The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-03-08
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
From oar European Correspondent.
No. XVI.


DEAR SIR The immodepte severity OF the weather which
mentioned in my letter of the LIST instant, having pre-
vailed during December has continued without the slight
est abatement to the present Such winter thus
far under all the melancholy circumstances
perenced before in western Europe. 1t seems as if
scourge was visited upon the and-as if species
passing under the rod of Divine chastisemen The heart
OF the philanthrop bleeds when he behods the terrific
magnitude OF the utter wetcheness and dcsttuon which
sares hi'n In The face in whatever direction he may turn
starvation with its hieous and features is CON
any presented to his view; and unless he have the ab
V 10 stay s awful progress, every enjoyment of life is
poisoned He cannot be otherwise than sad when he
aware that his euowmen falling daily by hundreds for
the want OF bread.
In Germany, that their fuel well their prov
sons are entirely exhausted families abandon their wretch
ed novels, and endeavor force their way cities and
towns, where Lazarus-lke they stand at rich mans
gae nplorlng the very crumbs which fall from his table
Persons In afuent circumstances alone enabled pro-
cure potatoes and the parngs of them, usually fed
swine are eagerly sought by parents food possessing s
icient nument preserve the lives of their little children
In some places the authorities adopting measures to
prevent death from hunger has been ascertained that
moderate-sizet plate of soup will sustain adult for
twenyiour hours and that few dollars expended for beef
Will, consequently prolong the existence of number Of
persons, who o,erwse would perish And il is consong
10 know thte Sat cattle attannble the flesh of
| the mich farm * will make soup.
In France there is perhaps much positive suffer
ng as in Germany but, nevertheless, in OF the de-
partment5 II is represented as being truly rghtfu The
government has displayed praise worthy desire procure
suiciency ograin and with tolerabe degree of
1t stated that 200 900 900 franks will be required
pay for the breadsnhs imported, and that the financial
crisis thus occasoned would have eventuated in suspen
sion of the Bank of France but fer the timely assistance
afforded it by Messrs Barring Brothers Il Co., London
1t alone the crop failure in France which has pro-
duced much distress and anxiety but the additional
calamites resulting from destructive leshets and nunda
| TONS
But i'll Glted Ireland ais the peculiar seat of the al citing
visitation of famine. Language cannot adequately de-
the unfortunate poor. In parishes his
victims for want of food, exclusively, estimated
1 twenty-five per diem particularly the county of
Cork An account before states that, sin the parish
| of Kildoe Ia died Saturdays of these were bu-
red in coilns--lI buried without other cover
| ing than the rags they when alive And
genteman--a good and charitable nlan--speaking Of
this case, remarks The distress is appalling that
must throw all feelings of delcacy" And another
obseEes 9" would rather give shilling starving
man, than our shilugs and siXpcnce for u coffin One
hundred and forty died in the Skbbereen workhous
one month. Eight have died in day In Short the peo
pie dropping by dozens" An apparently welntomed
writer in the ''Tnes" upon the condition of Ireland,
cudes article by saying, "From daily within my
view 1917 will witness deaths from starvation and prva
ton of one-nnt OF the people of Ireland" In the work
house of this union, (Scau containing 700 persons the
deaths thirty monthly fifty per cent per
The deaths for the last months in this parish with
population OF 2 l60 the of 10 per per
mum, and the dearth and privation here only
menced All food is imported, and daily consumed
From consabuary returns it has been asceained that
the quantity of cultivated in potatoes in
land amounts to 2, 100000, and that fair yield tereom
estimated at the value of twenyseven millions pounds
sterling, eighteen millions pounds of which required
Tor food for the 6000 900 population the remaining
million pounds for the cattle, pigs and poultry, and seed
for the ensuing cropthe latter item amounting a ff-
tenth of the whole produce, FL $50 900 sterling Now,
should be found after another years trial. that vege-
| table viii mature, its cultivation will necessarily be
,bandoncd; and what then TO become of the Irish, the
I,or1lo of wisl knows. orr
be told that there is probability Of ninth of
6000 900 population starving in lS47 but when there is
wen possibility that this may from year year,
| an nsupportable gloom is Swallowed the future.
The worst of plaques that visited the earth mild
in its operati compared with the effects produced by
bighied crops OF all deaths it be doubted but that
which from hunger is the painful, il is the
unnatural In Scotland there is unprecedented dis
tress also of the scarcity of food and in
England there is far from being suiciency of inds-
pensabe articles Tor nonrishment In Russia Alone of all
the of northern and western Europe the harves
have been abundant The shipments of grain from the
ports of empire the Black have already been
vastly large and in prl and May considerable quantie
| will be exported from those the Baltic. Nicholas is
EXCELLENT farmer and being well advised of the agricultural
resources of his SOIL he spares expense to improve its
producing properties.
Out of evil good not unfrequently proceeds The de-
1orale of the INDECENT poor has been with
| the pampered nobeman and proud
rsocrat In their thoughtess and profigate revelngs,
they have been brought directly in with human
misery in form aggravated that the stil small voice.
has admonshed them to in their unhalowed career
They read that Nero dded while Rome burning and
they reflect that it would be criminal in themselves
iulge dissipation and extravaganza while their country
men are starving. Banque and balls, and other enjoy
and amusements usual at this of the year,
have been almost entirely dispensed with They
mfr hionable than they later than twelve month
since Even small dinner parties becoming Those
yhodeght in them often decline invitations, remark
nr az cannot while there is much hunger Let
vidc in this hour of rbulaon with the distressed and
afflicted" The bank lords Of London subscribe severay,
thousand pounds to the relief fund They satisfied
that such an required of them by public opin-
| ion and if they had charity in their souls
| supposition | disposed to cnertan--they have
| no, In, temerty resist the demand The inhabitants
If Great Britain, France, and Germanyrich well as
ooorarc undergoing ordeal, and when and where
it is to terminate human sagacy foresee. 1t may
be fortunate because there grave political
questions sufficient engende general European war, if
there was high OF prosperity enjoyed Now insult
and even injury be submitted to rather than peril the
con sequences of resort to No one reoices
han myself that relations Of the amicablc
tire with England but If her rulers had heedlessy plunged
,er into hostes with the United States last spring. she
yould have presented such spectacle TO mankind as was
never before witnessed any nation. With every bottom
that we have upon the actively employed, find it
impossible TO furnish her with ample supplies of provision
TO keep heads of her population above the ground and
had this been of instead OF ninth perhaps onehoT OF
| the Irish population would have persisted in 1917
The experience of the past year nssres the repeal
day not remote last vesge of tie notorious naviga-
ton act-tha statute which embodes, according the
Massachusetts senator, the "phosophy of politics the
subject which This will be strongly