow, hides, and of late cheese, out of the Isle of
Aran ; yet it yields as much corn, of wheat, barly, oats,
and ry, as is enough to sustaine the inhabitants, and fur-
nishes the market besides." .

Such were the appearance and condition of the Far
West in 1684, and such, with very trifling differences,
are they now. The people are rather worse off ; there
are no wolves, no deer, and no trees, and ganets no
longer fly through the sails of ships.

The fish, however, still abound on the coasts. The
salmon and the trouts are in the rivers, and the cods,
the turbots, the haddocks, the mackerels, the herrings,
the oysters, and the lobsters are in the seas. The
coast fisheries are, in fact, rich enough to support
of themselves the population. The fishing, however,
is only pursued intermittently, with very insufficient
means, and very lazily. The rivers are fortunately
chiefly in the hands of English gentlemen, some of
whom rent them for pleasure and others for profit. In
the latter category may be mentioned Mr. Ashworth,
the wealthy millownner of Lancashire, who has lately
purchased the Corrib Fishery for 5,6001., and is apply-
ing himself to its perfectionment by the assistance of
his clever agent Mr. Holliday, with that energy and
judgment which distinguish the English manufacturer.
The coast fishery is not so fortunate ; and from Gallway
to Black Head is mainly in the hands of the native
fisherman of the ancient village of the Claddagh, now a
suburb of Galway.
Inglis speaks of this community as clean and indus-
trious, and he is so accurate that I have no doubt they
may have been so ; but now they certainly are neither
the one nor the other. Their village consists of a com-
plication of narrow, dirty lanes, dotted throughout their
length with slops of stagnant water and heaps of putrid
filth, and wandering crookedly between rows of dirty,
miserable hovels. These are inhabited by a population
unskilled in their craft, ill supplied with the means of
following it, idle, jealous, lazy, tyrannical, quarrelsome,
and cowardly in the highest degree. They regard the
sea as their private and exclusive property, and will nei-
ther fish it effectually themselves, nor suffer anybody
else to do so.

The district which is known familiarly as Connemara,
with its islands, possesses nearly 400 miles of sea-shore.
On the south and west, it is embraced by sea, and
is bounded on the east by the great lakes of Corrib
and Mask. affording now an open navigation
from the head of Lough Mash to the Bay of Gal-
way, so that the surface presents nearly as much
water as land ; water that exacts no rent, and is full of
produce. It contains, among other advantages, not less
than 20 safe and capacious harbours. The district em-
braces in itself, and is adjacent to, some of the finest and
most productive fishing banks in the world. Among
others may be named the bank off Black Head, one
of the best trawling banks on the coast, the Sun Fish
Bank, the Cod and Ling Bank to the west of Arran,
and the Cod and Ling Bank of Bofin. These are, how-
ever, for the greater part, at a considerable distance from
the shore, and in deep soundings ; and as the fishermen
of the district have neither boats fitted to stand the
weather they must expect to encounter at sea, nor the gear
for deep fishing, their powers of production remain com-
paratively undeveloped. That they present, however, a.
field for enterprise that may he cultivated with large
profit has been satisfactorily proved by the entire success
of the experiment which was made last year by Mr.
Sing, the incumbent of Arran, and which, I believe, is
still continued. I offer no opinion as to the propriety
of a clergyman undertaking such a speculation : that I
leave to Mr. Sing's bishop. At the same time, I
imagine the most zealous of men could scarcely occupy
all his time and energies with the care of the half-dozen
Protestants who form the flock of the Established pastor
of the Isles of Arran. Be that as it may, Mr. Sing has,
for some time now, trawled day by day in the Connemara
district, cruising from Galway to Blacksod Bay. His
ordinary fishing-ground, however, during the time I was
on the coast, appeared to be from the boundary trawling
line in Galway Bay up to the Bofin Bank. His trawler
consisted of a cutter of about 48 tons. His net profits,
as I was informed from authority which I could not
doubt, notwithstanding very high wages which he paid
his crew, varying from 30s. to 21. per week, ranged from
401. to 501. a-month.

