Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-04-08


description, by which might convey to the dis
tant reader some tangible image of this object
A dropsical affection among the young and old is
very common among the sufferers by famine
had seen men at work on the public roads with
their limbs swollen to almost twice their usual
size. But when the woman of the cabin lifted
from the straw, from behind the dying man, boy
about twelve years of age and held him up be-
fore us, on his feet, the most horrfying spectacle
met our eyes. The cold, watery faced child was
entirely naked, in front, from his neck down ia
his feet. His body was swollen to nearly three
times its usual size, and had burst the ragged
garment that covered him. and which now dan
gled in shreads about him. The woman of the
other family, who was sitting at her end of the
hovel, brought forward her little infant a thin
faced baby of two years, with clear, sharp ewes,
that did not wink, but stared stock still at va
cancy, as if the glimpse of another existence had
eclipsed its vision. Its cold, naked arms were
not much larger than pipe-stems, while its body
was swollen to the size of full-grown person.
Let the reader group these apparitions of death
and disease into the spectacle of ten square feet,
and then multiply it into three fourths of the how
els in this region of ireland; and he will arrive at
a fair estimate of the extent and degree of its
misery. Were it not for giving them pain, |
should have been glad if the welldressed children
in America could have entered these miserable
novels with US, and looked upon the young crea-
lures wasting unmurmuringy by slow, consum-
ing destituton l am sure they would have been
touched, to the liveiest compassion, at such a
spectacle, and have been ready to divide their
wardrobe with the sufferers
SKIBBEREEN, Feb. %.
DR.. Hadden called to take me to the CastIeha-
ven parish, which comes within his circuit. This
district borders on the sea, whose rocky, indent-
ed shores are covered with cabins of worse dis
cription than those at Skibbereen On our way
we passed several companies of men, women and
children at work, all cnfecbled and ehlaciated by
restitution. Women, with their red, swollen
feet, partially swathed in old rags, some in men $
coats with the arms or shirts torn off, were sit
ting by the roadside breaking stones Itwaspain-
full to see human labor and life struggling among
the lowest interests of society. Men, once ath-
letic laborers, were trying to exc out few mis-
cradle days to their existence by toiling upon
these works. Poor creatures Many of them
are already famine-stricken they have reached
point from which they cannot be recovered
Dr. Donovan informs me that he can tell at a
glance whether person has reached this point
or not. And am assured by several experien-
ced observers that there are thousands of men
who rise in the morning and 90 forth to labor
with their picks and shovels in their hands, who
are irrecoveraby doomed to death No human
aid can save them. The plague spot of famine
is on their foreheads the worm of want has eat
en- in two their heartstrings Still they 90 forth
accomplishing to their labor; and toll, cold fam
shed, and half naked, upon the roads; and d.
vide their eight or ten pence worth offood at night
among sick family of five or eight PERSONS
Some are kept at home, and prevented from earn
ing this misery pittance, by the fear, that some
of their family may die before they return.
The first habitation we entered in the Castle
haven district, was literally hole in the wall ,oc-
cupled by what might be called in America, a
squatter or a man who had burrowed a place for
himself and family i'll the acute angle of two di-
lapldated walls by the roadside, where he lived
rent free We entered this stinted den by an APP
erturc about three feet high, and found one or
two children lying asleep with their eyes, open,
in the straw. Such at least was their appear
ancc for they scarcely wnked while we were
before them. The father came ill., and told us
'pitiful story of want, saying that not morseI OF
food had they tasted for twcnty-four hours. lie
lighted wisp OF straw, and showed us one or two
more children lying in another nook of the
cave.
Their mother had died and he was obliged
to leave them alone during most of the day, in or
der to CLEAN something for their subsistence. We
were soon among the most wretched habitations
that had yet seen, far worse than those in SIKH
bereen. Many of them were fat-roofed novels
half buried in the earth, or built up against the
rocks, and covered with rotten straw, sea weet
or turf In one which was scarcely seven fee
square, we found five persons PROSTATE with thu
fever, and apparently near their end, A girl a
bout sixteen the very picture of despair, was til,
only one left who could administer any relief
and all she could do was to bring some water il
a broken pitcher to slake their parched lips. A
we proceeded up the rocky hill overlooking tn
scene, we encountered new sights of wretched
, ness Seeing a cabin standing somewhat by it
self it a hollow, and surrounded by moat @
green filth, we entered it with some difficulty
and found single child about three years oil
lying upon kind of shelf, with its little fac
resting upon the edge of the board, and lookin
stedfastly out at the door as if for its mother.
never moved its eyes as we entered, but keE
| them fixed toward the entrance. 1t is doubtfu
whether the poor thing had mother or fathe
left to her but it is more doubtful still whethe
: those eyes would have relapsed their vacant gaz
: if both of them had entered at once, with ever
thing that could tempt the palate in their hands
f No words can describe this peculiar appearance
of the famished children. Never have see
: such bright, blue, clear eyes, looking so stedfas
1 ly at nothing, could almost fancy that the Al
1 gels of God had been sent to unseal the vision {
these little, patient, perishing creatures to tn
h beatitudes of another world and that they wer
. listening to the whispers of unseen spirits biz
t ding them to " to wait little longer" Leavln
| this we entered another cabin, in which "
= found seven or eight enuated young creature
with mother who had pawned her cloak, all
e could not venture out to beg for bread becau:
IS she was not fit to be seen on the streets. Hea
If ing the voice of wailing from cluster of hu
d further up the hill, we proceeded to them ar
L entered one, and found several persons weepir
l. over the dead body of a woman lying by the wa