Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-08-10
LETTER FROM IRELAND.

Rev. J. \. McGiffert writes to the
Ashtabula Telegraph the following
from the north Of Ireland:
I have passed over the country
from Londonderry to Belfast, and
stopping at several villages, and vis-
iting among the farmers.
The country is perfectly charming
"a constant variety OF hill and val
ley, as in central New York, with an
occasional half-mountain or bluff, re-
sembling the Berkshire hills of Mas
sachusetts. But the whole surface,
excepting the PERCEPTIONS faces Of the
bluffs, Is in the highest state of enlti-
vatiOn, and the face of the country Is
as a mottled ehecker-board, made up
of the varied hues Of wheat, oats, flax
and g1ass-the small fields mingled
together beautifully. The entire alb
senee Of wooden fences and frame
buildings gives an utterly un-Amerf-
can aspect to the scenery. In the
place OF fences, the hawthorn hedge
alternates with the stone wall. The
latter is built usually with mason-
work, four to six feet, and sometimes
twelve feet in height. The gabe-posts
in the hedges are usually built OF
stone, and are usually two feet in
diameter and six or eight in height,
and are neatly whitewashed. The
houses also are whitewashed exter-
nally.
AS you look over q stretch of cOun-
try, the white houses nesting among
groups Of shrubbery, and the hum
dreds Of white pillars in the green
hedges renders the picture a very
charming one.
Much of this charm, however,
passes away as you approach the
houses, and find them low, one-story
buildings, with thatched roofs. The
whitewash, so pretty at a distance,
appears rough and plain. As many
other pictures, it will not bear inYes-
tigation. But inside of these houses
we find thrift and comfort quite equal
to the average of our American farm
houses; very different, am told,
from what l shall find in southern
Ireland.
There is, of course, no encourage
ment to the farmer to build nice
house, when every improvement is
the landlords property. If Glad
stones Land Bill passes through Par
Lament, a few years will bring about
a great Improvement in the dwellings
and their surroundings.
It seems wonderful that these farm
ers can lay up anything, yet many Of
them do, am told, have money at
interest. They pay, on an average,
from seven to eight dollars an acre
yearly rent for their land, in addition
to all taxes. The land is not natu-
rally fertile, and is only kept in its
present condition at great expense Of
labor and enriching material. Labor
is very cheap, yet as the farmers
employ fully three times as many
men or women, as with Us, the ex-
pense for labor must be nearly equal. /
What we do by machinery is here
done mainly by hand, yet the farm
ers are prospering generally. The
poverty seems to be confined mainly
to the laboring classes.
I am disappointed in the railroads, ]
which are much rOugher than the
trunk roads in our country. 1 here
found it well nigh impossible to
read. ! presume / shall find the
English roads very different. One Of
the strangest features, TO an Ameri-
can, in Irish -eonyeyaneesf is the
jaunting car-a tWO-wheeled vehicle
with seats on each side facing out
ward. 1t is confined, I am told,
entirely to Ireland, but here it takes
the place Of stage and hack and pri-
vate carriage. Scarce any one but
the landed proprietors drives any
thing else. / have heard this mode
of riding highly praised by trEYelersi
I can only say that I find it exceed |
ingly uncomfortable, with no redeem
ing feature save that you could extri- |
cate yourself in a moment il q horse |
were to become fractions.
Londonderry, where we landed, is |
q peculiar city; especially so to an |
Ameriean-old, quiet parroR streets |
and low stone buildings.s The center |
of the city is walled, with huge |
gateways over the streets. Belfast |
Is American in appearance, with /
broad streets and fine buildings. 1t
reminds me very much Of Baltimorss !
The principal features which impair \
the American aspect are the jaunting /
cars and the eObble-stOne sidewalks
in all but the very best streets.
Our American Consul, DR.. Rea,
gave q delightful entertainmeEt, on |
the 4th of July, to the Americans in
or near Belfast; the programme was
q supper with toasts and speeches fol-
lowed with fireworks. We almost
imagined ourselves, for 8 little time,
in our own dear land. There were /
about two hundred and fifty Ameri-
cans, or quassi-Americans, present |
over fifty bf,them travellers, the 9TH
ers persons who had resided for a
time in our country. llo's 71.f
I have omitted TO notice the Giants |
Causeway, where we spent one day. /
I must refer you to our Biographies I
for a description. 80 ~
Gladstone's salary as Prime Minis