The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-04-07
NUMBER a.
The Famine in Ireiand.--The Friends and their
Efforts.

The famine that prevailed in ireland during
the years 1916 and ls47, will long be remem-
bered with pain. Many Of the scenes were tru-
Iy awful. Whole families, nay whole villages,
wers swept away Aud yet the darkness, tho
desolation, and the death, called into active ops
ration some of the truest spirits of philanthropy
meeting Of Friends was held in the city OF
Dublin, on the 9th of November, 1t which
Central Committee Of Relief was appointed.
while a similar Committee WAS appointed in
London, and the two cooperated together. They
fed the hungry, clothed the naked. comfor'ed
the sick, and consoled the dying The details
of their doings coustits-a-a noble chapter in tbs
history Of human nature. An account Ct their
transactions has recently been published, and It
possesses deep and touching interest witness
the following passage
AT Gn early period Of the distress, fever and
dysentery, the usual attendants Of famine, had
appeared, aud continued very prevalent through
out the year. The fever peculiarly fatal
among the upper classes. Those who had eSe'-
ted themselves ia the relief OF suteFlrS we're
most exposed To coEtas!on, anu thus ths pest
and most trleI were lost at the time when thsir
services appeared TO be Increasingly required
OtIors sank beneath their o"n aneeaslng too
fru4tless efforts TO relieve the suffering which
they daily Witnessed This mortality greatly
Increased the difficulty Of procuring suitable Ao-
m!uisirators of relief. and we had 10 oepIoTe the
loss Of many OF our most valued e0rrespoH-
dents"
The glowing pen Of Golden has bestowed on
them a worthy tribute, alike elevated In sean
ment and eloquent IL dietion:
The famine fell upon nearly ono half Of .
great nation. The whole world hastened TO con
tribute money and food. But few courageous
men lefl their homes In NlGdesex and Surrey,
and penetrated to the remotest glens an q Coss
OF the west coast OF the stricken island, 10 ho-
minister relief with their own hands They
found themselves not merely in the valley Of the
shadoq OF desth-fhat would be but an iInper-
feet imnge-they were II the cbarrel-hopss OF
nation. Never since the lth century Old fesE-
lencc the gaunt handmaid Of Famine, CLEAN sc
rich a harvest la the midst OF scene WhlcH
no field of battle ever equalled in danger-in the
number OF its slain, or the physical suterlngs
of the living-these brave men walked as Calm
and unmoS ed as though they had been ~ thelr
own homes. The population sunk 80 last, tnsI
the living could not bury The dead; half-inter-
red bodies protruded from the gaping graves
often the wife died in the midst OF her starving
children. while the husband lay fostering
corpse by her side
In the midst OF these horrors did our heroes
penetrate, dragging the dead from the living
with their own hands, raising the heads OF the
into parched lips, from which shot feyer-tHmes
more deadly than p volley Of musketry. Here
was courage No music strung the nerves; M
smoke obscu ured he ia min yDt d"nger; no thunceT
of artillery deadened the senses. Ii was cool
self possessing and resolute will calculated risk
aud heroic resignation. And who were these
brave men To what gallant CORPSE did they
belong? We're they of the horse, foot or sTtll-
lery force? They were Quakers, frem Chaplain
aud Kingston! If you would know what heroic
actions they performed. you must inquire from
those who wisnessed them. You viii not IND
them recorded in the volume Of Reports, pub
lishcd by themselvos--for Quakers write no bull
letins of their victories"
At home, the contributions were liberal and
SO also from abroad. particularly from the Z. g.
Philadelphia sent her thousands, and the COM
mittee say
The total amount Of American donations OF
food consigned to us was 9,9ll tons, the value
of which was about el33, .S47 Is. I'd. including
e33, OF 5s I'd. for freight paid By the British
Government.
All honor to the generous and benevolent un-
der such circumstances.
Dssth OF Colonel Frederick g. Kay.