The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-11-12
A Visit to Ireland.

trip 10 Ireland. lie lelt wheeling 10 com'
psny with his father, THoS. WILSON, ESQ.,
Of Glen Easton, Marshall county, about the
middle oi July last, but his father pre-.
ceded him home some weeks ago. Most
oil his stay in Ireland was spent In the
county Of Monaghan, q county Of the
province ot Ulster, in the northern part
Of the island. In the course ol q conVer-
sstlon last evening he gave US many in.
teresting particulars as 10 his observations
OF the country and the manners and Gus.
toms Of the people, Mr.. Wilson'S father
Is anatiVe ofthatpa oi Ireland, and they
went over together 10 arrange some bus.
iness interests belonging to the latter.
During his Sojourn he had abundant lels-
ure and opportunity to sec lie among the
Irish masses, and TO find out from person.
al intercourse why It Is that there Is such
avast emigration to this country from that
prolific soil. The hopeless condition Of
poverty OF the laboring class In that
country is such as to prompt them to
cmigrate whenever by any good fortune
they can secure the necessary means,
either through their own savings or the
charity Of their friends in this country.
An Irish peasant knows little Of the en-
joymenls Of lie, such as they have on the
continent Of Europe. he 10 born 10 q
condition Of hard servitude from which
he seldom emerges. He tolls for q shilling
per day from sun rise 10 sun set, and on
this scant sum he rears large family in a
hut wherein there is not perhaps so much
as board floor or common bedstead.
Mr.. Wilson'S description Of peasant life in
this respect, and also Of the mesgreness
OF their diet and dress, reminded Us not a
little Of DANIEL O'CoNNKLs celebrated
speech in the British Parliament many
years ago, in which he drew the most
graphic picture Of peasant lie in Ireland
that perhaps was ever given Of the priva-
tions Of the poor in any country. One
cause CT the hardship Of the lot o! the
Irish laborers Is the dissipation that
prevails among them. The amount Of
spirits that is consumed by them is
simply enormous in the aggregate
Even among the better classes, and not
excepting the religious element, the habit
OF drinking more or less every day is
almost universal. Punch is the favorite
beverage, and the most that can be said
for 1t is that il is not made out Of Pine.
top and does not sicken and poison the
people like the tAngle'foot that is SO com.
mon in our own country. The diet oi an
Irish lsborer is mostly composed Of oat
meal porridge and potatoes. He knows
little OF bread and meat, and still less Of
butter and milk. 0nce or twice a week
perhaps he Is able 10 afford bacon and
cabbage. Our variety OF vegetables and
fruits are unknown among them. Such |
common articles Of diet on everybody's
table in this country as corn and toms.
toes are never seen in Ireland. And 80
also Of the leading fruits and berries TO
which every American family is accus-
toned. OF all these the Irish peasant
laborer knows nothing save by hear say
from his friends in the United States.
1t is estimated that four.flths Of the
population Of Ireland directly depend for
employment and subsistence on the cult.
va.ion Of the soil. And this too notwith.
standing the country is not specially
adapted to agriculture. OF the twenty
million acres OF land only about five mil.
lions and half are arabic. Nearly seven
millions Of acres are embraced in pas.
lures and marshes. Five millions are in
the condition called "improvable," and
the rest is waste. The farms are generally
very small. Few extend to 40 acres, and
in the North and East they mostly vary
from 5 10 Is acres. Some years ago, out
OF about nine hundred thousand holders
OF land ono hundred and twenty-five
thousand holdings were less than an acre.
Statistics, however, show that since then
the land hiss been passing into fewer
hsnda, and the total holders do not now
perhaps exceed half q million. In the
countyo Of MonagaD, wherein Mr.. WILSON
sojourned most oil the time during his stay,
one OF the principal landed proprietors is
Col. LESLIE, who represents the county
in Parliament, and who owns some 90, 900
acres, This land Is entailed in his family,
as is the custom Of the country, and de-
scends by primogeniture to the Oldest
son. 1t Is generally leased ont in farms ot
fifty and one hundred acres, at an annual
rental Of say ten dollars per acre, to re.
sponsible parties, who employ the peas
autry at shilling per day TO work for
them. The lessee oil small farm in Ire.
land Is a person Of consequence, and is
looked up to by his employees good deal
as our planters used to be regarded by
their slaves. The lessee in his turn looks
up TO the land owner with much ol the
same Difference. The discipline OF class
aud caste obtains very rigidly in Ireland.
The accident Of birth and fortune is every
thing. A property qualification gives a
man the right to vote. 1.-The is say $40
householder he is privileged to vote for
representative In Parliament and officers
oI municipalities. Out OF a population Of
some six millions there was a few years
ago an:sggregate ofonly z, 600 voters; not