, 1866-10-16
FROM IRELAND.
Social, Political and Religious
Condition of The Country.

KinGstosEn In Autuun-Tho tsLtbezt5,s
OF Dublin-The Two oClasses-kndiGer-
enco OF the Hieh to the Condition Of
the Poot-Sorial Subdivisions In Ire-
lnud-PolItlcal lDlecontentTheU Union
With EnElard-The Proteasants and
CathoIlcA-Fcnl2Ht HtAtra-SIox1oue Pros
pects Ahead.
lEeom Our Own CoEsesponden..}
DuBl1N, September a.
Having LEFT the metropolis of England for
brief period, date this letter from the
metropolis Of Ireland ; aud as I hppreheud
there are many readers Of the Chicago
TRIBUNE who would read with Interest An nc
count Of the social, political and religious
position Of Ireland, propose, with your per-
mlsaion, to devote the present aud one or
two following communications to d cousld-
Grafton of that subject; aud I hope to do 80
with mind as ntee from prejudice and par
TALLY - Is possible for one who takes 40 In
terest in the events that are passing before
him. believe that the sentence In which the
Irish reasantry are described " as the wrost
clothed, the worst lodged, and tho worst fed
OF any In Europe" has made the tous Of the
world. I must say that first aspect OF
KingstoWn, as seen from the poop Of one OF the
Holyhead nud KnEstown boats, would not
lead one to such conclusion. Approached
under the softcning rays Of bright Sep.
tember sun, nothing can be more picturesque
and cheerful than this suburb Of Dub
lin, rising like a silver co,onet to
complete the toilet Of soma eminent
beauty. We're II not for the utte1ances of an
.all.peuetratlng press. the stranger entering
Ireland By Dublin Bay might Imagine that
be was on the verge Of somo happy island In
which Wretchedness wss unknown and mis-
cry unfelt. Nor would Sunday evenings
walk along Kingstown pier dispe1 the ilausion.
1t would be impossible to suFpass the bril-
liant display that Kingstown affords on fine
afternoon In summer, must confess neYer
saw more finely developed men or mora
lovely and graceful women than parsded the
hingstown pier last Sunday; and am IT,
formed that what behcId was but the rem
mart of what kingstown possessed at m car.
Ncr period Of the season. Az for the drasses
Of the fair p1omenaders, they showed such
contempt Of convenience aud cleanliness
for, like Ailton's Satan, they lay "aoatinr
many rood behind"-that no one could In
aginc these voluminous1y attircd ladies' were
ever familiar with the aspect Of poverty.
Yet knew there must be background 10
this picture, and 80, after leaving Kings
town,
TIE POOR or DrnLE.
1raid visit TO what is called the 'sLiberty"
Of Dublin. The. contrast could not be
stronger. Here were men, women and chill
dren, Fnn. worn and oo-begune-the men
unwzahed, Ill dressed and d1ssipated.lookiu
regardless OF opinion and hrequentess Of the
whlskey shops; the children bare footed.
bare legged. reckless and playful, ~ only
children can be playful under such circum.
stances. Every country In the world has
more or less Of the--contsast between Dives
and Lazarus, hut l do not bcl1eye it is
e:c.1.s1. c.! n :ach clear HGes and strong
colors elsewhere Is In Ireland. Thu. It prr-
sents itself to tho eye Of the stranger, but
the people themselves do not seem to bo
aware OF the fact. Accustomed ~ they
have been all their lives to see the same scene
presented day after day, they believe that II
is quite natural and part Of the arrangement
OF Providence. The difference be.weeu rich
and poor Is quite ~ great in the internal
consciousness rs It Is In the external symbols.
The well to do classes In ireland do not, a.
arnle, care, for those beneath them In the
soeisl scale. This remark docs not apply 70
the Individual 1Hshman, for no man has h1s
feelings and sJmpAthles more readily Affected
than the native OF shis country What Imean
to say Is, that consideration for the welfare
and elevation OF Their Interiors In Life does
not abide With them Is thought-ss one of
the first Of duties While present to his
mind no man feels more acutelJ2for some In
aasaouAl ease Of distress, but the feeling is
passing one and It ID not general. It u limit.
ed to the particular. Hence IT. Is that the
.amly affections are 80 much stronger In Ire
| land lhan IN most other counties. But how
ever accounted for, the hct Is potent aud un-
denisble that the misery Of the one class does
not much affect the enjoyment OF the other
| The distinction between vzrious classes IL
carried to greater length In Ireland than In
| any other conntEyWlth which am aequatut-
! ed It is not merely that distInctious exist
| between Protestant aud Catholic, between
landlord and tenaut, but they Are carried out
with extraordinary subdivision amongst
peseens Of the same trade snd calling
SOCIAL DISTINCTIONS.
a pcrson haripg ESQ year in a country
town IN ireland. aud belonging to what he
caua the high class, viii desplse trades-
man who makes his Thousand = year in busl-
ness and the trader who makes his e5o0
year In business, Will also look down upop
hts fel1ow-tEaaesuaan IN the same street, All
thts u great drawback On the prosperity OF
the country and engenders bad feeling. T
have known persons in the professional e1ass
o1 Life, hasTisteza, phyuiciAns and solicitor,
who have bctn un<h1e to ask the dmfly of
brother IN business to = social psrty. slthon,h
the brother In business might be souaiiv
respectable and more wealthy. This social
exc1usiseness IL 50 general that nart1.<
| frequently acquIesce in It, and the e1elnd.d
nafosS isei themselres aggrieved, although
sometimes ieada to Permanent est.auzn.
ment amongst near relatives,
| POLITICAL ExKA8txfss.
| Amongst society 80 constituted socially:
one should not sxpeet to fnd much unity a.
any gcnefzl and important object. Pei the
feeling Of discomfort is 30 universal thsf It
produces the same effect As untty
of purpose. Each man knows that his neipb.
hor Is dlsRatisted and knowing thai, he feel.
he has An associate at least for the purpose
| Of oTezthsoving the established order Of
things. At the present moment III is apoa.
rently quiet The Haheas Corpus Act Is still
suspended, and men suppress their opinions.
and almost their feelluxs, but the discomfort
is not the 1esa real, though It Is latent. The
young men In the tnwns are uotoelouslr hos.
tile to English rule. aud the ssue feeaIr,ra 7
an assured, pesvade the farming class. that
Is 70 say, the great bulk Of the Irish peon1o
I There u An obvious tendency, aud A sincars
deaise, oa The part of English statesmen Of
The present day, 10 conciliate the peoulc az
Ireland, but do not heaitate to sav thst
| they wiz neTer succeed In attaching them