YAH UNIVERSITY UBRARY

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Che gARVAn coLLeccion
Of
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estABLished in 1971 By
pRAncis p. gARVAn, yALe 1897
in honoR op his pARents
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mARy carroLL gARVAn

FORTNIGHT IN IRELAND.

BY SIR FRANCIS B. HEAD, BART.

' Buried and cold, when my heart stills its motion,
Green be thy fields, sweetest Isle of the Ocean !
And may harp-striking bards sing aloud with devotion,
Erin mavournin ! Erin go bragh ! "

Campbell.

LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1852.

LONDON : PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET.

PREFACE.

At the fag-end of this summer, among a motley crowd of
Tourists, by the irresistible power of Steam, I was injected
into the island of Ireland, which I had never before seen.
For a week, almost without winking, I looked it steadily
in the face. For a similar period, in various localities,
immured by myself, I was poring over data I deemed it
necessary to obtain.
At the expiration of my fortnight's holiday, with notes
before me of the little I had seen, heard, and read ;
unbiassed by the counsels of any one, in pure retirement,
and almost in solitude, for rather more than a month, I
alternately ruminated and wrote ; and in the words of
Mr. Weller's graphic history of his courtship, and of
"Sammy's" origin, this Volume, I honestly confess, is
die " consekens of the manoover."
Oxendon, Northamptonshire,
October, 1852.

a 2

CONTENTS.

PART I. PAGE
DUBLIN ....  1
NATIONAL EDUCATION  24
THE CONSTABULARY  42
COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH  66
DUBLIN POLICE .  100
MY TOUR :— First Day  108
Second Day .  124
Third Day ...  157
Fourth Day .... .... 185
Fifth Day  216

PART II.
DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE  239
TACTICS OF THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD  276
PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES  279
PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS  325
PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM THE PRIESTS' PRESS  338
EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF  361
WHAT IS TO BE DONE ?  ... 392

PART I.

FORTNIGHT IN IRELAND.

PART I.
DUBLIN.

It was blowing half a gale of wind, raining, and, at
intervals, thundering rather loudly, when the 9h. 15m.
a.m. London express train of the 11th of August,
an. dom. 1852, reached Holyhead at 5h. 40m. p.m. The
smoke from the funnel of a large black steamer, moored
alongside the pier, although dispersed to atoms the
instant it escaped therefrom, was evidently connected
with the white steam that in like manner and in the
same direction scudded from the engine; in fact, the
vessel for upwards of an hour had been awaiting the
arrival of the train. The storm — as storms always are —
was really pitiless ; and as I sat in the carriage waiting
for my baggage, which the guard had kindly undertaken
to bring to me, I observed more than one umbrella
from being convex suddenly become concave, and while
the unhappy owner, spell-bound, with stern to wind
ward, was violently struggling with the calamity, a
motley crowd of passengers in macintoshes, cloaks,
shawls, gowns, and other garments, all more or less
B

2 DUBLIN. Part I.
fluttering to leeward, were to be seen hurrying at
unequal rates towards the confines of a broad wooden
declivity, down which they descended to the deck of
the vessel. As soon as I obtained my luggage I
followed, and as, on entering the gentlemen's cabin, I
found that the circular line of sofas, divided into berths
or beds of about six feet each, were not only engaged, but
that most of their occupants, with a pillow under their
heads, were already reclining on them at full length,
anxious to be as close to fresh air as possible, I sat down
on one nearest the door.
" You've no right to be here I " said a voice to me,
rather sulkily. Begging its pardon, I arose, and, seeing
that a berth above, from which I could look down
upon the grumbler beneath, was disengaged, I at once
took possession of it, and, as a horizontal position
appeared, to be the order of the day, I obediently fol
lowed the fashion.
As in my exalted position I had plenty of air, I
remained not only perfectly well, but, I may almost
say, merry ; and, as my friend beneath me, who had
been suffering dreadfully, had, I remarked, always
commenced his paroxysms of anguish by a peculiar
small sigh, I just once, as a slight punishment for his
sulkiness, looked seriously down upon him, and,
although I did not imitate his sigh, I really believe
that if I had. pointed a 24-pounder at him I could
not have suddenly produced in his countenance a
greater amount of alarm, which, tempering justice
with mercy, in a few seconds I dispersed by a friendly
smile, expressive of the words, Fear not !
In due time a lulling of the waters announced to us

Part I. DUBLIN. 3
in our captivity, that we were in Dublin Bay; and
accordingly, arising, or descending from our respective
lairs, we staggered on deck, from whence all that I
could see of Ireland consisted of a couple of very large
red eyes and one white one, glaring as beacons through
darkness and rain.
On our reaching the pier a scene of great confusion
ensued. The baggage of all the passengers was
handed up through a hatchway from the very bottom
of the hold, and, almost as fast as it appeared, was
carried away, I knew not where, by a set of porters
whom everybody appeared desirous to engage, and who,
nevertheless, without seeking for employers, rushed
at the baggage, well knowing that, possession being
nine points of their law, the tenth portion, in the shape
of the owner, would be sure to find them. I felt my
self much too frail to engage in a contest between such
boisterous competitors, and I had almost made up my
mind that my portmanteau would become the adopted
child of a stronger parent, when, joyfully espying it
among the mass, I enlisted a man to carry it up steps
and down steps to the train that was in waiting, and in
a few minutes we were all flying in the dark towards
our goal. In about a quarter of an hour we reached
it. Here again there was a little scramble and confu
sion ; however, with the assistance of a porter I got all
my traps deposited on the front seat of a comfortable
carriage, and, sitting opposite to them, I called out to
the coachman to drive me to Morrison's hotel.
To my vast surprise, instead of moving forwards, as
I expected, the vehicle, like a crab, started off side
ways, and in that humiliating position it trundled me
b2

4 DUBLIN. Part I.
in a very short space of time to a handsome door,
where I arrived at exactly ten minutes after midnight.
" Would your Arn'r like to take anything?" said the
voice of a waiter, almost before I was within the
threshold. " Yes," I replied, " a bedroom candle ;" and
with the assistance of its friendly light, on being con
ducted into a clean, well-furnished rOom, I managed to
unpack what was requisite, and in due time, in utter
darkness, found myself between the linen sheets of a
comfortable bed.
" Well," said I to myself, " it's certainly rather a
clever feat to have got into a four-post bed in Dublin
without having bothered oneself with the old-fashioned
controversial comparison between the beauty of its bay
and that of Naples ! Here I am, snug in the heart of
a great country, of which I have not even seen an ex
tremity — in fact," I gravely reflected, " although I am
in the metropolis of Ireland, I know no more about it
than a newly appointed Secretary of State, on luxuri
ously sitting down on his large roomy chair in Down-
ing-street, knows of the names, position, climate, soil,
and character of the inhabitants of the innumerable
colonies he is required to govern; and as he is not
afraid of being alone in moral darkness, neither ought
I." And with this sentiment, as well as a few others,
indolently mixing, staggering, and then fainting away
together in my mind, I gradually and insensibly
dropped off to sleep.
In the morning, which was beautifully fine, after a
good breakfast I mounted a horse, which I thought
would be the most daring, independent, and least
fatiguing mode of looking about me, and I was slowly

Part I. .DUBLIN. 5
riding I knew not where, nor indeed did I care, when
I heard behind me the pattering of a pair of naked
human feet.
" Wull yere Arn'r give me a jarb?" said a nice-
looking lad, with a very small piece of shirt sticking
out of a slight hole in his trowsers behind. I thought
he took me for a farmer, so at once, to get rid of him,
I very simply confided to him that I was a stranger,
and had no "job" to give him. With a smile he re
peated his request. " Can you give me a jarb ? "
" No ! " I replied, rather sternly.
" Yere Arn'r might be getting off! " he explained.
" Does yere Arn'r want a boy?" said a gruff voice.
On turning towards it I saw a man very poorly clad,
of about forty-five years of age. " Ha'nt your Arn'r a
bit of a jarb for me ? " Before I could reply I observed
another real boy coming after me, no doubt whatever
for a "jarb." Now what I wanted was quietly to be
enabled to observe a little without being observed ; but
as it was evident that, unless I at once came to some
decisive arrangement, the fact of my having " arrived
that morning at ten minutes past midnight" would as
it were be placarded on my back, I resolved, out of
the three candidates, to enlist one ; and, moreover, in
order that my first act in Ireland might be a just one,
I selected the boy who had come first.
" Now keep close to this stirrup," said I to him as
soon as I had got rid of the rest ; " and if any one else
comes after me, tell him at once I am engaged to
you." " I wull, yere Arn'r ! " he replied, with a very deci
sive nod.

6 DUBLIN. Part I.
Unassailed and unnoticed by any one, my horse
sometimes walked, sometimes trotted, and sometimes
for a few seconds stood still, according as the objects
I successively encountered more or less attracted my
attention. " This, yere Arn'r ! " said my guide, extending his
right arm as he pointed to a large edifice, " is called" —
" Never mind about its name ! " I replied, interrupt
ing him ; for as I merely wanted to take a general view
of a city into which I had as it were just dropped
from the clouds, I did not approve of being instructed
before its public by a bare-footed professor.
As we were proceeding, a gentleman inquired of him
the way to some point ? " Yell go along Nassau
Street," he replied, " till ye come to King Willium
a horseback ; you'll see ut thin on yere lift hand ! "
" I hope yere Arn'r will give me a copper ! " said the
feeble voice of a poor old woman, who, availing herself
of the stoppage, had hobbled up to me ; " I'm wake wi'
the hunger ! " she added.
In passing the Ordnance-Office I sent in my aide-de
camp to inquire for the address of the Commanding
Engineer. A grey-headed man instantly came out and
told me, very civilly, it was 40, Lower Mount Street.
My attendant led me there ; but, on its proving to be
an empty house, I ascertained from the next door that
the individual I was in search of lived at No. 40 in
Upper Mount Street.
" I knew it was in the upper strate," said my con
ductor. " Then why did you bring me here ? " I asked
angrily.

Part I. DUBLIN. 7
" Yere Arn'r!" he replied, "the boy (aged 60) said
it was in the lower strate, and I thought shure he'd
know best."
As we were migrating from the one locality to the
other I rode into a large square of about a dozen acres
of grass, of such a lovely emerald hue that I was really
almost startled at beholding it, and, seeing written up
on one of its corners " Merrion Square," I instantly
desired my conductor to lead me to the house formerly
occupied by the Great Liberator ; and I was wondering
who might be the successful candidate for so renowed
a habitation, when, on pulling up my horse before it,
I own I was astonished to see not only
O'Connell
on a brass plate, but in the window a large placard
which looked as if it had just been issued by him.
Instead, however, of advertising a public meeting on
College Green, I read the melancholy words—
" To be Sold or Let."
There was his mansion— his name — his own printed
order of "Ring the bell" — the brass handle by which
on leaving the house he had always closed its door be
hind him — there were the stone steps so often trod by
his feet ; and yet all had lost their magic value, and
the bricks, stone, and brass of the Agitator are at this
moment in Dublin vainly petitioning to every passing
stranger " to be sold or let ! "
All of a sudden, as I was riding along, I came to a
fine open space, in the centre of which, with an exten
sive macadamised road on each side, was a deep and
broad channel, apparently bisecting the city. The dark-

8 DUBLIN. Part I.
coloured peat-water rushing within at once announced
to me it was the Liffey, retained within the limits de
scribed by handsome walls of hewn stone, on which
high-water mark was very legibly denoted by a deep
black stain, perforated every here and there, at about
four feet from the bottom, with square black drainage-
holes. Across this arterial river there has been constructed,
some quite new, some older, and some exceedingly
infirm, a series of thoroughfares, as if to demonstrate
that in bridges, as in man, there are between their
cradles and their graves seven ages.
The sun was shining bright, and beneath each bridge
was to be seen its reflection in the water ; just beyond
the most eastern of these arched communications there
appeared to have sprung up a fine commercial crop of
masts . of vessels of different sizes. As the tide had
nearly ebbed, the water in the Liffey was shallow,
and, seeing a crowd of people very intently looking
down into it, I perceived, standing in the water up to
their knees, two boys wrestling together for a piece of
stick which had just floated into the possession of one
of them. While they were so engaged, a bigger boy,
with trowsers pushed up as high as they could go,
walked slowly towards the combatants, and by way of
settling their dispute he tripped up the biggest, who,
disappearing for a few seconds, came up with his
whole body, and especially his head and long hair,
dripping wet with a fluid of the dark origin I have de
scribed. The author of the exploit good-humouredly
laughed at the successful result of his arbitration, and,
confident of approbation, he then looked up to the

Pabt I. DUBLIN. 9
crowd of faces that had been watching him. Every
body seemed delighted at the joke, and a more decided
national grin, and a more simultaneous display of latent
fun, could not have been beheld.
During this scene several little boys came up to me
to beg : yet, in spite of their rags and pitiful stories,
there was always a lurking joke in their countenances,
which, like the sun behind a cloud, burst out at last
all the brighter for having been concealed.
People in most countries, and especially those of the
softer sex, are particularly careful not on any account to
utter the monosyllable " Yes ! " before the proposal,
whatever it may be, is officially submitted to them for
consideration ; but the beautiful ladies of Dublin, as they
sit, or indolently recline, in their drawing-rooms, have
the word not only stereotyped on their pretty lips, but
actually printed and exhibited at full length either
on their marble mantel-pieces or on their rosewood
tables ;-. — at least, so I suppose — for, as I rode along, I
saw, to my astonishment, for sale in the windows of
one or two stationers' shops large cards of royal size,
on which was printed in conspicuous letters the fol
lowing reply in the affirmative, which is, of course,
deliberately purchased by the lady or gentleman be
fore the proposal to which it refers has been made to
them : —  WILL HAVE THE HONOUR
OF ACCEPTING THE INVITATION OP HIS EXCELLENCY
THE LORD LIEUTENANT
TO DINNER,
ON AT O'CLOCK.

10 DUBLIN. Part I.
As I was reading this card, there flitted across my
memory the auld song of the Scotch lassie : —
" Oh whustle ! and I will come to ye, my lad !
Oh whustle ! and I will come to ye, my lad !
Tho' feather and mither should gang mad thegither,
Oh whustle, and I will come to ye, my lad ! "
For upwards of two hours I rode about Dublin,
which, on the whole, appeared to me to be a plain,
useful, brick city, with magnificent public buildings,
and here and there across its river fine bridges of iron
and stone.
About the altitude of the houses there exists no
particular rule ; indeed, like Falstaff 's squad, they have
evidently been readily enlisted at any height ; neither has
there been any regulation about their colour, for they
are very red, red, reddish, strawberry-coloured, and
cream-coloured. With regard, however, to the broad
stripes over the shops, there evidently exists a stringent
law, namely, that all shall be brilliant, but that no two
of them shall consecutively be alike in hue. The
variety is of course very striking. But what I most
admired in the city of Dublin are its magnificent lungs.
In a four-mile heat it would inevitably beat any metro
polis on the surface of the globe. For instance, one of
its lungs has an area of not less than seventeen acres,
while the other is composed of large healthy squares
of from twelve to ten, eight, and six acres each.
What a fine windpipe, too, is the Liffey ! There may
be a want of trade, a want of unanimity, a want of
brotherly love between this creed and that — there may
even be a want of potatoes, but there is no want in
Dublin, and there never can be, of an abundant supply
of good, wholesome, pure air !

Part 1. DUBLIN. 1 1
As I had now some business to transact, I paid my
conductor to his heart's content, and then told him I
should go home.
" Is it to the hot-hell y ere Arn'r's going? ",
" Yes ; to Morrison's," I replied, and, bidding him
farewell, to which he very gratefully ejaculated, " I '11
be sure to know yere Arn'r again ! " I trotted away in
that direction.

So active is the far-famed hospitality of Dublin,
that almost every person either to whom I was in
troduced, or of whom I had the slightest previous
acquaintance, on my asking him the most trifling
question, invariably replied by making to me the three
following proposals : —
1st. That I should dine with him on that day.
2nd. That I should allow him to show me the prin
cipal public buildings.
3rd. That he should accompany me to the Library.
" It's one of the finest in Europe ! " he invariably
observed; "you really must see it; you'll find in it
from 70 to 90 thousand volumes ! "
Now I had not time to read them ; I had not come
to Ireland to look at buildings ; and as I intended to
remain in Dublin but a very few days, I was not disposed
to dine out. I therefore, in all of the three cases, with
out a single exception, separately declined each of
the three proffered kindnesses. I was, however, to
have the honour of paying a short visit to the Lord
Lieutenant, for which the porter of the inn of his own
accord had told me I should require a " car;" but as I

12 DUBLIN. Part I.
did not wish to put Her Majesty's sentinels out of
countenance, or throw fine, powdered footmen into
fits of laughter, I seriously and confidentially asked
the landlord whether it would be proper for me to drive
up sideways to the Vice-Regal Lodge, in a common,
open, street car ? and to escape from doing so I further
hinted to him that it would perhaps be better I should
hire from him a carriage.
Not only by his words, but by his honest coun
tenance and by his whole attitude, I was assured that
in Dublin a car is the proper conveyance for every
body ; and, accordingly, I at once determined that —
ruat caelum — in a car I would go.
I had, however, occasion to walk to that splendid
pile of buildings, the Custom-house, and, having trans
acted my business there, I slowly proceeded to a spot
on which several cars were standing ; and as there are
no less than 1500 of them in Dublin, the drivers
thereof, besides being, as in all countries, professionally
anxious to catch a fare, in doing so are in the habit of
displaying a good deal of their characteristic fun and
humour in competing with, or, as it is commonly called,
in chaffing each other : for instance, says one —
" Here's a car, yere Arn'r ! "
"My car's a new one!" says another, running hur
riedly up.
" I've an iligant harse ! " exclaims a third, pointing
at the well-bred animal with his whip,
" Yes, but mine don't come down on his knas, yere
Arn'r," says a fourth.
"Look at my nice dry kushuns (cushions), yere
Arn'r !" says a fifth.

PabtI. DUBLIN. 13
"Dry enough!" observes a sixth, very gravely,
adding, with a cunning leer, "but mine have gort no
bugs in um, yere Arn'r ! " and so on, ad infinitum.
I selected one that had not offered himself at all,
and I had no sooner driven from his competitors than,
in his excess of gratitude, he endeavoured to repay me
with information respecting everything we passed.
His education, however, had been slightly neglected,
and his facts were not particularly accurate. He was
about 50 years of age, with a round, unmeaning face,
and such very short lips that his white teeth — there were
fourteen of them — were always uncovered. I did not
care about the buildings he pointed out to me, as I had
already seen them ; but as I was glad to hear him talk,
I occasionally stirred up his ideas to assist him in ex
tricating them.
" Where were you born ? " I inquired.
" South of Ireland," he replied, " in a place called
Kharlow!" " Is it a good place ? " I asked.
" Och, very ! very ! very ! It's a splindid counthry,
yere Arn'r ! " he replied.
" Is Ireland pretty quiet now ? " I politically in
quired. " Och! yere Arn'r," he replied, " Ireland is always
quite, only a few little scrimmages now and then ! "
He had been desired to drive to the General Post-
office, but about fifty yards before he reached it, pulling
up suddenly, and pointing with his whip to a figure on
the summit of a magnificent column, he exclaimed loud
enough, and with animation enough, to attract attention,
" There's our Nalson ! with one of his arms orf at

1 4 DUBLIN. Part I.
the shouldher, the left arm stretched out, and the soord
in ut ; and he's looking down on the shipping and the
say. He was a say-MAN."
" What — a sailor ? " I inquired.
" Yere Arn'r !" he replied, evidently pleased at the
opportunity of instructing me, " he was one of the
finest admirals the Govermint ever had ! "
" A good man to fight?" I asked.
" Yere Arn'r ! " he replied, greatly excited, " he was
one of the rfjrratest. He bet the whole world before
hum ! Nalson ! gallant Nalson ruled the mane ! " he
exclaimed as he waved his whip with exultation and
pride. " What did he die of ? " I inquired, as leaning on my
elbow I sat indolently watching the enthusiasm in my
friend's face.
"Yere Arn'r!" he replied, "he was shot by a
Frenchman. He aimed at his star — like this, yere
Arn'r " (touching with the butt of his whip a large round
iron ticket on his own breast, on which was inscribed a
Crown, beneath that the word " Driver," and under all
the number, say "297"); "and Nalson was shot
through the heart ! "
After contemplating the mutilated statue for some
seconds, he added, " Ut's the finest monument in all
Dhublun. There's nothing like ut ! "
" And so," said I to myself, " while people are
declaring that between the Saxon and the Celt there
exists an animosity that is implacable, ' the finest
monument in Dublin,' erected by public subscription,
at a cost of 7000/., commemorates the name of an
Englishman, while on the other side of the Channel the

Part I. DUBLIN. 15
finest monuments in London heap eternal honour on
the name of an Irishman ! What a national bond of
union are those two simple facts ! "
After calling at Morrison's hotel we crossed Grattan-
street, full of excellent shops, and thronged with
people ; and then, proceeding a very short distance,
" This, yere Arn'r," said my conductor, is " College
Green!" And on my observing to him. that it appeared to my
eyes to be one half macadamised, and the other half
covered with pavement, he said —
" Yere Arn'r, it was once not only all green, but in
the auld records it was called College Green, near
Dhublun. Dhublun, yere Arn'r, took ut's name from
a Double-Inn — two houses stuck into one ; from them
Dhublun took ut's title."
As we were jogging along, " Yere Arn'r," said he,
pointing with his whip to a bare-headed monarch, seated
on a hollow - backed cart-horse, with an under-jaw
touching his windpipe, a neck twisted into a Saxon
arch, and an uplifted near-side fore-hoof, as if he had
just trodden on a nail, and was showing it to the King
— " There's William the Conqueror ! "
After passing the beautiful Corinthian columns of the
Royal Exchange, a Scotch church, dressed out, I
thought, very much like an Episcopal one, and a mag
nificent pile of buildings (the Four Courts), sur
mounted in the centre by a lofty superintending dome,
we trotted along one of the broad macadamised roads
which bonnd on either side the deep hewn stone
channel of the Liffey.
"This is the Mendy City, yere Arn'r!" said my

16

DUBLIN.

Past I.

driver, pointing to a building on my left, on which
was written, in large letters, "Mendicity Association."
" It's a charty" (charity), he added.
On our right, on the opposite side of the river, was
a congregation of barracks, in front of which were
assembled a considerable body of troops. A military
band was playing with great effect.
" That's the Prate-ground, yere Arn'r," observed my
conductor, "where the soldiers prate (parade). This
is called ' Victoria Quay,' and that opposite ' Albert
Quay.' "
As we were crossing an iron bridge of a single arch,
which I happened to know had been constructed in
1827 by the inhabitants of Dublin, to commemorate
the royal visit of George IV., my conductor said to me,
" This, yere Arn'r, is called King's Bridge. Yere
Arn'r, it was built by George IV. By his manes
(means) it was built ; it was built, yere Arn'r, by what
he give!"
" See there, yere Arn'r," he added, pulling up as soon
as we had crossed, and pointing to a medallion, as
follows : —

IV

Part I. DUBLIN. 1 7
Then spelling the inscription very slowly to me, he
added, " GIVR stands for 'giver.' That manes, that
the Crown is the giver ! "
On the left of the Liffey was the Terminus of the
Great Southern and Western Railway ; and on proceed
ing a little . farther, passing a lodge, we entered the
gate of the Phoenix Park, the finest national play
ground in Europe, and I believe in the world. Indeed,
it contains no less than 1700 acres of beautiful grass,
.more or less covered with trees and shrubs growing as
wild as in any uncultivated region of the globe, all
open to the public.
"There, yere Arn'r," said my conductor, pointing to
the right, "is the Souldiers' Hospital. That slated
roof is the Constabulary Barricks." On the left, firm,
erect, and everlasting, standing on earth and with its
head pointing to heaven, stood an appropriate granite
obelisk upwards of 200 feet high, erected by public
subscription to the memory of the great Duke of
Wellington; at the foot of this simple testimonial I
observed a little puny, illegitimate offspring of the
artist, which is really a discredit to the whole thing.
As soon as we had ascended the slight eminence on
which the monument stands, " Starp !" my driver ex
claimed, "till I show yere Arn'r a fine view!" And
certainly a magnificent prospect there was of Dublin
beneath us, bounded by a range of beautiful hills.
" That building, yere Arn'r," pointing to a very large
quadrangular slated one, surmounted by a spire, nearly
half a mile off, " is the Fogie's Harspital!"
"What?" I inquired. c

18 DUBLIN. Part I.
"Some call it," he explained, the "Royal Harspital.
It's for auld pinshioners, the same as Chalsea !"
Resuming our course — as we proceeded I observed
on the left, bounded by large trees, a fine cricket-
ground, on which were playing several athletic-looking
men in white jackets, a comfortable tent being in their
rear. On the right were plenty of trees, some formally
drawn up in straight avenues, others socially living to
gether "at ease," in groups.
Far on the left was a vast expanse of grass, mis
named " The Fifteen Acres," used principally for re
viewing troops ; indeed, besides being the only spot
in the United Kingdom on which a large army could
be manoeuvred, it is perhaps the most picturesque
ground for the purpose that could possibly be conceived,
for not only is it fantastically surrounded by fir and
larch plantations of various shapes, but on the south the
horizon is bounded by a chain of mountains of extraor
dinary beauty. Until lately this lovely expanse was
the fashionable resort of duellists. In one instance the
challenger was a young lawyer, who, in concocting the
billet, or bill of indictment, by which he required the
gentleman he had quarrelled with *'( to meet him with
pistols on the Fifteen Acres," added, with professional
caution, " be the same, Sir, more or less."
Besides the residence of the Viceroy there exists in
the Phoenix Park a warren containing, hidden in then-
respective groves, the houses of the Chief Secretary,
Under Secretary, and Private Secretary.
After passing on the right a beautiful piece of
water, on which a pair of milk-white swans belong-

Part I. DUBLIN. 19
ing to the adjoining Zoological Gardens, with wings
slightly uplifted, were gracefully sailing, we came
to a lodge, within which, in bright scarlet, cruciformed
by white belts, there appeared pacing up and down, his
bright bayonet glittering in the sun, a British sentinel.
" This is the Vice-Agle Park, yere Arn'r," said my
conductor. Seeing that I did not quite understand his ortho
graphy, he added —
" That's whart we call ut ! There's some as call ut
Vice-i?agal Park."
Whatever may be its name, the lonely scene, as we
trotted through it, was calm, tranquil, and lovely, and,
as on either side I gazed on large luxuriant trees
flourishing on emerald-green grass, basking under a
bright sun, I felt I had never beheld a more peaceful,
happy, unsophisticated spot.
" There's some iligant dare (deer) here, yere Arn'r,"
said my driver, " and quantities of um."
After following a meandering road for some distance,
we rather suddenly drove up to a large substantial gen
tlemanlike country-house, significantly smartened by
the appearance before it of two sentinels.
On entering this mansion, which, at a glance, ap
peared admirably well regulated and appointed, I
remained for a short time by myself in the principal
waiting-room. Outside the window was an extensive, beautiful,
closely-mown lawn, flat as a bowling-green, and orna
mented with flowers in beds of various shapes and sizes ;
and, as a striking contrast to their brilliant colours,
c 2

20 DUBLIN. Part I.
there stood here and there slight, elegant, dark green
cypresses, the whole being surrounded by a broad,
royal-looking walk — on which I observed pacing a blue
policeman — bounded by a bright buff-coloured stone
balustrade, which, from its appropriate structure,
assumed the appearance of basket-work.
On the horizon resting against the blue sky was the
soft undulating outline of a range of lofty hills, orna
mented at the base by patches of cultivated land, which,
at a higher elevation, appeared gradually to dissolve
into blue heather, to which the reflection of every
passing cloud gave for a few moments a different hue.
At the foot of these distant mountains appeared a
grove or belt of trees, from which there arose, as an
emblem of industry, the lofty chimney of a steam-
engine.

