The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-29 00:00:00

tong no or pen can convey the slightest idea oF. In the
first, six tarnished and gllAstly skeletons, to all appear-
rakes) dead, were huddled in a corner on soul, filthy
strver, their sole covering what seemed a ragged horse-
clotih, their wretched legs hanging about, neked above
the:knees. I approached with horror, and found by a
low. moaning they were alive—they were in fever, four
chi/.dren, a woman, and what had once been a man. It
is impossible to go through the detail. Suffice it to say,
that in a few minutes I was surrounded by at least 200
of such phantoms, such frightful spectres as no words
cal s describe. • 'By far the greater number were delirious,
etrher from famine or from fever. The demoniac yells
arc still ringing in my ears, and their horrible images
art fixed upon My brain. My heart sickens at tee
red ital, but I'murt go on.
"6 Iu another case, decency would forbid what follows,
but` it must be told My clothes were nearly torn off in,
my endeavour to efcape from the throng of pestilence
are.und, when my neckcloth was seized from behind by a
ger pe which compelled me to turn. I found myselt
gels sped by a woman with an infant just born in her
arlls, and the remain; of a filthy sack across her loins—
tilt: sole covering of herself and babe. The same morn-
ing the police opened a house on the adjoining lainis,
which was observed shut fur many days and two frozen
cost pses were found, lying upon the mud floor, half de-
;reamed by the rats.
• A Mother, herself in a fever, was seen the same clay
to .drag out the corpse of her child, a girl about 12, per-
fectly naked, and leave it half covered with stones. In
act ther house, within 500 yards of the cavalry station
at Skibberecn, the dispensary doctor found, !:;even
wrtietches lying, unable to move, under the same cloak.
Ore had been dead many hours, but the others were
uns .ble to move either themselves or the corpse."
Gracious Heaven, can such things be possible in
a Cilristian land ? Can civilised men see their fcl-
loll -creatures suffering the agonies of hunger, endur-
ing more than the inhabitants of a beleagured city
has e ever been subjected to ? Are there no ministers of
'the ,Gospel,, no relief committees, .no persons in any
the slightest degree removed from such a state who
were capable of telling the sad tale, of demanding
instant relief and assistance for the sufferers? Some
time must have elapsed before the unhappy creatures
could have been ,redueed -to. such extremities. A
fea;:ful responsibility rests on all who were acquainted
h the facts and did not make them public, when
the aid that
.could be, obtained in the neighbourhood
WBl3 found.to he inadequate to meet the crisis. We
are aware that two clergymen have been in constant
cor ImuniCatlon "With the Home Secretary within
the last- few weeks, and that they. Lid . a
meancholy statement before the Right Hon. Baronet
that awakened the deepest sympathies for the suff.T-
ingla described. His answer to their- application has
been published within a few days, and moat sincerely
do we trust that the recommendation contained
theirein may be adopted. And we cannot doubt but
that our own countrymen will nobly respond to the
call made upon them. It is no time for inquiring by
whose default this frightful suffering has been oc-
casioned. It is no time to speak of existing laws, or
of Those which may be enacted hereafter, or at whose
expense the people should be fed: there are human
heiiigs -perishing at this moment; without food or
clothing ; theie Is an opportunity to feed the hungry
and to clothe the naked, who, without speedy assist-
ance, must perish by a lingering and painful death.
GEORGE Gael- has truly toted that
it is impossible for the Government, by any
means, to meet all the cases of severe privation and
distress which are to be found under existing einem-
staires in Ireland ; much must be done by individual
owoers of property and by private charity. Sir GEORGE
suggests that means should be taken for raising
among the wealthier classes in Ireland, as well as in
England, contributions for the relief of extreme cases
of Want and. destitution, not capable of being met
by the existing poor-law, or by the works in pro-
gre'ss, or to be hereafter sanctioned, and states that
he entertains no doubt that if due precautions were
taken for securing the proper application of such con-
tributions to the relief of urgent and severe distress,
through the local agency which can alone be com-
petent to the duty, " liberal aid would be afforded by
private benevolence in this country," and such will
undoubtedly be the case. Englishmen have never
withheld their assitance from the- sick and needy,
they have afforded succour to the destitute in what-
ever clime or country they may be situated. There
is no tale of real -distress that has ever been told to
them in vain. We have assisted the stranger, shall
we suffer those speaking our language, united to us
by inany ties that should prompt a ready response to
any demand for assistance, to call in vain ? We have
often held out the hand of felloWship in periods of
lighter trial than the present. Large sums have been
remitted in former years, and many lives were pre-
served by the timely aid so afforded ; but never was
there a call so urgent and pressing as that now made.
The very season should awaken sentiments of benefi-
cence in every breast. This is the time of joy and
festivity, of feasting and merriment. Families
that are separated for the rest of the year are re-
unitid at this happy time. Loftier and higher thoughts
will arise in many hearts. We commemorate a !pe-
riod of glad tidings and great joy to mankind. Suffer
not our brethren to be cut off from amongst us. We
pray to be delivered from pestilence and famine; let
us strive .by all means to alleviate the afflictions of
those who are suffering under their baleful influence.
No time is to be lost. Let not the day pass before a sincere
resolution is formed by each tedo something accord
ing to his means, to give up some trifling object, to
restrict himself (if necessary) in some particular, and
to devote the amount to mitigate the wretchedness we
have detailed. We venture.to say, a more pure de-
light has never been enjoyed than that which will fol-
low such a course: What is to be done must
be done at once ; a single hour should not
be lost. Englishmen, you have never hitherto
been , found wanting, and never_ has th4e
been a greater necessity •-for uniVersal exertion

