New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-12
THE CONDITION OF MAYO.

SIGNS OF POVERTY AND DECAY IN wEsrPoRT-THE
STRUGGLE FOR FOOD-THE DECREASE IN TIE
POPULATION,
lPRoM THR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
WRsTPoRT, March 2.-An impecunious London
cad, or bagman. as an excuse for buying third
class ticket. evolved from the depths of his inner
consciousness (of poverty the brilliant observation
that none but fools and Americans travel in first
class carriages 30 / bought first class ticket
from Athlone to Westport. Train started at 1890
D. NJ; arrived at Westport $50 a. IN. Railway trav-
Cling here in Winter may be q duty and might DO
q peuance, but never a pleasure The railway
carriage' is not the warm stting-room or
the luxurious parlOr of our American rail-
roads 1t Is three old-fashioned stage
coaches stuck together and put ON truck. Ihere
never was q stage coach warmed, so why SnOulu uno
railway coach be warmed You could not walk
about in stage COACH so why should you walk
about in a railway coach Bless YOU no one ever
did ear of coaohee a-gving of his fare check
for his luggage" So why should your baggage be
checked through 10 its destination on railway
coach The whip of the old stage coach was called
n driyerD and the man behind guard" so, as
our forefathers never heard tell Of an engineer nor
a conductor, the engineer on these railroads -
called driver and the conductor is called guard
The ancestors of the Irish and English gentry kept
themselves warm in their stage coaches by wraps
.snd heavy cloaks and they do still in these rail-
way coaches. Sometimes they would have jug OF
hot water brought into the stage coach tor their
feet ; gave the porter shilling and he brought
me a long tin foot-pan filed with boiling water
into the railway coach. As long as it kept warm
che foOt-pan was means of grace, but when its
zeal grew cold / sighed for Pullman.
Conservatism is an excellent thing-in an
leo house but it is the dreful spring of woes un-
numbered in a railway coach. had the rigid sat
isfaction of having the entire rstcass carriage to
myself 30 that any inconsiderate tribes In the way
of comment on Irish conservatism that L may nave
expressed therein can be laid before the con-
gregation. 1t is we'll thus.
The only conveyance at the station in Westport
was hand cart, propelled by ragged YOUTH Win
thin clothes and q thick brogue. Under this escort
1 reached Mrs. Gibbons hotel and after mucn
knocking at last got a room.
Westport is the most important town IN County
Mayo This town and neighborhood, thew say here,
has sent more emigrants to the United States than
any similar district in Ireland. There's hardly
family in the place." said one merchant, e" who
hasn't relatives in America. They're in every State
of the Uniou." The priest of the adjoining parish
of Islandady, the Rev. Thomas OMalley. saws that
bis parish has seut more persons to America than
any parish in the county. Before the last famine
there were 1900 families in Islandady. Now there
plautively, have been sent out by famine and the
landlords"
Westport lies on Clew Bay. Guide books say it is
handsome and thrifty town. 1t has certainly
some features that claim attention and perhaps merit
faint praise. There is good hotel; little river
confined between stone walls, and crossed by SOLID
bridges runs through the centre OF the town there
are substantial churches and warehouses: ana tne
streets and dwellings are better than at Athione:
Lord ShgOs castle is not mile from the hotel ana
the splendid park or demesne in which 1T STANDS
sweep OF lowell and undulatiDg land ntersected
by the little river. dotted over with nne
ps pS E fs IS sns '"F1 SToS as green cur a%
IN front Of the castle Is worthy of the reputa-
ton that the parks Of English noblemen have al
the park in che centre of little graveyard in which
members of the Sligo family lie buried. Tho castle
Is small edition of the Astor House, two stories
high As for the rest of the town. the streets run
up hill and down. and to me they mumbled
of decay rather than boosted OF thrift.
On the morning of my arrival. as
walked about the town and heard people talking
sbout o little riot the night before. About 10
O'Clock saw crowd of women-a shower OF wO-
men," as street stocking-seller expressed it
mostly barefooted. all poorly clad-with blue lips
and hungry looks--cOngregated near the bridge not
far from the hotel. They were talking excitedly.
detachment of oonstabulary stood at the corner
opposite. went among the idIers and asked the
meaning of the crowd, aud learned that broker
had been buying up potatoes In the country around
about from the farmers aud had tried to send them
of by rail the night before; but that the women
rushed on his cart and cut open the bags with
knives.
Did they take them :" / asked.
"NO sorp said the man spoke to. "We've not
got down so far that yet don't want to stale,
Rli that the wimmen wanted was to stop the pOta-
toes from gong out of the country"
But didn't the man buy the potatoes "
badly enoasb, and nd ii the Dublin folks hear that
were sending potatoes ont Of our county. they'll
stop sending relate. Look thereP
pointed out imam man who %Ss StOH potato
toes lay scattered on the street.
"When no found he couldn't take them out of
town." said the horse he sent for the con-
stabutary and they're here to protect him, But as
he was driving his cart out, while since, boy
rushed ont and ripped open one of the bags"
There the potatoes lay In sight OF hungry crowd
but not man nor woman went up to gather them.
After the cart moved on, under military escort
begGar woman ran up and began to pick up the
potatoes. Then there was q rush and the potatoes
disappeared
County Mayo is not the worst of the DISTRESSED
counties" but it fairly represents the average of
destitutlon. As my clerical correspondents from
other counties have given you general view of the
distress propose 70 make personal inspection of
the several parishes in this county.
County Mayo in 1874 had population of
244920. In 1841-the last census before the
famine-its population was 3SS.S97. In 1851
three years after the famine-it had decreased to
274,409. loss of 114,3S8. 1t was during this in
terval that the great emigration to America
occurred. The decrease In population from 1S41
60 1874 is therefore, 142 761, or. estimating what
would have been the natural increase, at least
10000 souls. From Nay 1. 1851, up to December
81. 1874, 63430 persons left County Mayo. The
total OF 10000 includes the emigration Of 1881.
In County Mayo there are 2465 Roman Catho-
lies, 6.098 Protestant Episcopaians. 1,073 Preshy-