On Sunday evening, at about five o'clock, in a large,
roomy, comfortable arm-chair, for nearly an hour I
sat at an open window of the Hibernian United Service
Club, on the north side of St. Stephen's Green, watching
car-loads of happy people going to and returning from
Donnybrook Fair.
Every car in Dublin is employed in this annual
national service, and from three or four of the drivers
I learnt that they had propelled the same horse to the
fair and back five-and-twenty times, not for one day,
but for several consecutive days !
The distance from Dublin is about a mile and a half,
but the crowd at the entrance of the fair is so great,

Part I. DUBLIN. 2 1
that the cars are usually stopped by the police at a
quarter, and towards evening at half a mile from the
scene of bliss.
The tide of cars that continued unceasingly ebbing
and flowing before my eyes was, really, not only
astonishing, but it was amusing to observe the infinite
variety of ways in which those three simple items, a
man, a woman, and a child, can be made to appear.
The process of the driver was, the instant he arrived
from the fair to return to it, and vice versa. The
charge for the conveyance of each person is twopence,
and thus — " vires acquisivit eundo"- — he kept picking up
people, who, of course, being picked up in this way,
had no connection with each other, save that which
appears to exist between all going to or coming from
Donnybrook Fair.
By the time it trotted through St. Stephen's Green
every car was full. In one were boys ; in another
girls; in others boys and girls, in every possible joyous
Variety of arrangement. There were old men, old
women, gaudy soldiers, flashy-looking women, children
of every age, all grinning, — all going to or coming from
Donnybrook Fair.
In one car sat four scarlet dragoons with glittering
brass helmets, a fat gentleman with a large stomach
comfortably resting on a pair of very short knees,
a woman with a sky-blue bonnet on her head, and a
child in her lap ; lastly, a man sitting, as happy as a
grig, without a hat.
There were ladies with parasols, and long, large,
fashionable, windy gowns — gentlemen in wide-awake

22 DUBLIN. Part I.
hats — young tradesmen wearing flashy waistcoats and
smart neckcloths — infants, with their dear little eyes
staring and almost starting out of their heads — chil
dren with bare legs, like wooden ones, sticking out —
men with pipes in their mouths — babies suckling, I
mean sucking — a little girl blowing a penny trumpet
— a little boy trying, with a twopenny whip, to flog a
grey horse sixteen hands high — men with pipes in their
mouths — all going to or coming from Donnybrook
Fair !
There were white, black, brown, bay, chesnut, roan,
and piebald horses, of all sizes — several thorough
bred, many well-bred, a few under-bred, now and then
a blind one, with his head vibrating at every step — all
with their noses stuck out — leg-weary, jaded, dusty, and
hot — all going to or coming from Donnybrook Fair !
By the side of several cars I observed, trotting, appa
rently as proud and as happy as any human being could
be, a dog, running sometimes east, sometimes west,
according as he was going to or coming from Donny
brook Fair !
On each side of the road — on the iron chains that
bounded it — on the kerb-stones of the pavement — on
the steps of doors — there sedately sat, in happy groups,
crowds of people, placidly participating with me in the
delight, joy, and fun that beam in the countenances
of every man, woman, and child going to or coming
from Donnybrook Fair.
The poor horses nobody seemed to pity ; indeed, as
in an Irish car nobody can conveniently look at the
animal that is drawing him, the neglected creature

Part I. DUBLIN. 23
trots on, just as if the parties behind his tail, tired of
quarrelling about him, had ended their dispute by
amicably agreeing together that he belonged to none
of them. When a car is crowded, a man well jammed
in on the right side is completely separated from one
seated on the left. They look, in diametrically oppo
site directions, at different objects — in fact, they have
nothing whatever to do with each other.

( 24 ) Part I.

NATIONAL EDUCATION.

" Here it is, yere Arnh'r ! " said the driver of my car
as, in the middle of a very interesting biographical
history he was gratuitously giving me of his " harse," he
stopped him suddenly in the middle of Marlborough-
street, and with his whip instantly pointed to an iron
gate immediately before me bounded on each side by a
grave-looking stone wall, the mica of which was glit
tering in the sunshine. Within the said gate, and close
to it and the wall, appeared on each side a low, substan
tial porter's lodge ornamented with columns of the
Grecian Doric, and on entering the dominions there
immediately almost flashed before my eyes a remark
ably verdant and well-mowed, large, long, rectangular
lawn, bounded at the far distant end by a line of three
buildings slightly detached from each other. The
centre one, which had the appearance of a chapel, and
in the upper portion of which shone a clock, is the
infants' school, flanked on one side by its only brother,
a school for boys, and on the other by its sister, one for
girls. At a short distance from the Doric lodge stood,
magnificently on the right, Tyrone House, formerly
the town residence of the Marquis of Waterford, now
occupied as a board-room, also as quarters for the
Resident Commissioner, the Right Hon. Alex. Mac-
donnell, and for other officers of the institution. On

Part I. . NATIONAL EDUCATION. 25
the left of the green lawn, and immediately opposite
Tyrone House, is a large, solid, but rather lower build
ing, used as lecture-rooms and as habitations for the
conductors of the schools.
The object of this immense establishment is to impart
not only to the children of the poor in Dublin, but to
the indigent rising generation throughout the whole of
Ireland, the inestimable blessings of education. The
duties, therefore, are obviously twofold : first, to give
instruction to the applicant children in its immediate
neighbourhood ; and, secondly, to educate and instruct
male and female teachers, so as to enable them, on
returning to their respective parishes, more or less
remote, to establish throughout the country that well-
arranged uniform system of education which it is the
duty of the Commissioners to superintend.
As Tyrone House has wisely been constructed on a
firm foundation, so, no doubt, was it highly desirable
that in the education of the rising generation of Ireland
the Christian religion, which its inhabitants vie with
each other in revering, should have formed not only
the solid basis of the system, but the cement which in
future ages should have bound together, in indissoluble
affection, the various living particles of which it is com
posed. Unfortunately, however, upon this subject there
arose from all quarters such a variety of conflicting opi
nions, that it was deemed necessary to erect the super
structure — I will not say without any foundation, but
with the best that could practically be obtained ; and,
accordingly, the principles upon which the Commis
sioners act are, that the schools shall be alike open to
Christians of all denominations ; that no pupil shall be

26 NATIONAL EDUCATION. PartL
required to attend at any religious exercise or to receive
any religious instruction which his parents or guardians
do not approve, and that sufficient opportunity shall be
afforded to the pupils of each religious persuasion to
receive separately, at appointed times, such description
of religious instruction as their parents or guardians shall
think proper. Accordingly, every Tuesday from 10i
till 12i religious instruction may be and is imparted to
the children of all denominations of Christians by the
minister of the particular creed to which they re
spectively belong. The Commissioners give to the
students a new and curtailed translation of a very
small proportion of the Bible, the inaccuracy of which
small proportion is thus described (vide their Preface)
in their own words: —
" The translation has been made by a comparison of
the Authorized and Douay versions with the original.
The language, sometimes of the one and sometimes of the
other, has been adopted, and occasional deviations have
been made from both."
But although this unfortunate, and, alas ! disreputable
disagreement still exists, the Board of Commissioners,
very much to their credit, have, for their common
object, encouraged the construction of a series of books
in the various departments of elementary instruction,
which are not only in general use throughout the Na
tional Schools of Ireland, but by their intrinsic merit
are rapidly extending, in increasing numbers, to the esta
blishments for public instruction in Scotland, England,
and even in the remotest of our colonial settlements.
In 1850 there existed in Ireland under the super-
visionof tha Commissioners, who, as vacancies occur,

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. 27
are appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant, and whose
number must not exceed fifteen —
Number of National Schools . . . 4,547
Number of children attending them 51 1,239
— being an increase of 133 schools and of 30,616 chil
dren, as compared with the numbers in the preceding
year of 1849. In 1850 the number of children in the
Marlborough-street establishment was 1400. All pay
for their schooling a penny a week. In the same year
the sum paid to teachers of six classes (averaging
141. 10*. to each) was 66,9641. The number of teachers
trained during the twelve months was 185 males, 87
females; total 272. Of these, 15 were of the Esta
blished Church, 214 Roman Catholics, 41 Presby
terians, and 2 Dissenters.
There are also under the direction of the Board
124 workhouse schools ; namely, in Ulster 28, in
Munster 43, in Leinster 29, and in Connaught 24.
Besides affording the means of imparting ordinary
instruction, the Board of National Education in Ireland
has at Glasnevin a farm of 128 acres, in which teachers
as well as pupils receive literary and agricultural in
struction, which is thus disseminated over the country
—the consequence of which has been that there have
already sprung up in Ireland 17 model agricultural
schools, as follows:— in Ulster 8, in Munster 6, in
Leinster 1, in Connaught 2.
After ascending the chaste, beautiful staircase of
Tyrone House, which by every stranger is deservedly
admired, and arriving at the Board-room, I was intro
duced to the Resident Commissioner, who most oblig-

28 NATIONAL EDUCATION. Part I.
ingly offered to explain to me in detail the whole of
the system in which he was so deeply interested. As,
however, I mentioned to him that my object in visiting
the establishment was merely to observe the appear
ance and conduct of the children, he very kindly com
mitted me to a person whom he requested to conduct
me wherever I desired, and to loiter with me wherever
and as long as I wished.
From my Mentor I accordingly learnt, as I walked
towards the schools, that they at present contained
500 male children, 430 female, and 300 infants — total
1230 ; of whom about 7-8ths are Roman Catholics, and
the remaining l-8th Protestants (Episcopalians and
Presbyterians), with 3 or 4 Jews.
That of the young persons lodged in the establish
ment, who are learning to be country teachers, and who
have come from the country to Dublin for that object,
130 are males, 65 females — total 195 ; of whom about
l-4th are Protestants. Lastly, that the hours of in
struction are from ten in the morning till three in the
afternoon, excepting on Saturdays.
On arriving at the girls' school my attendant told
me very gravely that it would be necessary we should
wait a little, there being at present nothing to be seen,
as the children were not in study, but in their play^
yards ; but as this was exactly the place in which I
wished to see them, I begged he would allow me to go
there. Accordingly, proceeding through a large, light,
airy school-room, empty of everything, but on the floor
black desks and forms, and on the walls maps, he con
ducted me to a locked door, at which stood a little
female sentinel or janitress about ten years of age. On

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. 29
explaining to this nice, intelligent little being what I
wanted, with her key of office she turned the lock,
and I had scarcely passed the threshold it was her
duty to guard when a most joyous scene presented
itself. In a large, dull, stupid, square, paved yard,
with a shed on its right, girls, mostly from eight to
fourteen (a few were apparently sixteen, eighteen, and
twenty), with no covering on their heads, and in some
instances with bare feet, were dancing, skipping, vault
ing on and off wooden horses, or with uplifted and
diagonally extended slight arms swinging round two
gymnastic poles, — and certainly a happier, a merrier,
or a more innocent scene it had never been my fortune
to witness. The children had clean faces, and, gene
rally speaking, beautiful complexions, high colour, and
yet, although they were all in high spirits, there was a
propriety in their conduct towards each other that was
very gratifying to witness. Among them, as here,
there, and everywhere they flew about and around in
eccentric mazes, were to be seen pacing slowly up and
down on straight lines, like so many admirals on their
quarterdecks, four or five full-blown, full-grown ladies
in bonnets and hot shoes — most of them, as they
vibrated, reading in books apparently for their very
lives. They were special class-teachers from the
country, whose duty it is, assisted by regular teachers,
to watch over the children at play, and without in any
way curtailing their liberty, to report any quarrelling
or conduct that deserves punishment, which simply
consists in the culprit being admonished before her class.
In the system established by the Commissioners, it is
strictly required that the children in these playgrounds,

30 NATIONAL EDUCATION. Part 1.
justly considered as halls for moral instruction, or, as
they have been still better termed, "uncovered schools,"
shall " never be left to themselves."
At Almack's there are always refreshments for the
dancers, and, accordingly, in the corner of the yard
before me, I observed a couple of iron ladles chained
to a pump, around which were a number of pleasing,
pretty upper lips almost as wet as the water which
for a moment they quaffed, and then with some merry
exclamation darted off again to their play.
A funeral bell, however, all of a sudden tolled the
termination of this happy life, and as I foresaw that
the door, which the little janitress had now opened,
would probably soon be crowded, I deemed it advisable
to escape through it ; and, accordingly, passing through
the great school-room, I entered an empty adjoining
smaller one called "the Gallery," in which fifteen
forms, each capable of holding 12 scholars, rose one
above another, like an orchestra, from the centre of the
floor, very nearly to the ceiling.
After conversing for a few minutes with a very
intelligent pupil-teacher, who had charge of the room,
there entered through the door, like bees flying into
their hive, a congregation of little girls from seven to
twelve or thirteen years old, with a few others of more
advanced age. For some seconds there was a good
deal of puffing and panting, and, instead of by French
cambric handkerchiefs, of gently wiping faces with the
backs of right hands. There was also a very little
twisting and setting to rights of long hair by, generally
speaking, poking it in charge of Nature's band, the
owners' ears. Only one girl had ringlets — however, as

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. 31
an atonement for this little piece of vanity, beside her
sat a child whose strong, red hair, ending bluffly like
the thatch of a cottage, had apparently been chopped
off under the good old-fashioned prescription of scissors
and the pudding-basin.
As soon as 180 children had taken their seats, a
spelling lesson began. The word proposed had scarcely
left the lips of the teacher, when from all parts of the
room, top, bottom, and middle, there darted towards
her in radiation the right arms of all who wished thus
to declare that they could spell it. On the pronunci
ation of some words, every right arm started out ; on
the utterance of others, very few ; in one instance, only
two. The teacher usually selected from the number
of arms offered the owner of the one she expected
would be most likely to make a mistake, in which case
she suddenly called upon some other pupil to correct it.
The instant, however, that the word, sooner or later,
was correctly spelled, down dropped all the eager young
arms as if they had suddenly been paralysed by old age.
But after the poor word had been rightly spelled, and
after, as I thought, it was dead and buried, the teacher,
with that ingenious cruelty which has ever distinguished
the race, pointing to an innocent child, asked her what
it meant. " What is the meaning of ' soar ' ? " said she,
to a rosy-faced little creature of about eight years old.
" To fly upwards ! " it exclaimed ; " To fly aloft ! " eja
culated another at the very same instant, thus satisfying
me that the scholars were not, without understanding,
answering by rote. Observing that a great big girl,
sitting among the little ones, had never once thrown
out her arm, I asked the teacher in an under voice a

32 NATIONAL EDUCATION. Part I.
question respecting her. " How old are you ? " she
immediately said aloud, pointing with her white wand
to her. The poor girl, blushing strongly as she said it,
'softly answered "eighteen." The teacher then ex
plained to me that the reason she had not examined
her was, that she knew she could not spell ; adding,
"her education before she came here had been com
pletely neglected."
Having satisfied myself of the great intelligence
of the roomful of children I had been living with, I
walked into the large adjoining room, which is lighted
at each side, and is 50 feet square. In it I found 300
girls, most of them with their hands behind them,
standing in segments of circles, containing from 9 to 15
each, around a young instructress or monitor, occa
sionally scarcely of their own age, located with her
back to the wall. On the black benches which crossed
the room were seated in groups, earnestly bending
towards each other, a number of grown-up young
teachers in bonnets, studying books, out of which they
were to be examined by the Professors and by Mrs.
Campbell, who, as Superintendent, has entire charge
of the female school.
On my asking this highly intelligent lady how many
scholars the room could contain, she replied, " Rather
more than 400 ;" being the usual allowance of six
square feet for each child.
When the particular studies at which the 300 girls
had been engaged were concluded, they suddenly
broke from their magic circles, and, on taking their
respective places on the benches, they became in a short
time intently occupied in needlework. I own, how-

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. ' 33
ever, that when the Lady Superintendent benevolently
approached me with an enormous folio book, contain
ing specimens of what could be done with the point of
a needle, I could for some reason or other hardly sup
press a deep dry sigh ; however, on patiently going
through the volume, I certainly could not help ad
miring all I beheld. The science of making men's
shirts decidedly pleased me most ; then my affections
rested about equally on darning in eight varieties and
on the art of patching old clothes. I cared considerably
less about the mystery of making petticoats, stays, and
knitted gowns ; and by the time I had learnt to plait
straw, embroider, and make babies' boots, I felt that I
had imbibed quite as much Irish useful knowledge as
my head could hold.
Mrs. Campbell now kindly asked me if I would like
to hear some singing ? and on my replying, with great
eagerness, in the affirmative, by a slight tap on the
floor she called the attention of the school, and the
rustling of laying aside little invaluable bits of calico,
linen, &c. &c. &c, had scarcely subsibed, when, to my
astonishment and delight, the whole of the 300 girls
rose, and, as with one voice, commenced with great
taste and melody to sing together "God save the
Queen ! "
Their performance was not only admirable, but
deeply affecting. After they had gone through the
first verse, three girls, who on the requisition for music
had, by migration, seated themselves together, com
menced alone the second stanza. They were of course
the finest voices in the school, and I do not exaggerate
when I say that their execution and taste would attract
D

34 NATIONAL EDUCATION. Part I.
attention in any capital in Europe. The contralto
notes of one of them were most unusual and extra
ordinary — her base was as low and as deep-toned as a
man's, and yet it had all the softness of a woman's.
There can be no doubt whatever that in due time these
sounds will produce her an ample livelihood.
The singer by her side was a young girl of about
seventeen, a tall, slight brunette, with shining hair, and
with a narrow strap of black velvet, like the collar of a
pet antelope, round her throat ; her voice was high,
clear as a bell, and sweet, and as she stood, with her
eyes modestly fixed on the ground, singing in soft
notes, which in beautiful harmony blended with those
of her two companions, —
" May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice —
God save the Queen ! " —
I experienced sensations it would be impossible, and,
indeed, which it is perfectly unnecessary I should
describe. The Professor of music, who happened to be present,
must, I am sure, have perceived how deeply I silently
appreciated the successful result of his indefatigable
exertions, which I afterwards had an opportunity of
witnessing in the boys' school.
On taking leave of the female establishment, I feel it
due to truth rather than to its young inmates— from
whom ordinary flattery had infinitely better be with
held—to state, as briefly as possible, that in no country
in the world that I have ever witnessed have I ever
beheld the indescribable native modesty which, in their

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. 35
playground as well as in their studies, characterised
their countenances ; indeed, it was so striking, that I
feel confident no traveller of ordinary observation could
fail to observe it.
There are three schools for boys ; the largest, con
sisting of 400, is divided into five classes. Over each
division is a paid monitor, or pupil teacher. Every
division, according to the proficiency of the pupils,
is subdivided into classes, over each of which is ap
pointed a class monitor.
On proceeding to the largest of these schools I
entered a lofty room, 80 feet long by 50 broad, contain
ing 16 parallel desks and benches, each affording a
location for 18 squatters, where I found three Pro
fessors, each at the same time addressing on an average
five benches of boys, who, on every question that was
asked, darted out their arms in the sharp, quick way
already described. On an exalted desk at the further
extremity of the room was inscribed, on a large black
slate, — Lessons for the \4th August.
1. Grammar.
2. Geography.
3. Spelling.
As I have previously explained, they had not only
correctly to spell on a slate whatever word was pro
nounced to them, but also to -write the meaning of it.
On the slates of three boys sitting in a row I saw the
following words inscribed simultaneously : —
" Crab — belongs to the third class of animals, called
Crustacea." d2

36 NATIONAL EDUCATION. Part I.
" The Crab — belongs to the class called Crustacea."
" The Crab — belongs to that class of animals called
Crustacea." I was afterwards shown several of their books, in
many of which, over admirable writing, there ap
peared, justly written by the Professor, the two words,
" Very good " — a testimonial highly prized, I was
informed, by the boys' parents.
All of a sudden, with a great noise, the whole of the
scholars arose from their seats, and, as soon as they
stood erect, the Professor put them through all sorts of
movements ; made them jump- — fold arms — turn this
way, then the other ; at last, the hour for recreation
having arrived, in regular procession they were marched
out ; and as with joyous, intelligent countenances, they
one close to the other passed me in lock step, I could
not help feeling how triumphantly they contradicted
the opinion which has often so unjustly been expressed,
that Irishmen instinctively rebel against discipline.
In a few minutes these boys were in their play-yard,
and by the time I could get to it I found them not only
in full enjoyment, but in full chorus — for they were
singing together very prettily as well as playing.
Some were swinging ; some hanging by their hands
on five different bars, on one of which a merry lame
boy, with a countenance beaming with happiness, was
suspending himself by his crutch. The top of a single
post, for leap-frog, was beautifully polished by the innu
merable hands, to say nothing of cloth and corduroy,
that rapidly passed over it. In a shed several wer$
playing at fives.
At the first glance the scene was one of apparent

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. 37
confusion, but on analysis I very shortly discovered the
method that pervaded it. For instance, close to the
lofty pole, around the bottom of which four boys were
joyously whirling, only occasionally touching the
ground with their feet, I observed a line of candidates
for the fun, patiently standing in succession one behind
the other, so as without contention to enjoy the ropes
each in their turn.
In another portion of the yard were to be seen two
rows of about twelve boys each, with their stomachs
pushing hard against their neighbours' backs, their
faces being all directed to one of two pumps, at which
they were desirous in their turn to drink. At each
pump, with his back to the wall, there stood, in charge
of its iron saucer and chain, a young monitor. At the
entrance-door of the playground there was also a janitor
of about the same age.
Through this merry scene a party of boys, several
without shoes or stockings, were rushing and running
in all directions. They were playing at hide-and-seek,
the hider, as soon as taken, being brought in triumph
by his captor to a tribunal. " What's that strap for ?"
said I to a fine, fresh-coloured, strong lad, who was
running with it in his hand. " To handcuff hum," he
replied, with a grin, " if he won't come quite (quiet) ! "
After crossing over to the great building opposite to
Tyrone House, where I listened for some time to a
very interesting and instructive agricultural lecture,
addressed by a Professor to the grown-up male teachers,
who, after their period of instruction has concluded,
are thus enabled to carry with them to their various
localities the valuable practical knowledge that I heard

38 NATIONAL EDUCATION. Part I.
imparted to them, I proceeded to a spacious building
on the west of the large grass plot, the dormitory of
the female country teachers, consisting of numerous
rooms, containing, according to their size, from three
to twelve beds, with curtains. In an adjacent building
the male teachers sleep on iron bedsteads. It might
have been imagined that the mixing up in Dublin of
so many young rural teachers of opposite sexes would
occasionally be productive of evil consequences. I was
very positively assured, however, by the highest autho
rity, that since the creation of this establishment no
such case has ever been known to occur ; a fact, if it
be one, highly creditable to the Irish character.
On proceeding to the infants' school, I found 300 of
them in their playground, drawn up in four or five
formal lines, just ready, with little monitors at their
side, to tottle into school.
Their faces were all clean, and they were waiting
with serious countenances for the ringing of the bell,
when, all of a sudden, in consequence of a little " soft
nonsense" I had whispered into the ear of the teacher
in charge of their yard, she called out to them hi a
loud tone, " Children I you may have five minutes' more
play ! " By the explosion of gunpowder one could
scarcely have scattered them more suddenly in all
directions. In one second the formality of their posi
tion and countenances had vanished, and all over the
gritty precincts of the yard they were, mostly with
little bare feet, to be seen running, tumbling, jumping,
and laughing. A lot of more intelligent faces and
beautiful complexions no one could desire to behold.
Their glossy hair was of all colours.

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. 39
In the middle of the yard were two poles, but the
amusement they appeared most to enjoy was scrambling
up a steep inclined wooden trough, and, on reaching
the summit, squatting down and, without the slightest
attention to the adjustment of their clothes, sliding
down a corresponding descending wooden trough, the
bottom of which was not only highly polished, but
literally worn into two little furrows by the endless
friction that, by the inventive powers of the Commis
sioners, had been applied to it. In a few instances, as
a great joke, a child, instead of sitting, went down this
montagne Russe head-foremost, on its stomach or back
as it preferred.
Any one witnessing the innocent, happy joy of these
children, would reasonably have hoped that the hand
of Time would have been arrested, but, as usual, he
was inexorable ; the five minutes came to an end — 'the
bell rang — the children, stomach versus back, fell out
into five lines, and by word of command of her majesty
the queen of their yard they once again tottled into
their schoolroom.
On arriving there in the morning they deposit their
hats and caps in a basket placed at one end of each of
their respective forms, and their bread (dinner) in
another basket at the other end.
In the schoolroom I found, seated in various direc
tions, a number of very intelligent-looking female
teachers, each of whom had suspended before her a
picture. One represented the whole process of making
bread, from the ploughing of land for wheat to reaping,
thrashing, grinding, and baking. Another, the various
preparations which leather undergoes, and the mode of

40 NATIONAL EDUCATION. Part I.
making shoes. Another was a carpenter's shop, with
delineations of all his tools. Another, as a trifling
change, a representation of the solar system.
Each poor teacher, like Prometheus on his rock, was
chained to the picture she had undertaken to explain ;
but as she could not long continue to propound its con
tents to one group, the chief Superintendent every now
and then, as if a wasp had stung her, gave a stamp and
a whistle, on which each group of children, under a
tiny monitor — in many instances not four years old,
and who is changed every week — moved successively
to the next picture, which was no sooner explained
than, in obedience to another sudden stamp and whistle,
these little butterflies, with their monitor, flew to sip
the honey of the adjoining flower.
In a neighbouring room I found a congregation of
infants on benches raised one above another, merrily sing
ing a tune, into which had been artfully slipped a very
small portion of the multiplication table, and as this
medicine evidently made them very shortly more or
less drowsy (I saw one tiny sinner from the bottom of
her soul give a decided yawn), the teacher artfully
revived them by saying very softly, "Let's take another
sleep I " on which, with great glee, they all threw
themselves backwards, an exertion and a joke com
bined, which, on their being ordered to awake, com
pletely revived them. One little girl, however, of
about two years old, who had over-acted the part,
remained sound asleep ; and as, with her tiny mouth
open, her glossy flaxen hair lay wild and loose upon
her rosy cheeks, I strongly felt how unconscious she
was of the parental endeavours which the Lord-Lieu-

Part I. NATIONAL EDUCATION. 41
tenant, together with Commissioners the Archbishop
of Dublin, the Archbishop Murray, Lord Bellew, the
Lord Chancellor, the Bishop of Meath, the Right Hon.
Alex. Macdonnell, and others of the highest attain
ments in Ireland, were making to impart, not only to
her, but to 511,239 other children throughout Ireland,
infantine habits of cleanliness and obedience, as also
the inestimable advantages of an admirable education.
And yet I could not help repeating to myself how
lamentable is the reflection, that while, at an annual
expenditure of 164,5771., Parliament is assisting this
great work, the Commissioners, although they have
benevolently spared no pains in giving to the children
they have undertaken to educate every temporal assist
ance that ingenuity could possibly desire, cannot to this
day agree among themselves as to the admission of the
Bible, or even in the construction of any simple
Christian prayer in which the rising generation of
Irish, Catholics and Protestants, might be taught to
unite! In short, to the discredit of both religions,
these children, who are taught so innocently to join
together " with heart and voice " in a harmonious song
"^national homage to their Sovereign, are literally, by
the dark rules of the institution — which " exclude from
the general school all Catechisms and books inculcat
ing peculiar religious opinions" — strictly forbidden from
exclaiming together with similar unanimity, —
" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
goodwill towards men."

