The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-03-29


mostly tradesmen and merchants, it was re-
solved to give the soldier planters their
portion side by side with them in the ten
counties of the three provinces allotted to
them, and the division of the land between
these two classes was settled by the drawing
of lots. The remaining counties of ireland,
with the exception Of Conraught, were to
be given to the officers and soldiers for the
arrears of pay, amounting to Ell ,55O,OOO,
and to satisfy debts of money or provisions
due for supplies advanced to the English
army, amounting to 81 $780, 900. COnnaught,
was reserved by the Parliament for the
habitation of the Irish nation, and was then,
as it is still, the least fertile of the four
provinces Here, the Roman Catholics of
Ireland, high and low, the countess with
her tender and beautiful daughters, the
peasant with his couple Of cows, and the Ia
bOrer with his implements OF toll, were to
be transplanted within six months from
the three rich provinces adjoining, and
penned up among its wet bogs and inhOs-
pitable mountains, guarded from escape,
seward and 1andward, by the river Sham
non, the Atlantic Ocean, and ten miles of
forts garris0ned with soldiers while, for
still greater security, belt of land from
one to four miles wide, running round the
entire province, including Clare, was re-
served from the Irish and given to the
soldiers to plant. There was thus no proba
bility Of escape either by land or sea, and
all the inland castles and forts were de-
stroyed lest they should become dangerous
in the hands of the Irish. Thus, on Sep
TENDER 26, 1853, all the ancient estates and
farms of the people of Ireland were declared
to belong to the adventures and the army
of England; and it was announced that
Parliament had assigned Connaught tAmer-
lea was not then accessible) for the habita
ton of the Irish nation, WHITTIER they must
transplant with their wives, and daughters,
and children before May first following (l654)
under penalty of death if found on this side
of the Shannon after that day" (P. 27.)
The difficulty of crushing the-people OF
their finding elbow room may be imag ined.
The soil was wretched and the country
wasted by ten years Of war; some parts SO
barren that /" there was not wood enough
to hang man, water enough to drown him,
or earth enough to bury him." The fatal
order went forth and excited great lamen
tatiOn throughout the whole land.
Among the petitioners for exemption
from transplantation, it is curious to find
the names OF Fitzgerald, Butler, Plunket,
Cheever, Cusack, who had themselves-Or
their forcfathers-eXerted themselves cru
ely in various schemes for eXtirpating or
transplanting the native Irish after Lord
Thomas Fitzger;,ld's rebellion in 1885.
But what was to he done with Irishmen
who had turned Professionals. What did
the commissioners mean by Irish widows of
English extraction? What was to be done
with the fair Papists who had. married
Protestants, and still continued Papists?
Was the wife to be separated from the hus-
band! Were all the fishermen of Wexford
to be transplalited? We are not told what
answers the commissioners made to these
questions. But the difficulties of the work
were only now beginning. Three months
after May first, 1854, only sixty families had
removed to Connaught; the Tories (mostiy
dispOssessed owners who had turned 10 bbers)
had increased to Il fearful extent; and the
commissioners were ut last obliged to seize
the crops of all who delayed the transplant
ing, and to fill the goals with transplantable
persons who would not go to Con,laught.
They actually5hang one Edward Hether
ington, of kilnemanagh, with placards on
ing" At length the terrible seventies of
the law began to have their effect, and i'll u
short time SO complete was the depOpulation
in the county of Tipperary-now the most
anti-Eng1ish in the country-that four per-
sons had to be sent for from Connaught to
point out the bounds of lands for the officers
of the Down survey. 1t is needless to re-
mark that the transplanted suffered great
hardships. Some went mad, some. hanged
themselves; others lived on and founded
families which flourish there to this day.
The country being now cleared of the
original occupiers, the officers and soldiers
at once took possession of the lands, which
were distributed by lot, and divided fairly
among them, according to their extent and
value. 1t often happened, however, that
the soldiers, deeply embarrassed by arrears
of pay, sold their debentures to their officers
for q trifling sum-say, for a horse and a
few shillings. In one case, a barrel of beer
was made to pay off the claims of whole
company. The consequence was that the
lands fell into very few hands; the soldiers
who sold their debentures generally re-
turned in disgust to England and thus
plantation, was lost to the country.
There was much dissatisfaction among
the men,. sin. Ireland the common men
found nm heer. no cheese they had NO