The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-07-06

Of Friend. in Ireland" Ii will be read with
interest by Il number in this place whose con-
ulbu ms towards the relief of Ireland were
placed ulo the hands of this Association.
Tie AddrcSS Of the Relief dissertation Of
the Society Of Friends in Ireland.
In reviewing our proceedings for the two
years and half, which have elapsed since
the formation of this association, and in con
templatiug the present unhappy condition
OF our country, the conviction IS painfully
forced Oh Us, tina, the public bounty dIstrib-
u,ed through us, as well as the relief afford.
ed from other sources, whatever may 6ave
been their value in allording a temporary
alienation Of widespread misery, have
produced scarcely any permanently useful
result.
Our original circular appealed TO our
brethren IN reli2 iouS profession IN this coun.
try aud in Great Britain. twas responded
to, not merely by those 10 whom il was ad
dressed, butby many unconnected with our
religious society IN these countries, and al
so by the citizens Of the United States, 10
All extent and with a Iuuniiicence unparail.
eled IN the history Of benevolent eXeriions.
The contributions, confldrd 10 US, in money,
food, and clothing, amounted to about ZOO
600, of which more than one half was sent
from America.
The means placed Mt our disposal have
indeed been large. We have felt the res.
possibility thus imposed on MS, and our hes,
eyertions have been given for their judc-
iouS application. Several OF our members
have from time 80 time visited the more dis.
ttes,ed parts of the South and West, in or
der, by obtaining a fuller knowledge Of
their condition, to be enabled the better TO
administer TO their relief We sought for,
and obtained the cooperation OF benevolent
persons in all parts Of the country. Wher-
ever It appeared jndicious to form local
committees, we cndeavored to work through
such means: but IN the great number of ca
SEES in which the isolation Of the parties
rendered united action impractcable, we
trusted to individual exertion. IN Carrying
out our objects, an extensive correspond
.noe has been Kept up. More than forty
thousand letters have been received or writ
ten By the Committee in Dublin, and pro.
portionate number by auxiliary committees
IN the country. We have also been brought
into personal communication with men Of
all ranks and all classes, whether soliciting
our assistance on behalf If the poor around
them, or engaged III similar endeayoTs to
alleviate the prevalent distress.
Gratuitous ISSUES of food have been made
to the value of El3O 900: clothing has been
distributed exceeding Gl0, 900 in value; and
grants Of money have Leen made to the a
mount of E2O,OO0. The total number Of
grants has exceeded eleven thousaud.-
Feeling the denora!izing tendency of such
extensive aims giving, We have endeavored
to encourage industry. We have made
grants in aid Of local manufactures: have
supported industrial schools have advanc.
ed money IN loans for III. assistance Of fish.
cries, land ia n few cases with highly graft.
fyin. results. IN order to encourage the
culture Of green crops, which might prove
some substitute for the potato, we have dis
triouted nearly 100000 lbs weight Of turnip,
carrot, parsnip, cabbage, aud other such
seeds; and we also undertook the Temporal
~ cultivation of about 800 statute acres Of
land in green crops, by spade labor,
But the contributions entrusted To ushave
borLc but small proportion 10 the whole
expenditure for the relief of the country
Money has been expended to an unparaNel-
ed amount. The British Relief AsSoeia.
ton dispensed about GIOO,OOD The distri-
bu,loU by other relief associations may be
estimated at fully E2OO,O00. The collcc.
tlouS by local committees IN Ireland oXcee.
ded E3OO,OOO. II we add 10 these the nr'n.
herlesS contributions of private benevo-
lence, and the remittances from cmigrauts
for the relief Of their friends at home, the
aggregate may be safely estimated at one
million and half sterling. The advances
by government were on a gigantic scale, a.
mounting to nearly ten millions sterling.
From these various sources large n.
noun, of relief was ali oried at period Of
great distress, and many We're preserved,
for time at least, from that starvation,
which, without such assistance, appea AIRED
inevitable. But we are saddened by the
conviction, that, with avery few exceptions,
no permanent good has been done. We
feel that the condition of our country is not
improved, that her prospects are even worse,
because her people have less hope. Many
OF those who were most active in administer
ing Ia the relief OF their ciehbors have fallen
victims to cxertions Of miad and body hey.
ond their capability To sustain. Others have
withdrawn from the work, in despair Of ei-
icc,ing any good. The pressure Of private
affairs, and, N may cases, of pecuniary dit.
iiculty, has forced others TO dicontinue
their efforts. Thus, voluntary eyertions
have almost ceased, aud even for the adj
miuiS'ra,on Of the legal relief, paid agents
are necessary throughou,a lariie part Of the
country.
The calamity fell first on the lowest class,
especially the laboriag population of the
South aud West In loosug their crop of
potatoes, they lost all, and sunk at once in
10 helpless aud hopeless pauperism. The
small farmers stll preserved hope. With
gaeat exertions, aud submitting in many
cases to extreme priva,iOns, they again
cropped their ground. A second failure Of
the potatoes pauperized these also. Then
came the increased poor-raies, heaviest in
those districts which were least able to bear
them; weighing down many who without
this last burden might have stood their
ground; alarming all by the unaccustomcd
pressure of an underlined taxation; and
greatly reducing the small amount of CAPT.
tai applicable to the employment of lahour.
The landed proprietor, in order to provide
Tor the payment of rates, has been obliged
| TO leave much useful work uudnne, thus