( 42 ) Part I.

THE CONSTABULARY.

If a new Lord - Lieutenant in a very great hurry
wished to obtain a correct general idea of the distribu
tion of the Constabulary Force in Ireland — in case no
poor little boy, with a face deeply pitted with the
small-pox, happened to be in the neighbourhood — I
would strongly advise him to buy a sixpenny map of
Ireland, nail it to a tree, and then, standing twenty-five
yards from it, to fire at it with a close-carrying single-
barrelled gun loaded with snipe-shot, which, in one
second, would, as nearly as possible, mark out for him
the distribution of the constabulary throughout the
country he was about to govern. A glance at the
annexed map, on which every police station is accu
rately delineated, will, I believe, sufficiently demon
strate the truth of my prescription.
The first question which the moralist would, of
course, ask is, why so ubiquitous a force is necessary"?
Blinking, however, this subject for the present, there
is another query, which, though of minor importance,
is not unworthy of consideration ; namely, by what
magic power can such a scattered force be governed ?
By military men discipline is said to be the art of
welding together, into an indissoluble band, a number
of human particles, which, separately, have no strength
or value whatever. But those whom discipline has

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 43
thus joined, no man, with impunity, can put asunder.
In a regiment, however admirable may be its efficiency,
it would be difficult to select six men who would
maintain their artificial habits, if they were to be lo
cated in a lonely spot for, say, only one year. To find
a company of such men would be almost impossible ;
and yet the constabulary force of Ireland is composed
of an army of 12,501 Irishmen, belonging to two reli
gions which we are told it is impracticable to conciliate !
With these facts fermenting in my mind I felt de
sirous to inform myself, first, of the nature of the force
in question ; and, secondly, of the mode in which it is
disciplined : and as, for some hours, I had an oppor
tunity, first, of glancing over the whole of their rules
and regulations; and, secondly, of inspecting several
hundred of the officers and men at the depot at which
the whole is educated, I obtained the following trifling
data on the subject: —
I. — Ireland — which contains 32 counties, 316
baronies, 2422 parishes, and 66,700 townlands — is
divided, for police purposes, into 35 counties and
ridings, over each of which is placed a county in
spector. Each county and riding is divided into dis
tricts, averaging 7 in number, over each of which is
placed a sub-inspector, whose district is further sub
divided into about 7 sub-districts, each under the im
mediate charge of a head or other constable.
Each sub-district comprises on an average 40 town-
lands. There are at present in Ireland 1590 police stations
(vide Map), giving on an average 48 stations to each
county, and 8 policemen to each station.

44

THE CONSTABULARY.

Part I.

The constabulary force of Ireland consists of —

Roman Catholics
Protestants .

Total force

7,7984,703
12,501

The height of the men is as follows ;-

ft. in.
6 3 and upwards . 23
6 2 ,, .161
6 1 , , .506
6 0 , , . 1104

ft. in.
5 11 and upwards . 1794
5 10 , , . 2921
5 9 ,, . 4623
5 8 , , . 1518

Besides acting as conservators of the public peace, the
Irish constabulary direct their exertions to numerous
collateral objects of great importance to the country;
for instance —
They distribute and collect the voting papers for all
the Poor-Law guardians.
They take the census throughout Ireland.
They escort all prisoners, excepting in Tipperary and
Cork, in which counties the aid of troops is required.
They escort all convicts, and discharge the convict
accounts.
They collect and settle the innumerable accounts of
fines and penalties, from sixpence upwards.
They act as billet-masters throughout the country, and
as auctioneers for the sale of distress.
They enforce the fishery laws under certain instruc
tions.
They assist in various ways the Board of Health.
They act (in towns and large villages) as masters of
weights and measures.
They preserve order in sessional and assize courts.

Part 1. THE CONSTABULARY. 45
They make up annually for Government certain statis
tical returns of the quantity and quality of the dif
ferent kinds of crop, of stock, &c, and are thus com
petent, at any moment when required, to report
simultaneously on the state of any particular crop —
the potato, for instance — throughout the whole of
Ireland.During the famine they greatly assisted the Commis
sariat, as also the numerous relief commissions; in
short, from their zeal and intelligence they are ready
and competent to perform almost any miscellaneous
duties that may be required of them.
On comparing the pay of the constabulary with that
of a corresponding number of British troops, it appears
that the police are a rather less expensive force than
the army ; for, although the sub-constables of police
are better paid than private soldiers, yet, from the
inferior pay of the other ranks of the constabulary, and
from the much smaller proportion of them required
than for troops, the cost of the whole force is at pre
sent, on the whole, less than that of an equal number
of her Majesty's troops ; * and indeed this difference
might be materially increased ; for, as the number of
constable-officers is not (as in the army) measured by
the number of men they command, but by the extent
of country under the superintendence of each, the
* The difference is nearly as follows : —
10,000 police, with their officers and staff, cost 20007. a-year less than
10,000 troops without staff.
The average annual expense of the clothing of the constabulary is as
follows : — Infantry, per man . . 1 5 5|
Cavalry,  1 19 1

46 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
number of police constables at every station might be
doubled, without materially increasing the officers'
labour ; and as the whole police of Ireland might thus
be very largely augmented without any great addition
to its complement of officers, the expense of the force,
as compared with that of the army, would in that case,
of course, be proportionally diminished.
From documents which will shortly be submitted,
and which will enable the reader on this important
subject to judge for himself, I was happy to ascertain
that in the constabulary, as in our army and navy, Pro
testants and Catholics live together in such perfect har
mony, that during the last fifteen years the Inspector-
General has not received above four cases of com
plaint connected with religion ; indeed their difference
of creed is productive to the service only of good ; for
as the constables and sub -constables of each religion
would, of course, jealously report any partiality or dis
affection of a comrade on account of religion, the
plain course, and indeed the only practicable course for
all, is to drop religious animosity, and be faithful to
their duty. Several years ago one of the constables
was promptly dismissed for calling out " 0' Connell for
ever I " Immediately afterwards two more were dis
missed for, with equally extended jaws, shouting, " To
hell with the Pope ! " The adherents of both parties
rabidly complained to Sir Duncan M'Grigor, who
quaintly enough answered their communications by
laconically sending to each complainant a copy of the.
punishment he had just inflicted for the antagonistic*
exclamation. Throughout the late elections, although the whole

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 47
body of Ireland was convulsed by religious animosity,
the fidelity of the constabulary was so irreproachable,
that during that severe trial there has been no occasion
to dismiss a single individual for disaffection. By a
regulation, established by the Inspector-General, no
constable or sub-constable can be allocated in the dis
trict of country of which he is a native, or in which he
is known to have relations and friends ; and, as a pleas
ing proof of the propriety of this arrangement, it may
be stated that constables, located on the confines of their
own neighbourhood, of their own accord often apply to
be removed, as they find their difficulties and tempta
tions so much increased by being even in the neighbour
hood of their acquaintances.
In the small detachments in which the constabulary
are scattered over the whole surface of Ireland, not
only is every individual strictly required to do his own
duty, but he is punished if he witnesses any irregularity
in the conduct of his comrades without reporting it to
his officer.
For ordinary offences there are instituted Constabu
lary Courts of Inquiry, which, after due investigation,
deliver their verdict ; but, to insure uniform discipline,
the Inspector-General alone awards the punishment,
which generally consists of a fine not exceeding 31.
With the sanction of the Lord- Lieutenant he can, how
ever, at once rid himself of any one technically termed
by his comrades " a black sheep."
In the last fifteen years the only case of disaffection
that has occurred in the constabulary was an anony
mous letter, written by a constable to a rebel, " hoping
he would succeed." On this communication being

48 THE CONSTABULARY. PartJ.
transmitted to the Inspector-General he sent to the
culprit, desiring him to come to head-quarters with a
specimen of his handwriting. The man, fancying he
was to be promoted, joyfully obeyed the summons, and
appeared quite elated, until, after a severe cross-exami
nation, his letter was shown to him, upon which he at
once acknowledged himself to be the writer ; boldly
adding, " Those sentiments are mine I " It is a singular
circumstance — to which no unfavourable moral can
reasonably be attached — that this man, who was of
course instantly dismissed, had for two or three years
been a student at Maynooth.
But it is by rewards rather than by punishments that
the discipline of the force is established.
Any head or other constable, or sub-constable, who
distinguishes himself by zealous, intelligent, and spirited
conduct, is permitted to wear, as a mark of distinction,
a chevron of lace on the left fore-arm of his jacket.
When a man, distinguished by four such marks,
merits a fifth, in lieu of all he receives a silver medal,
which he wears suspended by a light-blue riband on his
left breast.
For every occasion on which he subsequently dis
tinguishes himself, he is allowed to wear a chevron in
addition to the medal.
These chevrons and medal are not only honourable
distinctions to the constable while in the service, but on
his retiring from it they very properly become bills of
exchange. On the termination of his services the
earner of these honours receives from the Reward Fund
— if a head-constable, the sum of 61, and if a constable or
sub-constable, the sum of 41. for each chevron : for his

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 49
medal, a head-constable receives 35/. ; a constable or sub-
constable, 25/. ; and if the man dies in the service, these
well-earned sums, after his funeral, are paid over to his
widow or children, but to no other heir at law. The
medal itself is also handed over to the widow or chil
dren as an honourable testimonial. Sub-constables
with medals, without regard to their services, take pre
cedence of all others in their class ; but for misconduct
a man forfeits one or more chevrons, according to the
nature and degree of his offence.
The Inspector- General not only declines to enlist
married men, but after the recruits are enlisted they are
not allowed even to speak of matrimony for exactly five
years^ however, at the end of that period, if they
sicken, their names are allowed to be enrolled, and, as
vacancies occur among the l-5th of the force that are
permitted to be married, they gradually (in the order
of their application) crawl up the tree of Hymen, until
they arrive at the point called " holy matrimony,"
where they are authorised to establish themselves ;
" provided always," says the regulation, " that they can
produce satisfactory references as to the conduct, cha
racter, and respectability [the stern order says nothing
about beauty] of the female to whom the constable or
sub-constable may wish to be united."
Besides the numerous small detachments I have
described, there are in each county a few men of supe
rior attainments and experience, termed " disposable
men" — Anglice, " Detectives." They are, however, en
titled to this latter appellation only in one sense of the
word ; for, with a view to prevent them from acting as
spies, they are prohibited from looking out for intended

50 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
crimes; and are directed to confine their attention
exclusively to the capture of the perpetrators of out
rages already committed, about which there can be no
question. With this object in view they search for information,
and it is a curious fact that since the exertions of
Father Matthew they have found that the difficulty of
detecting crime in Ireland has considerably increased,
the reason being, that the information and confessions
they formerly obtained were usually volunteered by
drunken men.
Formerly every county in Ireland paid one-half of
the gross expenses of the constabulary located within
it, and the consolidated fund paid , the other half.
Now the whole of the Parliamentary establishment is
defrayed by the consolidated fund, the county only
paying for any force it may require beyond that esta
blishment. When, however, any great crime takes
place, Government has the power to send a force,
which can be located, as it deems fit, on the county at
large, the barony, parish, or town-land, either of which,
as ordained by Government, is made chargeable for
the cost of the extra force for three months certain,
and for such further time as may be requisite. The
beneficial effect of this regulation is, that in many
cases information is privately given to Government of
an intended crime, merely to avoid the expense of- sup
pressing it.
For the constabulary men are selected solely from
character and personal appearance, without reference
to their religion. Some years ago about one-third
of the applicants were Protestants. I ascertained, how-

Part I. .. THE CONSTABULARY. 51
ever, that the number of applicants of that creed has
very lately increased.
Strange as it may sound, the little dumb potato has
been the unconscious cause of this difference, for, as the
lower orders of Catholics usually feed on it, and the
lower orders of Protestants partly on oats, the famine
caused by the potato disease, not only (as the statistics in
the Government offices fully substantiate) fell principally
on the poor Catholics, but subsequently, from the terri
fying effects of this cause, the latter class have formed
by far the greater number of the emigrants who since
the famine have left Ireland.
Of the officers, who are all gentlemen, there are
more Protestants than Catholics.
In proportion, however, to the whole force, which
is essentially Catholic, they are very few in number.
Beginning from the lowest rank, the officers con
sist of —
Cadets-Probationary, who rank as constables, and who
usually continue in probation for about 2 months.
Sub-Inspectors, of three classes, who perform the same
duties, but with different rates of pay, namely, 1 00/.
a year, 120/., 150/., and about 12 at 180/.
County-Inspectors, of three classes, receiving 220/.,
250/., and 300/. a year.
2 Assistant Inspector-Generals,— one employed in the
office in Dublin Castle, and one (Captain Roberts)
commanding the Educationary Depot in the Phoenix
Park.
2 Deputy Inspector-Generals, of great experience, who
work in the office.
e 2.

52 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
1 Inspector-General, Major-General Sir Duncan Mc
Grigor, K.C.B.
The Depot consists of a Commandant (Lieut-Colonel
Roberts) and 6 Sub-Inspectors (of whom 4 command
companies of about 1 50 infantry men each ; one the
cavalry troop, consisting, at present, of 60 men and 52
horses ; the sixth performs the triple regimental duties
of adjutant, barrack-master, and storekeeper). There
are also a surgeon and veterinary surgeon.
Besides the discipline and payment of the companies,
these 6 officers have to conduct a large county corre
spondence owing to the reserved men being scattered
over Ireland, in places where, in consequence of dis
turbances, their services are required.
The officers who join as cadets, and who, during their
probation, are dressed as officers, are taught to com
mand a body of men, and, when competent, are pro
moted, as vacancies occur, to the rank of Sub-Inspector.
The officers are instructed in arithmetic, algebra,
geometry, " the [their] code ;" also how to fill up num
berless returns, which, on service, they have to make as
to crime, statistics, estimates, accounts, &c.
In the whole of the above, as also in the knowledge
of the drill and discipline of the corps, they are strictly
examined, and, unless deemed perfectly competent, are
not sent to a county to be intrusted with the charge of
a district. The time occupied in their primary instruc
tion, which they are required to continue when detached,
is usually from 4 to 5 months.
As the constables of the three ranks, in their remote
and often solitary locations, have to act as paymasters,

Part I, THE CONSTABULARY. 53
they also are all instructed as accountants, and in other
matters which will shortly be detailed.
In the whole force there are, per annum, about 1000
vacancies, caused by resignations, deaths, retirements by
pension or gratuity, and dismissals, the latter averaging
each year about 200.
Every individual in the constabulary is required to
have in his possession, and to be catechised therefrom,
a small printed book, entitled ' Extracts from the
Standing Rules, and Regulations, as published for
the Information and Guidance of the Constabulary
Force of Ireland.'
On glancing over the 558 regulations contained in
this blue-bound vade mecum, the following appeared to
exemplify, very satisfactorily, the admirable principles
by which Sir Duncan McGrigor has organized this
valuable corps.
" 17- Every inferior, whether officer or constable, is to
receive the lawful commands of his superior with deference
and respect, and to execute them to the best of his power ;
and every superior, in his turn, whether officer or constable,
is to give his orders in the language of moderation, and of
regard to the feelings of the individual under his com
mand. " 96. It is of great importance that the men should be
respected by the people of the country, and obtain the
good opinion of the gentry. They will, therefore, be ex
tremely cautious in their demeanour, and, by sober, orderly,
and regular habits, respectful attention to every gentleman,
and ready zeal to execute the lawful orders and commands
of the magistrates, endeavour to obtain the approbation of
all classes.
"97. The situations in which the men are placed
render it of the highest importance that they should be on
the most cordial terms with each other, and join in every-

54 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
thing that can tend to the advantage of the establishment ;
therefore, any man who is inclined to quarrel with his
comrades will be considered unfit for the service.
" 173. All official authorities are to be treated with
marked attention and respect by every member of the
force ; and head and other constables are never to pass any
of the Queen's judges of assize, lieutenants of counties,
vice-lieutenants, high-sheriffs, magistrates, sub-sheriffs,
coroners, officers of the revenue police, or officers of the
force, without saluting them.
"193. The constabulary force should sedulously culti
vate a good understanding with the army, navy, and other
public services. " Firing.
" 396. The constabulary being, from the nature of the
service, much detached, and acting, necessarily, in the
performance of their various duties, in small parties, are
intrusted with arms for their own preservation, and that
of their barracks and prisoners ; it cannot therefore be too
strongly impressed on the mind of each and every member
of the force, how highly essential it is to guard against the
slightest wanton or wilful misuse of their arms, but to
observe the utmost forbearance that humanity combined
with prudence can dictate, before incurring the awful as
well as legal responsibility of firing on the people ; a
measure which should never be resorted to until the very
last extremity, and not until after every other means shall
have failed for the preservation of those engaged in carry
ing the law into effect. It should be constantly borne in
mind, that, however well justified a policeman may consider
himself in firing, the act, with all its accompanying circum
stances, whether the result be attended by loss of life or
otherwise, must become the subject of legal investigation.
It therefore behoves those who may be placed in such a
situation to be well prepared to prove that they acted
with becoming humanity, caution, and prudence ; and that
they were compelled by necessity alone to have recourse
to their arms.

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 55
" 397. Whenever the necessity of firing should un
fortunately arise, it ought to be at the leaders of a riot,
or the assailants of the police, and, if possible, with effect.
Firing over the heads of mobs engaged in an illegal pursuit
must not be allowed ; as a harmless fire, instead of intimi
dating, would give confidence to the daring and the guilty.
" 402. The constabulary should, upon all occasions (as
before directed), observe the utmost caution and forbear
ance in using their arms ; but should any attempt be made
to force an entrance into their barracks, or to rescue prison
ers who may be in their charge, or to deprive them of
their arms, they ought, in those purely defensive situations,
to act with the utmost firmness and determination, and to
resist by every means in their power the loss of their
barracks, prisoners, or arms.
" 403. The police are expressly prohibited from firing
shots, for the purpose of intimidating any persons they
may be authorised to arrest, or for any other purpose what
ever, or under any other circumstances than those set
forth in the 7th chapter. " Prisoners.
" 483. Are to be treated by the constabulary with
every humane consideration which their situation and
safety can admit of, and no unnecessary restraint or harsh
ness shall be permitted towards them ; but on the other
hand, as the escape of any prisoner must ensure the dis
missal of the person or persons in charge of him, it behoves
the police to be vigilant in the discharge of his or their duty.
" 484. Every rational allowance should be made for the
feelings of a prisoner by his escort ; but as the latter is
responsible for his safe custody, he is to be handcuffed, if
charged with the commission of any serious offence, or if a
person of bad or suspicious character, if there be reasonable
grounds to apprehend an escape or rescue.
" 485. Females, or old or infirm prisoners, are not to be
handcuffed ; and the constabulary are not to converse with
their prisoners or question them respecting the offences
with which they may be charged.

56 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
"Witnesses and Prosecutors.
" 558. In all trials wherein the police may either be
witnesses or prosecutors, they should give their testimony
in a manly straightforward manner, without caring or ap
pearing to care about the effects of it, either as to the con
viction or acquittal of the accused in criminal matters, or
as to the result in any civil or other suit.
" 559. They should merely and briefly answer the
questions put to them without remark or commentary ;
and, if cross-examined, they should carefully avoid making
a disrespectful or an intemperate reply ; for if their testi
mony be fairly and honestly given, they need not fear, and
should not be annoyed at, any ordeal to which they may
be subjected. It must, however, be clearly understood
that no man can be considered as a worthy member of the
force who is not a respectable witness, and that any in
stance of prevarication before any court of assize, sessions,
inquiry, or other tribunal whatsoever, shall ensure the
immediate dismissal of the witness who prevaricates, or
gives partial or vindictive evidence.

THE CONSTABULARY DEPOT.
This establishment, romantically situated in a retired
portion of the Phoenix Park, is composed of barrack-
looking buildings, forming three sides of a rectangular,
capacious, dark-coloured, gritty parade-ground. The
long north front, which has a clock in the middle
of it, contains officers' quarters, officers' mess-room,
sleeping-rooms for the infantry portion of the force,
and the Commandant's quarters ; on the east, or right,
a short wing for infantry ; on the west, or left, similar
accommodation, with stabling beneath, for the cavalry,,
The whole is surrounded on the south by a ditch,
terminating at each end by a rustic, countryfied, cottage-

pART I. THE CONSTABULARY. 57
looking guard-house, which has evidently been scien
tifically constructed for the purpose, like a bastion, of
flanking the ditch in case of an attack. In the iron
shutters of its windows are loopholes, and I also
in the walls observed more loopholes, filled up with
brick-noggirig, that could evidently be knocked out with
the butt end of a musket at a moment's notice. The
other three sides are protected by a jagged-topped stone
wall, 8 feet high.
Close to the iron entrance-gates is a small moveable
guard-room, 10 feet square, whose roof, floor, and sides
are composed of shutters, the lower portion of which,
by iron lining, have been made ball-proof. In the sides
are hooks for five hammocks, carefully hung in the
portion that is musket-proof.
A few habitations of this sort are in store, ready to
form a, portable barrack for mountains, or for any unin
habited spot in which it may be necessary to locate a
party for a few months.
On arriving, by appointment, at 10 o'clock in the
morning at this Depot, I found the whole of its dark-
green force marching in companies on the Parade,
and as, by order of the Commandant, they wheeled into
line, I saw at a glance before me a well-organized
body of regular troops ; indeed, in soldier-like appear
ance, arms, accoutrements, and uniform, they strongly
reminded me of that noble corps the old 95th„ now-a-
days christened " the Rifle Brigade."" They had the
same slight, active appearance ; although, on the whole,
they were evidently taller.
The full dress of the men is, a black shako, a
dark green soldier's jacket with worsted epaulettes

58 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I,
of the same colour, dark green trousers and gloves,,
boots, a black patent-leather cross belt, clasping with
a brass plate, a black shining-leather waistband con
taining two black pouches, one for percussion caps, the
other for a pair of iron handcuffs. Their arms are
composed of a short carbine with a spring bayonet,
which, when unfixed, is attached by another spring to
its scabbard, so as to prevent the weapon, in either
position, from being forced from its place. In every
cartouch box there were 20 rounds of ball cartridge
(two loose and ready) and 30 spare caps, and above
them was suspended, by black straps, a black knapsack.
Each man in full marching order carries 331b. 4 oz.,
including his carbine and bayonet, which weighs 7 lb.
15 oz., and his cartouch box with 20 rounds of ball
cartridge, weighing 4 lb. 3 oz. For undress, the men
wear a smart, neat foraging cap, with black patent-
leather chin-straps.
On walking through the ranks, I perceived that the
acting constables (corporals) were distinguished by two
gold chevrons on the left arm. The constables (who
rank as sergeants) had three gold chevrons. The head
constable (second class), who wears two small gold
epaulettes, and in his undress gold twist, has on his
arm four bars surmounted by a crown embroidered in
gold. Instead of a single he has a double-barrelled
carbine, with a short sword that can be attached to it
as.a bayonet. The head constable, first class (sergeant-
major), whose clothes are of superfine cloth, has the
same four chevrons and crown ; but underneath them
there is embroidered a gold shamrock. Besides the
above, those men and non-commissioned officers who

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 59
have earned them, are distinguished by the good-conduct
chevron and silver badge of merit already described.
The officers wear shakos, dark-green uniform, with gilt
epaulette scales ; their long straight swords are in bur
nished steel scabbards.
The mounted constabulary is a well-appointed ca
valry force, composed of tall, slight, wiry-looking men,
selected for their superior activity, general intelligence,
and predilection for horses and mounted service. They
are not selected if they are under five feet eight or above
five feet ten, if they exceed in weight twelve stone, or
until they have served as infantry police for two years.
Their uniform consists of a dark-green jacket and
trousers with black stripe, a light-green worsted waist-
belt, a black cavalry cap, with patent-leather peak,
brass chin -scales, patent-leather cross belt, white
gloves, and steel spurs. In front of their saddle, which
is the same as that used by the horse artillery, they
carry a brace of pistols covered with brown leather ;
behind it, a valise protected by black oil-skin. The
horses have bright collar - chains and white girths.
The appointments, including everything, weigh 5 stone
4 lbs. On ordinary service the men wear a foraging
cap, and the horses do not carry the valise ; the weight
of the appointments is thus reduced to 3 stone 12 lbs.
Every man, after having served one year in the
mounted force to the satisfaction of his county inspector,
is entitled, if a constable, to an addition of 2/., and if a
sub-constable of 1 /. 10s., to his usual salary ; thus making
the pay of a mounted constable 38/., and of a sub-con
stable 29/, 4s. a-year. The increase, however, above
named is forfeited by misconduct, or by the man being

60 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
removed to the infantry. To the cavalry the principal
words of command are given by a trumpet, to the
infantry by bugles.
As soon as our slight inspection was over, the Com
mandant, Lieut.- Colonel Roberts, who, under the direc
tions of the Inspector-General, has indefatigably raised
and trained upwards of 14,000 constabulary recruits, put
his force through various military evolutions adapted
to their particular duties. For the purpose of clearing
away a mob, the infantry advanced rapidly in the form
of a solid wedge, which, as soon as it was supposed to
have penetrated the mob, gradually extended itself into
line. They then quickly formed themselves into small
defensive squares ; and although they have happily
never had occasion to carry it into effect, they went
through a movement of street firing adapted for a small
force, which it would be impossible for any undisci
plined crowd to resist. Advancing in sections about
the length of a narrow street, the leading men no
sooner fired than a section from the rear in double
quick time ran in front and fired again ; and so on a
rapid succession of volleys was administered. Besides
this exercise, the men are taught first to fire blank
cartridges, and then, with the help of a target, are (as it
is professionally termed) "finished off with ball," until,
as I was informed, they can hit true and well at 100
yards. On the whole, I certainly have never seen
assembled a more intellectual force ; indeed there was
an intelligence in their countenances, a supple activity
in their movements, and a lightness in their tread, that
were very remarkable.
The Commandant, having most obligingly shown me

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 61
a specimen of the Irish Constabulary in its manufactured
state, now pointed to a picturesque portion of the
Phoenix Park immediately outside the south ditch of
the barracks, where I had an opportunity of seeing,
standing in squads of 20 and 30 men each, the raw
material of which it is constructed.
On a small expanse of emerald-green grass, studded
here and there with beautiful gnarled thorn-trees,
which, increasing in number, soon formed a wild-looking
forest, bush, or jungle, much resembling spots I had
seen in uninhabited portions of South America, I found
standing in squads of 20 or 30, clasping their thighs,
and in various degrees of strangulation, recruits, some
of whom, having arrived but the day before, had only
that morning been gifted with a hard stiff patent-
leather stock, which gave that sort of protuberance to
the eyes which I remember formed the first feature in
my own military career. Some had joined a week,
some a fortnight, and the rest rather more than three
weeks. Without reference to religion, almost all had
been selected as being the sons of deserving small
farmers. They were, generally speaking, fine, hand
some, intelligent lads of from 18 to 20 ; well dressed,
wearing waistcoats, neckcloths, and clean shirts. There
was nothing clownish or cloddish in their appearance ;
and the progress which the more advanced had made
during the very short period of their probation exem
plified what I believe is an old remark, namely, the
natural aptitude of the Irish to be soldiers— not sailors,
as that profession rarely suits them.
After observing for a few minutes their star-gazing
attempts to march, countermarch, &c. — in short, the

62 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
vigorous efforts of these military grubs to become
butterflies — I returned with the Commandant to the
Parade to look at the barracks. We first went to the
officers' quarters, where I entered a good reading-room
well supplied with newspapers, and an excellent mess-
room, handsomely carpeted, with mahogany sideboard,
plate, and other Constabulary comforts.
In the infantry barracks, on the ground floor, I
found the men's rooms, which are 33 feet by 20, newly
whitewashed ; and besides two lofty windows at each
end, they were scientifically ventilated by four holes
about three feet from the floor for the admission of
heavy pure air, and by two holes in the ceiling for the
exit — via the chimney — of light foul air. In every room
were sixteen iron bedsteads, each containing a fresh bed
and pillow of straw, a pair of sheets, two blankets, and
a quilt. The tick beds are washed every six months,
and the pillow-cases every four months. The men's
accoutrements were arranged on shelves, and around
each room were stands for their arms. For the lower
panes of the windows I observed iron shutters, loop-
holed ; in short, the Irish Constabulary in their bar
racks are, in fact, a select garrison of admirably drilled
troops, occupying, very properly and very peaceably,
a very snug little fortress of their own. But its loop
holes are blinded, and the officers and non-commissioned
officers wear quiet civil titles; and thus Parliament,
so invariably averse to every description of force that
by its efficiency deserves the unpopular appellation of
" regular," good-humouredly looks upon the whole, and,
satisfied by the blocked-up loopholes, finds no reason
whatever to complain of " unconstitutional protection."

