The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-15 00:00:00

DISTRESS IN IRELAND.

The following is a letter, addressed by Commander Caffin
to the Rev. G. Stoddart
" Her Majesty's ship Scourge, Belmullet,
• Co. of Mayo, March 10, 1847.
"My dear Sir,—l have to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter and its enclosure with many thanks, for really the de-
mands upon my own purse were so many and great, that I
should soon be a beggar, or have to steel my heart against
the misery and woe around me. To do this would indeed
be a work of difficulty, and my only desire is, that all who
are rolling in riches and affluence in our land might be a
participator with me in those scenes which I feel it my duty
to witness and represent; nay, I will say more, it would in-
deed be well for their souls' good to see what poor human
nature can be reduced to, and must thrust the inquiry upon
all, Who maketh me to differ?' I much regret that I could
not have furnished you with the state of things in this
barony before ; but really my time is so much occupied in
attending to duty, that it gives me little to devote to my-
self. I must plead this, too, as an excuse at this moment,
fearing I shall be able only to give you a hurried and short
note, as I leave for Westport, Newport, and Clifden, to-mor-
row morning, delivering the remainder of the cargo of the
Society of Friends.
" In the barony of Erris, about Bellmullet, the wretchedness
is very great, and the cases of death from starvation of fre-
quent occurrence, although the greater number are earned
off by dysentery caused by insufficiency, change, and
unwholesomeness of food. On both sides of Blacksod Bay
they are very badly off, and nothing but gratuitous issue of
meal in the extreme cases can do any good. This too often
comes too late, and the poor sufferer is carried off without be-
nefiting by it. On the west side of the bay, throughout
the whole length of what is called " within the Mullet," is
wretchedness and woe. At the extreme south point is a vil-
lage, seldom visited by anybody, called Surgeview ; it has
about 150 or 200 inhabitants; at this place they had been
living upon horseflesh for three weeks past. I rode there in
order that I might be able to bear testimony to this extreme
state of destitution. It was the fact, and on entering one of
the cabins, and being shown a piece of horse, my heart
sickened, but a moment's reflection led me to commend these
poor people to bring themselves to this rather than allow
themselves and their large families to die; some, how-
ever, preferred death, or a miserable existance upon limpets
and sea-weed, which may be said to have kept them in
a state of existence during the winter, together with a
little fish which they catch when the weather permits them
to venture out iu their frail boats, which are only made of
open basket work, covered with horse hides or canvass. In
one cottage they had a quantity of the horse flesh salted,
and some of it smoked. I asked them how they obtained
this meat? They said that the horses died of starvation, the
owners of them skinned them, and then allowed the flesh to
be taken; in some cases taking a portion for their own use.
In this village lived an old lady with her two daughters—in
fact the village belongs to her. She says she cannot get the
rents paid, and the people impose upon her sadly. The poor
creature, with tears rolling down her cheeks, told me she
went to bed last night supperless, and cannot tell how one
meal in advance of the other is to be obtained. She is the
only Protestant in this wretched village, and appears well
prepared for that end which must shortly overtake her.
Her manners and those of her daughters are quite ladylike,
whilst their dwelling is more wretched than you can con-
ceive—a mere hovel, clean as far as it could be. There was
no sickness in this village, and the looks of the people
bespoke a better state of things than we found. On our
return we visited other yillages; at Falimore we found them
eating horse flesh, as in Surgeview. Everywhere the poor
creatures, with their children barely clad, were to be seen
searching for potatoes ; and ground which had not been
cultivated for two years. on account of the failure, they
were now turning and returning, and had done this three
and four times over, still looking for some; those that they
got were no larger than marbles. Their principal support
during the winter, as throughout this narrow neck of land,
was seaweed and limpets. With few exceptions the middle-
aged and young people were healthy looking, with all their
distress; but the old people and children mostly objects of
starvation, and I should fear they were neglected, being

unable to provide for themselves. Seine of these poor creatures
were in bed exposing their limbs in order to show us their
emaciated state, and many children positively skeletons, and
without clothing. I need hardly tell you that it is very
heart-breaking, this spectacle, and one which can never be
effaced from my memory.
"It is impossible to convey the melancholy aspect of the
whole country lying fallow—not a patch of it touched—and
the groups of poor creatures only looking for and hoping
that employment may be found for them. Their spirits are
sadly depressed. Their cry is for seed, and Ido think if
they saw any chance of this coming they would rouse them-
selves, believing that their poor country might yet be saved;
but no provision has been made for the ground to do its
part ; and the state of things next year must be ten times
worse than this. The 12th of next month is considered here
the end of seed time, and no ground has as yet been pre-
pared. If seed, however, was to be brought without delay,
I do think the people would rouse themselves and prepare
the ground, and things might yet brighten upon them.
Green crops, too, such as turnips and mangle-wurtzel, would
do well they say in this soil.
"It is no use my entering in detail into the actual starva-
tion cases, or to tell you of the particular distress which pre-
vails in any one locality ; for they are all alike, getting
worse as you travel south, and at Schull and its neighbour-
hood the very climax of misery finds its resting-place.
" I have no doubt ultimate good will result from all this
misery, when He alone who brought it to pass shall speak
the word, and say, "It is enough." A stranger coming
among these people is at once struck with the filth and
wretchedness of their habitations and persons, but little
indeed removed from the very beasts who herd among them.
He is at first inclined to think this is consequent upon the
present distress ; but it is not so. They have thus lived from
the earliest period till now. No care has been shown to
improve their condition, and they are little inclined to do it
themselves. I think, however, the time has come when it
might be done effectually; and I think your society should,
in granting any gratuitous relief, require that some labour
be performed for it, such as paving their,cabins with slabs of
stones, which are to be found in abundance about them,
putting their cabins in order, building chimneys to them,
and in endeavouring to raise them to a degree of comfort
which they are at present ignorant of; this would not atop
short of improving their minds too. I have written more
than I thought my time would allow—it has been written
at random ; but I will convey to you any further information
should I feel I can interest you, or forward the object of your
society. You, of course, are at liberty to make use of this
letter, or any parts of it, as you may think fit; and refer any
one for particulars to the simple truths which I stated with
reference to Schull for detail, which will answer quite as well
here as there, starvation, in all its stages, is to be found.
" Believe me, my dear Sir, very truly
yours,
"CRAWFORD CAFFIN.
"To the Rev. George H. Stoddart, Hon. Secretary,
United Relief Association, 40, Leicester-square.