Mr. Sing was continually impeded in his enterprise by
the threats and the turbulence of the Claddagh fisher-
men who, though they were restrained by the fear of
the armed revenue cutter, which was ordered to keep
an eye upon them, from actually boarding him, and, as
they had threatened, scuttling his vessel, made many
half attempts at surprise, and pelted him with fish, offal,
and every kind of violent insult. He had supplied him-
self with about 30 stand of arms, and begged hard of
the Inspecting Commander of the Coast Guard for the
loan of a crew of his men. I suggested that an old
jacket or two in the rigging would answer every pur-
pose. I doubt which were the most afraid of each other,
Mr. Sing or the Claddagh fishermen. It put one irre-
sistibly in mind of the duel between Sir Andrew Ague-
cheek and Viola. Poor Mr. Sing, however, appeared
to live a singular life of accumulating profit and con-
tinual apprehension.
There is at the same time no question that these Clad-
dagh fishermen block the way to any improvement or
progress among the fishermen of the coast generally.
Banded together in an anoient community, they make
laws in the most arbitrary spirit for the whole fishing
population of these coasts, and enforce them in the most
despotic and, occasionally, most violent manner. I have
myself known the Clare men, when the bay was full of
mackerel, come humbly over from the opposite coast to
ask whether they might fish the bay on the following
day, and receive from these self-constituted despots a
flat refusal, for no better reason than that they happened
to be full of fish, and were afraid of the market being
better supplied than suited their views of their own inte-
rests—a restriction of competition beyond the fabulous
dreams that their opponents attributed to the most ultra-
Protectionist. Had the others ventured to disregard the
veto, they would certainly have had their gear cut to
pieces, and probably found themselves beaten to death's
door. The emigration of the whole tribe would be the
best thing that could happen for the district. They are
gradually, as a separate community, melting away or
being absorbed ; but in the meantime the Government
would do wisely were they to station a small steamer on
the coast. The cutter of the coast guard had orders
while I was there to protect the fishery ; but in calm
weather, her restraint was comparatively inefficient.
Correspondent of the Morning Post.

A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO A. WIFE.—Sir James Mac-
kintosh, the historian, was married in early life, before
he attained fortune or fame, to Miss Catherine Stuart, a
young Scotch lady, distinguished more for the excellences
of her character than for her personal charms. After
eight years of happy wedded life, during which she
became the mother of three children, she died. A
few days after her death, the bereaved husband wrote
to a friend, depicting the character of his wife, in
the following terms :—" I was guided in my choice
only by the blind affection of youth. I found an intelli-
gent companion and a tender friend—a prudent moni-
tress the most faithful of wives, and a mother as tender
as children had ever the misfortune to lose. I met a
woman who, by the tender management of my weak-
nesses, gradually corrected the most pernicious of them.
She became prudent from affection ; and, though of the
most generous nature, she was taught frugality and
economy by her love for Noe. During the most critical
period of my life she preserved order in my affairs, from
the care of which she relieved me. She gently re-
claimed me from dissipation ; she urged my indolence to
all the exertions that have been useful and creditable to
me ; and she was perpetually at hand to admonish my
I heedless improvidence. To her I owe whatever lam ;
to her whatever I shall be. In her solicitude for my in-
terests she never for a moment forgot my feelings or my
character. Even in her occasional resentment, for which
I but too often gave her cause (would to God I could re-
cal those moments !) she had no sullenness nor acri-
mony. Her feelings were warm and impetuous, but she
was placable, tender, and constant. Such was she whom
I lost, and I have lost her when her excellent natural
sense' was rapidly improving, after eight years of strug-
gle and distress had bound us fast together, and moulded
our tempers to each other ; when a knowledge of her
worth had refined my youthful love into friendship, and
before age had deprived it if much of its original ardour.
I lost her, alas ! the choice of my youth, the partner of
my misfortunes, at a moment when I had a prospect of
her sharing my better days."

MURD.