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 63
On ascending a stone staircase we passed some single
small rooms, about 12 feet square each, containing a
solitary bed, and a table bearing an inkstand, pens, &c.
They belong to the constables (sergeants).
On the upper story I found a series of rooms similar
to those below, but with a small low door pierced in
the wall of each, so as in case of attack to allow the
men, by stooping, freely to circulate through the whole
region without being obliged to ascend the staircase.
Under each bedstead I remarked a black box, on the
side of which was written the owner's name in white
letters, containing, besides his linen, &c, a suit of plain
clothes and round hat ; which, if necessary, enables the
force without danger to move from station to station,
or to assemble in force at any given point, without
irritation or observation.
In rear of these barracks are a cleaning yard ; wash
ing-room, supplied by a steam-boiler with hot and cold
water ; a shed, for cleaning clothes, and for drilling in
wet weather, &c. In the cooking-house, in which are
eight large caldrons, I found three women engaged and
paid by the men to cook their victuals and clean their
rooms. In the cavalry wing there is a sergeants' mess-room,
containing tables neatly covered with painted oil-cloth.
On the walls were hanging several maps and the mess
regulations. From the latter it appears that these
chief constables get an excellent breakfast and dinner
for lid., servants and washing included. Throughout
the barracks smoking, card-playing, and gambling of
every description are strictly prohibited. In the riding-
school I found several recruits in dark green, with brass

64 THE CONSTABULARY. Part I.
scales to their caps, riding on horses, each branded on
the shoulder with his respective number. The stables,
which are 36 feet by 20, and well ventilated, are
divided by iron rails ; and over each iron manger is
written the number, age, and date of purchase of the
horse that is eating out of it,
In the hospital, which is luxuriously supplied with
hot and cold baths, the sick are all required to wear a
blue-bottle coloured dress, to prevent them from flying
unseen to their healthy green-coated comrades. On
looking over the dietary, I was quite delighted to find
that on Friday all the inmates, whether Protestant or
Catholic, dine amicably together on fish.
In the eastern short wing of the establishment I
found an excellent, healthy, well-ventilated school
room, containing in two divisions sixteen long desks and
benches. In front of them was the teacher's table, with
globes, a case for books, &c.
On their first entrance here, the recruits are made
to copy out the rules and regulations by which they are
to be governed, and in which they are strictly examined.
In addition, they are taught orthography, grammar,
arithmetic, geography, with a particular knowledge of
Ireland, and the rudiments of geometry.
They are then in the " special class " taught, by a
constable-schoolmaster, a highly intelligent young man,
book-keeping and mathematics. No recruit is allowed
to be detached -until by examination he has shown him
self competent to perform his duty. In like manner,
his subsequent promotion depends on his passing a
superior examination : —

Part I. THE CONSTABULARY. 65
"It is in vain," say the printed regulations, "for any
man to expect promotion who cannot write with facility
a good legible hand, and spell well."
To enable him to prepare himself for this future
examination, he receives, previous to his leaving the
depot, every necessary instruction. On the whole, it
appeared to me that at the Constabulary depot every
practicable exertion is made to give to the important
force it educates an intellectual character, as well as
that intelligence, activity, and zeal which its delicate
and difficult duties so urgently require.

( 66 ) Part I.

COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH.

Outside the entrance-door of Morrison's Hotel there
are always— like sharks a in hot latitude floating within
the surf of a beach — a number of carmen, greedily
waiting to snap up any human body that they can see
at all struggling for assistance ; and, accordingly, no
sooner, on leaving the aforesaid hotel at 9 "45 a.m., did I
happen to stand for a second or two rather irresolutely
on the pavement (the fact is I was thinking that I
should probably want a car) than one flew at me like
a bull-dog, and, stepping aboard of it, I had scarcely
taken my seat, when off it started with me, dragging
me sideways in a direction exactly opposite to my
wishes. " Where the deuce are you going ? " said I to the
driver. " Where does yere Arnh'r wish to go ? " he replied,
pulling up.
" Why didn't you ask that before you started ? What
are you in such a terrible hurry about ? " I added.
" Well, yere Arnh'r ! I've a good harse her ! She's,
a well-bred baste ! " And, on my smiling as my right
eye glanced at her for a moment, he added, " I can see
yere Arnh'r knows what a well-bred baste is ! "
The animal was certainly exceedingly impatient to
be off; and in a very few minutes after I had divulged

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 67
to the driver where I wished to go, she rattled me
through the streets to the spot, and the sixpenny trans
action between us all three having thus concluded, the
car slowly jogged away from the station-door of the Great
Southern and Western Railway, as I walked into it.
From a porter I learnt that there had lately been an
alteration in the departure of the train that was to
drop me at Maynooth, and as I had in consequence
thereof arrived at the station half an hour too soon,
I strolled from it with perfect impartiality in the first
direction that offered itself. Passing a large stack of
peat for sale, I came suddenly to a canal basin, in which
a couple of naked boys of about eight years old were
splashing. " Throw me a halfpenny, yere Arnh'r," ex
claimed one, "till I dive for ut!" In an instant I
complied with the first half of the child's little prayer,
intending him to catch my penny with his hands. He,
however, did not attempt to do so ; but, diving after it,
brought it, to my astonishment, up in his mouth.
Four or five men close to me immediately left their
work, and they seemed to take such an eager interest
in sport (I believe of any sort), that they prevailed on
me to throw into the water another penny. " Hould ! "
exclaimed one ; " here's Jan cummun that 'ull dive for
ut from the tap o' the wharl ! " The words were
hardly pronounced when a lad of about seventeen, who
had just run up to the group, threw off his jacket,
kicked off his trowsers — he had neither shirt, shoes,
nor stockings on — and, to my surprise, I saw him
climb to the top of a stone wall upwards of ten feet
high, and then, running along the round coping, I
perceived by the attitude he was assuming that he was
f2

68 COLLEGE OP MAYNOOTH. Part I.
about to jump head foremost across the coped towing^
path beneath him into deep water. I was most
seriously alarmed lest he should kill himself, and his
intended performance, in the middle of a city, was
altogether so irregular, that nearly to the extent of
my voice I called on him, imperatively, to desist.
" Sure, yere Arnh'r, he's arlways doing it for iny
gintleman ! "
" No, no ! " I exclaimed, and I was proceeding very
earnestly with my protest, when from my little audience
there arose such a simultaneous series of rejoinders in
different voices of "Arnh'r!" " Yere Arnh'r ! " and
*' Yere Arnh'r !".... that it immediately occurred to
me that the best thing I could do with my honour
was to decamp with it, and so, throwing down a
sixpence for the lad who at that instant with his hands
clasped before his head had dived from the top of the
wall into the basin at some distance beneath, I very
quickly walked away, and, descending a steep street,
came to a flat broad one, in which I stood for some
minutes, observing what appeared to be large walking
haycocks with a horse's head projecting from the middle
of each ; indeed in many instances the hay trailed on
the ground on each side of the poor animal who was
thus bringing it on his back from the country to Dublin
market. Close on my left, snuffling and grubbing in
the dust, were half-a-dozen little pigs, each with his
near fore and near hind legs tied together by a small
hayband to prevent him cantering. Whilst I was
looking at this arrangement, a maimed beggar-woman
slowly walked up to me. To prevent a long story, I
gave her a halfpenny. " May God in Heaven reward

Part I. COLLEGE OP MAYNOOTH. 69
ye!" she fervently muttered, as she continued her
course. My half-hour's stroll was now nearly expended, so
returning to the station I took from the clerk in wait
ing a second-class return ticket to Maynooth.
As all I knew about travelling in Ireland was from
certain pictures I had studied in my youth of thatched
postchaises and of hostlers running with red-hot pokers
in their hands to " start " the horses, I was curious to
learn in what sort of accommodation I was about to be
embedded. On reaching the platform I found a train
of dark rich blue carriages, equal, if not superior, to
any I have ever seen on the continent of Europe.
Each was composed of a first-class coupe, hand
somely lined with blue cloth, and (between them) of
two second-class carriages, painted in the interior drab-
colour. In both were four seats, comfortably fur
nished with well-stuffed cushions covered with new
glossy morocco leather. The glass windows, above
which were Venetian shutters painted in two shades of
light blue, had neat linen curtains chequered in blue
and drab. From the roof of the carriage, which was
painted white, there protruded two round black iron
ventilators, about nine inches high, pierced with holes
like a colander. In the coupes there was scarcely an
inhabitant, but the second-class compartment was
nearly filled with a clean, well-dressed, and respectable
class of persons. As soon as a sudden and loud whistle,
which I particularly remarked had no peculiar Irish
tone, ordered us to start, a general commotion, or
rather a series of general commotions, began; and
although I could not correctly hear what was said,

70 COLLEGE OP MAYNOOTH. Part I.
it was evidently at intervals of a very jocular descrip
tion, and accordingly there were every now and then
behind, before, and on either side of me, paroxysms of
convulsive grins, the causes of which I could not learn,
and shall now never know.
Dublin, in the direction in which we were travelling,
has no suburbs, and so in a few minutes we were all flying
through flat, rural scenery, strongly resembling Eng
land, excepting that the colour of the grass as it flitted
by was certainly, if possible, rather more beautiful.
In the fields, wThich were small, and bounded by
hedges, we continually passed close to groups of
sturdy reapers, and their living attitudes, and open,
sunburnt breasts, contrasted with the motionless yellow
sheaves that stood around them, formed a pleasing
picture of " harvest home." Alongside of us, as we
glided on, was — as is usually the case in railway tra
velling — a canal, the horses and boats of which ap
peared by comparison to be moving backwards.
By the time we had gone fifteen miles, the speed of
the train evidently began to diminish, and, continuing
to slacken, it had scarcely stopped, when I heard
loudly ejaculated by a monotonous, psalm-singing voice,
which on two legs was evidently rapidly approaching
me, the word " MAY-nooth ! " and on looking out of
the window, a neat white station, bounded on each side
by a high bright pea-green paling, a pea-green lamp
post, a pea-green ladder, and a pea-green bell-post, all
newly painted, was standing close before me.
I had some little difficulty in threading my way
through some knees more or less hard to the door of
the carriage, and thus I was scarcely on the platform

Part I. COLLEGE OP MAYNOOTH. 7 1
of the station when away went the train with a whistle,
" and," as the old song says, " I was left all alone."
On passing through the station, I found waiting at
its portal a couple of hack cars, and as I stepped on the
footboard of one, and as there was no fare for the other,
both trotted, one close to the other, towards the village
of Maynooth, distant about 200 yards. The driver of
an Irish car utterly abhors that vacuum in the human
mind commonly called ignorance; his duty and his
delight are to impart information of any sort or de
scription to the person he drives, and thus, before I had
proceeded twenty yards, I was instructed that a piece
of claret-coloured water before me was the canal-basin,
that it was a harbour for coals, — that the ruins on my
left were the old castle of Maynooth, — and my con
ductor, jabbering as fast as he could, was actually
pointing to them with his whip, when I heard loudly
ejaculated to him from the carman close behind us,
" Johnnie ! why doun't ye shau the man the orbelisk ? "
The reasons I suppose were, 1st, that it was exactly
in the opposite direction to that which the whip was
pointing to ; and, secondly, because my driver, no
doubt, considered that, just as a marquess, however old,
ranks above a baron, however new, so do castles, ruined
or not, rank before columns, pyramids, and obelisks,
whatever may be the events, new or old, they com
memorate. The instant I reached the village I begged my in
structor to pull up, and, without loss of time having once
again descended upon the surface of this earth, I briefly
asked, according to its custom, what I had to pay. "Ye
can give ut me by and by, yere Arnh'r ! Yere Arnh'r,

72 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
this," pointing to a little building like a methodist chapel,
" is the cort-[court] -house, and this with the railings
round it is the market-house built by the Dooke ! "
" Does yere Arnh'r wish to go in ut ? " said the feeble
voice of a little bare-footed boy in rags, whom I had
not observed at my side; adding "there's a marn in
there, yere Arnh'r, who has the kay." " Go along out
o' thart ! " said the driver, suddenly looking as if he
was on the point of kicking and striking the boy's
stomach at one and the same time. Not wishing to
be involved in a dispute of this nature, I piteously
begged leave to be left to myself, and after having,
with considerable difficulty, gained my independence,
I availed myself of it by quietly looking around me.
The village of Maynooth, which is about a quarter
of a mile long, is composed of one long, very broad
straight street of low houses, two stories high, some of
which are white, and the rest from age a light drab
colour. At several intervals are to be seen very slight
indications of a bygone intention on the part of this
quiet village to turn itself by three or four streets at
right angles into a town, but the abortive attempt soon
dwindled into huts and cabins, that in a very few yards
came to an end. At the eastern extremity of the main
street there is a low wall with iron railing, and a park-
gate communicating with a broad road and greensward
upwards of a mile long, and of the breadth of the
main street, of which in fact it is a prolongation. This
road and park are the approach from Maynooth to
Carlton, the splendid residence of the Duke of
Leinster. The opposite or western extremity of the long

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 73
street I have described is abruptly terminated at right
angles by an iron railing, fixed in a low concave dwarf
wall, supporting at intervals several pilasters, on which
appear two couchant sphynxes, one on each side of the
iron entrance gates; two lions couchant and fiercely
looking down the main street ; six globes ; and three
ornamental ancient urns. Immediately on the right of
these railings, but outside them, are the ruins of an
old castle, the ancient residence of the Fitzgeralds and
ancestors of the Duke of Leinster. Within the railings,
bounded by two groves of horse-chestnuts, beeches, and
acacias, are a couple of nice-looking grass plots, sepa
rated by a road on which are flourishing four fine yew-
trees, two large hollies, two large laurustinus, and a
few other evergreens. At the termination of this lawn,
about one hundred yards from the railings, stands the
Royal College of Maynooth, looking like something
between an old-fashioned English country-house and a
French chateau, with a wing at each end of a modern
and rather a manufactory appearance. In short, it
resembles, on the whole, very much one of the innu
merable " establishments " within a dozen miles of
London, in which the substantial family residence of
" the fine old English gentleman, all of the olden time,"
has, by the addition of a pair of plain new vulgar wings,
been converted into a school.
The old portion of the building, which projects
slightly beyond the other two, is three stories high,
with five windows in each ; the wings are two stories
high, with ten windows in each. The whole, which
has been rough-cast, looks weather-beaten and old.
The central portion is inhabited entirely by Pro-

74 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
fessors. The middle window of its second story was
wide open, displaying to view two very large school
globes, separated by twelve extra-sized folio volumes
with red leaves, standing on their edges, with their
lettered backs uppermost.
When I was in Dublin I called twice at the residence
of Dr. Cullen, the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh,'
intending, although I was perfectly unknown to him,
to ask him to be so good as to give me a note of intro
duction to the President of Maynooth College. He
happened, however, at both times to be from home ;
and I therefore determined that, without applying to
any one for assistance, I would go down to the College
and take my chance of being admitted into it or not.
Accordingly, walking up to the central door, I rang
the bell, and, on a servant appearing, I desired he would
give my card to the President, and say I begged leave
to speak to him. The man told me that the President
was away, but he would go to the Vice-President ; and
in the mean while he begged me to walk into a com
fortable small room of three windows, handsomely fur
nished with a scarlet and black carpet ; scarlet curtains
edged with yellow lace, with white muslin curtains
underneath ; a round table, covered with a scarlet and
black cloth ; ten dining-room chairs, with black hair
bottoms ; a dumb waiter ; brass fender ; common grate ;
a painting of a man, with both hands uplifted, on his
knees before two friars, one standing, the other sitting
on the ground close to a cross surmounted by Alpine
scenery. In a spacious carpeted adjoining room, the
door of which was wide open, was a large dining-table
(standing on a scarlet and black carpet), four silver

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 75
decanter^stands, a large full-length picture of St. Francis
on a pedestal, and about a dozen and a half of plain
hair black-bottomed chairs.
In a few minutes the door from the entrance-hall
opened, and in walked the Vice-President, in his black
gown. He appeared to be about 40 years of age ; he
was tall, light, and active, with a countenance not
only exceedingly clever, but particularly mild and
pleasing. He had my card in his hand; and I had
scarcely apologised for calling upon him, as a complete
stranger, when he replied, "¦ You were Governor of Ca
nada ?" I answered, " I was." And, rather to my
surprise, he then added, " And you have taken the part
of Louis Napoleon ?" As I did not want to enter into
that subject, I briefly said, " I had ;" muttering to myself
at the moment, "Well, you read the Times at all events !"
" Do you want," said he, " to see our College?"
Of course I did ; but as I was particularly anxious
that he should not consider I had come merely from
private curiosity, I at once took my black note-book out
of my pocket, and opening it, and displaying to him
some ten or fifteen pages of pencil writing, I said very
gravely, " I yesterday took these notes of the system of
Irish education pursued in Marlborough Street, Dublin.
If you see no objection, I desire to take similar notes,
not on theological subjects, but on the general manage
ment of this College."
For a moment I fancied I saw a very small cloud of
reflection flit across the sunshine and serenity of his
countenance ; but it had scarcely vanished when he
said, with great kindness of manner, " I will show you
everything myself."

76 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
It appears that the establishment of the Royal Col
lege of St. Patrick at Maynooth, founded on Mr. Pitt's
recommendation, in 1795, by the Irish Parliament
in the reign of George III., consists at present of a
President, a Vice-President, a Dean, two junior Deans,
a Prefect of the Dunboyne establishment, who also acts
as Librarian, a Bursar, and a Secretary to the Board of
Trustees, composed of three Catholic Archbishops,
seven Bishops, and four Irish noblemen.
The Professors are of
Dogmatical and Moral Theology.
Natural Philosophy.
Rhetoric and Belles Lettres.
English Rhetoric and French.
Ecclesiastical History.
Logic, Metaphysics, and Ethics.
Humanity.
Irish.
There are also attached to the Institution, a Counsel,
a Law-agent, a Physician, a consulting Physician, a
Surgeon, a consulting Surgeon, two resident Medical
Attendants, and lastly a Printer and Bookseller.
For the maintenance of this establishment the sum
of about 8000/. was annually voted by the Irish,
and afterwards by the Imperial Parliament, from 1795
to 1807, when an additional 5000/. was granted for the
enlargement of the buildings. From 1808 to 1813 the
annual vote was 8283/., and from 1813 to 1845 it was
raised to 8923/. By the Act of 8 and 9 Vict. c. 25,
the College, on the recommendation of Sir Robert
Peel, was placed on a new foundation, and permanently
endowed for the maintenance and education of 500
students, and of 20 senior scholars on the Dunboyne

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 77
foundation, for the support of which the College
receives from the fee simple estates of the late Lord
Dunboyne 460/. a year.
Besides providing for the annual cost of commons,
&c, for these 520 students, of allowances to the 20
Dunboyne students, and to 250 students of the three
senior classes, and of salaries to the president, supe
riors, and professors, the Act above quoted moreover
vested in the Commissioners of Public Works the sum
of 30,000/., for erecting the buildings necessary to
accommodate the enlarged number of students, which
at presents amounts to 520.
The rules for their admission are as follows : —
No applicant can be received as a student at May
nooth College unless he be designed for the priesthood
in Ireland, be sixteen years of age, be recommended by
his bishop, and unless he be competent to pass a pre
scribed examination.
The ordinary course of study requires for its com
pletion five years, after which the student is deemed fit
to be made a priest ; but those who, by their superior
qualifications, have been selected for the Dunboyne
establishment, continue their course for three addi
tional years. The studies principally consist of Greek
and Latin classics, rhetoric, mathematics, French,
English composition, the historical books of the Bible,
logic, moral philosophy, natural history, ecclesiastical
history, theology, and the Hebrew and Irish languages.
The .Vice-President explained to me that within the
territory of the College, which comprises about 80
acres,' there are three separate sets of buildings,
namely : —

78 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
1. One containing 390 senior students, composed of
a sort of barrack, forming three sides of a hollow
square (the front of this building is that with two
wings, which I have already described).
2. A new college just erected in rear of the old "one
by the Parliamentary grant of the 8 & 9 Vict. c. 25,
forming also three sides of a hollow square.
3. A large detached building of two fronts, contain
ing 130 junior students whom, on their arrival, it is
deemed advisable to keep for three years by themselves.
The Vice-President was good enough to propose to
take me over these buildings in the order named.
SENIOR DEPARTMENT.
The first portion of this establishment which we
entered was a "prayer hall," containing benches with
backs of deal varnished, capable of receiving all the
students of the senior establishment. At one end was
a small platform slightly raised, for the reader. From
it we entered "the refectory," a large room 120 feet
long, by 36 broad, and lighted by ten windows. At
one end was a raised gallery, like the orchestra of
a country ball-room. The floor was composed of glazed
tiles, on which were irregularly arranged deal tables and
deal benches, sufficient for 390 students who dine here.
In the centre of the room, near the wall, stands an ele
vated desk or pulpit, from which prayers are read very
loudly to the students during the whole of their dinner
time. The Vice-President told me that the subjects
read " consisted of a chapter from the Bible (the reader
during the time standing up uncovered), the historical

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 79
works of the Church of England, some Saint's life, and
lastly, the Roman martyrology of the day in Latin."
We next proceeded to the library, a low solid-looking
room, 115 feet long, divided by short walls into a suite
of eleven recesses, on the right and left as one walks up
it, lettered successively from A to K.
In walking up the aisle or middle of the room, I
observed in these several recesses, seated at a single
table, more or less loaded with books, a young student
in his black gown and black stock, edged with white,
intently reading, — indeed they were apparently so com
pletely engrossed with their respective studies, that not
above one or two of them even raised their eyes as we
passed. On reaching the fireplace at the end of the room, I
observed on it a statue of King George III., the founder
of the institution ; and the compartments A, on either
side of it, to my surprise I found completely filled with
bibles of every description. " Well," said I to myself,
as I looked at them and then the royal statue, " here's
certainly Church and State !" In this compartment
there was standing a young student, of about 21 years
of age, who had apparently charge of it ; and as he saw
that the Vice-President and I were conversing, and
were evidently interested in the subject, he handed me
down, with great alacrity, bibles of a variety of lan
guages, English, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Hebrew,
Syriac, Arabic; then one huge polyglot volume of
pages divided into three compartments, in which was
the Bible in the Syriac, Hebrew, G reek, Latin, German,
Bohemian, Italian, Spanish, French, English, Danish,
Polish languages. " And yet," said I to the President,

80 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
" you have no bible in Irish /" I moreover observed
in this compartment A, Calvinus in Epistolas ; Roberti
Stephani, mdlvi. ; Beza in Evangelium; Biblia Sacra
Beza; Biblia Hebraica Hennicotti (from the Claren
don Press, Oxford, date 1780). There were nu
merous commentaries on the Septuagint, commen
tators of all classes and creeds, Grotius and Calmet
included. Among the earliest editions I observed
Rider's Family Bible, Haydock's HoPv Bible, Douay
Bible, King Henry VIII. 's Bible, lastly, a very old
one in black letter, with Apocrypha and all complete,
excepting the title-page, which was missing.
On retracing my steps along the aisle or centre of
this library, I observed, hanging on one of the low
walls which formed the recesses, a notice, of which the
following is a copy : —
" Whoever takes a book out of this Library
incurs excommunication
IPSO FACTO."
From the library we went to the chapel, before the
principal altar of which the Vice-President knelt with
great devotion for about half a minute, and then rising
explained to me — what was perfectly evident — that
there was scarcely accommodation for the 390 students
of the senior department.
We next proceeded to the dormitories, and, ascending
a stone staircase deeply worn by feet, we came in the
upper stories to passages — in several instances they
were 420 feet long, and 10 feet broad — in which we
met a number of the students, who appeared to pass
the Vice-President with most remarkable respect. The

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 8 1
rooms, which were of different sizes, had from two to
six curtainless iron bedsteads, on each of which was
a feather pillow and a hair or grass mattress. The
chambers were scantily furnished, and had few orna
ments, excepting occasionally a cheap holy picture or
image on the wall.
In the kitchen I found on one side two very large
adjoining fireplaces, before which were revolving, one
above the other, a couple of exceedingly long spits,
closely covered with joints of mutton.
Between these two furnaces, at a short distance
below the ceiling, was a niche cut out of the solid wall,
as if to contain a large statue. Within it, in a white
straw hat and blue smock frock, sat a sturdy, ruddy-
faced, healthy man, turning with one hand a winch,
which caused the spits beneath him to revolve : in fact,
he was the turnspit of St. Patrick's College of May
nooth ; and a more contented-looking literary animal
I have seldom beheld.
The Vice-President told me that the consumption of
the College averages a bullock and sixty sheep per
week. Opposite the fireplaces were several very large cal
drons for stews, vegetables, &c. The meals are as
follows : —
At nine in the morning the students have breakfast,
composed of bread and butter, with tea or cocoa. At
three they dine (excepting on Fridays and fast-days,
when they are restricted to eggs, puddings or pies, and
potatoes) on meat, vegetables, bread, beer, and water.
At eight in the evening they have a supper of bread and
cocoa.