ROWLAND HILL, THE PENNY-
POST REFORMER.
And is there to be no statue to you, Rowland Hill ? Do
marble and bronze on every hand anticipate, with impa-
tient honours, the rewards of posterity for a hero, who,
through the sinews of a hundred thousand warriors, and,
with the aid of captainship, hardly inferior to his own, on
every side of him, has won a host of fields ; and is there no
mould or chisel for you? You who have filled up the perni-
cious gulph, which poverty and distance interpose between
man, and the best cherisher of his affections and virtues—his
home! Poor artisans! by whose fast wasting and dispro-
portionably rewarded vigour, the manufacturer grows fat
and sleek—enlarges his little lawn into a domain of miles,
and his country-box into a palace—heed not, now, though
you should be obliged to send your children him you—tar
—far—to seek for better fortune at less toil! Without
stinting a meal, you can talk to them when you please;
learn how it fares with them ; counsel them, encourage them ;
comfort them when they need it; keep them still upon their
guard—beset if they should be with knavery or lust—almost
as though they were still within the range of the paternal
eye! Abstracted from the millions of the land, what a sorry
remainder would you leave! What were the land without
you? if you are the base of the society, how broad is that
base! of what moment that it should be sound I—Rowland
Hill has found out the secret for rendering it ao, and for pre-
serving it so.
The Revenue! Pounds, shillings, and pence? Dross!
Set a sum upon the domestic tie!
And there is no monument for you, Rowland Hill? They
wished you a kind good morning at the General Post .uffice!
—Justice !—but it was politely done. There is nothing tor
you, or next to nothing—a mighty spirit of gratitude I—a
sprinkle of a few thousands of pounds ! when the tithe of a
million might have been raised ti,r you, in mere penny beads,
and not the pocket of a contributing; errand-bov perceptibly
the lighter! But there was nothing flishy, Rowland Hill,
about your acnievement ! It cost neither treasure, nor blood
' and sweat! It was announced by no brawling of gazettes!
—it was celebrated by no public rejoicings—the hustering
of cannon, fireworks, illuminations. It shook not the world
with the struggles of its mighty birth !—though for ages it
will do what it has already done—worlds of good It came
upon us as softly as a sheet of French letter-parer falls to
the ground, not making any noise at alit
Never, dear Rowland use the epithet in hearty
earnest—never was public testimonial botched and bungled,
so lamentably, as yours! Thoughtlessness, apathy and stu-
pidity, must have foisted themselves upon your friends, as
the promoters of it. There ought to have been arranged a
simultaneous demonstration of thanks to you, in every city,
town, village and hamlet throughout the United Kingdom !
If we have heard aright the compliment cost something
short of twenty thousand. Why, London alone might have
paid the shot, for the rest of the empire, without doing any-
thing to wag its head for, after all! But, Rowland Hill, we
fear you want the knack. You may have the talent, the be-
nevolence, the patriotism to plan and suggest a benefit—per-
haps one of the most important that a country ever received
from the services of a single man ; but, we suspect, you lack
the cunning, to know, that patriotism, benevolence, and
' talents, must, either directly or indirectly, bestir themselves
' —and thoroughly too, to secure their due reward—or be con-
' tent to go without it. The debts, that are due to theth are
seldom, 'lever, discharged spontaneously.— Sheridan Knowles'
New 7-trek of " George Lovell."

AWFUL SHIPWRECK, 160 PERSONS DROWNED.—
Intelligence was received yesterday in the City, announcing
the awful loss of an emigrant ship belonging to Hamburgh,
in the Gulf stream, while on her passage to Canada, by
which upwards of 160 emigrants perished. The vessel is re-
ported to be the barque Stephan, Captain Brnger, muter,
which sailed from the port of Hamburgh on the 28th of Oc-
tober last. The calamity is stated to have occurred during
the heavy gales on the 18th of December. The master and
four of the crew are reported to have been picked up in an.
open boat by a schooner from New Orleans. Further ac-
counts are anxiously looked for by the agents in London and
Hamburgh.—Sunday paper.
REPRESENTATION OF DLINGANNON.—Wo under-
stand that Alexander M. Shaw, Esq., of Belfast, has com-
municated to the electors of Dungannon his intention of being
a candidate for the next election.—Northern Whig.
ESCAPE FROM JAIL.—On Friday morning it was
discovered that Charles Pye, who had been convicted the
evening previously at the assizes of burglary, had effected
his escape from the jail at Chelmsford. He has not, y. et been
retaken.