The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-05-26

ho SuDJect VI law In general, anu upon the term
daes isceptus" in particular.
Dies aaceptus, madam" said he, is a
beautiful term, and means that court day is
not begun till it's ended" .i'
That sounds like nonsense my DEAR" said
Mrs. Bertram.
May be so, my dear; but it's very good law
for all that > Wheeling bsteligencer.
For The National Era-ICopyright securedl
The SHAMROCK;
RECOLLECTIoNs OF IRELAND.
BY SLOW JAMIE.
CHAPTER Nv.
Circumstances Of the Laboring Class, and their
Manner of Liping.
Superior as the north was to the south of
Ireland, still in the north the people were very
poor. This has been ascribed to various causes
the low state of agriculture, the Incidence Of
the people, clannish luminosity, &c. All, how
ever, may be referred to one single head-bad
government There was none of the land at
all, l believe, owned by the tillers of the soil.
The old Milesian chieftians and the Norman
barons were time and again dispossessed,
either justly or unjustly, of their immense
estates. But neither the Tudors nor the Stu
arts, neither Oliver Cromwell nor William of
Orange. ever thought of bestowing these lands
on the peasantry. They had cleared away the
woods, they had drained the swamps, they had
planted hedges, and built houses. If any one
under the sun had a right to such lands in fee
simple, it was they. Yet the forfeited estates
were always bestowed either on soldiers or
Court favorites. Such policy was well cal
culated to buttress up throne, but badly cal
culated to promote the interest of the country
In England, it is said, one-third of the soil was
held by the yeomanry, and another third by
small proprietors who resided on their estates,
and who would take pains to encourage all
kinds of improvements. They were generally
acquainted personally with their tenants, re-
ceived their rents Immediately from them, and
took a kindly interest in their welfare. We can
easily imagine how different would be the case
of those who cultivated land owned by a non-
resident nobility, and had to deal with a
naughty class of middle men or land agents.
Robert Beattie was small farmer near Belfast.
When he went one day to pay his quarter $
rent, the agent saluted him with, Lord Devon
shire is much displeased with you Covenant
ers Of Knockbracken.' 81 am sorry for that,
sir, was the mild reply. "Well, he is and when.
ever the lease of that lot runs out, he'll turn
you right out of your mesting house, "Well,
if he does it once, he'll never do it again. The
moment he appears at one door, I'll walk right
out at the other, and I'll move away to some
part the world where I'll meet with no such CD.
preston khat- was the last word fhat ever
passed between them. He laid down his money,
and the other wrote out the receipt. Without
speaking, he walked out the office, and before
next term day he was in western Pennsylvania,
where his bones now repose.
Long ago, rents were a mere trihe, but as
farms were improved, rent was raised / think
my father paid thirty shillings sterling an acre,
$780, and then it had to be paid in gold,
which sometimes bore high premium When
the farmer paid such rents he must sell his
produce very high, and pay low wages for labor.
poor man could earn but single pound OF
butter, or four pounds of oatmeal, or half a
bushel OF potatoes, in day. when times were
good When they were hard, it was a great
deal worse.
When labor was so cheap, it was used with
little economy. You would often see FIVE or
six One-horse carts on the road, all in one com
pany, driven by as many able-hodied men, In
a six-horse wagon they could draw more, and
one man could drive. For the same reason
there was but little energy in work. When men
are always singing at their work, they cannot
be plying labor very hard. The Irish have
been called an indolent people, and perhaps
they are at home; but we know that when they
come to this country, where labor is of as much
account as capital, the voice of the song is
the chase of wealth as their neighhors
Ny father had six acres of land our neigh
Dor to the north, twenty ; our neighhor to the
east, twenty; our neighbor to the south, four ;
and the one to the west, two and half This
of course was cultivated like garden. When
he plOwed, he plowed to the beam. Often he
dug up field with the spade, because the pillow
would not 60 deep enough. He had to draw
limestone from great distance, and fuel to
burn il was scarce, yet he lined till the ground
was too loose, and he dug down for the heavy
clay to spread over it. Of course he raised
great crops. But while he cultivated the soil
so highly, his houses were covered with straw
thatch.
The ordinary fare of the farmer was porridge
or sOwans and milk for breakfast, potatoes and
meat or butter with oaten cakes, for dinner,
and potatoes and milk for supper. White
bread was so little used, that it was never baked
at home, but bought from the baker. Some
who were in easy circumstances used it often,
and drank tea; but ordinarily, unless they had
company, they used tea and white bread but
three times a year-on Thanksgiving, New
l. IL -, A. u
churn was the last handful of oats left uncut.
This they braided up into a plat, and the reap
ers, standing at distance, threw their sharp
scythe sckles at it, to see who could first cut it.
When it was cut, they went home to the harvest
supper. The cotters wives, with clean aprons
on, would also come into the mansion-house.
The bread, cheese, and whisky, would first
pass round, after that the tea, and then the
evening would end in songs and jollity'
The cotters lived poorer still, Often their
food consisted of potatoes three times day,
and if varied at all, it was with oatmeal Cruel
Sometimes they could have little salt herring
or buttermilk to their potatoes but other times
nothing but salt. They would eat whole meal
of potatoes and salt without drinking drop of
water. Little children would soon get hungry
on such food. Often through the day they
would slip a potatoe into the Goals to roast.
Clothing was much cheaper than provisions, so
that they we're middling decently dressed still
it was an important part of the household duties
to patch the clothes.
Were they as happy on this meagre diet as
the inhabitants of countries where the Injuries
of life are abundant Some think they were
miserable; others maintain that they were
healthier, and consequently happier, than if
they had enjoyed more generous fare. /
think both are mistaken. That they relished
their food, l know from my own experience.
The hard oaten bread which Bayard Taylor
despises, | used to munich with great gusto.