82 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
On descending we came into the hollow square,
surrounded on one side by the entrance front, and on
the other side by the dormitories I have just described,
which occupy on each side three stories of 33 windows
each. The space included by these buildings is an
encircled green lawn, on which are growing very
luxuriantly two dark yew-trees.
As a group of students passed us I asked the Vice-
President whether they were ever allowed to go into
the village ? In reply, he told me that on Wednesdays
they were permitted to take a walk under the guidance
of the Dean ; that at Christmas and Easter they have
a few days holiday, but remain in the College ; that
in the summer they have 55 days' vacation, during
which they are supposed to be delivered over to their
bishop or parish priest. I asked whether those who
remained at Maynooth during the vacation (this sum
mer they amounted to upwards of 60) were allowed to
go out ? " Oh, no," he replied ; " a student with us is
always under the inspection of his superior."
" On the 3rd of September," he added (I copied his
words as he spoke them, and afterwards read them to
him to see that they were quite correct), " On the 3rd
of September commences a ' spiritual retreat.' During
the whole of that interval all the Superiors, Professors,
and Students observe perfect silence, devoting them
selves wholly to religious exercises, and communing
only with God. So solemn is the separation from each
other and from the world, that they are in the habit of
taking leave of each other, by shaking hands and
bidding farewell as if going on a long journey ; and
when it is over, in like manner, they meet each other

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 83
as if after a long absence, as though they had not seen
each other in the interim." THE NEW COLLEGE.
At a distance of about 100 yards from the open end
of the lawn on which I was standing with the Vice-
President, and which, as I have stated, was bounded on
the other three sides by the residence of the Professors
and barrack-looking dormitories of the Senior Depart
ment, there appeared immediately before us the
chaste, simple, and appropriate front of the New
College, a plain, solid, handsome building of grey
rubble limestone of the best description, with Gothic
entrance-gate and windows of white chiselled limestone.
From the builder, who fortunately happened to pass,
and who for a few minutes joined us, I learnt that the
height of the tall slated roof, which is surmounted by
four crosses of different sizes, is 45 feet ; the height of
the tower at each extremity of the building, 61 i feet;
to the central cross, 76 feet ; height of cross, 4 feet ;
length of front, 305 feet. The whole building, which
is just completed, but which remains to be fitted and
furnished, has cost 30,000/., the total of the Parlia
mentary grant. Like the Old College, it is composed
of three sides of a hollow square, of which it is designed
that the fourth shall form a chapel, with additional
dormitories and halls. The builder told me that his
estimate for this extra work was : —
Cost of the building of a chapel and hall £20,000
Dormitories and halls adjoining it . . 10,000

Total  £30,000
g 2

84 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
For the above no Parliamentary provision has at
present been made.
The new college before us was, in front, three stories
high of 27 windows each, with an additional story in
the tall slated roof. The arched central entrance gate
was of oak, with massive black hinges. The whole
of the 3 wings, as they at present stand, comprise
215 rooms for students, a library, 7 lecture halls, a
refectory, kitchen, and other accommodation ; but the
fixtures and furniture of the whole have yet to be pro
vided. On passing with the Vice-President under the great
archway, I found immediately on my right and left a
very simple and handsome corridor, extending upwards
of 1000 feet round the entire of the three sides of the
building. From it, on the ground floor were a series
of low Gothic arched doors, each communicating with
a lofty chimneyless room (for a single student), 20 feet
in length by 16J feet in breadth, lighted by a tall
Gothic window resembling that of a chapel.
On ascending by a handsome stone staircase to the
second story, I found, on each side of a long boarded
passage 6 feet broad, a series of similar chimneyless
rooms, about 14 feet high, 13 feet long by 1 1 feet
broad ; and on the third story a similar passage 230 feet
long, with rooms on each side. In the attic chambers,
one side of which slope with the roof, the chimneyless
rooms are 12 feet long by 10i feet broad. In other
respects the whole building is very insufficiently ven
tilated. It is an extraordinary and almost an unaccountable
fact, that in most civilised countries, and especially in

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 85
England, little or no provision is made to ensure to a
human habitation during cold or wet weather, when
doors and windows must be closed, that succession of
pure air which is necessary for the health, and indeed
existence of animal life. Dives, with great ingenuity,
provides himself with a good dining-room — he never
forgets that, — large sitting-rooms, and spacious bed
rooms. He takes care to have entrance doors, and
windows for the admission of light. He contrives a
front staircase and a back one — and then by pipes of
various sizes he conducts to every passage, and occa
sionally to every room, fire and water : beneath the
whole are constructed subterranean cellars for wine
and for coal. When all is completed, he invites his
friends to partake of his hospitality, and now, when
they are crowded in his splendid drawing-room, or
formally seated on opposite sides of a dining-table
groaning with the weight of hot meats, where, in the
name of Science, I would ask him, are your arrange
ments for the admission of fresh air, and for the exit
of foul?
The real truth is, in his magnificent project he forgot
all about breathing, and accordingly he not only totally
neglected to provide for it, but he approved of a plan
which, if it had been accurately carried into effect,
would have killed him, — his powdered menials, — and
his guests. For how, I ask, during the feast are they
to be provided with air ? — Why, not by the perfection,
but literally by the imperfections of the builder.
The ceiling is, we all know, hermetically sealed by
plaster — the floor and walls are equally impervious.
The portion of the foul air above the fashionable low

86 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
chimney, by its specific gravity, cannot descend to
escape. How, therefore, is it that Dives and his " fat
friends " manage to exist ? Why, by the admission of
pure air which forces itself through numerous crevices
around doors that were intended to shut close, and by
the exit of foul air that in like manner forces itself
between the little chinks of the sash-frames of win
dows that were fully intended to fit. In short, Dives
had folly enough to plan suicide, without wit enough
to know how to commit it !
From the dormitories we proceeded to the new,
plain, but sufficiently capacious chapel, containing, as
the Vice-President informed me, four altars, " one to
the Blessed Virgin, one to St. Patrick, and another
to St. Joseph." The name of the fourth he did not
mention. In the refectory — a handsome capacious dining-
room — there is erected a pulpit for the delivery
during dinner-time of the prayer I have described.
The lecture halls are spacious, and the kitchen admir
ably constructed and arranged.
We now proceeded to the rear of the New College,
where I found a fine large park-like flat plot of ground,
bounded on the right by a broad gravel walk, shaded
on each side by trees. In it a number of the students
in their loose black gowns were slowly strolling. Here
the lofty rough-cast wall, which I had repeatedly
looked at, that encircles the whole of the 80 acres of
the College of Maynooth, appeared suddenly to dwin
dle into a low, stiff hedge, with rather a broad ditch
on the other side ; and although I was in earnest con
versation with the Vice-President at the moment we

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 87
passed it, I own that the figure of my best horse sud
denly flitted before my eyes as my tongue involuntarily
mumbled —
" ' We're off! over bank, bush, and scaur ;
They'll have fleet steeds that follow,' quoth old Lochinvar."
The fence, however, I afterwards ascertained, only
separated the broad road from a large grass-field
bounded by trees, on the other side of which the high
rough-cast stone wall obdurately pursued its course.
Pointing to a small spot within the wall, but at a
considerable distance from us, the Vice-President said,
" There is our cemetery ;" and, as that was undeniably
the end of the subject, he proposed that we should now
proceed to the JUNIOR DEPARTMENT.
Accordingly, passing a small detached rough-cast in
firmary for sick students on our left, we retraced our
steps to the entrance lawn in front of the professors'
quarters in the old building, and then, going through
an open iron gate, we at once entered the precincts of
the younger branch of the establishment, composed of
a very pretty rectangular lawn, 130 yards long by
about 60 broad, bounded on the left by a handsome
walk, shaded by fine old trees.
At the further extremity of this lawn, and conse
quently right before us, was a plain rough-cast build
ing, three stories high, and with twenty windows in
front, which, with a similar building at right angles of
exactly the same size, formed the quarters I had come
to visit ; but as the reader would no doubt be glad to

88 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I;
be saved the trouble of accompanying me through
them, I will merely state that the chapel, refectory,
halls, and dormitories, were arranged as nearly as pos
sible like those in the Senior Department, excepting
that they were all on a smaller scale.
After I had gone over the whole of the arrange
ments, I asked the Vice-President what was the reason
of their having two establishments ? In reply, he told
me that in the education of the Catholic priesthood it
was found necessary gradually to bring their minds to
their sacred calling, and that, after being at the College
for some time, it became their own wish to be separated
from the society of new comers ; that the latter were,
therefore, strictly kept by themselves; that the two
sets were on no account ever allowed to hold any com
munication with each other, but that, after the period
for their residence in the Junior establishment had ex
pired, they were moved into the Senior Department, for
which, by that time, their minds were fully prepared.
We were retracing our steps along the lawn as the
Vice-President gave me this explanation, and as several
of the young students were sauntering about it, and as
I had observed that the iron gate which separated them
from the senior branch was wide open, I said to him
when we came to it, "Do you never close that gate?"
" Oh, no," he replied with great gentleness of manner,
" our rule is our gate."
After passing it he told me that he had now showrn
me the whole of the establishment ; that he had de
votional duties to perform which would prevent his
remaining longer with me — (I had been with him
upwards of three hours) — but that he and the other

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 89
principals of the College hoped that, as there was no
train to Dublin till the evening, I would partake of
their homely dinner at four o'clock. " In the mean
while," said he, " pray go into our library, or into any
part of our buildings or grounds, as you may feel dis
posed:" and accordingly, telling him that I would
avail myself of his very obliging invitation and per
mission, we separated.
As soon as I was by myself, I strolled first to the
large lawn enclosed by the barrack -looking dormitories
of the Senior Department, which I perceived were
rough-cast with lime and pebble-stones nearly as large
as a pigeon's egg, and I was standing on the grass
looking at some students, who, in their black College
caps and loose flowing gowns, were strolling about,
when I heard an explosion, and, casting my eyes
towards the direction from which it proceeded, I saw a
black mass about the size of a 13-inch shell rise from
behind the buildings, pass over their roof, and, after
going high into the air, fall heavily on the grass. Two
or three workmen happened to be near me, and as
they also had watched the parabolic course of the
lump, and as the eyes of almost every student had, I
believe, been similarly engaged, I said to them " What's
that?" "From the quarry!" they replied, as coolly
as if it were quite a common occurrence.
After looking for some time at the several groups of
students before me, I walked into one of their large
dormitories, and, resting on one of the window-seats of
a long boarded passage communicating with innumer
able rooms, I heard in that immediately opposite to me
the notes of an accordion plaintively and well played.

90 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
I then spoke to several of the students as they passed,
and endeavoured to enter into conversation with them,
but they were certainly more serious and taciturn than
I expected ; indeed, more so than I had thought it pos
sible for young persons of their age to be.
In return, two or three times they put to me a ques
tion which I also felt slightly embarrassed to answer,
for almost invariably, when I observed to them that I
had been over the whole of their establishment, they
briefly and quickly replied, "And how do you like
it ? " Generally speaking, they appeared to be in the
enjoyment of perfect health ; many were exceedingly
muscular, sturdy, and robust; almost all had clear
ruddy complexions, and yet in the countenances of every
one I happened to speak to were to be seen very faintly
impressed the unmistakeable lines which in every
country I have ever visited, more or less, characterise
the lineaments of the Catholic priest. In fact, it was
quite evident to me that the system they were pur
suing was successfully producing the mental effects
for which it has especially been devised.
As I was ruminating on a bench, I observed at my
side a small black-covered book, which a student had
apparently left there. A portion of it appeared to have
been much thumbed, and, the leaves opening of their
own accord at that particular spot, I read as fol
lows : — ¦
" Oh ! Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy upon us.
Holy Mary.
Holy Mother of God.
Holy Virgin of Virgins.
Mother of Christ.

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 9 1
Mother of Divine Grace.
Most Pure Mother.
Most Chaste Mother.
Most Undefiled Mother.
Most Amiable Mother.
Most Admirable Mother.
Mother of our Creator.
Mother of our Redeemer.
Most Prudent Virgin.
Most Venerable Virgin.
Most Renowned Virgin.
Most Powerful and Most Merciful Virgin.
Most Faithful Virgin.
Mirror of Justice.
Seal of Wisdom.
Cause of our Joy.
Spiritual Vessel.
Honourable Vessel.
Vessel of Singular Devotion.
Mystical Rose.
Tower of David.
Tower of Ivory.
Tower of Gold.
Ark of the Covenant.
Gate of Heaven.
Morning Star.
Health of the Weak.
Refuge of Sinners.
Comfort of the Afflicted.
Help of Christians.
Queen of Angels.
Queen of Patriarchs.
Queen of Prophets.
Queen of Apostles.
Queen of Martyrs.
Queen of Confessors.
Queen of Virgins.
Queen of All Saints.
O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the
world. Spare us, O Lord."

92 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
The little volume containing the above prayer was
entitled ' The Key to Heaven.'
From the Old I strolled into the New College, which,
although finished, was completely empty. For some
time as I paced along its lengthy corridor, nothing was
to be heard but the faint, worthless reverberation of my
own footsteps. I then entered one of the chimneyless
rooms on the lower floor, and, closing the door, I could
not help saying to myself, " Well, here I am at last, a
student of Maynooth ! " and after thinking my new pro
fession over for some time, and looking first at my lofty
walls and then at the large tall chapel window above
me, for it was so high from the floor that I could
scarcely look out of it, my mind gradually came to the
conclusion that the fine new system — by whomsoever
it may have been devised — of giving to each student a
separate cell, instead of crowding, as in the old building,
from 2 to 8 in a room, will materially increase the
monastic severity of the education to which they have
hitherto been subjected ; indeed, to deprive them of
their room-comrades will, I submit, prove to be the
bitterest drop in that cup of ecclesiastical medicine,
which, it is said, will cure them of — or rather kill —
attachment to the things of this world.
From my cell I wandered into the large green park
in rear of the new buildings, and, as I had only seen the
College cemetery from a distance, I proceeded across
the grass to that spot.
On entering it, I was much surprised to find a very
small space of ground, surrounded by an ordinary hedge,
and choke full of long rank grass and thistles. There
was no cross of any sort or kind ; indeed all that marked

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 93
it to be a burying-ground were four flat stones, each
resting on four plain pedestals about three feet high.
One of these stones was surrounded by iron rails. All
were to the memory of great Dons of this College, whose
distinctions were detailed at unusual length in Latin.
To the graves of the students —three or four only of
which could I manage to find out with my feet, so
completely were they covered with weeds — there was
neither epitaph, stone, cross, or any memorial what
ever ; indeed, when I reflected on the apparent omission,
I could not but admit, that of the history of a poor
student at Maynooth, who has not lived to be a
priest, but little more could be written than —
" Here lies an Ecclesiastical Flower that never
bloomed." As I stood absorbed in melancholy reflections of this
nature, I was aroused from my revery by the scream of,
as it were, a being from another world, a steam-engine,
which, with a light train behind it, suddenly flew by
within ten yards of the lofty rough-cast wall that envi
roned me. The little legacy of white steam which it
left behind hanging in the blue air that rapidly devoured
it, forcibly reminded me of a variety of worldly allure
ments that, under the influence of the genius loci, I had
at least for some hours entirely forgotten.
After admiring for some moments the tall, handsome
slated roof of the New College, I returned to the old
one, which I found, completely empty of students.
They were at dinner, and on passing the refectory, the
windows of which were all wide open, I most distinctly
heard, amidst a very faint rattling of knives and forks,
&c, the loud sonorous voice of the priest who, during

94 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
their repast, was reading to them with great emphasis
and energy. This unusual combination of sounds how
ever very soon suddenly ceased, and on the door opening
a number of the students issued from it and passed
close to me. None of them appeared at all flushed,
and I am therefore of opinion that their repast, what
ever it may have been composed of, had been partaken
of by them with great moderation.
They now either assembled in little groups and stood
talking, and occasionally laughing to each other, or sat
down quietly on some of the many benches which,
probably to encourage meditation, were scattered about
the grounds. Hanging from one of the windows of
their dormitories I observed a yellow cage containing a
starling. As it was now on the point of four o'clock I returned
to the Professors' Department, and, obtaining there the
little I wanted for the arrangement of my toilette after
so long a stroll, I entered the small reception-room,
where, by the Vice-President, I was introduced succes
sively to his colleagues — the Principals of the College.
I need hardly say that in appearance and in reality
they were exceedingly clever-looking men, and the usual
preliminary formalities of society were scarcely over,
when the door of the dining-room was thrown open, and
we all took our seats at an oblong table, at the head of
which was, of course, the Vice-President. Our dinner
was exactly what it had been described to me, plain,
simple, and homely. It consisted of a large joint of
mutton, a great dish full of fowls, ham, and vegetables
of various sorts. We had then one immense fruit pie,
with cheese, butter, and a slight dessert. The wine con-

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 95
sisted of super-excellent port and sherry ; and as soon as
the cloth was removed, a large jug of hot water, a
couple of small decanters of whisky, a bowl of white
sugar, and a tray of tumblers, each containing a little
ladle, were successively placed on the table.
The Vice-President drank nothing but water, and
also opposite to me sat a Dean, who told me that for
many years he had only enjoyed the same beverage.
For a short time we continued a conversation which I
believe I may confess I once or twice happened to bring
very nearly to the hostile confines of a general laugh.
Its character was, however, generally speaking, consis
tent with the locality, grave, sober, and intelligent. In
about twenty minutes we all arose, and, as I had then
an opportunity of conversing again with the Vice-Presi
dent, I asked him to be so good as to finish the informa
tion he had given me by telling me the way in which the
students spent the day. He replied as follows : —
" They rise ordinarily at 6. (In May and June at 5.)
Dressing. Prayer. Study.
Mass.
Breakfast.
Recreation. Study. Class.Recreation.
Study.
Class.
3-40 Dinner.
Recreation.
6-45 Study.
Recreation.

From

6

to

64

n

64

11

7

¦>i

7

n

84

n

84

n

9

n

9

n

9*

n

9i

11

10

n

10

n

104

11

104

n

114

11

"i

>)

12

n

12

n

2

n

2

n

3

n

3

n

3-4

11

3-40

i>

5

n

5

n

6-4

n

6-45

11

7

96 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
From 7 to 8 Study.
,, 8 to about 8- 12 Supper.
„ 8*12 to 9 Recreation.
„ 9 „ 94 Night Prayer.
Lights extinguished at 10."
I then observed to him that I was glad I had visited
compartment A of the Library, as people in England
were usually of opinion that Roman Catholics did not
read the Bible.
He replied in the following words, which I read to
him from my note-book to ascertain — as I told him —
that I had correctly copied them from his mouth.
" It is a rule of our Establishment," said he, " that
every young man at entrance should be provided with a
copy of the Bible, for his own individual use ; and so
solicitous are we for the observance of this rule, that our
Procurator purchases a number of Bibles, one of which is
handed by him to each student, immediately after his
accession, if he has not already a Bible in his possession."
" But," said I, " do you not alter or suppress some
portions of the Bible ?"
"On the contrary," he replied, "we admit more
books of Scripture than most Protestants."
"And," said I to myself, "if the Procurator of the
College of Maynooth actually purchases a Bible, and
hands it to every candidate for the Roman Catholic
priesthood ; and moreover, if Catholics admit more
books of Scripture than most Protestants ; what pos
sible excuse can the Commissioners of Public Instruction
in Dublin offer to God, or man, for virtually excluding
the said Bible, throughout Christian Ireland, from the
education of the Catholic and Protestant youth of both
sexes ? "

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 97
I then stated that, as I had truly told him on my
arrival, it was not for theological information I had
come to visit his college. " But," said I, " as I feel a
great interest in the welfare of Ireland, may I ask you
what is the real cause of the schism which so unfortu
nately exists between the Roman Catholic priesthood
and the Protestants, or, in other words, what is it that
the Roman Catholic priesthood desire?"
He replied, " As you ask me plainly, I will tell you
frankly." After, however, he had done so, and after
I had, as he pronounced his sentences, written them in
my book, he added, " On reflection I should not desire
to make public my opinions on a political subject with
which it is not my province to interfere ;" and accord
ingly I instantly drew my pencil through the lines I
had written, which of course I shall never feel myself
at liberty to repeat.
Having now obtained as much information of the
College of Maynooth as, for the general object I had
in view, I desired, I took leave of the Vice-President,
to whose polite attentions I have so much reason to be
indebted ; and as the time for the departure of the
train had not quite arrived, I determined to loiter about
the village.
On passing out of "the iron gates of the College I
heard a shrill, sudden exclamation, and instantly saw,
by a regular Irish grin on the faces of four or five
bystanders, that I was in the immediate region of a
joke, occasioned by one of the labourers of the College,
who it appears had often in vain warned old women
not to sit in the ditch beneath, having just dropped be
tween the collegiate wall and an aged culprit a very
H

98 COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. Part I.
smaR paper of gunpowder, which had that very instant
exploded. The poor old creature, whose face was yellow
from fright, and who apparently had not the most dis
tant idea of what had befallen her, had one shrivelled
hand on her heart, while with the other she supported
her chin as she violently panted, and yet, the more she
panted, the wider did every one around her grin.
The village before me, from its breadth of street and
from the light colour of the low houses that composed
it, had rather a picturesque and pleasing appearance.
On analysing it, however, I was really astonished to
find human beings living in dirt which might be so
easily removed. Several of the habitations, although
the walls were substantially built of stone, were mere
cabins, of such dark interior that I did not feel much
disposed to enter them. Into the door of one I
saw a wrinkled old woman, with a long stick in her
hand, drive an enormous large fat sow, who with one
slight twist in her tail waddled with as much calm
dignity into the mansion as if she herself had built it.
At some distance from the sow, in the middle of the
street, I observed a small crowd, and, on reaching it,
instantly perceived that I was again in the immediate
presence of some very good joke.
A short half-fed man, hatless and in rags and tatters,
was, with extraordinary gravity, telling stories, every
other line of which appeared to convulse the faces of his
hearers : indeed, such a grinning circle of odd faces
could, I believe, hardly be met with out of Ireland.
The portion of the story I happened to listen to was
delivered, with a strong comic brogue, as follows : —
" Last night six weeks ago I received a letter of an

Part I. COLLEGE OF MAYNOOTH. 99
auld hag's death. I've been so overjoyed by the sad
news that I took a sma' fit of running with my two shin
bones in my porcket, and my head under my arum, til I
ran at the rate of 16 miles an hour. I met with Jack
Jervis, an auld hacknie couchman, driving fifteen flying
jackasses under an empty stame-coach that was loaded
with two roasted mill-stones and a 74 man-o'-war vessel
with 18 artillery granny-deers and 12 big-book magpies.
They were drinking tay until they were ready to bust wi'
the hunger. I asked Jack Jervis had he any account o'
the shower of auld hags that fell not long ago? He
tould me divil the account he had o' them, but John
Manx had all kind of 'count about um, and that he lives
on one side of the Three Flying Jackasses up and down the
street where a mad dog bit a hatchet and pigs rastling for
stirabout. I niver stopped till I crashed into a sma' vil-
lige twice the size of Dublin, when I met an auld man
rouling away wi' a stack of chimneys on his back. He
didn't go very far until he had taken a horn-colic in his
big tOe, and a tooth-ache in his shin-boune, and a head
ache in the back of his bellie. I hired an impty stame-
coach to j;ake hum to apothicary's shop, where I called
for a physic for hum, when I got 16 quarts of bees basted,
19 pounds of frog's butter, and 21 gallons of Kirogue's
kidneys. Well ! I had um all bjled in an auld iron leather
pot, and conveyded hum to a lock-up 'orspital, where
he had been thirteen days and nights coughing, and after
that he was safely delivur'd of an auld blacksmith's anvil,
42 pounds" 
At this point of the story, which appeared to be end
less, I left the group, and indeed had only just time to
walk to the station, when the train came up, and from
the College and village of Maynooth carried me safely
back to Dublin.

ii 2

( 100 ) Part I.

DUBLIN POLICE.

As I was anxious, during my short visit, to observe, as
accurately as I could, the Irish character in the various
phases in which it is to be seen, I obtained permission
to inspect the Dublin Metropolitan Police Force, com
posed of 103 Serjeants, 12 detectives, 954 constables,
and 20 supernumeraries, making a total of 1099, whose
weekly pay is as follows : — s. d.
Sergeants and detectives  21 0
Constables, First class  16 9
„ Second class  15 0
„ Third class  116
Supernumeraries  70
A candidate for admission must be under 26 years of
age, must be able to read and write, and, moreover,
must be in height 5 feet 9 inches, without his shoes.
The whole force average in height 5 feet 1 1 inches,
and they are thus in reality, as they are in appearance,
an army of grenadiers, of which the B division, com
posed of 190, are all 6 feet and upwards. Among the
constables there is only one old soldier, and one lawyer.
There is scarcely a Dublin man among them, the Com
missioners preferring to enlist country people from all
parts of Ireland, without making any inquiry as to
their religion.

