The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-04-08

| " Oh donegal, with the object of turning it into
sheep walks, and before long districts that had lain
waste from time immemorial were we'll stocked. but
the prosperity which these enterprising settlers in
troduced into Donegal offensive to the peasant
ry ana thelr priests Consequently the ''intruders
| were prosecuted in most dsgraceful manner
Their sheep were stolen and butchered, and all the
terrors of midnight legislation brought into active
service to beggar and harrass the unoending stran-
gers Repeated acts of the grossest cruelty were
practised on their locks. During the night de-
| scent would be made some remote pasturage and
score or two of animals absracted. For some time
~ was puzzle where they were secreted but at last
the fact was established that the people, in their
hatred to the Scotch settlers, had barbarously tied
he legs OF the sheep together cut their throats and
buried them in bog holes and elsewhere. These
| raids occurred nightly and so well were thev CON
| cocted, that the offenders escaped for long time
In the end, however, some of them were captured
At last the outraged farmers appealed to the grand
Jury TO len3 the'r the losses by Prese6tmSnt on the
! the sheep destroyed was raised without difficulty
1t was thought that this salutary application of the
law would have put an end to these outrages but in
ashort time afterwards they were resumed and at
the present asszes for Donegal the Scotch graziers
have again come forward to claim compensation for
fresh destruction of their property But the stran-
gest part OF these disreputabe proceedings is vet
unmentioned. No sooner did the priests perceive
the mischief the people had got into by giving way
TO the vlndctive jealousy of the settlers than they
| resolved on bold stroke to recover the odum
which rested upon their disciples Accordingly
| through the press and Otherwise they circulated
trighttul stories of the destitution to which the
population of Gweedore had been reduced by the
| tyranny of their landlords. Eviction scenes were
painted in the most dismal colOring and it was pos
itvey asserted that the peasantry stole the sheen
to keep themselves from starving. 10 crown these
audacious statements the following extraordinary
! document was drawn up and published, the Rev
| gentlemen whose names are affixed pedging their
| honor as to its accuracy:
''There are at this moment 500 families subsistinp
on sea-weed, crabs, cookies, or any other edible
1 m ttnr fhnN- an,NIpl ii,
| oil the rocks. There about 600 adults of both
! sexes, who, through sheer poverty, are now going
| baretooted amidst the nclcmency of the season on
| this bleak northern coast. There are about 700
| families who have neither bed nor bed clothes
! but are forced to lie on the cold damp earth in
| the rags worn by them during the day. There
are about 500 families without a second bed.
! iatherS ana mothers, sons and daughters being
| huddled together as best they can. Thousands of
the male population have only one cotton shirt and
wear none whilst it is being washed while
thousands have not even The females are still
! IN worse condition. There about 400 families,
| IN which there may be half dozen of full-grown
females, who have only one dress among them in
which they can appear in public-mOthcrs and
daughters alternately using this common wardrobe
when they 90 out of doors. There are about 600
families who have nor neither cow, sheep nor goat
and who from the beginning of the year to its close
hardly ever know the taste Of milk or butter There
are thousands of youths, of both sexes verging ON
the age OF puberty, who are partially and scanti-
ly clothed that modesty forbids to look at them
they are only objects for the eye of charity.
John Doherty, p. p, Carrigart Rossguli: Hugh
MFadden, P. p, Falcarragh Cloughaneely Dan
iel MGee p. p. Bunbeg, Gweedore; John 0'Don-
nell. ?. p, Dungloe, ROSES; John Flanagan. p P.
Rathmelton: Hugh MFadden, C. c., Allsaints;
James M'Fadden, G. G., Falcarragh, Cl0ughaneely;
! Bernard M'Monagle, &C, Dunfanaghy, Doc: John
M'Groarty, C. G., Cashemore, Doe; Hugh Cullen,
| c. c., Rossgu
SO deceptive was this "appeal' that many Protes-
tant gentlemen subscribed to relieve the Gweedore
victims of 'landlord oppression" But the priests
overshot the mark when they issued their 'appeal"
for it aroused the indignation of the landlords, who
before were content quietly to persevere in the
sertion of their rights and they appealed to the poor
law commissioners to send an Inspector to Gweedore
| to inquire into the pauperizatiOn stories of the
! Roman Catholic clergy. The request was at once
complied with, even the alleged existence of
such widespread poverty felt to be a disgrace
to the Irish poor-law system. The following is the
| inspectors report:
PooR LAW COMMISSION OFFICE,
D"biim castle. March l, 1858.
| DUNFANAGHY UYIoN-,Sr: The commissioners
for administering the laws for the relief of the poor
in Ireland desire to inform the guardians of Dun
tanaghy Union in reference to their resolution of
| the 10th of February last, that the commissioners
have received Mr.. Hamton's report of the
result of the inquiry which he was directed by the
! commissioners to make into the state of the
! Gweedore and Gloughancely districts, together
with the evidence, which he took on oath in the
! course of that inquiry.
