was no demand for their labour, or of being relieved by the charity of those, who were not far removed from a state of suffering equal to their own. There was scarcely a town in the South of Ireland, the streets of which were not filled with hundreds of able-bodied men, wandering in quest of food or of any means of obtaining wherewith to purchase it. The distress reached far beyond the lowest class. According to the testimony of sir Edward Ŏ'Brien, one third of the respectable inhabitants of the county of Clare, were reduced to a condition little short of complete starvation; and all the neighbour ing counties, more especially Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo, were in a similar situation. One effect of the famine, which threatened to extend its mischievous influence beyond the actual moment, and to add to present suffering the destruction of the hope of the future, was, that, under the all-constraining power of hunger, the poor cottager consumed as food, that last remainder of his stock of potatos which should have served him as seed for the ensuing year. In some parts, as in Kerry, it was calculated, that not one-fourth of the usual quantity of ground was planted. There was felt, also, a considerable scarcity of hay; and hence there resulted a great mortality among the cattle. Typhus fever, too, the usual concomitant of famine, soon began to spread its ravages: and, by a sad alternation of misery, the districts, which a few weeks before had been the theatre of nightly assassination and plunder, now presented a horrid scene of famine and disease.*

It is, however, not a little striking, that the approach of the most formidable of evils, seems to have operated as a queller of the spirit of disorder, rather than as an exciter; for during the continuance of the distress in its utmost severity, very few (and these comparatively slight infractions of the law) were heard of. It is true, that the season of the year was that which was the least suitable for deeds of violence, and that the military and civil authorities continued to watch vigilantly over the preservation of the public peace. Perhaps, too, the scarcity of food rendered it much more difficult for the organizers of mischief to carry on their plans. The peasantry could no longer withdraw into the more remote and thinly-peopled tracts: they were forced into the neighbourhood of towns and villages, in order to receive from the hands of magistrates, and committees, and corporate bodies, the alms by which alone they had any chance of sustaining life. The fact, however, from whatever source emanating, proves amply, that though the pecuniary embarrassments of the farmers may have contributed to the preceding disorders, yet distress, taken, as that word generally is, to denote difficulty on the part of the population in finding necessary subsistence, could have had little or no share in producing them.

Such an event as that of the sudden apparition of a devouring famine in a particular district, while the rest of the country enjoys tolerable plenty, is apt to excite no little wonder in those who have been accustomed to the hap

Barony of Inchiquin-3,609 individuals totally destitute of provisions, and without the means of purchasing. This number will be increased to 5,000 in another month, with not the most remote prospect of repaying any thing given by way of loan.

Barony of Bunratty, parish of Phenagh-555 persons requiring immediate assistance. Several families living on one scanty meal in the day for the last month; many of their families in a state of starvation; seven members of one family confined in typhus fever, without any means of support.

Parishes of Bunratty and Dromline -666 inhabitants destitute of subsistence, or the means of procuring food, of whom one half will be able to repay in harvest.

Parishes of Killintinan and Killeely -1,247 in absolute want of food at present, one half of whom would be able to repay a loan.

Parish of Finloe-contains 817 persons, 696 of whom are in absolute want of food, and if not supplied, either gratuitously, or by labour, they must

starve.

Parish of Kilnasula-600 have applied for immediate assistance, twothirds of whom are paupers, the remaining third are able to purchase provisions at reduced prices, and repay in harvest.

Barony of Clonderalaw-13,000 in actual want of food and seed potatoes.

Parishes of Kilmaley, Kilconry, and Clonlahon-1,500 requiring assistance; one-third in absolute want

of food at present; one-third of the whole able to repay something.

Union of Quin-3,600 individuals at present in want of food, one-third only able to repay in harvest.

Half Barony of Tulla-7,552 in absolute want of provisions and have no means of purchasing, of whom 3,213 would be able to repay something.

Barony of Ibrickane-5,000 without any means whatever of purchasing food-this number will be considerably increased.

Baronies of Corcomroe and Burren -10,000; this number must increase as the season advances.

Clare-abbey-1,179 inhabitants have applied to the committee for assistance, many of whom have been reduced to one meal a day for a considerable time. On the church door of the parish the following notice was found the Sunday previous to Easter: we give it verbatim and without any alteration in orthography ::

Good charitable Quality.”

"The poor inhabitants of Clare is actily starving living on one meal in the day and that same a bad meal, we are in hopes ye will doe something for us out of hand, we will actily Die with hunger If ye Dont luck to us out of hand as them that has a little family must Rob before The die with hunger before their Face, As the are half Dead before."

There have been several instances of wretched families driven to the necessity of killing their only cow for food, from the cries of their starving children, and having no other means of appeasing their hunger. The typhus fever, has made its appearance in several parts of the country.

GALWAY, April 27.-The distress of the poor increases daily -new groups of beggars are constantly to be seen arriving from the country, principally from the westward. No spot upon the face of the habitable globe presents such a scene of misery, want, and wretchedness, as this town does at present.

Many are now affected with that kind of fever which is ever attendant upon a want of food, and each day

lity of the extreme and universal misery in which Munster and

Connaught were represented to be plunged. The wonder, however,

CASTLEBAR, April 25.-The committee for managing the fund for the relief of the poor of this town, have come to a resolution to distribute, bread for a month at least, which they are to purchase at three halfpence and to sell at one halfpenny per lb.