'FIELD,

THE SUN, Lpmprow, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 8, 1853,

The town of Sheffield has of late obtained an unenvi-
able notoriety from the commission of deeds of bloodshed
and publichouse quarrels. So recently as Easter Tues-
day another young man feel a victim to an outrageous
affray in a publichouse at Catcliffe, and the perpetrator
is now lying in York Castle awaiting his trial. The
present case originated in an affray in a publichouse on
Sunday evening, the 6th of March, about half-past 11
o'clock. The deceased, Joseph Leadbeater, a tableknife-
cutter, residing in Dunfields, William Turner, a saw-
handle maker, of 27, Radford-street, and a man named
Timperley were at the Crown Inn, Scotland-street, drink-
ing in the tap-room, at the time some Irishmen were
drinking in the bar. One of the Irishmen broke a pane
of glass in the bar window, and they refused to pay for
it. En endeavouring to force their way out of the house
the landlord and another of the Irishmen broke two
other panes. The noise attracted from the taproom
the deceased, and Turner and Timperley, and then
one of the Irishmen impudently charged Lead-
beater with having broken one of the first panes. A
watchman was sent for, and, rather than be given into
custody, they paid for the broken panes, and went away
threatening it should be a " had job " for the landlord.
A few minutes afterwards Turner and the deceased and
Timperley went together up Scotland-streot, and, when
opposite Scotland-street chapel, the three Irishmen
rushed out of Cannon-yard and felled Turner and the
deceased with brickbats. The deceased received a frac•
tured skull, and was immediately removed to the Shef-
field Infirmary, where he died on the following Sunday,
leaving a wife and three children. Turner received a
large wound the whole depth of the forehead, another on
the right eyebrow, and a third just above the right angle
of the mouth, the missile penetrating through the flesh,
and knocking out a tooth from the upper jaw. He was
so far convalescent as to be able to appear at the adjourned
inquest on Wednesday week. No new light, however, was
thrown upon the case by him, for to him, like the rest,
the Irishmen were unknown. After the Irishmen had
left Crown Inn a watchman, named Else, heard one of'
them say he would " give. it that d—d Englishmen, if
he had him in the dark." The Coroner (Mr. T. Badger)
stated that he had learnt the names of the three Irish-
men ; they were,—John Fitzgerald, John Dermoty, and
Jem Nolan, alias M'Quin, or " Big Jem." They were
all masons' labourers, and, he understood, had been
working for some time past at the Sheffield new barracks.
An Irishman named John Ferrock, a gardener, living
at Hill-foot, stated that Fitzgerald was his son-in-law, but
he was so designedly stupid in giving his evidence, that the
coroner more than once threatened to give him into cus-
tody. He knew nothing about the "accident," as he per-
sisted in calling it. After much cross-questioning, how
ever, he admitted that all the three men were drinking
together at his house on the evening when this outrage
occurred, in honour of the christening of Fitzgerald's
child, and that they left between nine and ten o'clock.
A few days after the " accident" Fitzgerald and Der-
moty disappeared, he knew not where, but he believed
it was to get out of the way, owing to this " job." Fitz-
gerald lodged with Dermoty, near to him, and " Big
Jem" at Owlerton-bridge. The inquest was concluded
on Wednesday evening last, when the jury returned a
verdict of " Wilful murder" against some person or per-
sons unknown-. The jury requested the coroner to com-
municate with the Secretary of State (Lord Palmerston),
to solicit a reward for the apprehension of the guilty per-
sons, and the granting of a free pardon to any person not
the actual perpetrator of the deed.

NUMBER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED ON
RAILWAYS.

It appears from a return just issued that the number
of persons employed on railways in England and Wales
at the end of Jun; 1852, on 5,4331 miles open for traf-
fic, having 1,790 stations, was 55,331 ; and for the cor-
, responding period of 1851, on 5,200 miles of railway,
having 1,669 stations, was 51,979 persons, showing an
increase of 3,352 persons, 233 miles, and 171 stations.
The number of persons employed on railways in Scot-
land at the above date on 9611 miles of railways
open for traffic, having 311 stations, was 8,271; and
in June, 1851, on 9604 miles of railway, having 304
stations, 8,107, showing an increase of 164 persons and
7 stations. The number of persons employed on rail-
ways open for traffic in Ireland at the end of June 1852,
on 6801 miles of railway, having 152 stations, was 3,999;
and at the same period in 1851, on 5371 miles of railway
and 134 stations, was 3,477, showing an increase of 522
persons, 43 mile; and 18 stations. The total number
of persons employed on 7,0758 miles of railway, open
for traffic in the United Kingdom, having 2,253 sta-
tions, was 67,601 ; and in June, 1851, on 6,6981 miles
of railway, and 2107 stations, was 63,563, showing
an increase of 2,778 miles in the length open, 146 in
the number of stations, and 4,038 in number of per-
sons employed. At the end of June, 1852, the number
of secretaries, or managers, • employed on railways
open for _ traffic was 176, of treasurers 30, engineers
138, superintendents 317, storekeepers 131, accountants
of cashiers 146, inspectors or timekeeper 654, station.
masters 1,704, draughtsmen 119, clerks 5,418, foremen
865, engine-drivers 2,397, assistant engine-driver or
firemen 2,460, guards or breaksmen 2,257, artificers
13,878, switchmen 1,605, gatekeepers 2,088, policemen
or watchmen 1,567, porters or messengers 10,434, plate-
laters 4,909, labourers 13,682, miscellaneous employment
2,626-total, as above, 67,601. The average number
of persons employed per mile was 9.55, and per station
30. The number of persons employed on railways not
open for traffic in England and Wales at the end
of June, 1852, was 25,393, the length of line in
course of construction was 575 miles, and neither open
nor in course of construction 2,7021 miles, making the
length of line authorised but not open at the end of
June, 1852, 3,2771 miles. The number of persons em-
ployed on railways in Scotland not open at that date
was 128, the length of line in course of construction 238
miles, and neither open nor in course of construction
6968 miles, making the total length authorised but not
open 7201 miles. The number of persons employed on
railways not open in Ireland was 10,414, the length of
line in course of construction was 1394 miles, and
neither open nor in course of construction 671 i miles,
making the length authorised but not open 8104 miles.
The total number of persons employed on railways
not open in the United Kingdom at the end of June,
1852, was 35,935, being 7,003 less than at the end of
June, 1851 ; length of line in course of construction
7381 miles, and neither open nor in course of construc-
tion 4,0708, making the total length authorised but not
open at the end of June, 1852, 4,8081 miles, being 4511
miles less than in June, 1851. The total number of per-
sons employed on 8,6471 miles of railway authorised in
England and Wales at the end of June, 1852, was
80,724, being 112 persons more than at the end of
June, 1851. The number of persons employed on
1,6811 miles of railway authorised in Scotland was
8,399, being 403 persons less than at the end of June,
1851. The number of persons employed on 1,491
miles of railway in Ireland was 14,413, being 2,674 per-
sons less than at the end of June, 1851. The total num-
ber of persons employed on 11,821 miles of railway at
the end of. June, 1852, authorised in the United
Kingdom, was 103,536, and at the end of June, 1851
106,501, showing a decrease in the number of persons
employed of 2,965. The length of line authorised at the
end of June, 1851, was 11,959 miles, and at the end of
June, 1852, 11,821 miles, showing that the powers for-
merly granted for the construction of lines had been re-
pealed so as to reduce by 138 miles the aggregate length
of railway authorised in the United Kingdom. At the
end of June, 1852, 7,0751 miles were open for traffic,
738 miles in course of construction, and 4,007 miles in
abeyance, making the total authorised as above, 11,826
miles.

