The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-12-19


co. Vir, oil that the French governmsrt Desired
20 terminate tho occupation Of Rome, aud Wa
a sincere fund TO Italy.
The Irl-h Famine.
Ata spo,ial ms,ting of tn, Cop,Ia,ion Of
Dublin, Nov. 27th, to adopt measures TO relicyo
tho threatened famine in tho West Of ireland,
II was resolved
That as death from starvation has already
fcsultcd from ths distress which now unhlppily
ailliCiH several districts Of our country II IA tho
opinion Of tho cOuuuil that immC 'iatc steps
eho.'d be taken to avert tho danger 10 which
the lives of thousands Of our struggling poor are
threatened by the touhlo visitation Of a scarcity
Of focd and a scarcity Of full. II Is therefore
government with view 10 tho obtaining such
aid, through tho prOmotin. of useful public
works or otherwise, as tho necessity Of The case
may require.
Facts worc cited 10y tho various spoRkcr',
showing tina. tho fears Of a scarcity of fool were
neither visionary nor exaggerated.
Mr.. McSWinoy said that In come districts tho
potato crop had dwindlod from 90 to 10 por cent
Of the average of former years. One informant
states that in Galway and Mayo two thirds
OF tho potato crop are entirely gone. Another
sAys "Two-thirds Of the potato crop are on
tiroly gone, and tho remainder is moro iit for
cattle food than for human use. The scarcit Y
of turf-tho only fuel in this part OF the coun-
try--is such as to render tho state Of tue dis
trict miserable in the cKtron,c."
Tho speaker read a letter from a commercial
traveller in the West, of which the following
ato extracts;
Tho stnto Of tho west is very bad, inicoi.-
The roor are suffering much from tho great want
cf fuel, and misery ia depicted in their counto.
nnnces. In almost every town and district |
pais through numbers OF poor creatures moi hall
clau, trembling with cold and hunger, arc bog
pirg from door to door, and may be seon on tho
road side under showers of sleet and snow, col
lecting bushes aud hriars TO cook perhaps, thor
"A | only meal IN Il hours. To give you an instance
= of tho state Of Louisburgh-a poor man died
there las, woek Of hunger AM cold, and ! lsar "
,s on, u,o ,utiuuin,. tn,uJ Oesos OF the sort
Il In tho neighborhOod Of Parity and other noun
famous districts, there is great scarcity o.
II fuel and almost every house has boy or gar
# employed eauh day pulling heath oil tho noun
tains for fuel. The potato crop IS going last u
ID all auartors, and fear, as the season advances
o the effects Of hunger and cold will be most bit
II teTly felt.
MIR. Egan stated that ho had recently travel
:, ed for twelve DAYS through the West OF ireland
!. on foot:
!, lie had ston crops oil potatoes which the own
u srs did not think " yOtth their whllo TO dig,
o the di,e ing wOuli not pay thctn-A man wOuld
1t not dig as much good potatoes IN Gay a. , ~
I. would eat himself. He saw oats in the held
actually growing after IL was rcaped, IN consc
D, ouenco Of the wet weather. II had not beo
/, nut into stacks, but remained in stocks, growing
50 as II stood
=. Mr.. Dewitt informed the meeting that tn
At Rev. Mr. Jarvis, Curatc Of one of the Islands o.
the western shore of Ireland, had stated tina
n two months could not olapse without famine
N if immediate measures Of relief were no
sr adopted.
= DIR. Gray, in lengthy speech, adducod man
,e instances Of the distress to which tho peopi
NJ were already reduced. In Headfort the relieN
o. ing officer was about 10 erect sheds for tho n
no ception Of tho poor, and had actually prov
~, carts 10 remove them from their dwellings to q
be poor-house. The scarcity Of food was still ~
We thar aggravated by the want OF fuel. The Go
'-o ornment. ho stated, was at longth becoming co
or vinoed that the condition of the people was
les coming alarming, and demanded immediate re
~ lief.
10 Alderman REYNOLDS read some statistics shot
oe ins that the pecunary loss to Ireland in cons
'ct quenco oil the partial failure Of the potatoe cr
9l this year amounted to upwards Of S6O.OOO.OOl
IN. The estimated loss on tbo wheat crop would
:1j.23is73 on the hay crop slOJlO'OOO. 1
He oi 8 of fuel was more difficult to estimate, but
cou'd not be less than $1,000 900 and wou
,ry chiefly fall on the very poorest class.
on. CAPTAIN Knox referred 10 the ox raordiua
to ,tstement of Sir Robert Peel respecting
HiJ fnnine and read extracts ofletters from inhu'
lie ,iI n,blemen and gentlemen rosld
ain la tho districts through which the Cl
lho Secretary had Travelled. The Mayor OF S
sb. stated that in the back districts and alo
not tho mountain ranges, there was a want
uld fuel, and there was little employment, and Ia
A. ly any poiatoes." Lord Onnmore stated u
The the famine during the winter would 10 OF
aud most alarming character. Captain Knox te'
mo- fed from his own experience that uaies'
nn n,', mediate relief was afforded, large number
ex. tho poorer inhabitants If tho Wost OF lreI'
Mr.. UouId within the next two or three mont
80 perish from actual want.
ma 4 special correspondent Of Dublin paE
vritirg from Portumna, Nov, 2li says
eiuB The complaint is universal as 10 the gent
,u,b "a lure Of tie crsps and the prospect OF very
oran and severe distress amongst tho small Iain
Ipru. anl tho laboripg population during tho eh'u
over winter. ,,.A IL
J"oa Comparing the various accounts which h
less. r, ,reiyeJ, and testing them by my own obse
nhat lion. may safely state that more than one,
will Of the rotate crop IN this neighborhood has
con. | list.
Another correspondent writing from
Ia in rif a district In the County Clare, that su
10 at ed next 10 skibbereen, in the famine OF !
bat and states that the country was pauperized
Mel lhe inhabitants decimated In consequence
that calamity, SO that tho suffering IN thst
that, rict on the present occasion, will less 20
exico than in more populous districts lie say
,dless lie crops have suffrod greatly, but tho p
rs to crop most Of all There was scarcity oil iu
ntoOs K TippeIary paper states that the P
crop in that county has been bhghted, ana
mort p,ospects for the inter are gloomy; -,
In Mayo, the Catholic clergy OF BaliiI
Lave held a meeting and adopted Ieso,u
10 ths confirming tho worst accounts o' inc 90
ory' they say that the remnant OF the potato
AIN a which has escaped the "dissAse consls
sis,s unripe small tubers, devoid Of sustsnance
sTm1 unfit for human food, and that therefor
rating ,nquiry late W amount 0f that "