Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1847-03-10
IRISH RELIEF MEETING.

Grand Jury, by-presenling, in very for
chile manner, to that body, and through
them to the public at large, the present
suffering condition Of the poor Of Ireland.
He drew very graphic and appalling
picture of the actual state of starvation
which now exists in that country, conse-
1uent upon the almos, total failure Of the
Pota,oe Crop, which is the principal arti-
Gle of diet for The Irish poor. Upon a fair
computation one eighth part oflhe pop
uIalion of ireland would suffer the ago.
nies of death by famine and pestilence,
which famine would carry along with it,
unless the active benevolence of this and
other countries, blessed with abundance,
should avert The calamity. Such an ap.
peal to them was unconhected with his
official duties, and was no! subject for
their legal consideration; but was great
national calamity, which appealed to the
humanity of The world-and he deenod it
not inappropriate to present the subject to
them, as an important public body of the
District, drawn from the midst of a gener-
Gus people.
These eloquent suggestions met res.
ponse in The heart Of our people, and in
the afternoon of to day, public meeting
ofthe citizens of the District convened 10
the Court House, for The purposes of con-
sideriug the present famished condition Of
the poor Of ireland, aud staying, in moa.
sure. the appalling progress Of starvation.
On motion Of F.. II. Wardla,c. Esq,
~ tbo
Chair, and Benjamin c. Yancey, Esq,
requested to Act as Secretary.
The Chairman briefly explained the
object of The meeting, whereupon, at re-
quest, His Honor, Judge Richardson, ad.
dressed the audience in a feeling manner
He alluded to the appropriation by Con.
gress of 1--WE hundred thousand dollars;
/, was well. This was The gift of The Ma
ton. Our population was twenty mill
ions, aud the division Of this sum among
them by way Of taxation was only The
small pitIanre Of t,OO and half cents per
head. Distributed among the four mill
ions Of actual sufferers in Ireland it would
allow but t,0eLue and q hal cents per head
He referred in complimentary manner
to The handsome donation of Sl20 by The
school girls, The young ladies Of Miss Du
,pree's School. in Charleston. The chill
dren were even moving in this noble work
Of charity. The Hibernian Society in
Charleston. had sent, in one remittance,
thousand pounds sterling, and their m,
BILE generosity was o,ill in exercise. No
such affliciion had fallen upon any people
since1he days of Jacob, when Egypt was
scnursed2bya q devastating famine One
million Of human beings muslin all prob.
ability, perish before their ne::i provision
crop matured. Ireland was entitled to
our sympathy and aid. Her people af
forded us more effectual assistance in our
revolutionary struggle for independence,
lhan those Of any other three na,ions.-
We cherish with grateful remembrance
the effective service Of the French but
they came by the order of the Hing Louis
the 10th. Bn, The people ofIrekcnd were
uoLuntcers to fight our battles for freedom
against their own rulers. 1t would be a
proud satisfaction that no nation should
surpass US in this noble work Of charity and
salvation 10 the people of Ireland! In the
past crop Providence had blessed US with
abundance, as if the better to enable US to
NEE, this demand upon our"humanity.-
Let each and every individual give of his
abundance or .illle-renembering, THAT
he that eivelh to the poor, lendeth unto
the Lord
The Solicitor, Col. John D. Ed0ards
being present, on request, observed though
a citizen Of another District, he felt no
delicacy in addressing the people of Edge
field, with whom he held professional iu-
ercourse, for The subject was one Of gen.
eral not local importance. The starving
condition of a naIion Of human beings was
an appeal, yea demand upon the charity
of every individual, of whatever cims or
country, who possessed mind to reflect
or hear, 10 feel. And beyond all other
people, there were impellius reasons for
our extending aid 10 the people oflreland.
In the dark hour Of our distress, IN the
doubtful struggle Of our Colonies to free
themselves from the exacling and reslrc-
tive policy Of England, The people of Ire
land gave their sympaIhies, their arms and
their blood TO our cause. And the battle
ground of the Eulaw and Cowpens, and
many other welI.fought fields were conse-
Grated by 'heir blood. Shall we then
hesitate to aid, by our contributions ol
money, the descendants of a people who
gave TO our cause their lives and their
blood He drew graphic and feeling
picture of scenes now actually occurring
in IreIand-of the child clingins to mo-
theirs neck. and endeavoring to draw uu.
trimeht from the exhausted breasts oil
famished and dying women. Suffering
humanity called. The divine injunction,
'Do TO others as you would have them lo
do unto you" demanded orIr aid. He
closed his eloquen, appeal bv handing tc
to the Secretary fiheeen dollars.
Hon. N. l.. Griffin followed in few
brief remarks, presenting forcibly the in-
ducemen,s To- the exercise Of charity in the