" Bic dal, qui cito. dat,"—a small sum given promptly
and readily will be more valuable than a far larger
amount if delayed. Expedition is, everything; there
will ; be many channels discovered through which
your bounty will be faithfully distributed, and make
glad!the hearts of the unhappy and miserable. Recol.
1.-.. ct,; too, that the calamity is not restricted to a
single locality, the case of South Poen is but an
exaMple of that which is daily taking place in the
less cultivated and poorer districts. A single provin--
cial paper, the Mayo constitution, contains the hc-
f- _ _

count of no less than eight coroners' inquests, in all
of which the verdict of death , from starvation or from

wane of sufficient food has been returned. And one

of the coroners of the county has addressed a letter to
the Lord-Lieutenant, stating that seven more huinan

beings (different from those to whom we have

alluded) had fallen victims to hunger since his last

report, and yet this county layo contains no less
than 800,000 acres of waste land, of which, according
to the report of Mr. RICHARD GRIFFITH, the eminent

civil engineer, published in 1845, no less than 170,000
acres might be improved for cultivation to produce
corn and green crops, and 300,000 acres might be
drained for pasture. Indeed, Mr. GRIFFITH says of
the wasteland in this county, that a large portion of
it presents unusual facilities for reclamation and cul-

tivation ; and, ba it remembered, that' his report is

made with reference to the provisions of the Ist and
2d IVilliam IV., c. 33, which requires a certificate
of a skilful engineer or surveyor that the improve-

ment, when completed, would increase the value of
the lands in the proportion of at least 10 per cent. per

annum on the sum proposed to be expended thereon

Intelligence has been received from Lisbon to the
20th, and from Oporto.to the 217 t, by the Royal Tar
steamer, which arrived yesterday afternoon at South-
ampton. Baron CASAL, at the head of 2,000 men,'
was at lfatosinhas, three miles from Oporto. It was
doubtful; however, whether he would venture to
attack the city. SA DA ]3ANDEIRA had 600 regu-
lars and 3,000 citizens under arms, and had
completed the fortifications of the city, so that
he is perfectly prepared to give CASAL • a warm
reception. A number 'Of arrests had taken place in
Oporto in consequence of the di,,:,•overy of a Chartist
conspiracy. . Six hundred stand of arms and a quan-
tity of gunpowder were soied, and martial law was
proclaimed. The Oporto Junta have seized all the
gold and silver coin in the bank, amounting to 12,0001.
The citizens are full of enthusiasm, and seem
determined to support SA DA BANDEIRA to the
utmost. pCIIWALBACK, with 600 men, was dispatched
to 'regain po:session of Setubal, which was. occupied
by the guerillas under the command of Senl)r Jose
EsTEVAo. Trite to the guerilla tactics, which are t•
harass and not to fight, they retreated. on the ap-
proach of SCHWALBAOII, to re-appear most probably
in some other &strict. The report of the defeat of
LAPA is confirmed. He has been compelled .by
Bomrtm to fall back upon the main body of SAL-
DANIIA'S artily. The armies of ats Ayras and SAL