The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-24 00:00:00

ALARMING DIS TRESS IN IRELAND.

MEETING THIS DAY.
This morning a numerous and respectable meeting was held
in the Egyptian Hall, Mansion-house, for the purpose of taking
into consideration the alarming distress which prevails in the
Sister Kingdom, and with a view of proposing and adopting
Loherdhslp
it
ziti
seine benevolent plans to be carried into immediate execution,
in order to alleviate the sufferings of the inhabitants of that ini-
portant part of the United Kingdom.
called to
he
the
hd Chair.
received,H is
called the present meeting, and it was with a mixture of pleasure
and pain that he did so. Pleasure to meet . his fellow
said,Ti 'eth LORDat i n obedience MAYOR
to w
a asrequisition
citizens. l'ain, upon reflecting upon the starving state of
the thousands for whose relief they were assembled, as
a [great number of his fellow creatures in Ireland, when
they arose from their beds of straw in the morning, knew
not whether they would obtain food sufficient to sustain exist.
ence until the evening.
JOHN SMITH, Esq., the banker, rose to propose the first
resolution, and noticed among others the state of distress in
which the western counties of Ireland were involved, particu-
larly Galway and Mayo. During the last year there had been a
great failure in the crop of potatoes, but that would have been
more efficient, had it been harvested under better circum-
stances than it had been. It was obvious that general
distress might in some degree be mitigated, but it could
not be removed by one individual; but to the honour
of the Marquis of Sligo, thousands had been relieved from his
own purse.—(Hear, and applause.)—He had received letters
from persons of the strictest honour and veracity, detailing in-
stances of distress which were really appalling_ Distress was not
confined to the county he had named, but it was also prevalent in
an alarming degree in those of Kihneena, Galway, and Sligo.
In his mind there was a great debt due from Great Britain to
Ireland, and to her an appeal was now made. He would not touch
upon political matters, but he must say that she had not been
governed by wisdom, but with a rod of iron. We had prevented
them from educating her children, and we had laid restraints on
her commerce. Ireland had donemuch for us. Some of our bravest
soldiers and most hardy sailors were found among the sons of
Ireland, and, independent of the able General who led them to
batik it would be tbund, by investigating the particulars of the
victory at Waterloo, a large portion of Irish blood was shed.—
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) Ile trusted, that this would he the
last appeal which Ireland would have occasion to make to
England, and that the world would see, by the eiihrts
of this meeting, that Great Britain was disposed to relieve the
distress of her fellow subjects in a foreign country.—(Hear.) He
concluded by moving—a That the extreme occasional distress
which prevails in some districts in Ireland is Justly entitled to
public compassion."
Lord CLARENDON', in seconding the resolution, com-
plimented the Lord Mayor and the other civic authori-
ties, for the readiness with which the hall was opened,
in which they could make known the details of human di,'
distress. His Lordship read several letters which contained
rte.--
counts of a nature which, as he observed, were enough to soften
the most callous heart, and cause the purse-strings of the most
penurious to be withdrawn.
Mr. Sh eil and a great number of Irish Gentlemen were present.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—Urns DAY.)

FROM LLOYD'S.
PLYMOUTH, MARCH 22.—Wind E.N.E.—Arrived
from London, the Mary Ann, Jacks, for Van Diernan's
Land. Arrived the Amiable, Were, from Bordeaux.
DARTMOUTH, Mancu 22.—Arrived the Martha, Lewis,
Iron St. Ander°.

BRISTOL, MARCH 22.—Artived the It from Nsp!...
ST NAZA IRE, Manen 22.--Arrived the Triton, Dtu-
nison, from Mobile.

BREST, MARCH 18:—Tlie wreck of a boat, with
" Helen, of London, John Ede," painted on it, was driven
on=shore on this coast on the 12th instant. 'The Jau.es
and Theresa, from Newcastle, which put in here
sailed this morning for Charente.

The Stefdliart, EyTema% from Trieste to Bremen, is
wrecked near Brindisi.

The Traveller, Anderson, from Liverpool to Vera Cruz,
was spoke with 30th Dec. in lat. 17, N. long. 33.
The Windham, Dawson, front London, hai pat into
Harwich, with loss of anchor, bound to Yarmouth.
The Stanley, from Gallipoli, is supposed to be artiv, d
at Hull.