The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-31 00:00:00

IRELAND.
DESTITUTION IN DONEGAL.

DUBLIN, DEC. 27.—1 n this extensive northern county
there are no manufactures worth naming, and pauperism
is as general as in some of the worst circumstanced
districts of the south and west. On many of the large
estates farms are minutely subdivided, so that a
large portion of the occupiers are mere cottiers,
holding from one to five acres. It is upon this
class that the destruction of the potato crop has operated
most severely. They have lost their usual means of sub-
sistence—their little oat crops have either been sold to
pay the rent, or eaten by their families to stave off star-
vation, and they are in consequence utterly destitute, as
there are few resident gentlemen to form a relief com-
mittees, or otherwise to promote measures for relief and
employment.
The Belfast Vindicator contains the following repre-
sentations respecting the condition of one district in that
county:—
" The memorial which we subjoin, from the Catholic
and Protestant clergy of the parish of Inismacsaint,
in the barony of Tyrhugh, discloses a fact which one
could scarcely credit, were it not so respectably authen-
ticated. Distress was so urgent, that a presentment
sessions was held in Donegal, for the barony of Tyr-
hugh, on the 26th of last September, and 2,800/.
were then voted, to give immediate employment in the
parish of Inismacsaint, yet not one shilling has yet been
expended in that palish. We will let the memorial
speak for itself:—
" TO HIS EXCELLENCY JOHN EARL OF BESBOROUGII,
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL AND GENERAL GOVERNOR
OF IRELAND.
" The respectful Memorial of the Catholic and Pro-
testant Clergy, parish of Inismacsaint, barony of
Tyrhugh, and county of Donegal,
" Humbly showeth,—That distress, to an alarming
extent, prevails in this parish; that one-third, at least,
of the inhabitants have patiently subsisted, during the
last six weeks, on one meal a day, expecting daily to
be employed on public works ; and although money,
to the amount of 2,8001., had been voted by the magis-
trates and associated cesspayers, at the presentment
sessions, held in Donegal on the 26th of September last,
for the purpose of giving immediate employment to the
distressed of this parish ; yet, for want of the works
having been put into operation, not one shilling has been
received by them as yet, whilst employment has been
afforded in all the neighbouring parishes.
" Your memorialists further state, that Lieutenant
Milward, one of the officers employed in this county by
the Board of Works, called here in the course of this
week; but his stay being short (owing, we suppose, to
pressure of business in other parts of the county), was
only calculated to add discontent and disappointment to
the alarming distress that already prevailed, iu conse-
quence of his not (giving employment to more that sixty
of our poor parishioners.

"
Yourmemorialists, deeply sympathising with our
poor distressed flocks, and alarmed at the awful con-
sequences that must necessarily ensue from further de-
lay, beg leave most respectfully to request your Ex-
cellency to issue such instructions as will cause public
works to be put into operation in this parish, that will
be calculated to give employment to all who are in
distress ; and your memorialists, as in duty bound, will
ever pray.

_
" B. KELLY, P.P., Inismacsaint,
" F. KELAGHAN, C.C., ditto,
" JOHN DUNBAR, Minister of the Parish,
" ' D:e. 12, 1846.'

" ANSWER.

