The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-09 00:00:00

act upon
are best

creatures were cut off from the combined effects of
pestilence and famine, while in the corresponding
months of 1845 only seven fell victims•—an increase
more than thirty-fold—sufficiently attests the fearful
nature of the visitation on our Irish brethren. Thousands
upon thousands are exposed to equal wants. The
hardy Highlander is in similar difficulty. 400,000 of
the children and brethren of those who never deserted
their country in the hour of danger, who aided to
fight our battles, to roll back the tide of war from our
shores, have been deprived of their principal, if not
their sole means of subsistence, by the destruction of
the potato, their chief article of food. The fund to
be collected will be must properly applied to their
exigencies as well as to those of the Irish poor, it
will be expended in the distribution of food, cloth-
ing, and of fuel ; by an excellent regulation, no
money aid is to be given in any case. The objects of
the charity, the recipients of the bounty, will be chiefly
selected from the sick and the infirm, the widows
a
orphans,
for such, alas ! are to be found
msufferers who have no earthly protectors,
whond 0
h are
se the
pff
unable to avail themselves of the means
at t
theo r

afforded by the Government measures, but none will
be exempt from relief--the extent of their necessities
will constitute their title to assistance wherever it is

practicable. Some equivalent, in the shape of labour
will be required from those able to give it, to be ap-
plied to some useful purpose ; so that none but the
incapable will be suffered to eat the bread of idleness,
and every possible precaution will be taken against
the abuse of the public beneficence. Any persons
feeling peculiar interest in any of the suffering dis-
tricts may indicate the localities to which their con-
tributions should especially be applied, which will be

strictly observed by the committee. A large and
powerful steamer will be immediately dispatched to
Ireland, with supplies of food, clothing, &c., and any
kind of contributions, clothing, flannel, blankets, &c.,
will be thankfully accepted and faithfully applied.
Under the direction and superintendence of the com-

mittee many a life will be spared, many an aching
heart will be made glad, and throb with gratitude to
its benefactors, for the aid so readily afforded and
received. Ireland will be conquered by a weapon
more potent and efficacious than the bayonet, and
bound to us by stronger ties than have ever hitherto
existed—the bonds of affectionate regard and grateful
love.

A letter from Vienna of the 31st ult., published in
the Rhenish Observer of the sth inst., contains the
following;_.
" Much excitement has been created in the diplomatic
salons by a protest against the incorporation of Cracow,
which Baron de Hochschild, the Swedish Ambassador,
has presented to the Austrian Government on the part
of King Oscar, in hi 3 quality of a guaranteeing party to
the treaty of Vienna. It is said that the style of this
note is most dignified, and that the King of Sweden,
a!theugh cenvinced of the necessity of the measure
against which he protests, expresses a hope that it will
be the last measure of a similar nature to which the
three Powers will have recourse."

Madrid papers of the Ist have arrived.
The report of the escape of OLOZAGA. is not con-
firmed, and it is said he will be tried on a capital
charge.

Senor CORTINA has set out from France for Madrid,
to take his seat as Member for Seville. Don FABRICIO
DE POTESDAD has been appointed Spanish Consul at
Bayonne, in the room of Senor BTJSTAMENTE, dis-
missed for countersigning OLOZAGA'S passports.
A reinforcement of 5,000 troops has been sent to
the Basque Provinces.
The Bolsa was closed on the ht.

We have received the Paris papers of Thursday.
The following programme of the business to be
transacted by the Chamber of Deputies atthe open-

Already have the anticipations we recently put
forward been realised, already have large sums of
morn' been subscribed with a liberality worthy of
the sacred cause that has called forth these voluntary
donations. 21e British Association for the Relief of
Extreme Cases of Distress in the Remote Parishes of
Ireland and Scotland has been formed, a committee
ins been appointed, and the names of the gentlemen
who have kindly consented to aid by their exertions
expenditure of the sums that may be so
in proc:iring contributions, and seeing to the corset
nd which appeared in our advertising
caconolldluemeptrneodsp,eroa'f
'Thursday, will afford the strongest
guarantee of the honour and integrity with which the
fund will be managed, and of its judicious application
to the desired purposes. On the very day of the
formation of this humane association more than
12,000/. sterling was subscribed to feed the hungry
and to clothe the naked. The list was appropriately
headed with the name of her Most Gracious MAJESTY,
who in a spirit worthy of her exalted station, of the
'deep and affectionate interest she takes in everything
affecting even the humblest of her subjects, of open-
handed charity and true benevolence, set the example
to her subjects, by the munificent donation of 2,000/.
Her august Consort followed in a similar spirit, with
a sum of 5001. The Duke of DEVONSHIRE, an
English nobleman, of the highest rank, the proprietor
of wide-spread and extensive domains in Ireland, con-
tributed the splendid gift of 1,0001., while six of our
leading mercantile firms sustained the character of
the merchant princes of our land by similar subscrip-
tions. The Premier, the Home Secretary, and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer evinced the ar xiety of
the Government to relieve to the utmost the fearful
destitution, not only by their public acts, but by their
private liberality—a precedent which will doubtless
be followed by their colleagues in office and their
political supporters; while Sir R. PEEL exhibited the
same promptitude to relieve the wants of his fellow-
creatures that he did in responding so speedily to the
appeal of the highly-gifted, but unfortunate HAYLON,
at a moment when pressed to the uttermost with
official cares and the necessity of rebutting a most
virulent.but plausible attack on his personal conduct
and character. Many other well-known and di,-
tinguished gentlemen have likewise come forward
most nobly, and day by day the list will be increased,
the sum total will be magnified by the addition of
many names, and large sums of money. We are
proud of our countrymen, we knew that an appeal, if
well founded, was never fruitlessly made to their
better feelings. It was sufficient to satisfy them that
there was distress and suffering, that it could be
mitigated by the application of money or exertion,
and the response was invariably the same—worthy of
Englishmen, worthy of Christians. They stretched
forth the hand of charity to the sufferer. They
relieved his wants and soothed his afflictions. They
paused not to inquire how the wretchedness had
originated, by whose default it was occasioned, whether
the sufferer himself ,had acted prudently and dis-
creetly, or whether he had evinced gratitude for
former benefits or past favours. The urgency of the
wants—the pressing necessity of the applicant—was
all that was inquired into; past errors were forgotten,
or only considered after the emergency had been suc-
cessfully encountered, in deciding on the means of
preventing the recurrence of similar evils : in any
case his present necessities were supplied, whether
out of their superfluities, or, if necessary, by re-
stricting themselves, and abating some of their usual
and accustomed luxuries or comforts. Their benevo-
lence knew no limitation, in its objects it was
bounded by no cold or selfish considerations; whatever
the country, the creed, or the colour of the unfortu-
nate, it was the same; assistance was sure to be
afforded, and they have had, and will have, their
reward. The respect entertained throughout the globe
for the English character; the national prosperity
that has blessed our existence, and which is chiefly
owing to the excellence of that character, and which
has placed a comparatively small island among the
leading powers of the :earth ; the inappreciable de-
lights of a conscience at peace with itself; the intense
gratification, the luxury of doing good, but, above
all, the blessings that are extended to nations, as well
as individuals, who have well and truly discharged
the great duty of Christianity—all reward such praise.
worthy conduct.
It is needless to dwell on the extreme necessity
that now unfortunately exists for extensive aid!
What day has elapsed without a considerable portion
of our columns being filled with the heartrending
details of misery such as has rarely been equalled,
never surpassed ? The statement of the Rev. Mr.
CAULFIELD of the deaths that have taken place in his
own immediate district, where, in the months o
November and December last, 218 of our fellow.