Litchfield enquirer., 1852-12-16
A sad Picture OF ireland.

much attention. but snch, nevertheless, il
a great revolution. In an English paper
before Us, we see it stated that the county
of Mayo is in q transition from the cettiel
state Of soc lety. in which the land was
thickly peOplcd. and held by tenants 10
very small holdings, at very high rents, to
the grazing system, in which it is occupied
! merely by very few herds and care>tak-
ers, and held either by the landlord him
self or by one or two great capitalist ten
ants. The change is, frOm being stocked
with men, women aud children, TO being
stocked with sheep aud cattle. A writer
in the London Times, drawing the picture
Of the change, says 3
"The whole population of district MAJ
ny miles in extent are simply turned out
into the roads TO go where they please
aud live or die as they can. OF course
there are among them many old people
hardly able to get along. many sick persons,
many little children, many women ia an
advanced state Of pregnancy-out they all
go together. There seems to be in the
ejeciing landlords very happy state Of
Indifference to the quest ION, what becomes
Of these people! But confess nay weak
ness. have not yet attained this indiffer>
ence> I inquired anxiously where the
people were gone, who. few months ago.
inhabited one of these districts lately thick.
ly peopled. and now sheep walk. was
told by a gentleman, an agent. who stoutly
defended, upon the plea Of necessity, the
proceedings in question, that some of them
who had some little property, were gone
TO America-that many we've in the Union
wOrkhOuse-that some were in the lower
parts of the great towns of England. Scots
II land aud Ireland, but that, in his opinion,
the greater part Of them were dead"
A few years ago men, women and chill
dren were the most profitable stock which
u Landlord in this county could encourage
upon his property they lived upon the
wo,sl and least quantity Of food, and paid
rents which considering the quality of the
J land and the total absence Of any expendi-
ture on The part Of the landlord, either in
fencing, draining, or the erection OF tene-
ments) would 10 any country be considered
exorbilant. When. however. the potato
faned, the human animal ceased to be
profitable rent>paying stock-and as the
roor Laws had been imposed nearly at the
same time it became an expensive One.-
Here we have in one word the rationale of
the change.
The most noble Lord Marquis Of Sligo
seems to be the great operator in this
changing the habitations OF men 10 the
naunts Of cattle. This writer in the Times,
whence we quote. says:
IN ear Wesiport tor sevorNi miles, ~"
most noble, the Lord Marquis Of Sligo Is
1t this moment clearing away the whole
population. A few are already removed
ia other cases the furniture is standing out
side the cottage door and the whole family
are evidently on the point OF plunging
homeless into the world. Meanwhile a
new and we'll built wah is rising between
the road ana the land which is still the
home OF many lately happy families. II
is said too that this very wall, not yet COM
pleted, (for there are breaches in many
Iaces through which the tenants have to
remove their ALL is built of the materials
of demolished homes. The observant eye
will see stones still stained with SCOT,
which once formed the chimney of many
a cottage
beyond Westport tho wall is complete
and the people are gone. The most noble
Marquis, I conceive, will see and hear no
more of them in this world, at least. The
rem aims Of the cottages are here quite en-
closed with the encircling wall. The dis
trio, was cleared few months ago.
"As the traveller goes on he enters the
territory of Sir Roger Palmer. and then
that of the Right Hon., the Eartof Lucan.
Here things are more advanced. A great
part of the land 10 already in large grass
folds, fed by sheep: fine crops OF turnips
are 10 others. ami IN some you may see
the young grass among the fresh stubble.
All will very soon bear the appearance Of a
district which man has never peopled.
IL cannot exactly state the extent Of
the district operated upon. It begins
three or four miles from WesipOrt, add
extends (though not without some consid-
or able intervals of land beDODging to other
proprietors,) almost to the town Of Baiiin-
robe. a distance of perhaps Is miles,
On both sides OF the road it stretches as
far as the eye can reach. was informed
and believe. although cannot state It OF
my own knowledge.) that the Earl OF Lu-
can alone has lately laid down in grass
about 10000 acres Of denssly inhabited
land"
What a mournfui picture! What
frightful spectacle it must be +! But it il
from the country,-wheTe this misery, il
nor this oppression exists,-that we hear
the loudest repruaches of our African sla-
very, and where such books as Uncle Toms
Cabin find the largest encouragement.
/ New York Express.