RAILROADS IN SWITZERLAND.—It has been stated by
electric telegraph from Berlin, that the King of Prussia
had caused a note to be communicated to the Federal
Council of Switzerland, relative to railroads in the
canton of Neufchatel. We now give the note tex-
tually :—" Up to the present time the establishment
of railroads in the principality of Neufchatel has
been abandoned to private enterprise. But if the
demand for a public guarantee which has been
made should be renewed, it would be very important
to the parties interested to know what is the opinion of
the Royal Government on this subject. The opinion is
governed by circrinstances. The Royal Government
does not intend at this moment to explain itself as to
the advantages to be obtained from a railroad running
through the principality, either as regards the choice of
the direction, or as regards railroads in general. But as
the Royal Government does not recognise in the men
who have now the power de facto in the principality of
Neufchatel, the right of burdening the country with
guarantees of interest, or other obligations of that na-
ture, the resolution of his Majesty the King, after the
re-establishment of legal order, will not depend on what
the present Government of Neufchatel may have, done
or ordained without right on this subject, but solely on
considerations of general interest."—Ga/ignani.
WEST FLANDERS RAILWAY.—The report of the di-
rectors to the proprietors at the general meeting to be
held in London on Wadnesday, states: `ln the preceding
report your directors 'Telt fully justified, by the then
advanced state of the works between Co rtrai and
Wervicq, in anticipating the opening of tha portion of
the line for traffic by the end of December. he pauses
which delayed that event until the 15th of Ja nary have
been stated by the Directeur Gdrant, and re beyond
the influence of his zeal and activity, as well as the
exertions of the engineer. The progress now making
between Wervicq and "Srpres is as satisfactury as the
unusual difficulties occasioned by the state of the weather
will allow, Whilst your directors look forward, with con-
fidence to the future progress of the works, he receipts
for the four months frem September to December
amount to 5,289/. 19s. 24. ; the expenditure uring the
The
same period to '3,486/. 17s. 7d. ; leaving a balance of
profit of 1,803/. Os. 2d., which will enable the directors
to declare a dividend of Is.' 3d. per share, and to carry
forward a balance to the next account of 194. 13s. lid.
A resolution for the payment of that sun will be
brought forward at the general meeting to' be held at
Bruges on the 19th instant ; and provided a sufficient
amount of stock be then present, either persolnally or by
proxy, to constitute a meeting, the payments will be
made at the-office on and after the sth of May in respect
of all registered shares,' and on the presentation of
shares ' To Bearer,'"
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