Part I. DUBLIN POLICE. 101
The conditions upon which they are enlisted are, that
they shall not belong to any secret or political society,
and that they shall abstain from the expression of any
political or religious opinion in any manner calculated
to give offence. To these simple, sensible regulations
they at once cheerfully and rigidly conform ; and thus,
while the whole of Ireland is convulsed with religious
animosities, which generations of British statesmen
have declared, and still declare, to be implacable, the
Dublin Metropolitan Police, composed of Catholics and
Protestants, picked up from all parts of Ireland, not
only among themselves live in perfect amity, but at a
moment's notice, at the sound of a rattle or of a whistle,
fraternally join together to collar, handcuff, and, if
absolutely necessary, to fell senseless to the ground,
any person or persons who, from religious, political, or
any other alleged motives, shall presume to disturb the
public peace.
In this sacred duty, and in attaining this noble tri
umph, no less than seventy of them, during the last
twelve months, were grievously and severely wounded ;
and yet, is it not strange that, while the Dublin Police
Force so clearly sees that by amity and silent una
nimity they can beneficently preserve the peace of their
metropolis, " another place" ever has been, and is,
an arena in which the pronunciation of the very
name of Ireland produces acerbity and contention ?
In fact, there can exist no doubt whatever that if,
on the one hand, the members of "the House"
alluded to were to be made constables of the Dublin
Police, they would, by endless speeches, create infi
nitely more disturbance than they would allay, and

102 DUBLIN POLICE. Part I.
that, on the other hand, if Lieut.-Colonel George
Brown, and his Catholic and Protestant constables,
were, for a single Session, to be granted an opportunity
of legislating from St. Stephen's for Ireland, they
would, with perfect unanimity, by silent firmness, laco
nically impart peace, happiness, and prosperity to the
land. There are sixteen station-houses in Dublin, with a
clock in each, by the assistance of which, at the same
instant, sixteen reliefs are thrown out over a surface of
forty-four square miles. The whole is governed by
two Commissioners, one civil, the other military, whose
office is in the Castle.
In the police store, within its precincts, I found a
number of trophies that had been obtained by the
force. Among them was the tricolour flag given by
certain Paris ladies of easy political virtue to Mr.
Meagher, and captured in the summer of 1848 ; a black
flag, with the harp of Ireland in white ; another black
flag, tastefully ornamented with the words " Famine
and Pestilence ;" pikes of various sorts, for cutting bri
dles, maiming horses, spitting Protestants, &c. &c. ;
lastly, a human skull, which, during the State trials in
1848, had been hung on the knocker of Mr. Kemis, the
Crown Solicitor, as a reminder.
I also observed a lot of very efficient extra weapons,
in case the police truncheons should prove insufficient,
consisting of swords, ship cutlasses with iron handles,
and lastly, as the strongest dose in the Dublin police
pharmacopoeia, short detonating muskets with brown
barrels. In the clothing store I found piled in masses great-

Part I. DUBLIN POLICE. 103
coats, coats, trousers, and oil-skin capes, with a quan
tity of mattresses, stuffed with cocoa-nut fibre.
From the Castle, the residence of Vice-Royalty,
Colonel Brown was good enough to accompany me to
the " Old Bishop's Palace," now the principal establish
ment of the Police, consisting of a plot of ground and
buildings surrounded by a high wall.
In one stable, as clean, and, I may add, as smart as a
London livery stable, I found twenty capital, well-bred
horses, belonging to the mounted force, every man of
which is well trained to the use of the bright arms he
bears. The sets of harness belonging to four large vans in
which, as in London, prisoners are conveyed to the
Police Courts, and from thence to the jails, were as
highly polished and burnished as if they had belonged
to a gentleman's carriage.
On entering the largest of the buildings I found a
school for recruits, in which they improve their writ
ing, and also learn by heart a " Catechism," in which
is very clearly expounded to them that the duty they
owe to their neighbour is to conduct him quietly to the
nearest station whenever he is disorderly, — carry him
there when he happens to be unable to stand, — force
him there whenever he resists, ¦ — and handcuff him
whenever he is what is professionally termed " violent."
From the school I proceeded to a room where I
found twenty fine, good-looking, powerful country lads,
with large white teeth and clean ruddy faces, seated with
a dinner before them, and with heaps of potatoes which
certainly appeared to me altogether enough to choke
them. But they were not only learning to eat a good

104 DUBLIN POLICE. Part I.
meal, but how to eat it in clean clothes, with a clean
knife and fork, off a clean table-cloth ; in short, with
a probationary pay of a shilling a- day, they were under
going the agreeable process of being introduced to a
new system of life, in which they were not only to
display good behaviour, but, like Falstaff's wit, to be
the cause of good behaviour in others.
Here, again, the members of the two religions were
intermingled in most happy communion, and, as one
large mealy potato after another disappeared, it was
utterly impossible for the keenest observer even to
guess whether they had been devoured before his eyes
by a Protestant or by a Catholic ; indeed, so easily are
these recruits made to harmonise together on this point,
that on Friday they, as well as the whole of the Police
force, often comfortably dine together on fish ; in short,
the prejudices which great statesmen fancy to be insu
perable, they readily annihilate by mastication.
The bed-rooms were lofty, airy, with floors as clean
as women's hands could make them : in fact, it is by
the hands of old women, hired by the force, that they
are cleaned. After going through several, we came to
those in which a hundred men who had been on night-
duty were lying, with nearly closed shutters, fast
asleep. On opening these doors and standing for a few se
conds at the threshold, I beheld before me, in twilight,
under bed-clothes, a series of large lumps of men, all
apparently more or less exhausted by fatigue. Here
and there a very great eye would open — stare a little —
gradually become fishy — and then close. Occasionally
a pair would unequally open, until the owner of one

Part I. DUBLIN POLICE. 105
set, as if half aghast, actually raised his huge head
from his pillow. Not wishing to disturb the poor fel
low, I instantly slowly retired backwards, leaving him
to recite to his comrades in the morning, that he had
dreamt he had distinctly seen " the Colonel " gazing
at him, accompanied by an inquisitive stranger, who
appeared to be taking his picture.
In a very neat small room I visited a 1st class serjeant,
who, besides possessing a wife and daughter of very
pleasing appearance, has a couple of hundred pounds
in the savings-bank. On his table I observed a large
bible, and as the good book, I felt sure, had had some
thing to do with the sum that had been saved, I ascer
tained on inquiry that the Protestant members of the
Dublin Police have in savings-banks no less a sum than
20,000/. As in the Constabulary, no married man is admitted
into the corps ; nor is any member of it afterwards
allowed to marry unless he is the possessor of 40/; the
first thing, therefore, that Cupid has to teach a Dublin
policeman is to put by a sixpence, — to repeat the ope
ration sixteen hundred times, and then apply for his
licence. To the force is attached a fire brigade, with a mag
nificent engine, under the especial direction of an acting
serjeant, fourteen firemen (from the mounted police),
and twenty of the recruits who work the pumps.
At one of the police-stations, in Chancery-lane, a
narrow, crooked, old-fashioned street, in olden times
the official residence of the Attorney and Solicitor
Generals, and other crown lawyers, I visited the lock
up houses, in which I found only one tenant, a respect-

106 DUBLIN POLICE. Part I.
ably dressed man, well known to Col. Brown, who had
unfortunately happened to become so intoxicated that
he could with difficulty articulate an explanation, which,
as it slowly came out of his mouth, was apparently
thicker than his whole body. Adjoining him in a corner
of the yard reposed a hand-stretcher, with a canvas
bottom, for the purpose of bringing to the station any
one who — without metaphor — might be found in the
streets dead-drunk.
I learnt, on inquiry, that drunken men assist not a
little in removing from the police any hostile feelings
among each other on the score of religion ; for as in
their madness these delinquents attack Catholics and
Protestants with equal violence, the parties assailed are
absolutely forced to join together for mutual self-de
fence, and thus vicious habits and brutal conduct are
productive — under Providence — of beneficial results.
As I had now gone through all the district and
barrack details, I had only to witness the force, or
rather a large portion of it, that had been drawn up
for inspection in that large hollow quadrangle in the
interior of the Castle, in the centre of which there
stands, guarded by a sentinel always pacing up and
down beside it, the British flag, affixed not to a lofty,
but to an ordinary hand-staff.
This powerful body of tall men, who appear to be
considerably stouter than the slight active members of
the constabulary, were dressed as nearly as possible
like their brothers in London ; that is to say, they had
black hats, covered at top with black patent leather —
whalebone side-guards covered with the same ; blue
coats with silver buttons, hard black stocks, blue

Part I. DUBLIN POLICE. 107
trousers, black leather waistbelt, white gloves, and
boots. The only trifling difference, as I could observe,
was, that the figures and letters distinguishing the
division and number of each policeman are in Dublin
in silver, instead of, as in London, in white cotton.
In appearance they are clean, and well set up ; and
as they marched and countermarched about the square
of old-fashioned buildings that environed us, their
heavy tread unequivocally explained their momentum
or physical force.

( 108 ) Part I.

MY TOUR.

FIRST DAY.

During the few days I was in Dublin, I perceived that
it was not only agreed upon by everybody I had the
happiness to converse with that I ought to make a
tour in Ireland, but everybody was obliging enough to
tell me exactly where I ought to proceed. " You
must go to Cork," said one; "Belfast is the place that
you should visit," said another. All said " Of course
you'll go to Killarney!" After gratefully thanking
everybody for their kind endeavours to steer a com-
passless and rudderless bark into its proper harbour,
I asked — as it were quite incidentally — in what part of
Ireland was to be seen the greatest amount of poverty
and misery ; and as almost everybody, in reply, named
the counties of Mayo and Galway, in the secret cham
ber of my mind I quietly determined that, without
saying a word to any one, I would make my tour in
that direction. Everybody was so obliging, that I
believe I could have obtained a sackfull of letters of
introduction ; and like a postman, could have spent the
whole of my time in delivering them. On reflection,
however, I considered that, instead of going to strange
people who would often encumber me with help, the
best mode of summarily obtaining the simple informa
tion I desired would be to get an order to the consta-

Part I. MY TOUR. 109
bulary, who, throughout Ireland, are ubiquitous. I
conceived that this highly intelligent body of men
would of course be intimately acquainted, not only
with their respective localities, but with the persons
within them best competent to instruct me. Lastly,
it was evident that an order addressed to the consta
bulary would also, on production, be a pass into any
jails or workhouses I might desire to visit.
Accordingly, the evening before my departure, with
out mentioning my route, I obtained what proved to
be of inestimable assistance to me — namely, a general
firman, from the chief constabulary office in Dublin,
directing the force to afford me " all possible informa
tion and assistance."
With this in my pocket, and with a small carpet
bag by my side, I drove early next morning to the
railway station, and, after paying for my ticket, took
possession of a first-class coupe, which I knew I should
have entirely to myself.
For nearly an hour, in beautiful sunshine, I flew
across a verdant country, nearly as flat as Hounslow,
intersected by low hedges into small fields, in which
were standing large cocks of hay, corn in sheaves, and
here and there poppies, thistles, with yellow, white,
and red weeds, which, as true children of Nature, ap
peared to be enjoying themselves wherever they could
steal an opportunity. In the picture, which now be
came more undulating, I observed a few small woods,
some stone walls, and, scantily dotted about, a few low
stone cottages thatched — some dilapidated, others milk
white. The country seemed to be troubled neither with

110 MY TOUR. Part I.
towns nor cities. The railway fence was often no
thing but a slight ditch bounded by a couple of stout
wires running through slight posts, about two feet
high. The coupe was so large and so high, that with the
greatest ease I could pace from one side to another
with my hat on ; and then, resuming my seat, it was
really quite delightful to find Oneself in a quiet study
with large plate-glass windows, contemplating, not little
bits of painted canvas, but Ireland itself, passing in
review, with growing crops, living cows, sheep, goats,
and horses grazing, swine rooting, an Irish lamb gam
bolling, and in its immediate neighbourhood, lying on
the green bank, an Irish child, the loveliest ornament of
the soil on which it slept. Suddenly, from the most
beautiful verdure, we passed through a large dark level,
looking as if it had been convulsed by an earthquake
that had just rudely thrown up a substratum to the sur
face. Among it,, here and there, were to be seen women
and a few men, stacking peat into tumuli of various pic
turesque shapes. The barren bog, however, suddenly
changed into heather in bloom, in which occasionally
appeared heaps of peat ; and thus for some time flowers
and fuel were to be seen in juxtaposition, in a beautiful
variety of different proportions.
In about forty miles the fences of the country
changed into banks protected by single or double
ditches. The railway on which I travelled appeared
to have been admirably executed. On one of its sides,
indolently hanging in the air, were -two wires, ready
for electrical communication on any subject.
On stopping for a few minutes to. allow our hot

Part I. MY TOUR. 1 1 1
engine to drink, I observed, ranged along and resting
upon the coping of a railway bridge, scarcely twenty
yards from us, a series of Irish faces, of various ages
and of both sexes, which would have formed an
amusing as well as interesting study for any artist.
At fifty miles from Dublin we came to Mullingar,
the centre and the principal town of the county of
Westmeath. It appeared to contain a substantial gaol
surrounded by high walls, a court-house, extensive
barracks, a handsome Roman Catholic chapel on an
elevated site, a nunnery, a union workhouse, and a
variety of other civilized comforts and luxuries.
About two miles to the south lives Lough Ennell,
a shining patch of water between four and five miles
long, and about one and a half broad.
The station was exceedingly clean ; and when we left
it, and an erect, intelligent, well-dressed station-man,
who at about half a mile from it, in a well-appointed
uniform, appeared standing on the green bank, motion
less as a statue, I could not help feeling that his out
stretched arm not only showed us the way we were to
go, but, morally speaking, demonstrated most indisput
ably the facility with which a railway, wherever it goes,
establishes habits of order, discipline, and cleanliness,
which have been declared to be impossible to inculcate.
After flying across a capital stone-wall-hunting coun
try, in which I observed at work a number of very
well-dressed men in clean shirts (it was Monday),
healthy children, and women whose bare red legs
appeared for some reason or other to have a propensity
to whiten in proportion to their distance from the earth,
and a quantity of black cattle, I began to examine the

112 MY TOUR. Part I.
little chamber in which I was receiving so much placid
enjoyment. My attention to it was first attracted by an unusual-
looking object immediately before me, which proved to
be a blue cloth covered table, suspended at a convenient
level by a pair of small hinges, which enabled me, with
the assistance of a small contrivance beneath, to raise
and fix it.
I next discovered a sliding door, by which the coupe
could be divided into two chambers ; and on continuing
my search, I observed several trifling indications of
another hidden luxury, which, on, unbuttoning a hasp,
proved, to my great astonishment, to be two comfort
able double beds and hair mattresses, in which two
couples, closing the intermediate door, might separately
sleep as comfortably and as innocently as if they were
at home.
At seventy-eight miles from Dublin the train stopped
at a large grey town, divided apparently into about
equal halves by the Shannon, which was rushing through
it with considerable violence. It was Athlone, the most
important town between Dublin and Galway ; indeed,
not only is it about half way between the Irish Channel
and the Atlantic, but as nearly as possible in the very
centre of Ireland, the river forming the boundaries of
the counties of Westmeath and Roscommon, and, of
course, of Leinster and Connaught ; moreover, by the
subdivision of the water, one-half of the town is in the
one county, and the opposite one in the other.
At this central point I had determined to leave the
train ; and accordingly, descending from my coupe, I
found myself in one moment in the centre of a great

Part I. MY TOUR. 113
crowd of clean, well-dressed people, some, like myself,
just arrived, others just departing. There were also
a considerable number of spectators ; among whom,
worming their way with trunks, bags, boxes, and
bandboxes, on their shoulders, in their arms, and
pendent in their hands, were to be seen several men,
dressed in blue, with yellow worsted lace — railway
porters — employed in transporting luggage either to
or from the train. Calmly observing this grand scene
of only apparent confusion stood the station-master,
distinguished by a blue embroidered collar.
I would fain have stopped a moment to have admired
the beautiful bridge and castle of Athlone, but I was
in a stream of human beings, and had only to follow it ;
no sooner, however, was I outside the station-gate than
my carpet-bag was a signal for boys to assail me in all
directions. Philosophically speaking, I could only give
it to one ; and having done so, I expected I should have
been deserted by the rest, but three or four honest-
looking lads kept following me, as if they considered I
was about to produce another carpet-bag. " Will you
pick the marn's pockut ? " exclaimed one of them, by
way of reproof to his comrade, who appeared from his
propinquity to be the successful candidate.
At a short distance I found a public car with three
horses, that had been waiting for the train, and was
about to start for Tuam ; accordingly depositing my
bag on it, I told the driver I would walk on. After
proceeding about one hundred yards, on coming to a
turning I said to an old woman as I passed her, " Is this
the road to Tuam ? " " Oh yus ! " she replied ; adding,
with an arch smile, " it wull be, when you're there."

114 MY TOUR. Pakt I.
When the car overtook me, there were seated pn
each side of it two or three well-dressed people, one of
whom with his right hand made a slight beckoning
sign to me. I, however, scrambled up tp the driver,
and although there was scarcely room for us bpth, and
although the irpn rail pressed very hard against my left
thigh, I consoled myself wi|th £he reflection J;ha1; I was
probably the only person travelling through Ireland
who was not taking a one-sidecl view of the country,
and of the manners, social, moral, religious, .and poli
tical, of its inhabitants: Whoever could have invented
the art not only of journeying and of thinking ejbpw
foremost, but of sitting for hours together bapk to bapk
with fellow-creatures with whom it may be desirable
to converse, I am totally unablp to conceive. The
fellow, whoever it was, grievously annoyed me the
whole of thp short tjme I was in Ireland. His invention
was to my eyes what the sound of setting a saw is tp
my ears.
My Siamese companion — for we were literally one
flesh— was a strong, healthy, bonJ (°f that I am quite
sure) man of about fifty>five years of age, with an
intelligent, pleasing, and yet yery serious countenance.
We had scarcely prpceeded two hundred yards when a
fine rosy-faced bpy with nakpd feet came running to
wards us to beg of me. My friend — for such he had
dubbed himself the instant I sat beside him. — made a
furious pretended attempt tp strike the suppliant across
the face with his whip, but the little fellow, withput
raising a hand, and with a confidence that would have
disarmed anybpdy, beautifully smiled &\ him., although
he was quite within reach of the lash.

Part I. MY TOUR. 1 15
After talking with my companion about the state of
the crops and the state of the country, I observed it
was a great pity that there should exist in Ireland so
much unkindness of feeling on account of religion.
" That's all ! " he replied, " it's jist difference in religion
that's ruining us all. A marn should be allowed to
remain in the religion of his farthur. I remain in the
religion of my grandfarthur, and oUght hot to be inter-
fared with. I live under the blissing of Almighty
God. Praise be to his holy name ! " Looking upwards
with apparently real devotion, he added, " The Al
mighty God can relaVe men of a' religions." " A fine
country this ! " I observed, pointing to the crops on
each side of me. " That's," he said, " because We have
here the best landlord in a' Ireland— in a' the world, I
may say," giving the near wheel-horse rather a sharp
cut with his whip. He then proceeded to detail to me
Various instances of the consideration and kindness of
the individual he had praised, during which We met
a finedookingj barefooted woman, carrying in hef hand
a large black teakettle, on the nozzle of Which she had
stuck a raw potato to prevent the contents from jolting
out. " What is she carrying ? " said I. " Milk," he
replied. We now trotted close by a large establishment^-at
a glance I knew it to be a workhotise— composed of
two triple rows of buildings; evidently well Ventilated,
the whole surrounded by a high Wall. As many years
ago I had served in the PoPr Law Commission, I was
well aware of its importance and of its necessity, and
yet it looked so1 infinitely larger than ariy other habi
tation I had seen, that I could not repress a sigh as I
i2

116 MY TOUR. Part I.
passed it. At the adjoining village we stopped to take
up a very ruddy stout priest, with a newspaper in his
hand. The country, which had now become poor, bleak,
and very miserably cultivated, was imperfectly enclosed
by dilapidated walls, some of stone, others of earth ; it
shortly afterwards appeared to recover from its sick
ness," and its surface was more or less diversified with
woods. On arriving at the town of Ballinasloe we found
a good hot dinner awaiting us. " Had you not better
sit on the car ? " said the gentleman who had already
invited me to do so. " You must surely find it very
exposed up there with the driver ! " My kind Mentor
was apparently not at all aware that his Irish brains for
the last two hours had been moving wrong side foremost :
they were, however, no doubt quite accustomed to it.
Close to Ballinasloe is a house of six windows in
front, which had belonged to one of the race of landlords
who have lately been ruined. His residence is now a
constabulary barrack. Adjoining we passed a little
stream called the Suck, not a yard broad, dividing the
counties of Roscommon and Galway, the latter of
which we now entered, and here almost immediately
I first met with that afflicting spectacle, or rather
spectre, that almost without intermission haunted me
through the whole remainder of my tour, namely,
stout stone-built cabins unroofed for the purpose of
evicting therefrom their insolvent tenants.
The country we passed had. also suffered from
cholera. " I'd a beautiful girl," said the driver to me,
" and I buried her. Praise be to God ! "

Part I. MY TOUR. 117
From his daughter he began talking about Irish
women, and, on my saying I had heard that their
conduct, generally speaking, was remarkably correct,
he said, with an energy which invariably affected his
whip, " In this counthry a young woman has nothing to
live on but her character : if you take that from her ut's
the cause of murthur ! Her male friends look upon it
as murthur. There's no difference. In Ireland," he
added, " if a girl goes wrong, her parints turn her
out o' the house ; her relations discard her ; her asso
ciates, and the houl of her village, refuse her even food ;
she is, in fact, .... abandoned."
We were now in a country divided by stone walls so
ingeniously balanced and so slightly put together, that, as
the light shone through their interstices, they had often
the appearance of network ; indeed, a good hurricane
or Pampero would level the whole of them to the ground.
On each side, as we trotted along, were to be seen un
roofed cabins ; and although the children we passed
were generally healthy and always merry, yet we often
met grown-up men and women on whose countenances
there was indelibly imprinted the word "Famine."
The affliction of 1848 had passed: their sufferings had
ceased ; they were now no longer in want of food, but
their system had never recovered from the pressure
to which it had been subjected ; the ravages left be
hind were very striking, and perhaps the more so from
those who had been afflicted being apparently perfectly
unconscious of their existence. By the side of the road
were enormous heaps of useless road-metal, which, by
means of the Parliamentary grant, had been broken by
the poor sufferers, many of whom had died at the job;

118 • MY TOUR. Part I.
" Ypu work hard at um," said the old driver, pointing
to the cracked stones, " from morning till night, and
no thanks coming on the top o," ye ! "
But, from the stones, my mind reverted to the
melancholy subject of the famine.
" Hundreds of' patients," said a distinguished physi
cian tjO: me," were brought into, our Dublin hospital
starving. A mutton chop, or a glass of porter, would
have been to them like the shot of a pistol. We were
obliged to nourish them gradually ; homceopathically.
In the space of a fortnight, the stomach recovered its
tone, and .we were rejoicing at the result, when, by a
sortj of explosion, lihey died of typhus !
On approaching the town of Tuam, pronounced by
everybody as"Tume," the country becomes richer and
better cultivated.
Tuam is not only the principal town of its district,
but has lately become one of the most thriving in
Connaught. With a number- of fine buildings it,, how
ever, contains several very wretched streets: and much
poverty. Indeed; as we changed horses, we were
surrounded by a set of men and boys through whose
qfothes little bits of skin were here and there peeping;
like the white meal of over-boiled potatoes.
On leaving Tuam the country became again bleak,
flat, and desolate, with now and then cultivated parts
of some beauty.,, which gradually increased,, until,
passing through and between, some park-like- grounds,
we at last arrived at Hollymount, a- regular posting-
s^age between Tuam and Castlebar; also where roads
branch off to Clare and Ballinrobe; I here took, leave
of my intelligent companion, and of what I infinitely

Part I. ' MV TOUR. 119
less regretted^ the iron-bound seat in which for so many
hours I had been tightly ensconced.
A branch public car was shortly to convey' me to
Ballinrobe ; in the mean while I walked to the station
of the constabulary. At its door I found one of the
force on duty, exaetly as clean and as well appointed
as those I had seen on their parade in the Phoenix Park.
On producing my order the head constable received
me with great civility, and at once accompanied me
through the house, or, as it is not improperly termed,
the barrack. In the principal bedroom were five iron
turn-up bedsteads ; on each was a straw mattress, upon
which the sheets and' blankets of the owner were neatly
wrapped in a reddish counterpane, the folds Of all five
being so neatly arranged that the different-coloured
articles altogether resembled a section of what is com
monly/ called a rolly-poly Or blanket pudding. Oh a
shelf were arranged the men's- caps and great-coats.
The deal table in the middle of the chamber, as also
the floor, were as clean as hands; soap, sand, and water
could make them. The windows were open, and,
above ally the constable and his six men were dressed
with as much precision as if they had just prepared
themselves for parade. Their Uniform w*as well
brushed, boots- well blacked, jackets buttoned from1 the
waist to the windpipe ; frieir arms and accoutrements
clean and neatly arranged. On conversing with the
head constable, a- slight, exceedingly intelligent man,
he told me that, in consequence of the evictions; a
number of people had emigrated and were still emi
grating; and yet that for the harvest and for the
drainage of the river Robe there had been throughout

120 MY TOUR. PART I.
the whole season, and there still was, a scarcity of
labourers, so much so that it had been necessary to
import them from the adjoining county of Galway.
On my return to the inn I found the public car just
starting, and accordingly taking a side seat on it — for
the driver's box was a "sulky" — we proceeded for
five miles and a half through a country divided by
crooked stone walls into innumerable little fields, until
on approaching the small town of Ballinrobe I observed
a sudden and most remarkable difference ; for instead
of unroofed houses and frail stone-wall boundaries I
saw before me a considerable expanse of land well cul
tivated, covered with green and cereal crops, and
divided by substantial straight walls into large square
or rectangular fields. On inquiry I found that this
change had been effected by Lord Lucan.
On arriving at the town of Ballinrobe, at which I
had intended to sleep, I went, although the sun was on
the horizon, to the workhouse, an enormous building,
which had contained, in January, 1850, 4400 inmates
1851, 3400 „
1852, 1670 „
and which now contained — boys over fifteen and able-
bodied men, 101 ; ditto females, 255 ; infirm of all
classes, 24 ; boys below fifteen years of age, 194 ; girls
ditto, 295; infants, 20 ; sick, 106. Total, 995.
I found scarcely an able-bodied man in the house,
although several had been booked as such, simply because
they were not absolutely infirm. The women were evi
dently of the humblest class ; and yet I did not see among
them a countenance that appeared to acknowledge to
any fault but extreme poverty. They, as well as the

Part I. MY TOUR. 121
whole of the inmates, were, as compared with the or
dinary workhouse garb in England, very poorly clad.
The boys had just gone to bed ; but as I felt anxious to
see all, I walked through several large rooms full of
them. On the word "Sit up !" they all, two in a bed,
as if from their graves, obeyed the order; and though
often bordering on a state of nudity, they certainly
appeared — as Irish boys always are — cheerful, and
sometimes even merry. As fast as I passed them they
reclined backwards to lay their heads on their straw
pillows. The principal portion of the children of both sexes
have almost all been reared in the workhouse, which
they never are allowed to leave unless accompanied by
an officer. The dietary of the establishment I found
consisted of, — for adults, Indian meal and buttermilk
for breakfast ; wheat-meal and oat-meal gruel, with vege
tables, for dinner, at four o'clock. They have no supper,
and their cellar is the pump. Some of the young children
are allowed " sweet " milk and white bread. The floors
of the house are washed every morning, and are, be
sides, scalded and scrubbed three times a week. The
walls of the dormitories are whitewashed every six
weeks; the kitchen and laundry once a week. The
whole premises stand on six acres of ground.
On conversing with the master, I ascertained from
him that Lord Lucan 's evictions have ceased, but that
Lord Erne evicted on Saturday last ; I also learnt that,
while on his new farm Lord Lucan is now paying his
men lOd. a day, the average wages elsewhere are 6c/.,
and occasionally 8c/. He told me that several who had
been evicted by Lord Lucan, and who were now em-

122 MY TOUR. Part I.
ployed on his cleared land, had told him (the master)
that they were better off than before : adding, that in'
appearance many were decidedly cleaner.
From the workhouse I went with my firman to the po
lice station, where I found seven sub- constables, exactly
aswell dressed, and itta building as clean,as atthe barrack
at Hollymount, already described. A steel sword-scab
bard which; among a variety of accoutrements, hung on
the wall was as resplendently bright as polished silver.
I asked the sub-inspector whether there was much
crime in his district. He replied, " We have really no
crime at all. In six months there have been four cases
of cattle-stealing, principally by strangers. The poor
people here are particularly honest ; do not steal even a
potato." I asked him to describe to me the process of
eviction. With extreme intelligence of countenance he
replied verbatim as follows : — " Under her Majesty's
writ of Habere, or an injunction from the Commis
sioners' of the Encumbered' Estate Court, the sheriff for
wards to the sub-inspector of the constabulary force a
written requisition, never exceeding* (here: at Baffin-'
robe) a constable and six sub-constables, Who pro
ceed to the place, and who stand by under arms to see
that no breach of the peace takes place. Every house
hold article must be turnedout, otherwise it is not con
sidered a clear possession, and the building is then Un
roofed, which is called ' levelling.' "
I asked him if much opposition had been1 offered1?
He replied: — " No- opposition has been offered here,
excepting in one case in which an angry feeling wras
excited by the personal interference of the priest. In
that case the military were called' out."