LIMERICK, April 26.—Our hearts bleed within us at the terrific aspect before us of a scarcity. Potatos are at present almost at a famine price; sixpence a stone in our present distressed and impoverished state is equal to 1s. 6d. a few years since. It is a well known fact, that the neighbouring counties are in a most deplorable state, far, far worse than our own. -Telegraph.

TRALEE, May 9.-The poor of this county are actually perishing of hunger! And, bad as it is with the poor in our town, it is much worse in the country. We know that many have already died of famine.- Western Herald.

CORK, May 9.-Already has starvation commenced its work in Skibbe, reen; it is not uncommon to see unhappy beings fainting in the streets for want of food. Flocks of starving people from the surrounding country add, by their daily increase, to the wretchedness of the town.-Southern Reporter.

COUNTY OF CORK.-On the 16th a meeting of the inhabitants of the town and parish of Fermoy took place, and it was resolved

"That from the very high price of potatoes and meal, from the want of employment, and other local causes, considerable distress at present prevails among the lower orders of the people in this town and neighbourhood, which is likely to continue until next harvest.

That, by a late census taken of

the population of the town of Fermoy, they exceed 5,000 persons; and the immediate neighbourhood, who will require food in this market, may be estimated at as many more; one-third at least of whom are reduced to the

greatest misery and distress, arising from the above causes, not having any visible means of support,"

[From the Western Herald.] COUNTY OF KERBY.-TRALEE, May 18.-We are grieved to say that, in addition to the present, scarcity and general distress, the ravages of pestifence and disease are spreading dreadfully in this county. Typhus feyer, the horrible though natural attendant on unwholesome and scanty food and griping poverty, now begins to rage amongst our starving population. Our Fever Hospital is crowded; and shortly, miserable wretches, sinking under famine and disease, will be seen perishing in our streets and highways, unless the evil be speedily checked by the hand of judicious benevolence; and of this we have now every hope and expectation.

COUNTY OF SLIGO.-A malignant fever has appeared in the neighbour, hood of the town of Sligo. In the parish of Drumeriff there are 2,000 families dependent on the supply of the market, and what is worse, they have no funds to purchase food. The committee at Sligo, on Saturday, distributed about 20 tons of potatos, which had arrived from Coleraine, for seed; and they took the precaution to cut them, that they might not be used for food.

COUNTY OF CLARE.-The village of Tulla presents a most melancholy spectacle at present. Not a part of it but is crowded with persons in the utmost wretchedness, coming from all parts of the barony to purchase oatmeal. The committee, have been serving it out from six in the morning until five in the evening, and one half of the poor are not supplied during that period. The purchasers are so urgent in their supplications, that it is with the utmost difficulty they can be restrained by the police and yeo

will vanish when the peculiarities on the situation of the Irish peasantry are considered.

The Irish peasantry, especially in those provinces, for the most part do not buy their food. There is not a constant demand for labour in the country, sufficient to afford them annual wages. Whatever money they receive for work, is expended in clothing (and that poor and scanty) for the family: the pig in most instances pays the rent. An acre of potatos is in lieu of bread and meat: and thrice happy is he, who has an acre or two more of ground to furnish bare pasturage to a lean cow, which may enable him to help out the morsel of dry potato, with the luxury of half a pint of milk to each of his children. Thus situated, if in an arid summer the roots of the potato do not swell and multiply, or if in an early and inclement winter, the frost nips, or excessive moisture rots them what is there to save the unfortunate people from famine ? They cannot go to market, to avail themselves of an abundance of potatos imported from Lancashire or Scotland; for they have not one farthing of wages saved, nor is there a demand for labour in the country. The pigs, on which the payment of the rent depends, are starved like the rest of the family, by the failure of their common harvest: the cow is sold, to procure the price of potatos; there is no liquid for the 'miserable creatures but water; and when 47. or 5l., the utmost market value of a poor man's cow, has been consumed, what resource

manry, who are called in for the purpose. Upwards of 1,0681. have already been subscribed in this town and its

then remains to him? To what species of food can he have recourse as a substitute? The English labourer, whose staple food is wheat, finds himself, during a scarcity, in a situation widely different: and a general deficiency of the wheat harvest, with us, is a much less terrible calamity, than the failure of the potato crop in Ireland. Wheat is an article of superior quality to oats, barley, or potatos, and of higher price than all or any of them. Wheat is food of the highest price and quality; potatos of the lowest. It is almost physically impossible-it is at least a circumstance so rare, as to be excluded from among the ordinary data of calculation-that all these articles of human consumption should be at once affected by the same season. weather which is unfavourable to any one of them, is generally favourable to some of the rest. there is a deficiency in oats or potatos, the English labourer has still his wheaten bread: or if it is wheat that is affected by the scarcity, he can still descend from his accustomed luxury to the use of barley, rye, or oats-or, finally, to potatos, with no other injury than a diminution of daily comfort; for on the worst of these vegetables, life and health may be supported. But the Irishman, whose potatos abandon him, can descend no lower in the scale of diet. He cannot give the market price, and offer to purchase the potatos which he has been unable to raise how, then, can he purchase barley, or wheat, or oats-all essentially

The

If

vicinity for the relief of our brethren in the south and west.-Belfast Chronicle.