The daily gazette., 1880-02-10
the Depth OF Misery,

The Depth OF Misery. y
A correspondent Of the Ffssmcn's .
Journal, writing from Rosmuck, on
the Galway coast, onsthe 18th Of Janus
ary, says s---After visiting the town
lands upon the Rosmuck promontory,
where all that is not stone is quiverinx
bog, traversed Rosmuck Bay by boat
for boat twelve miles, past Letter.
more, Lettercalbagh and Illaneeragh
islands to the group of stony islands
and semi-peninsulas called Lettermul-
len. Having the unspeakabie nests of
shielings upon Dinan Island we .pene-
erated the townlAnd Of Carraroe thsn,
across eight miles of water, through
the narrow pass of Belandangain,
.coasting on either side the wretched
townlands of Toween, Camns and
Suanobo, until we found ourselves
picking our way in the darkness up
the enormous rocks of the little natu-
raj cove of Garrofn. found not one
single field in all that stretch Of coun-
try unencumbered with powders, but
everywhere patches of starved cultiva-
ton scooped out Of corners of the
rocky plains, or built up in high beds
Of bog stuff, with streams rolling in
the burrows between. l found these
starveling plots roaded with rack rents
which would be esteemed merciless in
Tipperaiy. But let that pass. / found
that stock of any sort have disappear
ed from hundreds of holdings, even to
the very hens, and that whatever little
famished mountains cows are left are
not only absolutely valueless for sale,
but are literally starving, like their
owners. for want Of food. l found
that the seed oats are in many cases
gone. and the seed potatoes in all
places going. l found that the kelp
trade, which was as vital to these peo-
pie as agriculture, has within two
years declined three-fourths in amount
and two-thirds in price-is, in fact, ut
terly and hopelessly ruined that their
fishing has been Of the rudest, and that
that, too, has been three-fourths de-
stroyed by the cupidity of the rich pro-
prietor of the fishery. ] reckon that
six hundred families at the least will
in a month have exhausted their last
ounce of food and their last chance of
raising any, and that at least one hun
dred families are already in that terri
BILE strait.
saw numbers Of women and children
who were slowly wasting for want of
food-upon two meals a day, upon one
meal day, and that handful of In
dian meal lieut. by some less wretched
neighhor, and eaten without drop Of
milk. l saw a man prowling over dug
potato fields and digging them again for |
a couple Of forgotten roots. / saw an |
infant gnawing turnip and eight little
brothers and sisters without a rag OF
underclothiug. l saw 'beds' Of stones
aud S. aweed that if they were in any
other couRtry Of the world, would raise
humanity in revolt. l saw a sick old
woman who could not stand up without |
pulling the roof of the little circular |
shieling made of sOds Of bog mould,
which she herself had constructed be-
tween three huge Doulders that answered
as walls. l saw more than one hoyel
in the depths OF the bogs actually built
all over with dripping bog mould, |
matched with heatbgIass. l saw a |
family of nine who had nothing in the |
wo.ld 10 keep life in them except such |
pariwinkles as they could gather on the
neighborlng strand! And withal, their |
peacefulness, their patience, their re-
gnation, even their cheerfulEess is one |
Of the most astounding things in the |
world. l have had TO make a journey |
close to midnight alone through one OF |
the mot necessitous regions of Come
mara, and the OILY persons | eneoun-
tered in a distance of ninrteen mites
we're two policemen on patrol and q
water bailiff watching the rivers.
As for their cheerfulness, Father
Keane questioned widow with five |
children, who had only two meals
more of potatoes, and had travelled to |
Galway in vain for credit, how were
they to live when the potatoes were
gone. | will never forget the sweet
trustfulness with which she said in |
Irish, looking into the priests face,
Neither God nor you will let the little
orphans starve, Aher Shemusr A
poor old hag, clad in short and rag
sed red petticoat, and nothing more,
met us ON the road near Carraroe, and,
putting out her withered, skinny hand,
said, always in Irish, 1 expect you'll
stretch out some hand to me, Aher
Shemus. Tire priest, with that mix
ture of pathos and good hnmor which
ii seems to me alone keeps the people |
from going mad, put out his right |
hand frankly and said, There it is it
is as empty as your own.' The poor |
old thing, as if cheered by the sense
of suffering shared, shook her old gray
curls with laughing as she said, with !
a blessing, Why, then, more is the
pity. That it mightn't be SO longp
Amen.