National Republican., 1883-05-09

clauses of tho land act, states that in the Sligo
union alone 900 applications have been made,
and In the western unions considerably more.
Continuing, ho says: The bulk of these em-
igrants will 90 to the United States. They
will receive "a per head to cover cost of pass
age and outfit. II has been calculated that
this will cost SO each which will leave about
81 to each on arrival. As il appears to me,
the guardians of tho poor are desirous to en-
igrate those who are likely to be in n state of
chronic poverty at homo, and save the rates
from their possible support If these people
arc thrown upon tho cities of the United
States without provision being made before
hand for their employment, they may become
burdensome on tho rates there also, and tho
country of their adoption may become loser
instead of a gamer by their influx"
In conclusion, Consul General Merritt
says. 81 have thus briefly indicated the
nature of the information which these con-
sular reports contain and the general conclu-
sions to which they tend, which believe to
be worthy of serious consideration.
As to relieving Irish distress by contribu-
tons Of money from the United States which
have always boen SO liberal the charges have
been so frequent in the past that much OF
this money has boon used for other purposes
that suggest in the future tho utmost care
he taken in choosing the channels through
which the charity is to be administered"
Accompanying the above report are the
subreports upon which IL is based, from the
United States consuls at Cork, Belfast, Dublin,
limerick, Sligo, Londonderry, and Water
ford. These subreports answer with con-
siderable fulness of detail the questions pro-
pounded by the consul general and give
many interesting particulars with regard to
the present condition Of the Irish peasantry.
Upon the subject of the reported distress
in western and southern Ireland, Mr. John
j. Piatt, at Cork writes as follows;
Il met several days ago prominent gen.
tleman Of this place-a very intelligent, as
we'll us genial and kind-hearted man--whose
opportunities Of knowing western and south
orn Ireland for some years pust should have
been the best aud in tho course of brief
conversation i hugarded the remark that
there was great deal of distress IN the coast
region of the island Not a bit of it; don't
you beliere it, was his quiet, emphatic an
swer; and then he told me of his experience
attending the distribution of certain supplies
TO the distressed districts in 1880"
At points whore the want was reported
greatest the officers could not, unless at ex-
travagant plices, he said, employ help even to
unload the cargoos of supply, and in somo
cases. therefore, the naval crews had to per-
form tho work themselves. The officers
would meet, he told me, with expressions of
contempt at the idea OF sending the people
such stuff" as Indian corn meal, which, as
have learned from domestic experience, is
considered food ft only for pigs Again, has
II evor been told that the mission of the Con-
stellation TO these shores three years ago was
ah enterprise of doubtful success as a charity;
that the American potatoes went a-begging,
so to speak, for somebody to cat them were
not thought SO good as Irish potatoes
(nothing American, am afraid, is thought
so good here as that which Is Irish); and that
some of them were returned to Queenstown
mud exported to the United States2 Such
has been story current here, and reported
10 me by the high authority just quoted
The visit of the Constellation was, however
II boon in some respects. If it did not relieve
the poor starving lrish there were costly din
ners and balls up and down the country. The
gentleman quoted above seemed to think il
pity, and expressed indignation that people
of the United States, in view of the terrible
Ohio valley floods, should be called upon to
minister TO fictitious distress in ireland.
have written the foregoing paragraph to
suggest n doubt of tho picture of Irish dis.
tress being as bad as il is painted in certain
quarters, but i repeat that feel confident
there is enough dire poverty and need in the
western and southern coast region to excite
the sympathies and insure the helping hand
of those chartably disposed everywhere.
Consul Wood of Belfast, writes ut may be
sad generally that no exceptional distress ap-
pears to exist, or is reported as existing, among
the people of this district. The published
accounts of the failure of the crops (of po-
tatoes chiefly and the consequent suffering
and destitution, so far as they concern the
north of Ireland, relate almost wholly to the
county of Donegal and within the district of
the consul at londonderry VIE
Consul Barrows, of Dublin, says: $50 far as
my own knowledge extends, there is very
little unusual destitution in the vicinity Of
Dublin, or in any of the counties directly
westward across Ireland. Reports of real
distress will doubtless reach you from the
northwest and southwest, but in my consular
jurisdiction the people are moderately pros.
porous"
Consular Agent Tinsley, of Limerick, re-
PORTS "As far as my knowledge and experience
60, do not believe that any exceptional dis
tress prevails among the laboring classes in
this city. AS regards the county of Lin.
erick, owing to the unusully wet winter, agri-
cultural laborers must have felt the want Of
employment, as it was almost impossible to
carry on outdoor work for several months, but
ON tho whole, have not heard Of exceptional
distress among them. In the western parts
of the county of Clare, have good reason to
believe the published accounts of distress and
destitution are not exaggerated"
Consular Agent Eccles, of Sligo, writes (:
"There is no doubt that real and very great
distress exists along the western and north
western seaboard of Ireland, and in some in
land districts also"
Consular Agent Farrell, of Waterford, says:
IL have received information from reliable
source as to the state Of affairs in the county
of Kilkenny and am therefore in position
to state that no exceptional distress exists
throughout that county. At the same time
tho people are emigrating every day, and
there is every prospect of the number Of emil
grants increasing instead of decreasing"