The Oxford intelligencer., 1860-09-26
From Dickens Household Words.
THE FAMINE TIME.

/.
into a backyard, in little Irish town, from
tie window Of house next to that to whicl
the yard belonged, when my hostess ex
planned TO me that the beggar-man whom
wss watching was irremoVable. He haC
been turned out by the shoulders again anC
again, and always came back, refusing tC
work, and prefefring to lean against the cor
ner of the wall TO beg. There was in the
yard more active beggar-the pig. Two
stout, merry girls, bare-legged and untidy,
were sitting on the ground, before grea.
heap Of potatoes and mighty iron pot
They were sorting potatoes---,he better sort
for human eaters, the worse for the black
pig The pig was in a hurry, pokediin his
nose and had to be driven away. There
was third girlsittng on some steps with her
arms crossed, looking at and provoking the
othcrs-one ofwhom got into passion and
showed it, as Irish people do when they get
angry. ...... .....,.. --
"Ah!" said my hostess, eve see strange
people and strange doings in that yard; aad
tbs not the pleasantest place to overlook.
But we are glad enough to see anything Ike
those potatoes and that pig, and people who
can laugh, after what we saw ia the famine
time. For months together that yard was
crowded-so crowded that you could not
have thrust in hand among them-with
people groaning and waiing day and night;
some dying, ana others bringing their dead,
till our hearts were almost broken" w -.
=" wonder how you lived through it,"
said J. f|'. ;s'a-ir.
$50 do we. But we had to rouse our
selves and do our duty. There were only
my husband and Mr.. Zachariah (the clergy
man) to give out the relief by which the
whole country side was kept alive. / was
often at home, with that yard full of people
before my eyes, while my husband was abb
seht--gone to see the landing of the meal
and uneasy about him-thc people grew
so violent! There was always an escort of
TO quar- the meal from the ship
hither; but the people were ready TO tear
them TO pieces TO get at the meal. 1t was
bad enough at irst, when the government
insisted that the men should work upon the
roads to earn their share. The poor fellows
could no more work on the roads than my
baby could; and they were dropping and
fainting by the roadside as soon as they
tried. We thought that the worst sight we
had ever seen till we saw worse. We knew
that the government could not be aware of
the real need, if they could make such
condition; and VIC were afraid to look for
ward.
1t was Just then that Mr.. Yarding-a
gentleman of one Of the most ancient fami-
lies in Ireland-brought home his bride to
his estate, close by the town. he drove her
through the town in as pretty turnout as
you could see; aud a neighbor said TO my
husband, when Le looked from the carriage
10 the people ir the street, 'Mr. Yarding
will repent that pair of horses before six
months are over And so, no doubt, he
lid. The value of his land sank to nothing;
he could not meet the calls upon him, nor
pay his rates and now he is shut up in his
own place, the gates locked day and night
Sundays and all--and he dsres not look
through the bars into the road"
"Aud how did yon get food for your
selrcsl" asked; "and how did you eat
Il, with that multitude Of grooming people |
before your Yindpyl"
"wSc' never enjoyed meal dhrihg that
year. There seemed to be poison over
There was no flour to be had !
good crongb for us TO give the children;
and the officers, and agents, and servants en-
ploycd in the distribution, were forbidden TO
huy anv Of the meal that was sent. This
was hard AID unjust. and, in fact, it could
not be carried out. They got it by sending
their servants ard buying for one another;
and, paying properly for il, they did not feel
it was wrong. There were ho-vegetables to
be bad but the black, rotting potatoes, We
could get a sheep for five shillings, because |
there was nothing to feed sheep with; and
for that reason the mutton was hardly cat
able. Nothing seemed to lnve its proper
taste or to be real foodat that time or for
long after. You were laughing to-day at the
aocks Of geese along the road, spreading
their wings and stradding, away before, the I
car. wei, among all those deserted vii
lagos that you passed through, there was'not
a goose in those days. There was not
pir, not a donkey in all the district, from sea
to sea" .5SrDGL eds OF
"What became of the donkeysl The
people did not eat them, I suppose" "'
"Indeed but they did My husband saw
the meat hanging ont of their pockets; and
worse creatures than donkeys disappeared IN
the same way. There. was, after time, not
a living creature but human beings 10 be
seen from sea to sea, except the horses that
brought the meal from the ships. The sec
ond time that we thought we had seen the
worst was when the meal was sold at half-a-
crown the stone. Think what price that