Mr.. Hamilton examined various witnesses, who
were cOnversant with the state of the district in
| cluding four elected guardians of the union, the
master of the workhOuse the relieving officer, the
collector poor rates, the head constable of police
at Crossroads, the head constable of police of
| Gweedore, Mr. Cruice. sub-inspector of constabu-
larry of Dunfanaghy district. and Mr. Anderson, the
county Inspector for Donegal. Mr. Hamilton also
personally visited and inspected the dwellings of a
great number of the poorest residents in those parts
! of the GweedOre district which pointed to
him as containing the worst circumstanced part of
| the population.
The commissioners are glad to be enabled to in
form the guardians that their resolution, denying
the truth of certain published statements alleging
that distress exists in the Gweedore and ClOugha-
nicely districts is fully borne out by Mr. HamiltOns
report, and the evidence accompanying it. The
commissioners will forward in due course a copy of
the minutes of evidence for the information of the
guardians; but they think it important to lose no
time In stating that all the evidence in re-
presenting the condition of the peasantry in Gwee-
dore and Cloughaneely far better at present than
at any time since the period of the famine; and that
no apprehension whatever exists in the locality of
any person suffering from want of the common ne
| cessaries of life.
On the contrary, it appears that notwithstanding
the severe tax lately levied the district the rents
| and the ordinary taxes have been punctually and
exactly paid and that greater abundance of pro-
| visions was never observed about the dwellings of
the inhabitants at this period of the year; and that
there is a remarkable absence not only of applica-
ions for public relief and private charity, but
OF applications for employment; and finally, that the
district is in good sanitary state. the amount Of
disease, according to the medical officers report
being much less than in former years at this
By order, &C., &C.,
B. BANKS, Chicf ClerE.
| To the Clerk, Dunanaghy Union.
The foregoing statement shows the difficulties the
Irish landlord has to contend with The introduction
of Scotchmen into Donegal was obnoxious to the
people, and for this solely they pillaged the
unofending farmers. What makes the matter the
more dsgraceful is, that in letting the mountains
their owners did not infringe on the prescrptive
rights of the peasantry in any shape On the con-
trary, they actually walled off certain portions for
their free use The funds which the priests scan
dalousy raised by putting false story before the
charitable at the expense of the character of
raj excellent landlords will be used, it is supposed,
in defending the shecp-kilers at the assizes, for
which purpose. it is evident the trumped-up state
ment of the priests put before the public.
Cool CoURAGE.-A correspondent of the Dover
(N Hl Gazette relates the following instance of cool
courage exhibited at the burning of the store of
Parmenter d Co., in Barnstead, few weeks ago :
| "The proprietors, with other citizens were i'm
mediatey on hand and on going into the store and
up stairs, and seeing the entire attic in blaze Mr.
p returned and told his neighbors present to save
the goods, as the store they could not In the mean
! time some had commenced to STAY the fire and
others to remove the goods. Parmenter again went
up, and seeing fire dropping upon the head of
couple of kegs of powder again retreated, and
meeting Mr.. Nathaniel 7. Smart, cried out, 'for
Gods sake don't go up, as there is powder Mr..
Smart pushed him aside and went into the chamber,
| erttnguishing the fire 'rhich had caught the paper
stopple Of one Of the kegs Nth his thumb and finger.
then tipped them up and brushed the fire from the
heads, and taking them under each arm, walked de-
liberatey down and out into the street. thus
ing themselves against further danger from the
| powder
DREADFUL DUEL IN LoUIsIANA.-From the Young
America of March 9th, published in the parish
of ST. John the Baptist, La we extract the follow
ing:
"a hostile meeting took place on Monday, 22d
inst, between Mr.. J. Williams and Mr.. A. Burch,
which resulted fatally to the latter The difficulty
originated in the settlement of an account The
weapons double-barrel shot guns; distance
forty PAGES. At the first fire, the bullet of Will