" Dublin Castle, Dec. 17, 1846.
" Sir,—l am directed by the Lord-Lieutenant to ac-
quaint you, for the infbrmation of the parties signing
the memorial forwarded by you on the 12th instant, that
the particu:ar attention of the Board of Works has been
called to the state of the destitute in the parish of Inis-
macsaint.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient
servant, " T. N. REDINGTON.
" Rev. B. Kelly, P,P., Ballyshannon.'
" A reverend gentleman, writing to u; from this,
parish, states-4 The people here are in gnat distress.
From almost every barony and parish of the county,
complaints against the neglects and delays of officials
reach us. In the town and neighbourhood of Ramel-
ton there are over seven hundred families in a state of
misery and destitution, and only one hundred and
eighteen individuals have as yet received employment on
the public works !' Nine weeks ago presentment ses-
sions were held in Buncrana, yet not one individual in
that locality has obtained employment. The (anise,
(pence is that in one week twelve deaths occurred, prin-
cipally from want of food I To render this most unac-
countable delay in the public work, not only in Ennis-
howen but Tvrhugh, more intolerable to those who are
suffering by them, the corks in the adjoining counties
are proeceuted with rigour."
In the Barony of Tyrhugh, above referred to, employ-
ment will soon become general, so far as the estate of.
the Earl of Arran extends, that nobleman having made
the necessary arrangements for large advances from the
Board of Works under the Summary Drainage Act, for
the improvement of his property. Mr. Hamilton, of St.
Ernans, also in the same barony, is about to commence
operations under that Act. It the landed proprietors
generally had had the prudence and forethought to avail
themselves of its provisions, the peasantry could have
been employed everywhere upon productive agricultural
works, and there would have been an immense saving
of expenditure for useless road making.
THE GUN TRADE.
There has been a good deal of most m'schievous mis-
representation on the subject of the purchase of fire-
arms by the peasantry. It now appears from the most
authentic information, that the purchases hare been
made almost altogether by the gently and farmers, from
an apprehension of attempts at plunder by the destitute
peasantry. This "gun trade" is, in fact, only another
evidence of the terrible condition of the poor.
The Drogheda Argus thus disposes of a recent story
about the " sale of arms" in that town:--
" We perceive that the Times has published, on the
authority of the Drogheda Conservative, a statement
that two cart-loads of fire-arms were sold by auction, at
the fair in this town, on the 17th inst., and such was the
avidity with which they were sought that men with
scarcely a coat to their back became purchasers. These
are gross falsehoods. The whole quantity c-f arms ex-
posed for sale was contained in a box which could be
lifted by one man. It was certainly placed on the cart
upon which the auctioner stood as a platform, and the
entire number sold did not, we believe, exceed four
pieces, of which the purchasers were small farmers;
certainly not one was bought by any person of the
pauper class, as the Conservative would vilely insinuate.
" The sales made by the respectable hardware mer-
chants of Drogheda (three of whom out of four are
Conservatives), have been to those who have property to
defend, and to respectable persons for sporting purposes.
" We notice this matter because the natural conse-
quence of the foul calumny, published by the Conserva-
tive, would be to prevent all persons at a distance from
contributing towards the removal of the destitution which
unfortunately prevails in Drogheda and the neighbour-
hood around."
EMPLOYMENT OF THE NAVY IN THE PRO-
VISION TRADE.
The Northern Whig, a moderate and sensible journal,
thus earnestly urges the employment of ships of war in
the conveyance of grain from America, to supply the
great deficiency in the mercantile marine. Some weeks
since the Dublin El:e7ling Port and the Mercantile Adver-
tiser suggested a similar step, and more recently the
committee of landlords have followed up the recommen-
dation :
" If the suspension of the navigation laws, in so far as
the present emergency requires, should not be sufficient,
all the available resources of our navy ought to be put
in requisition. Already Government ships have been
used for conveying provisions to several parts of Ireland;
and why should they not be used tier carrying provisions
from America, for instance, where the supplies are
greatest? It need not be required that they be given
gratis. Indeed that would not be thought of unless the
Government were to become importers, which they have
properly declined. Let a number of Government vessels
be made available to merchants, to be chartered at the
ordinary rates; and in this way the treasury will suffer
nothing, but rather gain something, whilst the public
will be benefited by the more abundant importation of
provisions. If the chief purpose of our great navy be,
to form a defence of our country, it will be legitimately
employed in aiding to protect us against the most ter-
rible enemy by which we have ever been assailed. Two
other remedies are obvious, and have been repeatedly
pressed upon the attention of the Government. These
are—first, the opening of the ports, and, second, the ad-
mission of foreign articles for the use of distilleries and
breweries. Other remedies will be suggested. The
Government must, and will do all they can; and, all
having been done which men can do (if we will only
stand up, worthily, and not crouch and grovel, and whine
like spiritless creatures) we must make up our minds to
stand or fall, as may be, but as becomes men;—we may
not have it in our power to escape the scourge of famine,
but we may at least struggle manfully, and bear with
courage."

REPEAL ASSOCIATION.
DUBLIN, DEc. 28.—The weekly meeting of the Asso-
ciation, held this day, was rather numerously attended.
On the motion of Ur. O'CONNELL the chair was taken
by the Hon. Cecil Lawless.
The CHAIRMAN briefly addressed the meeting. He ex-
pressed his intention of devoting the little experience he
possessed to the service of his country, and trusted it
might prove useful. When he contemplated the present
condition of the country, he was obliged to confess that
there was but a poor prospect of a happy new year for
Ireland. He had read of the state of destitution to which
beleaguered towns had been roduced, but he did not be-
lieve that in the history of human destitution anything
could approach the appalling misery which at the pre-
sent moment existed in his native land.—(Hear, hear.)
To the Union, in his mind, were those miserable results
to be attributed.—(Hear.) The Union was aptly de-
scribed by Lord Byron, who called it the Union of the
shark with its prey. Looking then upon the Union as
the cause of the manifold evils of the country, it could
not be wondered that he was associated with those who
were endeavouring to effect its repeal.—(Cheers.) He
did not mean to charge the present Government, or any
particular Government with creating this state of things,
but he would fearlessly assert that if they had a home
Government the existing crisis would have been antici-
pated.—(Hear, hear.) John Ball, though full of the
noblest qualities, at all times exhibit..d a selfish spirit
with regard to nations with which he was connected. It
was that spirit which lost him the American colonies,
which, had his conduct been otherwise than it was, would
have rendered those colonies to him at the present day,
a source of strength.—(Hear, hear.)' This same feeling
actuated England in all her dealings with Ireland. Ile
would ask, had the Irish ports been opened for the im-
port of foreign provisions ? or had the exports from Ire-
land been stopped?
Why were not these courses adopted?
manufacturing districts of
England
Simply, because the
revenue
might perhaps suffer some inconsiderable inconvenience
from a rise in the price of
prsovpispioedn, s.lesltY theh rvveasnuoet
distillaticn stopped? it was not to