The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1824-08-10
MISCELLANY
IRELAND.

This city presents the most extraor-
binary contrast Of poverty and mag.
nifcencc to be met with in Europe.
| As you approach il you find the sub
urbs composed OF novels, the sides oil
which are partly stone and partly
earth, the roofs of turf, the entrance
about 4 ID feet high, and the whole
dimensions Of each not exceeding 10
to IA feet square. These miserable
caves may or may not have a hole for
window, and an aperture on the top
ID let out the smoke, if the luxury Of
fire can be afforded. Around the
door the dirty children are huddled-
not one half are decently clad some
of them still evince true notions Of civil
lization by Sinking into the house or
turning their bare parts against wall
as stranger passes. | see hundreds
whose whole dress, consisting of a
mass Of rags, Of all colours and OF all
sorts of fabrics, will not furnish piece
of cloth eight inches square-and
these tattcrs seemed to be sewed to-
gether only to prevent them from de-
sorting each other.
am here giving you no high col
CURED picture, nor am | selecting a
few rare instances. | restrain myself
within the bounds of veritahle accura-
Cyl am talking of what composes
the whole environs Of Dublin, and en-
braces very large portion Of its 200,
600 inhabitants. There is nothing in
France, Germany or Holland, and |
think nothing in Italy, that approaches
the spectacle ofpoverty and wretched-
ness which swarms in Dublin.
Having passed the suburbs, the
dwellings improve; and on reaching
SackvilIe-street, you imagine yourself
in one of the most elegant cities in
Europe. In walking over the city,
the late parliament house, (now the
bank the exchange, the quay along
the Liffey, and several of the public
squares, excite the strangers admira-
ton. There is no part Of London
which can compare with the centre OF
Dublin in beauty and magnifcence.
But in turning the eye from the
architectural splendour which sur
rounds him, upon the crowds which
flow along the streets, the stranger
will be struck with the motley nature
OF the throng. Here is lass almost
buoyant with satin and feathers there
is trembling girl of eighteen, purple
from cold, shrinking from shame, and
drawing around her poor rags, which,
with all her care, scarce cover her
body; here is an exquisite, pertaining
the air as he passes, with rings on his
fingers, diamonds in his breach, and a
gemmed qunzing glass at his side
there is an honest fellow who cannot
afford hat, whose feet, summer or
winter, know not the luxury Of shoe or
stockings, and whose whole wardrobe
consists of but two articles, viz. tat.
tered jacket, and about half pair OF
small clothes; and not to multiply
pictures, while the lord lieutenant
dashes by in a coach and four, the
stranger gazes at the gallant and costly
pageant, while he empties his pockets
to satisfy the throng Of beggars, who
pray him in the name of God to give
them penny.
You will not wonder that my inter
est was soon excited TOR ireland, after
Witnessing these scenes. lfsuch mise
ry prevails in Dublin, where more
charitable societies exist for the pur
pose Of ameliorating the condition d
mankind, than in any other city in the
world, what must be the state of the
remoter parts Of Ireland? From my
own observation, and the uniform les
timony of intelligent people here,
think may safely affirm that there j.
not so wretched a community on the
globe as that Of great part OF Ireland
How, indeed, can it be otherwise? AL
the lands in this island belong to ricl
proprietors, who live out Of the king
dom, and spend abroad all that they
can scrape from the soil. What els
than poverty can be the lot of a coun
TRY thus situated2 And when you ex
anime the subject more in detail, you
find things stlll worse than, from gen
Ieral statement, could have been mag
med.
Many Of the proprietors employ
Iagents who reside in England, and lc
I:he lands to subsgents called Ian,
-Ipirates, or middIe-men, who monopo
! lie the soil, and exact what is GALES
rack-reni from the peasants. Nor
lrack-rent the most serious burthct
which this devoted PEOPLE have L
bear. Every tenth part Of the prOduc