The Sun.
London, England, 1822-01-21 00:00:00

FOR. THE SUN.

Mn. Enrroi—l have read with the greatest
astonishment in your Paper of Saturday last (this
moment received) a Letter, signed " An English-
man and a Freeman of Cork," announcing the
commencement of a Public Subscription for our
Starving Peasanky, here in Ireland. I wish this
Gentleman had not been ashamed, in so chari-
table a cause, to attach his signature to the Ad-
dre:s, for I have no hesitation to say, that until
he does so I shall strongly suspect hint to be no
Englishman, no Freeman; but a true-born Irish-
man, and a Roman Catholic into the bargain,
whose principal object is to have it supposed in
your Country that the present organized Conspi-
racy in Ireland has no connexion with Popish in-
fluence, is partial, and originates from national
distress alone. I have only to observe, Mr. Edi-
tor, that had there existed any occasion at pre-
sent for raising futrds towards relieving general
distress here, measures of precaution would have
been adopted, not in London, but in Cork and
Dublin, to alleviate, if not avert, so awful and
horrible a calamity as famine. But, Sir, the
strongest proof I can afford you of the statement
of your Correspondent being, if not an absolute
falsehood, at least a forced exaggeration, is this
conclusive reply which I return him, and chal-
lenge him to refute—that of the many thousands
who have, at various times and places, appeared
in arms, and who necessarily must have been
the most demoralized and most necessitous of
those STA ItirlNG Peasants, not a man of
them ever even asked for, much less car-
ried off, either money, plate, moveables, LI -
QUO as, or provisions of any kind ; their sole
demand was arms, lead, and gunpowder ; and in
a few instances where THEY were not to be ob-
tained, a SMALL stipulated sum, as declared ex-
pressly to buy those munitions of rebelliob and
massacre. That partial distresses may exist, I
will not deny ; but 1 do assert, in no greater de-
gree than what this unfortunate country, under
the dominion of priestcraft and superstition as it
is, has been constantly subject to in years pro-
ducing a less abundant harvest, and a greater
degree of tranquillity than the late season has
afforded. Certainly, as yet there has in the con-
duct of the peasantry been no appearance of
starvation ; and silly from the dryness of last
summer's turf, there should be any general want
of fuel, I am at an equal loss to imagine, as the
poor are in the habit of making up their little
firing and carrying it home, long before the period
that the late floods set in. The object of
your Correspondent is, I much fear, to delude
and draw off the ,attention of Parliament from
the true source and origin of the present insurrec-
tion, which on the testimony of one of the con-
spirators (F,.‹-ily), executed under the Special
Commission at Limerick, has been organizing, gra-
dually but secretly, for eight years past, he having
(as he confessed) been sworn a Member of the
Union in the year 181-1, which year witnessed
the establishment of the Jesuits in' Ireland. Of
this, Sir, you may rest assured, that should any
decided appearance of scarcity spew itself, the
Subscription towards its relief will emanate
here; and until then, [ beg, through your ad-
mirable Journal, to present my compliments and
recognition to your Correspondent, in his real
character, not of " An Englishman and a Free-
man," but of a true-born Paddy and a Jesuit from
Cork.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your obe-
dient servant, HARCOURT LEES.
Black Rock, Wednewlay, Jan. 16.

P.S. In' The Aniidote of next Saturday you
will observe my 15th Letter to the People of
England, which will perhaps explain the real
object your Cork Correspondent has in view.

RALPH 1, IMBTON had nearly met with a
serious accident a few days ago while hunt-
ing. His horse after taking a leap fell, and
Mr. Lambtou was thrown on the ground, one of
his feet remaining fast in the stirrup: the spirited
animal immediately rose and galloped off. For-
tunately, Mr. LamnroN had not been dragged
many yards when the buttons by which his boot
was fastened at the knee, gave way, and his
leg was thus released from the boot, which con-
tinued fixed in the stirrup.—To this providen-
tial circumstance Mr. Latubton, who, we rejoice
to hear, receiyed no material injury, perhaps
owes the preservation of his life.--(Durham Ad-
vertiser, Jam 17.)