Democratic banner., 1847-04-19

rS"" "ihOiS Tile lowest interests OF
society. Men, once athletic laborers. were
trying to exc out a few miserable DAYS &c
their existence by toiling upon those works.
Poor creatures! Many of the n are alrea-
dy famine stricken, they have reached a
point from which they cannot be recovered.
Dr. Donovan informs me that he can tell at
a glance whether a person has reached this
poHt or not. And | an assured by several
experienced observers that there are thous-
andS Of men VINO rise IN the morning and 90
iorta to Labor with the picks and ~siIovels in
their hands, who are irrecoverably doomed
to death. No human aid can a them
The plague spot Of famine is on their fore
heads; the worm Of want has eaten in two
their heart-strings. Still they go forth I'M
complaining to their labor; and toll, cold.
iamished and half naked, upon the roads;
and divide their eight or ten pence worth
OF food at night among sick family of five
or eight persons. Some are kept at home,
and prevented from earning this miserable
pittance, by the fear that some of their fam
lily may die before they return.
The first habitation we entered, in the
CaStlehaven district, was literally a hole
in the wall, occupied by what might be
called, in America, a squatter, or a man
who had borrowed a place for himself and
family in the acute angle Of two d~ilapidated
walls blythe roadside, where helived rent free
We entered this stinted den by an aperture
about three feet high, and found one or two
children lying asleep with their eyes open,
in the straw. Such, at least was their ap-
pearance, for they scarcely winked while
we were before them. The father came in
and told a pitiful story of want, saving not
a morsel Of food had they tasted for TWEEN
ty-four hours. He lighted q wisp of straw,
and showed us one or two more children w.
ing III another nook of the V Their
mother had died, ard he was obliged toI
leave them alone during the most of the day
in order TO CLEAN something for their sub
We were soon among the most
wretched habitations that / had ever vet
seen, far worse that those of Skibbereen.-I
Many Of them were Hat rooted bowels, halfl
buried in the earth, or built up against the
and covered with rotten straw, sea
weeds orturf. In one, which was SCARCELY
feet square, we found FIVE persons
PROSTATE with the fever, and apparently
near their end.
A girl about sixteen, the very picture of
despair, was the only one left who could
any relief, and all she could dc
was to bring water in a broken pitcher to
their parched lips. As we proceeded
up the rocky hill overlooking the scene,
encountered new sights of wretchedness IS.
a cabin standing somewhat by it.
a hollow, and surrounded by a moati
Of green filth, we entered it with some DIFF
and found a single child about three
years old lying upon the edge Of the board
and looking steadily out at the door as If
Tor Its mother. 1t never moved its eyes as
entered, but kept them fixed toward the
1t is doubtful whether the pool
had a mother or father left to her;
but 1t is more doubtful still whether those
eyes would have rclapsed their vacant gael
if both of them had entered at once, will
everything that could tempt the palate in
their hands. Nowords can describe this
appearance Of the furnished chill
lren.
Never have1 seen such bright, blue, %clear
eyes, looking so steadfastly at nothing. II
almcst fancy that the angels Of God
lad been sent to unseai the vision of these
little, patient, rrr;saing creatures TO the
OF another world; ard that t..cyi
we're listening 10 H.. whispers CT %unseen
'pirits bidding them to swat Il little lon
ger" Leaving this we entered another ca
in wbici. We found seven or eight at
.enuatcd young creatures, with n mother
who had pawned her cloat, and could MT
out to beg for bread because she
not fit to be seen on the streets. Heart
ng the voice of wai!ing from a cluster ofhuts
up the kill, we proceeded to them,
md entered one, and found several persons
over the dead body of a woman "
ng by the wall near the door. Stretched
Ipon the ground, here and there lay sever
Al sick persons; and the place seemed al
len of pestilence. The filthy straw was
rank with the fostering fever.
Leaving this habitation of death, we were
net by n young woman in an agony of des-
pair, because noone would give her a coffin
10 bury her father in. She pointed to a cart
at some distance, upon which his body lays
and she was about to follow it to the grave ;
and he was sncha good father she could not
bear to lay him like a beast in the ground;
and she begged q coffin sfor the honor of