Part I. MY TOUR. 123
He told me that the improvement of the new system
is undeniable, and yet that among a great portion of all
classes there exists considerable apathy on the subject ;
they are neither for it nor against it — take no interest
in it, nor evince any sympathy for those who have been
ejected. He explained to me that the: mien employed to take
off the roofs in the neighbourhood of Ballinrobe are
commonly called " levellers." By a portion of the
Irish press they are usually designated the " crowbar
brigade." After remarking to the sub-inspector how creditable
was the appearance of his barrack and men;, which ap
peared to give him much gratification, I strolled for a
few minutes about the poorest part of the town, and as
almost all the doors were open I walked into- one, and
uninvited sat down on a low stool, close beside a young
woman, who was feeding a child. For some time I
could not see her face for smoke.. "Fine day, yere
Arnh'r!" she observed. "Very !" I replied; for I felt
I should cough violently if I dared to say more, and I
therefore contented myself with looking first at her
healthy child, then at her bright red peat fire ; and as
human curiosity is insatiable, I at last gazed through
the dark atmosphere for other objects, I cared not what.
A great pig was lying on his side close to me, but,, as
he had not in the slightest way noticed my entrance,
I* felt' it would be infra dig. to look at him, especially
as. in an opposite direction I perceived a sort of
cheap belli-rope that by the wind or some other
cause occasioned kept vibrating a very little. On
watching its attentively 1 discovered that it was the tail;

124 MY TOUR. Part I.
of a donkey, that over his fetlocks in what I will only
describe by the generic term " muck " was quietly
munching in a corner of the room. " What a contrast,"
said I to myself, " to the bright steel scabbard I was
looking at five minutes ago !"
In a house of this sort it is customary for its tenants
to take in, at Id. a night, lodgers, young or old, male
or female, and although all, including pig, donkey, and
chickens, sleep immersed together in smoke, I have been
assured by the constabulary as well as by various
masters of workhouses, that the conduct of these poor
people is irreproachable.
My portmanteau I had left at the inn, and as soon as
I got there, hungry and tired, I was conducted up stairs
to the second story into a nice little room by a waiter-
boy, who, when I was seated, with much kindness of
manner, untying a piece of packthread from around a
newspaper that had apparently just arrived, with great
zeal unfolded it, and then formally presented it to me.
It was ' The Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford Mercury,'
printed only eighteen days ago.

SECOND DAY.-

Iii the morning I arose at six o'clock, and on going
into the yard to order a car I asked the driver, who
was to accompany me, whether- it was not going to be a
wet day ? " Yere Arnh'r," he replied, " I think ut's very
apt! Ut's very dark ! " I returned to my parlour, and, as
soon as my breakfast was over, amused myself for a few
minutes by looking out of my window. I was in Mona-

Part I. MY TOUR. 125
han's inn, and accordingly, as if by reflection, Patrick
Monahan in large letters was the name of the grocer
over the way. It was now raining slowly, steadily, and
unremittingly. Women with uncovered heads and bare
feet were standing round the shop ; one— pattering as
she walked— entered it, and in a very short time came
out with a clasped hand containing a small paper parcel,
which every one of the wet-faced women slightly looked
at. In the window was written on a large placard
"Souchong, 5*.,
The best Black Tea."
For some time I watched the ragged dresses of a
group of men and boys, also loitering before the inn.
Their clothes formed a species of dissolving view. Oc
casionally I rubbed my eyes, and yet I really found it
impossible to decide whether the garments before me
had begun life by being blue cloth or thick flannel,
for, as correctly as I could calculate, there appeared
about as many shreds of the one colour as of the other.
The trowsers, usually of dark cloth, literally and with
out exaggeration, looked as if they had been borrowed
for half an hour by somebody who had filled them
with rats that had then been baited with Skye terriers,
who, to get hold of the vermin, had not only bitten
pieces out of the garments, but in many instances had
literally torn them to atoms, which, with the assistance
of scraps of cloth of a variety of other colours, had been
hurriedly replaced by people who had never before
used a needle; indeed, in many places the stitches
were as rough .as network. But in several cases a

126 MY TOUR. Part I.
considerable portion of the garment had apparently
been eaten up by the dogs, and accordingly, before me
I saw a lad of about 18 in trowsers, which could not
grammatically be called "a pair," inasmuch as the
whole of one portion of the right leg was gone from
the middle of the thigh down to the ankle, where,
supported by a narrow irregular shred, say 3 inches
broad, there hung a remnant of about the size and in
the position of a gaiter. Several men, down whose
honest-looking faces the rain was slowly trickling,
were in coats which, although in holes and tatters,
appeared to have originally been three coats of three
different colours. Nobody had buttons behind, and one
man, although he seemed perfectly unconscious of it,
had moreover lost a whole skirt, and was, therefore, in
fact, in half- a jacket and half a long-tailed coat ; and
yet how painful is it to reflect that the most astonish
ing part of the enigma I have just described is, that
every one of these apparently degraded beggars has
under his rags as much intelligence, ingenuity, ability,
and infinitely more wit, than the smock-frocked peasant
of England, or the decently-clothed labourer of Scot
land ! As regards the women of Ireland, their native
modesty cannot fail to attract the observation of any
stranger. Their dress was invariably decent, gene
rally pleasing, and often strikingly picturesque. Almost
all wore woollen petticoats, dyed by themselves, of
a rich madder colour, between crimson and scarlet.
Upon their shoulders, and occasionally from their
heads, hung, in a variety of beautiful folds, some
times a plaid of red and green, sometimes a cloak,
usually dark blue or dingy white. Their garments,

Part I. MY TQUR, 127
however, like those of the men, were occasionally to be
seen hanging in tatters. I was informed by different
people that the ragged clothes I have described do not
characterize the whole of Ireland, but, with certain
exceptions, are principally to be found in the counties
of Kerry, Mayo, and Galway..
As in point of clothing I was myself very ill provided
against rain, I sent to a house on the opposite side of
the street for a horse-rug. Among them the shopman
brought one with a small slit in the middle, for a
purpose which, at a glance, I happened well enough to
understand. " Ut's whart we ca' here a Poncho !" said
the man ; and he then, expending a great many words,
proceeded to expound to me exactly how it was to be
used- — and so, thanking him for the explanation, and,
as he thought, entirely on his recommendation, I
bought it.
On calling for my bill it was as follows : —
s. d.
To Tea . . . . '. . £ 1 3
Material  5
Bed  10
Breakfast .... 16
£4 2
To car-hire to Castlebar
14 miles at 6d. per 7
Settled by Cash.
" What does ' material' mean ?" said I to the attentive,
well-behaved young lad who had waited on me. " Yere
Arnh'r 's whusky and hot water," was the reply.
In the route I had drawn out for myself I had in-

128 MY TOUR. Part I.
tended to have proceeded from Ballinrobe to West-
Port, but I had been so much affected by the sight of
so many unroofed cabins — I had been so much as
tonished at the sudden difference of appearance in the
country under the new system of cultivation, and
during the night I had been haunted so repeatedly by
the appalling facts I had gleaned from the sub-inspector
and master of the workhouse at Ballinrobe, that, as it
was evident that before my eyes there was a problem
of vast importance to the civilized world in general,
and to Ireland in particular, I resolved that I would
alter my course, — that I would call upon Lord Lucan,
with whom I was not acquainted (he lived about four
teen miles off), and frankly ask him whether or not he
would object to explain to me the extraordinary system
on which he was proceeding.
Accordingly, in a car as light as a feather, with a
little wiry well-bred horse, all life and spirits (i. e.
" material "), and with a lively small driver, whose
joyous sporting shriek every now and then of " Jip ! "
invariably enlivened me as well as the horse, I started
sideways from Monahan's inn at half-past seven a.m.,
in a quiet, soft, small rain, that, I may as well at once
say, never ceased for a moment until nearly midnight.
" Is this system of eviction," said I to the driver,
pointing to a small cluster of unroofed cabins we were
passing at the moment, " good or bad ? " " Well ! yere
Arnh'r ! " he replied, " ut's good and ut's bad. Ut's good
for them that hould large lands, bad for the small.
Ut laves nothin for tham but the workhouse."
In a short time we trotted through a poor country,
composed, in almost endless proportions, of three in-

Part I. MY TOUR. 129
gredients, bog, stones, and peat, and yet within it I
passed here and there a healthy pretty child, with un
combed flaxen hair, bare feet, and a red petticoat.
After travelling some miles I met a young girl, appa
rently leg weary, with the bright eyes, yellow bills,
and sharp intelligent heads of two live fowls peeping
out of a crimson-coloured cloak, that in a variety
of folds was gracefully hanging about her slight figure.
At five miles from Ballinrobe we came to a consta
bulary station, and, as I was now lord and master of
my own carriage, I desired the driver to stop, and in I
went. It was really a picture and a pattern of cleanli
ness ; the walls and ceilings of the rooms were milk
white, the floor as clean as a farm kitchen table, and
the men, notwithstanding the rain, in perfect parade
order. I asked the sergeant commanding, whose arm
was distinguished by three chevrons, whether there
was much crime in his neighbourhood. " Very little
indeed," was his reply. He said there had been no
evictions lately.
As I was jogging along, with my umbrella over my
head, we met a car, in which there was seated by him
self a healthy, ruddy, respectable-looking priest.
" What do the poor people pay to their priest for
being married?" said I. " Yere Arnh'r," my driver
replied, " they pay 1/. 5s. ; a few of the very poorest '11
have ut done for 1 /."
" What do they pay for christening a child ? " " Two
and sixpence," he replied ; adding " that's a riglar
charge." " And for funerals ? " He replied, " Nothing
at a' for thim — they can get a mass read for from 1*.
to 2s. 6d." K

130 MY TOUR. Part I.
We now drove through a " muckle-stane muir," in
the middle of which I observed a solitary cabin with
three or four goats, with their legs tied together, graz
ing in front of it. We then came to a region of small
ideas — that is to say, of little fields enclosed by crooked
tottering stone walls, from one to three feet high, and
by little roads similarly bounded that apparently led to
nothing. Among them, pointing to heaven, were the
stark, stiff, rugged gables of a small evicted village,
of which not a human being had been spared. All
were gone, and rank weeds were here and there flourish
ing on the very floors on which probably several gene
rations of honest people had slept. Indeed several of
the gables were deeply marked by the smoke of fires
now extinguished — not for a moment — but for ever !
The road we were travelling on was not only a by
one, but, by the by, it was as crooked as if it origin
ally had been the track of a drunken giant. Within
the little fields, now deserted, were here and there to
be seen, cropping from and peeping out of the earth,
rock and large stones, that altogether gave to each of
these tiny enclosures the appearance of a small church
yard ; and yet among this gloomy grey mound of loose
stones, it was striking beyond description to see occa
sionally, like a gaudy tropical bird, a woman in bright
scarlet, carrying on her head a pitcher of water she was
bringing to her cabin from some distant spring.
After meeting a barefooted boy walking in the rain
Math a couple of peats under each arm, we trotted by
a party of men who were constructing, from the little
stone divisions and from the ruins of the evicted cabins,
good substantial straight walls upwards of four feet

Part I. MY TOUR. 131
high, cemented with lime, and then rough cast. At ten
miles from Ballinrobe we 'came to some cultivated
land around Bally-hayne, a small, poor, straggling vil
lage, where I observed a neat, substantial Protestant
church, which, as it happened to be open, I entered.
The sittings were composed of nine open pews on each
side, and above them, in the solid wall, there was a com
fortable-looking fireplace and fender ! On coming out
of my church I went into a substantial cabin adjoining.
The roof was jet-black from smoke; a quantity of
clothes, as if to dry, were hanging on a straw-rope ; the
pig was not only sleeping immediately beneath them,
but, like John Bunyan's Apollyon, " straddled over the
whole breadth of the way." At the farther end of the
village we passed a plain spireless Catholic chapel,
neatly whitewashed. On the left, at a distance, were
the ruins of Kenturk Castle, looking like an old mo
nastery. We now came again to land subdivided by
low walls, of no use whatever, into innumerable small
fields, in many of which the weeds were higher than
the tottering boundary that enclosed them ; indeed there
passed before me in review all sorts of crops but the right
ones. Sometimes rushes prevailed — then they turned for
a time into broad strong green flags — then came white
weeds — then tall yellow ones — then beautiful purple
ones-^then, all of a sudden, we slowly trotted through
heaps of black peat, here and there to be seen moving in
lumps on the backs of women and men. Above them,
hovering in the air, was apparently a great raven. But
by far the most appalling feature in the picture was
that, wherever, throughout all the country I had
visited, the potato was growing, there was more or less
k 2

132 MY TOUR, Part I.
a discoloration in its leaf, that but too clearly announced
the existence of subterranean disease.
About a mile from Castlebar we, all of a sudden,
came to a most extraordinary change. The road on the
left side was bounded by a stone and lime wall, rough
cast, and within it, to Castlebar, the eye roamed, or
rather revelled, over an expanse of corn waving or
standing in sheaves ; green crops, of great luxuriance ;
cocks of hay standing in emerald-green fields ; the whole
— like France — without a fence of any description.
On the right of the road, the country, to a consider
able extent, had been similarly altered. In the middle
of all I observed the tall chimney of a steam-engine :
in short, the change was really magical ; and whatever
the heart might say on the subject, it was utterly im
possible for the judgment of any man to deny, for an
instant, that a most astounding improvement of the
surface of Ireland had been effected; indeed, in the
course of my life, I have certainly never beheld a con
trast so striking. In the centre of it my companion
pointed out to me wTith his whip, among some trees, the
residence of Lord Lucan, whom I had come to visit.
Castlebar, the county town of Mayo, is situated at the
north-west point of that vast plain of mixed bog and
pasture land which characterises the greater part of
the counties of Roscommon, Galway, Sligo, and Mayo.
It is also very nearly at the head of that broken valley
that separates the high lands of Connemara and Joyce
country from Ennis and Tyrawley. The most remark
able point in its history is, that in 1798 it was occupied
for a few days by the French army, under General
Humbert, that had landed at Killala Bay.

Part I. MY TOUR. • 133
As we were trotting along one of the main streets
leading to the principal square I observed about a dozen
well-appointed men in blue uniform, standing outside
a door. As they evidently did not belong to our army
I desired the driver to stop, and, entering the house,
I was soon in the presence of two officers in blue mili
tary frock coats, gold scales on their shoulders, and
wearing swords exactly as if they were of a regiment
of the line. The one was a sub-inspector and the
other a lieutenant of what is called in Ireland " the
Revenue Police." On producing my order to the
constabulary these officers very readily and obligingly
explained to me — who had never before even heard of
their force — that its especial duties, which, previous to
the year 1836, were performed by the military, accom
panied by an excise officer, are to suppress illicit dis
tillation and malting. In order to do so, armed parties,
four times a week, by day and by night, and for at
least eight hours per diem, make excursions to search
the town lands, every suspected house, concealed caves,
&c. The whole force consists of about 1000 men under
officers whose ranks are as follows : — •
1 chief inspector, residing at the Custom-house,
Dublin, 9 second inspectors, 9 sub-inspectors, and 55
lieutenants. There are also a due proportion of ser
geants, and about 1000 privates, almost all of whom
are Catholics. The principal stations are commanded
by sub-inspectors, and the out-stations by lieutenants.
The men, like those of the constabulary, are armed,
efficiently equipped, and well disciplined and drilled.
Their uniform consists of blue military jacket, trowsers,
brass buttons, blue foraging cap, with a brass bugle

134 • MY TOUR. Part I.
above the letters R. P., and a patent-leather chin-strap.
I asked the officers whether religion in any way inter
fered with the duties their men had to perform. They
both at once, nearly in the same words, replied, " Oh
no, our men seize as soon from a Catholic as from a
Protestant! " " What a moral," said I to myself, " is
contained in those few words ! "
Crossing the square, which, bounded by trees on one
side, strongly reminded me of the " Grande Place" of
an ordinary French town, I proceeded through crooked
streets, swarming alive with barefooted women, and little
girls in red petticoats, to the workhouse, composed of
a series of well-arranged buildings, surrounded by a
very high wall. As I was about to ring at the bell I was
accosted by one of the relieving officers of the union.
" There appear," said I, " to be a number of un
roofed houses in the neighbourhood of Castlebar."
" Yes," he replied, " there are, but many who had
good means took advantage of the badness of the times,
and, on being evicted, went off to England and
America." " Have these evictions had much effect on the
town?" " They have made a number of empty shops," he
replied. " Had you any rows here during the election ? "
" Yes," he replied, "the Priests' party came down and
got over the wall there " (he pointed to a spot where the
iron spikes had apparently been forcibly wrenched off) :
" six were indicted for it, tried, and found guilty."
" How many relieving officers have you in the
union ? "

Part I. MY TOUR. . 135
" There are four of us. Three of us are Catholics,
the other is a Protestant."
On entering the workhouse I ascertained from the
master, a highly intelligent man, that his inmates con
sisted of — 82 Men
122 Women
17 Infirm
57 In hospital
218 Boys and Girls from 9 to 15.
60 „ „ 5 to 9.
13 „ „ 2 to 5.
26 Infants.

Total . 595
During the famine the numbers in the house were
from 2500 to 2800.
On going up stairs, we entered a room in which
were fifteen little, clean, healthy, barefooted children
from two to seven years of age, in old blue frocks and
white pinafores.
One of them was standing close to the knees of a
tidy woman, who, with her left fingers, kept on picking
up lock after lock of the child's hair, and then with a
pair of scissors mercilessly snipping it off close to the
head. In a handsome stone building I found boys employed
in weaving, tailors' work, and in baking.
In the girls' school were, seated on benches and
writing, 168 children, clean, healthy, and well arranged.
In an opposite school were 72 boys from five to fifteen,
but though they looked healthy, they, like the rest of

136 MY TOUR. Part I.
the children I had seen in the Irish workhouses, were
exceedingly diminutive for their ages. Among the
men were only four that could fairly be called " able-
bodied ;" each of them told me he had been evicted by
Lord Lucan. I asked the master what had become
of the rest ? His answer was very instructive. " Most
of them," said he, "if they can scrape up half-a-crown,
go to England, from whence after some little time
they send from 2s. 6d. to 10s., and, as soon as their
families get that, they are off to them."
" Does the father go first ? " I thoughtlessly asked.
" Oh, no ! we keep him to the last. One daughter
went off to England from here a short time ago and
sent 7s. 6d. That took out the mother and another
sister. In a few weeks the mother and sister sent
enough to get over the remaining two sons and the
father. Total of the family, 6."
From one of the relieving-officers who were present
I was told, that " the temporary destitution caused by
Lord Lucan had been immense ;" but, said he, " if I
were a landlord I would do the same, for it must
eventually be of enormous benefit to Ireland."
" How comes it," said I to the master, " that we hear
of so many landlords being shot, and yet that Lord
Lucan escapes ? "
" I regret to say," he replied, " that among English
people a part of Ireland is taken for the whole. I have
been here four years, have usually attended petty ses
sions, and know of no one instance such as you have
referred to. I allude," he added, as if correcting him
self, " to the counties of Mayo and Gal way." Pointing
to an eminence in the immediate neighbourhood, en-

Part I. MY TOUR. 137.
closed by a capital wall, and in a state of good cultiva
tion, he said, " That was a densely populated hill called
' Staball.' All the houses were thrown down, on
which many of the inhabitants thereof just descended
the hill into this workhouse."
We now passed into a room full of infants in cradles.
In another clean, healthy, barefooted women were
spinning and working. In the laundry they were
washing. The master informed me that of the whole
of the inmates about nine-tenths are from evictions.
On leaving the workhouse a gentleman intimately
connected with it told me, as we walked along, that the
reason of the mob breaking into the premises was to get
possession of a voter who had sought refuge there from
them. On gaining admittance they demanded this man
from the master, who replied, " I will give you nobody,
but, if you think he is here, you have full liberty to search
for him." They did so, forcing the master to unlock
every room, excepting the little dark closet in which
he was secreted, which, strange to say, they passed
unnoticed ; and having satisfied themselves he was not
in the house, they were departing, when one of the
paupers betrayed the secret. With imprecations they
demanded the key from the master, who said, " I will
only surrender it on condition that you will not take
his life." On their promising that they would not, he
unlocked the door, and, following the mob and their
captive, he proceeded with them to a hotel where he
found collected thirty or forty priests.
" Here he is, yere Reverence ! " exclaimed the ring
leaders, as they led in their prisoner.
" Your Reverence," said the master of the workhouse,

138 MY TOUR. Part I.
addressing himself to apparently the chairman, " this
man (pointing to the prisoner) took refuge in my
workhouse. I hope you will see he is not hurt."
" Who are you ? " replied the priest.
" I am the master of the workhouse."
" You deserve," replied the priest, " to be turned out
of it. Here ! " he added, addressing himself to the
captors, "put him out!" and the master accordingly
was turned out " neck and heels."
The mob had divided into two sections. One of the
leaders of the larger one outside, on seeing the master,
whose fearless conduct at the workhouse he as well
as all the rest had witnessed, said to him, " You have
done your duty, man, and we'll give you three cheers !"
" No ! no ! " exclaimed the party who had just left
the priests, and the whole then followed the master,
hooting, striking their sticks furiously against the wall ;
in fact, said my informant, who was present on the
occasion, " they were on the point of murdering him."
"And yet," said I to myself, "the constabulary force
has repeatedly assured me that the people of this very
county are particularly honest, and now, that their
passions are not improperly excited, that ' there is
scarcely any crime at all.' "
The main serpentine street of Castlebar, composed of
houses generally of two stories high, and of all colours,
gradually dissolves or dwindles into a long series of
white-washed hovels. In various parts of this line
were to be seen, with their eyes closing and heads
drooping, donkeys laden with panniers of peat, and
occasionally of coarse vegetables. Around them were
women in parti-coloured shawls crossed in all sorts of

Part I. MY TOUR. 139
picturesque folds over crimson petticoats, often fringed
at bottom by their own rags. I also observed a number
of children with bare hair nicely combed. In the
barracks at the head of the street were quartered about
200 soldiers.
I now inquired the way to Lord Lucan's, and, as it
had never ceased raining for a moment, I proceeded,
under my umbrella, to a lodge on the edge of the town
opening by iron gates into a verdant, handsome, old-
fashioned park studded with large trees.
The house, called " The Lawn," appeared smaller
than I had expected ; however, it was large enough for
all I wanted, so, ringing at the bell, I gave my card to
the servant and requested to know if Lord Lucan was
sufficiently disengaged to see me.
I was shown into a large drawing-room, in which I
was left for about a quarter of an hour, and I was
getting a little tired of Bluebeard's hall, when the
servant entered, and begged I would follow him. I
did so, and in a small study I was received by Lord
Lucan, a tall, slight, intelligent, and very gentleman
like man, of apparently about fifty.
I told him at once, what I had not deemed it necessary
to mention to auy one else, namely, that in travelling
through Ireland I was taking notes, which I intended
to publish ; and having thus, as was due to him, put
him on his guard, I asked whether he would have
any objection to give me certain information I desired.
" None whatever!" he replied.
" What do you pay your labourers, if you please?"
I asked. Without replying, he took from his table the pay-lists

140 MY TOUR. Part I.
of his various farms, and, putting them into my hands,
I perceived that he was not only giving from 9c/. to 10c/.
throughout the year, but that most of his labourers
were cottiers.
I asked him how much land he had cleared ? He
replied, " I have in the neighbourhood of Castlebar
about 15,000 acres stocked and cropped, and about
15,000 more in a transition state. The former is
farmed by myself; the latter, when properly reclaimed,
will be farmed by tenants for whom I am building
houses costing about 500/. each."
His lordship now said very kindly, " We had better
adjourn to my establishment, where we shall find my
head steward, who will give you correcter information
than I can. At all events," he added with a smile, " I
had rather he should make a mistake than /."
On proceeding to the establishment, in the centre of
which stood erect the tall chimney of the industrious
steam-engine that had already attracted my attention, I
was led by Lord Lucan into a series of rooms full of
what he termed " Cheshire cheeses," and with grammati
cal precision I was secretly rather cavilling to myself
about the appellation, when, turning round, I perceived
on either side of me a fine, strong, rosy-faced, plump
young woman, neatly dressed, with, strange to say,
shoes and stockings on !
" There," he said, with a smile, "are Cheshire dairy
maids under the direction of a Cheshire woman married
to a Cheshire man."
" Then," said I to myself, "they're Cheshire cheeses,
and no mistake ! " Indeed, the young persons beside
me looked as if they had been created on purpose to
turn rnilk into Cheshire cheeses.

Part I. MY TOUR. 141
At a farm I found admirable stalls for 400 head of
cattle, sties for 200 pigs, 48 boxes for horses or animals
of any sort, 10 cattle-yards, 2 bone-mills, a flax-house,
and that " Jack-of-all-work"a steam-engine of 12-horse
power, that was thrashing, cleaning, grinding, chaff-
cutting, sawing, besides lifting water to supply the whole
premises, and, moreover, heating a kiln for drying corn.
The engine, which was in charge of a Scotchman, was
heated by turf, at a cost of about 5s. a-day.
We were now joined by the head steward — a sedate,
highly intelligent, respectable-looking Scotchman, who
has been in Ireland thirteen years. He told me that
the number of persons that had been ejected was about
10,000, of whom one-tenth were employed by Lord
Lucan, who had given most of them cottages. He said
that two Scotch bailiffs superintended the new farms at
Ballinrobe, and that he had also one other Scotch
bailiff under him at Castlebar. I asked him how the
new plan was working.
" At Ballinrobe," he replied, " where the system has
been completed, the result is, that the land has become
of double its former value ; that is to say, would keep
double the amount of stock."
" But," said I, " how has it answered to the poor
people ? "
" Oh," he replied, " I think they are vara much
improvit." Question. — If Canada fell into the hands of you
Americans, how would you deal with the French popu
lation ?
Answer. — Well! I reckon that in about six months
we'd just improve 'em off the face of the globe ?

142 MY TOUR. Part I.
" In what way ? " I asked.
" The cottiers," he replied, "are better dressed, have
cleaner cottages, have wages all the year round — from
Is. to 8c?. a-day, and the greater number of them have
gardens." " What wages do other people pay ? " I inquired.
" From 6c/. to 8c/., without a house ;" but he added,
" few people here employ men all the year round."
" Have you ever been attacked by any one?" I
asked. " I have never met with a threat or an insult, nor
have any of the bailiffs, nor any of the thousand men
that work under them, excepting a little angry noise at
the elections."
As a curious addition to these statements, I was told
by Lord Lucan, that, as Protestant Chairman of the
Catholic Board of Guardians, he had only last week,
in recommending several necessary reductions, pro
posed that the salary of the priest should be lowered
from 60/. to 50/., and that, his reasons being deemed
satisfactory, the recommendation was agreed to without
a word. How clearly does this show what can be done
in Ireland — as indeed everywhere else — by decisive
conduct !
From Lord Lucan's I walked to the constabulary
barracks, where I found 1 sub-inspector, 1 head
ditto, 3 constables, 2 acting ditto, 18 sub-constables,
and 5 recruits for other stations, all in the same ad
mirable order so often described. The ceilings and
walls of the rooms, five in number, and of the passages,
were literally as white as snow. On the table of one
room, in which I ascertained there slept several Roman

Part I. MY TOUR. 143
Catholics, I observed a Bible, showing that a Pro
testant was among the number.
" Have you ever any differences between your men
on account of religion ? " I inquired.
" Oh, no," said the sub-inspector, with great gravity,
" we never allow anything of that sort to exist among
us!" On walking towards the town at which I had left
my carpet-bag, I saw to my astonishment, among bare
footed women and children, a footman in livery, with
as much of his hair as was not covered by his hat a
mass of white flour ! ! It is only fair to add he had not
been thus victimised by Lord Lucan.
As the car I had ordered was all ready at a few
minutes past four, I started for Westport ; but on leav
ing Castlebar, as I had to pass the county jail, I desired
the driver to pull up, and, ringing at the bell, sent for
the governor, to whom I produced my order to the con
stabulary. The establishment, which is on an extensive
scale, is composed of a central building, containing the
governor's house, chapel, store, and cooking offices.
From this building there radiate, in various directions,
six others : two for convicted male criminals, one for
prisoners not convicted, one for debtors and revenue
offenders, one for female prisoners, and a hospital. To
each department there is a yard, in which the governor,
by signal, assembled the prisoners belonging to it for
my inspection.
Among the men there were two or three who ap
peared to be of violent dispositions, but generally speak
ing their countenances did not denote either vice or
depravity.

