Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-04-25
K &c III vi OND w HIG.


From sse London THae, March ST.
There is no lesson which much tries the patiencr II
not the hath OF nations, no less than OF
"heh teaches the sweet Of advesty aud the
tive influence of suffering Not that in the abstract We
are personally or gregarousy disposed to doubt il. truth
ahy more than dispense with it, incues,iou
Pc" men ever vet heard the application of needy friend
"''h Iorro~ing msnr,to written Oh his face whou,
returning ready hOmy tue excellence of tb. d;.c;
pune winch Providence ws- administering or cheerful
comment on the purposes to which it might be dirc ted
anu no 'ehoobOs over composed his lines of theme ON
'e virtue o' me" Or Oi states whoit illusti alton
borrowed IRON the Oak OF Alsilus the poverty OF
Sparta.
But in this as in other cases. there all the i.renc.
W. the world between the recipient aud the author of the
advice. Men in their separate or agprg,t. r.nac;t; a.
not very well disposed pany of r..nt n,i
'y the hhnent o the uo-t elegant the stimuou-
O the most hatring predictions; aud the truistn- win
which they would lain paate the mseri. of others .ry
rather to ehaSperate thsu assuage their own IL il o,
lew year. since the state Of ireland the darkest
oiot Oh EiSl.h craftsmanship and the of hostile
ntitAuon Was there ever such of things known
since the sun OF Heaven shone upon the eafthg was
here any other country in the world where rags were th.
normal clothing potatoes the Ordinary food scori t.
social relation aud assassination the avourte diversion
the majority Vt the people, Yet with only martial e,.y
se'ao this might have been said aud said of three
iouris o Ireland and without any exayyetion
e might have been predicted OF the whole OF two or
three counties in Ireland Property iorgetul ofts duties
'hu deauded OF it, rghts-law dormant and cowed b.
'ore ue appalling tyranny of a rude sense of
'eeuiig,, Justice-the traditonary imagining. of nh
unreal past, fostering dreams Of an Impossible
iuture-reigon, with it, heart and it, essential
charities exercised, paradrd fell and gha.y .ymbJ
oi war between conflicting crceds then the horrible. tro
~ o ianine, fever and taly not les horrible fr tb
-nperVeng antics OF an abortive civil war;-such was
the condition OF Ireland burden and almost eur. IN
'ne einpire-a blot Europe-a theme OF cotunelus
triumph to our worst enemies Yet at the saddest ana
darkest moments OF that murky period there was not wall
nl tnta linAtA A..t.. a.
consolation only To be appreciated when the trials which
Voked 1t have passed and the former suring- are
forgotten In the present Change. Ii then said Things
must become before they can he better tn.
plague, the famine and the widespread deaths are The
natural consequences aud the natural avengers of certain
eouinons' winch must disappear before Ireland be
either regeneraed reyihed" The doctrin. sounded
hhrshly on mens at that dismal time Ii was hard
tihg to see population not dwndng but rotting away
III masses at the root and the branch-its old age and it,
infancy bghted 10y one iell OF the DESTROYING An
gel and yet to and feel that such destiny must "a.
uhed before the material health of the country could e
restored or IL future prosperity secured
But hard though the saying and the thought ina ba a.
lhey were true,-trus facts susantat. any h
a predieuo Look to the result OF that great and te
'oe hnenoh: Compare the ireland OF SIC ls47 Is4s
W OF any number OF proceeding years with the Ireland of
1888 aud ls5G Does it seem like the sam. countrx >
DO the people seem like the same people, 1, h. ag,i
culture Tue slme l. the peoples food the same? Are
the CONDITIONS OF the Landlord and tenant OF the prop
tor anu tile hbourer, the Are not rents maid ryn
ry "ithout the Intervention of the proc--s-,ryer the
pistol and the sthe. Are lot field Iabourers earning
t'ef Is or Is 6d a-day Instead of the ancient Id
And do not tie changes already effected aug,r ntb.s
stili to follow Has land in Ireland now b.eon, re-
gus money Investment with the mdde-cass Irish rapi
tastF And IL he not investing his money ia il with te
ordinary commercial prospect OF getting profitable re-
turn Tor his outlay by the ouly recognized mode of
eessiu specuation-viz, improved husbandrys l. not
There 50 much employment for the aourer nov thar tb
complaint no longer is ofa redundancy but of AN Insult
cheney OF hands: Are the poorhouses so fatally
'hro"ged III 1876 and ls47 comparatively empty:
ai-notabie symptom-is not the occupation OF the re-.
euus sergeant ~ oien times the hope aud resort
| OF the famshed Irish PEASANT almost gone.
such Is the metamorphosis that Ireandhas undergone
but what has been the process What price. Fearful
indeed has been her passage from the former t tho I.
stale fearful the cost OF IT, The recent report of the Com
mssioners Oh the Irish Census gives US an nkinp
oi It's amounts In Ma c 1851 the number of men ard
women IN Ireland was reduced 6552 900 from sl75
| UU1 their number in Juur, lsil In other word. tha
h population had absolutely decreased in ten wears bv
more than 100000. This OF course WAS the efact ~
the famine and its concnutant nest No e,tsu, of .ri
grafton such as possible for Ireland could eI plain il
Emigration at the very utmost could only have Kept the
numbers OF the population near the same level il ia
r"v! contrary TO experience to suppose that il could
both have neutfazed th average annual excess of hs
I tueh reduced that level so sgualy. Emigration has
undoubtedly contributed own effect; but after making
a" possible allowance tor this very large proportion re
N uus to be accounted f and nothing else will account
Tor u but the death ana she plague. And what an idea
oil Their int sity Is impressed on us by the mul-
| n'ude oi their victims. More than million
hLnan beings stricken down in less than three wears by
hunger and disease - population nearly eou.l ,o
nan o all scotand-more tian half that Of London prop
er-iuly equal TO tnatof ar first rate Engsb citiss
larger than that OF one OF the Canada and exceeding
that oil some hall dozen other unuportant gsh colo
es Men talk oi war as II 1t the great destroy Of
life But what lave twI wears OF this war With all the
meAnS and appliances o. the destructive art, and-more
deadly sul-Ni'h all TIL combined horrors OF disease
without remedies and climate without protection-of
tents aud clothing that posed already PROSTATE un
der yphus or dysentery the piercing blasts and the
cutting sieet OF the Cnm what have they done in
pariso with that pest winch slew its countless victims in
.he stiffness OF two yes unbroken peaces Even If tie
loss on the side o." our enemy be SLOWED to include the
noiahty among the inhabitants Of the Crimea or that
motley band which may have accompanied the Russian
armies without sharing their dangers in the heldthr
TAI amount OF tho-e who have peshed their side and
at oi the aes viii not equal the victims of the Irish
famine The cost has been enormously great; perhaps
ths Oeneht purchased equivalent But will this bene
ut be perpetual The solution of this question depends
upon the good Of the Irish people and the impress
on made 10y two rghtu years upon the minds OF those
whose material and social interests are involved in her
| welfare. " "