The Portland daily press., 1885-12-02

villages, when the people would be COM
PEELED to hide themselves and bury their
treasures, cooking utensils, boats, agricultu-
raj implements and even wearing apparel ;
hoping when the devastating horde passed
by they could return to their homes. Many
communities were entirely cut off or driven
into exile. We saw child's dress and mems
garments of skins Of coarse texture, and
even ladies' hair which had been exhumed
from their hiding places. A perfect skele-
ton of man, once buried fourteen feet deep
is preserved. 1t would be tragic story
could we tell what fearful catastrophe or bit
ter enemy consigned him to a burial place
more mysterious than the depths of the sea.
Another day was spent at the Hill of
Houth. point reaching out on one side of
the harbor like Prout's Neck.
As we drove from the city we crossed the
plains of Clontarf, really the birthplace of
Irish liberty or freedom from the thraldom
of the barbaric Danes. Here, over eight hum
dred years ago Brian Boroihme, the great
Irish hero, fought most desperate battle
and drove the Danish horde from the land.
A little time was spent in the evenings to
wander about the streets, gaze at the shop
windows and select few Irish trinkets made
of bogwood and the Connemara Marbles. We
often listened with interest to the earnest dis
cussions of farmers and land holders upon
the vexed land questions, and learned to
take a somewhat new view of the obstacles
to be overcome in wise adjustment of the
wrongs and rights of all parties. Aside from
the commonly understood evils arising from
the lords absenting themselves from their es-
tates, and spending their money abroad in
riotous living; there is another difficulty not
so well appreciated in America, where some
times injustice may be done to many upright
lords by chasing all under one head. 1t is
not always an unmixed blessing to inherit a
large entailed estate, since with it often
comes entailed responsibilities anddependen-
cies. We have in mind an earl, who being
bound first fall to pay incomes to several
unmarried marchioneSses, has been obliged
to live by the seyerest economy, until within
few months, OUTLYING all his family, he
has came into full enjoyment of his property
at the age of eighty.
There are many estates which have been
rented from the lords under very long leases,
and where by the death of the lessons the
holdings have been subdivided into parcels
too small to support family. Much to our
establishment we heard farmers criticize Par
nell in the seyerest terms, and rebel at his
reformatory movement, as they feared his
zeal to improve the condition of the lower
classes would make them restless and poor
help. Without doubt the agitation will be
kept up until just basis of legislation is es-
tablished, upon which the resources and
prosperity of the country can be developed;
| for Ireland possesses large tracts of the rich
est soil, and most salubrious climate, where
frost and snow are seldom known, both to-
gether fitting it for dairy farms and vegeta
BILE gardens.
One of the most unpleasant features of
travelling in Great Britain, Scotland except
| ed, and on the continents as well, is the leave
| taking. The first time we babe good bye the
| apparent great regret at our departure was
| quite affecting and very complimentary,
| when the whole house assembled to see us
| off, but we soon learned that the long file of
servants standing around the hall, including
"boots," chambermaid, walters and porters,
and at Dublin even the matronly housekeep-
er, head walters and clerks, some of whose
| faces we had scarcely seen before, were
there to receive parting gratuities. If they
were not rewarded for services they had not
rendered, according to their standard Of
American liberality, they followed us to the
door, smuttering their discomfort. The Gus
tom of employing couriers has fostered this
evil as they disburse most lavishly their EN-
ployer's money to make friends with I'M
righteous nammon. On one occasion when
| porter haggled over the fee for taking our
baggage from the steamer to the cab, he al
last with a much abused expression, accepted
two shillings, the government tariff; but as
we drove off he thrust his head into the car
rage window, with an arch look, as if to let
us know he would not be caught again in
that way, and said, IF it wasn't a gintleman
that's used to travelling it would be two
- M. c. P. B.