The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1867-10-08
LETTER FROM BISHOP ATKINSON.
TUNBRIDGE WELLS, ENGLAND,
September 3, 1867.


To the Editors of the Wilmington Journal:
GENTLEMEN I'm compliance with your re
quest that should write TO you occasionally
during my stay 10 Europe, and as a means o.
satisfying the interest of my many persona
friends who read your paper and who desire tt
know the state of my rather precarious health
aud the events of my tour, | use this first day o
entire leisure to accomplish these objects.
sailed from New York OF the 10th Of August
in the "Citv of Baltimore" one of the Inmau
line of steamships This is rival line to tha,
of Cunard, equal probably, IN the quality of its
vessels, and in the speed and apparently the
safety of its voyages, for | was told by gentle
man who is an underwater at Lloyds, that the
insurance is the same on both. But there is
certainly greater luxury on the Cunard ships,
and with most persons, a more absolute feeling
of security, so successful has the of these
been, and so admirable their discipline and their
equipments. 90 the other hand, the passage
money on the Inman line, going and returning,
is not much more than half of that charged on
the Cunard, the former being $l75 in gold for
both trips, while the latter is $3lO. The ex-
penses of these lines great that the charges
do not seem exorbitant We used in the CITY
of Baltimore" about 65 tons of coal day, and
We had about hundred persons belonging
to the ship, including officers, crew, fremen and
stewards, all of whom receive liberal wages SO
as to secure the best hands. The Captain told
me that he estimated the expense Of the ship,
going to New York and returning, and including
her own wear anG tear aud that of her macbin-
ery as being not less than 10000, or $4,000
Y ct both lines do 50 large a business that the
Cunard proprietors have become very rich, and
the Inmans must be on toe high road to the
theU llv
their operations.
We landed at Queenstown, after voyage
which was, on the whole, very smooth, although
its monotouy was relieved in way very dis.
agreeable to landsmen, by a storm of twelve
hours continuance. We preferred to land at
Queenstown, rather than at Liverpool, in order
to see something Of the South of Ireland and
especially of the far famed Lakes of Killarney
We spent three days very pleasantly at Cork
visiting or two points of interest 10 the
neigh borhood, among others the beautiful views
of Castle -Barney, of which the principal glory
is that it the last place in Ireland to sur
render to him, whom the Irish so deeply abhor
Oliver Cromwell. 1t boasts, also, the possession
of the celebrated Blarney Stone, which, whose
ever Kisses acquires the Gift, SO common among
the Irish, Of fatterirg aud cajoling any one they
wish to gain over The. interest of the place.
however, in my eyes, grew chiefly out Of the
beauty of the scenery around it and its associa
tion with other days and other forms of life.
sThe high raised battlements and lofty towers,
Thick wall and moated gate )"
the narrow Sits in the walls, FOR arrow shots to
be discharged against assalants the deep, dark
dungeons, for the confinement of criminals or
prisoners even the state rooms, in which secu
rity was SO much more studied than comfort all
Ask:, 81 ol<o
knowa among ourselves, except 10 romance or
poetry, aud which even in Europe has Cor cen
turies passed away, never to return, for even
we're there recurrence of the same lawlessness
and violence, these safeguards would not be
again adopted, because they would be so utterly
poweress against modern implements of war.
| found the South of Ireland much more
beautiful and prosperous country than l ex-
pected The famine of 1917 was, in its results
great benefit to it. 1t caused an immense
cmigration and thereby diminished the supply
of laLor and increased the wages of the laborers
They receive now eight or niue shillings week
and their food-a sum very little, to be sure,
but perhaps double what they earned before
that event. There is now a curious current and
counter current of population moving between
ireland and America Some six hundred em
grants sail every week from Queenstown and
nearly as many land there on their return home
There we're some two hundred returning emf
grants, mostly Irish, 10 the ship came over in
They are disappointed in their expectations,
find that with higher wages they have much
greater expenses and can save no money, dislike
the climate, it may be, or lose some member of
their family, become disheartened aud return
Others, on the contrary, in Irelaad find work
slack, get encouraging letters and remttances
10
mine to emigrate. The population 10 ireland.
on the whole, continues to diminish. Cork,
am told, ing, perhaps, an extreme case, has
sunk from one hundred and twenty thousand n-
habitants to eighty thousand, yet tie country
looks anything but desolate. The fields are
fertile, beautifully cultivated, and very produc-
tive; the residences of the gentry and merchants,
with their lawns and gardens surrounding them,
are studded all over the country, aud would be
admired for their air Of elegance, opulence aud
taste, in any region of the world. The ho3ses
Of the peasants are dirty, but Eot, on that ac-
count uncomfortable to them, aud they are close
and warm, while the people themselves look
strong, healthy and cheerful the children are
Dumberless, as merry as erickets, and have such
brilliant compilations that Wilmington mother
would be alarmed for her offspring if she saw
them with so deep color, fearing that it was
fever which produced it. The Irish peasants
are remarkable for good humor aud courtesy,
but especially for reverence towards the cle:gy.
Certainly have receiaed 10 Dublin and Cork /,
although of course personally stranger, and
only recognized as clergyman by my dress, ten
times as many profound bows as vas ever
salated with 10 England or at home But one
deduction from the merits of the Irish peasants,
their warmest adnrer must concede, that is,
that they are, of all the begsars in Christendom,
at least out OF Italy, the most unabashcd aud