144 MY TOUR. PartL
Among the 72 women 14 were under confinement for
felony, 20 for larceny, and the rest for begging or debt.
As the car proceeded along the hard wet road every
now and then a great black crow stood, as if it was his
intention to dispute our progress ; indeed, it was not
until we got within a very few yards of him that, taking
two or three preliminary elastic hops, he slowly and
reluctantly flew to a short distance, and then again,
bounding round sideways, stood, and with his brilliant
black eyes inquisitively looked at us.
Excepting here and there patches of cultivated land,
the country was bleak, wild, and moorlike ; and my
mind was so engrossed with the various subjects that
had flitted before it, that I believe I travelled nearly a
mile without hardly knowing that, close to my back, I
had a companion.
At last, pointing indolently to a deserted house from
which the door and window had been abstracted, " Is
that part of Lord Lucan's new system? " said I.
"Tissur!" my driver replied, almost before I had
completed the question.
" Is that Lord Lucan ?" I added, as a very short stout
man on horseback passed us.
" One-of-his-tinnantsur ! " he answered, almost in one
word. We passed a cabin, and, closing my umbrella and
leaving it on the car, I walked in.
" Will y're Arnh'r take a sate?" said a woman about
thirty-eight, with a fine open countenance, her eyes
being listlessly fixed on the daylight.
I sat down. On her lap was an infant. Three bare
footed children, as if hatching eggs, sat motionless on the

Part I. MY TOUR. 145
edge of a peat fire, which appeared to be almost touching
their naked toes ; above the embers was demurely hang
ing a black pot. Opposite sat, like a bit of gnarled oak,
the withered grandmother. The furniture was com
posed of a dingy-coloured wooden wardrobe, with a
few plates on the top, and one bed close to the fire.
There was no chimney but the door, on the threshold
of which stood, looking exceedingly unhappy, four
dripping wet fowls ; at the far end of the chamber was
a regular dungheap, on which stood an ass.
" Where is your husband, my good woman?" I said
to the youngest of the women.
" In England, yere Arnh'r," she replied, "saking
work." Taking into consideration the rain, I thought alto
gether it was about as melancholy a scene as I could
well witness ; nevertheless, I can truly say to the reader,
" Tarry a little, there is something yet ! "
After trotting slowly on for about a mile, and after I
had left Lord Lucan's property, I came, as usual, to a
small village of unroofed cabins, from the stark walls
of which, to my astonishment, I saw here and there
proceeding a little smoke ; and, on approaching it, I
beheld a picture I shall not readily forget. The tenants
had been all evicted, and yet, dreadful to say, they were
there still ! the children nestling, and the poor women
huddling together, under a temporary lean-to of straw,
which they had managed to stick into the interstices of
the walls of their ancient homes.
" This is a quare place, yere Anrh'r !" said a fine,
honest-looking woman, kindly smiling, to me, adding,
" Sit down, yere Arnh'r ! " L

146 MY TOUR. Part I.
One of her four children got up and offered me his
stool. Under another temporary shed I found a tall woman
heavy with child, a daughter about sixteen, and four
younger children — her husband also was in England,
" saking work." I entered two or three more of these
wretched habitations, around which were the innumer
able tiny fields, surrounded by those low tottering stone
walls I have already described.
Besides women and children, I observed among the
jagged, sharp, triangular stone gables of these unroofed
cabins two or three men listlessly standing stock-still ;
and as I was a Saxon stranger in their land, — as I was of
the same religion as the landlord that had evicted
them, — and lastly, as I happened to have in my pocket,
besides silver, a quantity of loose gold, I might not un
reasonably have expected to have received among their
ruined hovels what is commonly called a rough wel
come. " Ride your ways," said the gipsy ; " ride your ways,
Laird of Ellangowan — ride your ways, Godfrey Bertram !
This day have ye quenched seven smoking hearths — see
if the fire in your ain parlour burn the blither for that.
Ye have riven the thack off seven cottar houses — look if
your ain roof-tree stand the faster. Ye may stable your
stirks in the shealings at Derncleugh — see that the hare
does not couch on the hearth-stane at Ellangowan. Ride
your ways, Godfrey Bertram ; what do ye glowr after our
folk for?" — Guy Mannering.
As however I was resuming my seat on the car I
saw among the tottering walls women and children
worming their way towards me ; as soon as I started,
with uplifted hands and bare feet they exclaimed

Part I. MY TOUR. 147
almost simultaneously, " May the Almighty God pre
serve yere Arnh'r !" Indeed, long after I had left them
I heard the same sounds reverberating through the rain
that was cruelly falling on us all. They were really
good people, and, from what I read in their counte
nances, I feel confident that if, instead of distributing
among them a few shillings, I had asked them to feed
me, with the kindest hospitality they would readily have
done so, and that with my gold in my pocket I might
have slept among them in the most perfect security.
The devotional expressions of the lower class of
Irish, and the meekness and resignation with which
they bear misfortune or affliction, struck me very
forcibly. " I hav'nt aten a bit this blessed day, glory
be to. God ! " said one woman. " Troth, I've been
suffering lhong time from poverty and sickness, glory
be to God ! " said another. On entering a strange
cabin the common salutation is, " God save all here ! "
On passing a gang of comrades at labour a man often
says, " God bless the work, boys ! " In meeting a person,
if you want to get quickly into friendly conversation
with him, it is usual to say to him, " God save ye ! " to
which, like the " Aloom salicoom ! " and " Salicoom
aloom ! " of the Mahometans, the answer always is,
" God save ye kindly ! " the pronunciation of which is
sure to secure a courteous and favourable reception.
A Protestant clergyman of great experience told me
that in all his intercourse with Irish Catholics he had
never met with an infidel.
In a few miles we came to an immense region, the
property of Sir Robert (Somebody), bounded by distant
hills, all utterly houseless, but turned into large fields
l 2

148 MY TOUR. Part I.
teeming with crops, green and brown. On proceeding
further I met with a similar picture on the property of
Lord Sligo, and, although the recollection of the tragedy
I had just witnessed was fresh both in my heart and
mind, I could not but admit that the contrasts between
the old system and the new is so striking, that the
superiority of the latter, to any one who witnesses it,
does not for a moment require an advocate.
In all regions of the world it has been, and is, the
stern decree of Providence that civilization, sooner or
later, should override and overrun those feeble tribes
who are innocently revelling in what is usually called
a state of Nature ; and, accordingly, throughout the
great continents of North and South America, and
elsewhere, the virtuous and simple aborigines have,
since the discovery of their respective countries, rapidly
melted away, as they themselves figuratively express it*
" like snow before the sun."
It might therefore not unreasonably be expected that,
even if the land the poor people on which I had visited
were their own property, it would be as impossible for
them as it has been for the Red Indians to withstand the
torrent of civilization that is steadily and irresistibly
rolling over the world. But they are not, like the
Red Indians and other aborigines, the lawful owners of
the soil on which they sleep. It belongs to what in
the scale of civilization may justly be called another
race, by whom they are permitted to live upon it,
on conditions to which both parties have agreed:
Now, even if the poor people I have alluded to could
have continued to pay their rents, any well-educated
friend might have admonished them that, if they

PabtI. my tour. 149
persisted in sleeping with their pigs and asses, and in
subsisting with them on one . single article of food, no
payment they could offer could possibly prevent their
being eventually swept away.
But in consequence of certain dispensations of Nature,
they became first of all unable to pay their rents ; then
destitute of subsistence ; and thus, by creating a neces
sity for poor-rates, they became a burden, gradually
increasing in weight, until the landlord had absolutely
not physical strength to bear it ; in fact, not only did
the landlord get no rent, but for his land which gave
him nothing he was out of that nothing required to
pay rates he had no funds to supply ! By the inter
ference of Nature the whole system, therefore, rapidly
began to fall to pieces, and I have no hesitation in
stating, as my humble opinion, that it is out of the
power of man to attempt to hold it together any longer.
The decrees of Providence are often, to our judgment,
dark, mysterious, and unfathomable. In the present
instance, however, the sentence pronounced, not against,
but really in favour of that portion of the Irish people
who are at this moment — I repeat the truth — sleeping
with their pigs and asses, may be thus expressed. The
backwoods of Canada — the new settlements of America
— the gold of California and Australia — endearingly
pronounce to them the word " Come ! " Simultane
ously the potato disease very sternly utters to them the
monosyllable " Go ! " and with attraction on the one
hand, and repulsion on the other, these virtuous people,
in my opinion, have no alternative but to emigrate from
their beloved and beautiful country, or completely to
change their habits of life. This is not my decree,

150 MY TOUR. Part I.
it is not the decree of the British Government, it is not
the decree of the petty Irish landlord, — but it is the
decree of a Beneficent and Omnipotent Power whose
inflexible will no man can oppose.
As we were trotting along, a barefooted boy of about
fourteen, after the car had passed him, ran after it, and
then, holding on behind, he very cunningly kept his eye
on the whip. Observing that when I turned towards
him I did not frown, he smiled, looked at the lash,
at me, and then smiled again,- until, conspiring with
him against the driver, I occasionally now and then
treacherously fed him with a halfpenny.
Descending a narrow valley, through which runs a
small stream, we now trotted through the welcome street
of the sea-bathing town of Westport, nearly all built
by the late Marquis of Sligo.
On driving at about six o'clock up to a capital inn,
built and furnished by the late Lord, I was suddenly
and politely asked by the landlord whether I would
have any objection to sit down with some other gen
tlemen to a hot dinner which was just about to be
placed on table? And as the subject of dinner had
occasionally been uppermost in my mind for some
hours, I most readily replied in the negative.
" Has this marn any claim upon you ? " kindly
added mine host, pointing to a fellow muttering some
thing to me, in a hat the brim of which had apparently
been gnawed off by rats, and in a pair of breeches
that looked as if they had just been riddled with
grape, canister, and musketry. I again, as briefly as
before, replied in the negative; and begging that I
might have some hot water, I was conducted by a

Part I. MY TOUR. 151
very respectable-looking chambermaid into a room
containing two beds, one of which she said I could
have; in short, I found that the house was over
flowing with English tourists, each carrying in his
or her right hand a pea-green ' Handbook/ that had
been given gratis at Euston Station, and which, very
unfortunately for me, had gratuitously told almost
everybody to come to Westport. Without asking for
a description of my bedfellow, I at once so positively
declared I would not have one, that by persuasion
and more effectual means I extorted a promise that I
should be alone. At dinner we had a splendid turbot,
a superabundance of lobster-«auce ; but as I was rather
too hungry to be at all particular, nothing else has
lived, in my memory excepting some potatoes of a sort
called "Protestants," which, on my making some re
mark as to the oddity of their name, elicited from the
waiter, as with a white napkin under his left arm he
bustled around the table, an anecdote, showing how a
gentleman had won a sovereign by betting with a party
of jolly good Papists, with whom he was dining, "that
he could prove there were, at table, more Protestants
than Catholics."
As soon as our repast was over I walked for a short
time about broad streets (most of which were at right
angles), of houses two stories high, constructed on the
acclivity of an exceedingly steep hill. At the inter
section of four of the principal thoroughfares I ob
served on a Grecian pedestal the statue of a bald-
headed hero of some sort, standing with his right hand
on his heart, and evidently thinking hard. " Who is
that ? " said I to a wet boy, on whose bare head the

152 MY TOUR. Part I.
rain was steadily pattering. " He was," he replied,
" a rich marn of this place, and so they made hum a
startU." From the statue of Dives I went to the barracks of
the constabulary, where I found the beds of a sub-
inspector, a head constable, two Protestant constables,
and nine sub-constables, of whom eight were Roman
Catholics and one a Protestant. Of the above force,
eight, with the sub-inspector, and twenty-seven more
from other parts, had the day before proceeded to
Clare Island, a most beautiful elevated spot, about four
miles long by one and a half broad, situated in the
entrance of Clew Bay, nearly seventeen miles from
Westport, for the purposes of eviction.
The head constable, an exceedingly well-educated
intelligent man, who had been at Westport five years,
and who had been present at nearly all the numerous
evictions in its neighbourhood, told me that, although
in unroofing the houses the women often stood by,
crying bitterly, excepting a trifling animosity at Kil-
meen, no resistance whatever had been made.
" They have always," he added, " been quite amen
able to the law. Indeed, considering their sufferings
at the time, it was a matter of wonder they were so
submissive." " You must surely," said I, " sometimes have had
great difficulty in the execution of this duty ? "
" Well, Sir," he replied, " we certainly have, but we
endeavour to joke off anything that is said against us ;
and even if it comes to blows, we will bear a good
deal rather than have recourse to deadly weapons."
"Has there been much crime in the county?"

Part I. MY TOUR. 153
" None whatever," he replied — " some petty lar
cenies, that 's all."
" Have you had any religious disagreements among
your force ? "
" Oh no ! " he replied, " if any person insults one he
insults all. Our force is paraded, as on other days,
every Sunday. Every man then goes off to his own
place of worship."
I asked him from whom I could obtain the most
correct account of the numerous conversions to Pro
testantism which of late years had been effected in the,
West of Ireland ? In compliance with my wishes he
at once conducted me to two gentlemen who appeared
to be well conversant with the subject.
The serious mistake which the English Government
made long ago was appointing Protestant clergymen
who could not preach in Irish to localities in which the
native language was in current use. In those localities,
as well as in all others, a zealous Catholic priest has
naturally always deemed it his duty by every means in
his power to keep his own flock separate from those of
a different creed ; and as the same policy was not pur
sued by the Protestant clergy, it follows, of course,
that conversions, if any, were more likely to be effected
from the latter creed than to it.
As death, however, is said to level all earthly dis
tinction, so did the famine in 1846 bring the suffering
Catholics and the Protestant clergy into close com
munication. The poor, when they saw the tenderness
and indefatigable exertion of the clergy of the Esta
blished Church, applied to them for relief — obtained
it — and the barrier of prejudice which had separated

154 MY TOUR. Part I.
them having been thus broken, they listened to their
doctrines, and, being simultaneously relieved by their
charity, they willingly became converts to a religion
which they practically found to be so different from
what it had been represented to them. But the greatest
success has been among the Roman Catholic children,
who, having in like manner originally been forced by
famine to congregate around the Protestant clergy,
have had the Bible put into their hands, and by it and
by the schools have subsequently been converted.
The innumerable conversions which, from their com
mencement in the little island of Achil in 1835 to the
present day, have been effected in the West of Ire
land, from Achil to Dingle, and from Dingle to
Oughterard, in the counties of Donegal, Cork, Kerry,
and even in Dublin, have been most extensive and
extraordinary. For instance, in the town of Westport
there are now three Protestant churches, and five more
in the parish, extending over an area of 153,675 acres.
At Clifden the conversion burst out so rapidly that
already by far the greater portion of the inhabitants are
Protestants. Indeed, the extent of the change that has
been effected is sufficiently demonstrated by the recent
violence of the Roman Catholic priesthood, especially
against education ; for, as may be well imagined, it is
impossible to have educated, as has been the case, nearly
half a million of children for twenty years on the
National System I have described without producing
immense effects. The Sisters of Mercy zealously
combine with the priests to stop the movement, and
their efforts are extraordinary. In short, every engine
is brought to bear against this alarming conversion ; a

Part I. MY TOUR. 155
regularly organised denunciation is levelled against
all aiders and abettors of the Protestant missionaries,
as well as against every one who affords them any
countenance whatever. Any Roman Catholic who
listens to a Protestant clergyman, or to a Scripture
reader, is denounced as a marked man, and people
are forbidden to have any dealings with him in trade
or business, to sell him food, or buy it of him. For
instance, a shoemaker at Westport lately seceded
from the Catholic Church ; the Sisters immediately
offered him 21. a-week, which he refused. Not a
journeyman dared work for him. A priest went round
to every man that dealt with him, until only one person
would sell him leather ; in short, he lost his custom,
and rapidly came to a state of starvation.
It is, however, only fair to state that by the Roman
Catholic priesthood it is declared, that of this extra
ordinary amount of conversion, which they do not
attempt to deny, almost the whole has been effected
by what they call " the meal system ;" and, accord
ingly, they sneer at those who have deserted them as
"jumpers," belonging to what they term "the stirabout
religion." I must say, however, that I highly approve of this
stirabout movement.
It would, no doubt, be extremely satisfactory if,
among the followers of different creeds, the question of
religion could be left entirely to find its own level
according to its own intrinsic merits ; and, if this calm
judgment could practically be obtained, I believe the
Protestant religion would gain all it could possibly
desire. But there exists no religion whose ministers are

156 MY TOUR. Part I.
immaculate. On the contrary, excited by zeal and en
thusiasm, they but too often contend one against another,;
until, in the case of Protestants and Catholics, not only
has much angry language been used throughout Ireland,
but in a late instance, over the body of a dying convert
to Protestantism, the two ministers, as is notorious,
actually came to blows. As the subject, therefore, is
not, and cannot be, one of calm unruffled judgment, it
appears' to me that, instead of there being any harm,
there is much good in the benevolent Christian prac
tice that has lately been adopted by the Protestant
missionaries in Ireland, of offering a wholesome break
fast of meal to all indigent children who may be
desirous to attend their schools; for what can more
clearly demonstrate to young people the inestimable
advantages of the Christian faith than that its ministers
and supporters should openly practise the charity they
preach, so powerfully recommended, as follows, by St.
Paul ?—
" Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not
charity, I am hecome as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. . . . And now
abideth faith, hope, charity, these three ; but the greatest of these is charity."
— 1 Cor. xiii.
But it is said, " Meal is a bribe, and people ought
not to be bribed to change their religion."
But a slated house is a bribe, desks are bribes,
benches are bribes, books are a bribe, pens are a bribe,
ink is a bribe, yellow soap is a bribe, a towel is a bribe ;
and, accordingly, if little children are to find all these
articles for themselves, how barren and uncharitable
is the invitation that is made to them ! But the poor
of Ireland have not the money to pay for these ele
ments of education ; and if, therefore, it be absolutely

Part I. MY TOUE. 157
necessary for the rich to provide their children with a
comfortable schoolroom, wash their faces and hands,
and give them books, ink, pens, and paper, surely there
can be no great sin in filling their poor little hungry
stomachs as well as their empty heads.
I, therefore, most earnestly and fervently hope that
all who are friendly to the Irish will promote the good
cause of supplying these distant schools with meal. In
this friendly effort the rich Protestant has the power
of contributing infinitely more, and consequently of
producing infinitely more effect, than the poorer Ca
tholic ;•' but while religious antagonism ought, gene
rally speaking, to be condemned, in this struggle the
poor children, whichever way the scale may prepon
derate, are sure to be gainers by the contention ; and
with this prayer and recommendation in their behalf,
after the toils of my journey, I must now wish my
gentle reader " Good night ! "

THIRD DAY.
On rising at six o'clock I found the wind had chopped
round to the north-west, and that there was every
prospect of a fine day — in short, the weather had ap
parently run itself quite dry, and as my travelling-bag
of halfpence was nearly in the same state, after walking
for a short time about the town I entered a large ale
house to beg change.
"Have the evictions in this neighbourhood done
you much harm ?" I inquired of a large man of about
fifty, as very good-humouredly he was counting out
from a small heap of copper.

158 MY TOUR. Part I.
" It's ruining us all !" he replied. " I now take 5/. at
fairs where I used to take 20/., and on market-days 1/.
where I used to get 7/."
I had ordered breakfast, and as soon as I entered the
large parlour of the inn I found its table heavily
prepared for about twenty people. Looking out of the
window for some little time, I fancied I was in the
room by myself; however, on hearing a slight mut
tering, I turned towards it, and then I perceived the jet
black back and head of a very short priest on his knees,
praying. As soon as the eggs came in he got up, and,
as we were similarly disposed, we both sat down to
breakfast together. His face, which was rather round
and red, was completely covered with little pimples ;
his neck was nil. However, in spite of all, he was
very communicative, and so fond of eggs, and so fond
of talking, that, as he sat eating and incessantly chatter
ing to me, constantly repeating what he had just said,
both corners of his mouth soon became as yellow as
those of a young blackbird. He had ordered his bill,
and it was lying before him.
"They never," said he, glancing at it and then ad
dressing himself to me, " charge a priest as much as
they do others. They will charge you here Is. 6c?. or
2s. for your bed ; they charge me Is. We never say
a word about reduction ; and they do it of their own
accord. When the cholera raged we were at their
bedsides. We charged them nothing, and they ap
preciated it. In return they never charge us as much
as others, but we never say a word for it."
When my bill came, — for one's bill at an inn, like
Death, is sure to come, — I asked the waiter what effect

Part I. MY TOUR. 159
the evictions in the neighbourhood had had on the
town ?
" They have ruined it," he replied ; " the poor used
to support the rich ; now that the poor are gone the
rich shopkeepers are all failing. Our town is full of
empty shops, and, after all, the landlord himself is now
being ruined ! "
As soon as I had defrayed my account, the waiter
stepped aside to a table, from which he returned with
a large book, in wdiich he asked me to be so good as to
inscribe my opinion — whatever it might be — of the
accommodation I had received. As, however, I had
really totally forgotten all about the turbot and lobster-
sauce, — had slept so soundly that I had never for an
instant thought about the bed, — and as the priest had
talked so incessantly," that for the life of me I could not
accurately state how many eggs we had eaten, I excused
myself from complying with his request. In justice,
however, to the Royal Hotel, Westport, I should say
that on glancing over the leaves I read as follows : —
" Mr. and Mrs. H. and Miss H., of  Bank, Yorkshire. We have
found everything very comfortable."
" Judge and Mrs. P., Miss P., Miss D., and Miss R., have found this a
comfortable house. The host and his people are very attentive and accom
modating." " I have been in worse and better hotels in this country.
(Signed) " P. S."
" I have travelled over a great part of the world, and was never better
entertained than in this establishment. (Signed) " P. L."
" I have much pleasure in contributing my experience to the above com
pliment, as a hotel so worthy of praise in every department, whether in
London, Dublin, or elsewhere, has never come under my notice.
(Signed) " L. T., of R."
" Capital accommodation. (Signed " V. L."
My car was now at the door, and, bidding adieu to

160 MY TOUR. Part'L
the landlord, whom I found at its side, I trotted side
ways through the broad macadamized street until its
acclivity brought our animal to a walk. At this sober
pace we passed an immense union-workhouse, which in
1848, when "the famine was sore in the land," had
administered out-door and in-door relief to no less than
sixty thousand persons.
On reaching the summit of the hill I observed, on
looking behind over the town beneath, that during the
rain and mist of the previous day I had unconsciously
passed a range of undulating mountains, the outline of
which was now bold, clear, and distinct. At a short
distance in front of us, on the right, was Croagh-Patrick,
commonly called St. Patrick's Reek, a magnificent
mountain standing by itself. Its base and centre ap
peared to be covered with brown heather, which
became more and more stunted, until its summit — a
sharp-pointed pinnacle 2510 feet above the sea, and
from whence it is said can be seen a distance of nearly
a hundred miles — ended in bald sterility. Beneath it
appeared the Atlantic and Clare Island. Before us was
an open country teeming with large stones and bog,
with here and there small brown or white cabins, from
each of which in its peaceful solitude was to be seen
meandering upwards into the fresh, pure morning air a
small, short thread of white smoke. As we trotted
along we passed a large, solid, new Protestant church,
nearly finished.
" When was the building of that church com
menced?" said I to a man seated at my back, whose
face I had not yet seen. " Yere Arnh'r," replied a
sharp, intelligent voice, " I'm a stranger here like yere-

Part I. MY TOUR. 161
self: I only druff two gintlemen into Wesport yesterday
from Sligo — that's my country ! — but the master's
horses were all engaged this morning, and so he asked
' Would I take yere Arnh'r ? ' " Somehow or other I
felt quite pleased at the intelligence that I was to have
no assistance but my own eyes, for the day, as com
pared with its predecessor in office, was so lovely, and
the prospect of entering the Connemara district so
exhilarating, that I felt it mattered but little by what
human names or nick-names the objects I was about to
visit might be designated. " At all events," thought I,
" I shall always meet somebody or other who will be
able to tell me."
On my right, rushing down the side of a precipitous
rock, was a slender stream of bog-water, nearly the
colour of tawny port-wine, and shortly afterwards we
passed a solitary cabin unroofed.
" What do you think," said I, leaning on my right
elbow, as if disposed, in colloquial friendship, to meet
my conductor half way, " What do you think of this
system of eviction ? "
" Yere Arnh'r," he replied, " it's just the ruin of the
poor man. Before, every man had his four, five, eight,
or even tin acres. He was rich, for his pitaturs kept
him, his family, his horses, and his cows. He had
arlways the pig to back him, and so at the half-year he
could mate his landlord. Anybody might thin travel
through the counthry with divil a halfpenny. They
would be glad to have ye to converse with ye, give ye
a good bed " (I thought of a certain bell-rope I had
seen), " suppir, breakfist, and not seek of ye any
thing." M

162 MY TOUR, Part 1.
" But," said I, " could they manage to subsist entirely
on potatoes ? "
" Sure, yere Arnh'r," he replied, " with pitaturs
they fed" (with his whip he here enumerated the
following animals on the fingers of his left hand)
" their pags, — toorkies, — gaise,- — fools, — dooks> — hins,
-^and harses."
" Will sheep eat them ? " I inquired.
" Troth, yere Arnh'r," he replied, " they'll root 'um !
Thim black crows steal pitaturs. Och!" he said, look
ing at me very archly as he shook his whip at one,
'' they're the biggest villins, yere Arnh'r ! "
" That mare of yours is thorough-bred, isn't she ? "
I asked. " Yes, indeed, yere Arnh'r, shte 's well got."
" Will donkeys," said I — we were at the moment
passing one that was grazing afar off — " eat potatoes ? "
" Oh yes, yere Arnh'r, and our dogs will ate um too.
Gintlemen's dogs ate um with milk ; but ours, troth !
they '11 ate um quite dry ! "
We now passed a few patches of oats, as also some
small fields of potatoes growing around a few stone
walled cabins, the thatched roofs of which, at intervals
of about a foot, were covered with straw-ropes, at the
end of each of which hung a stone, weighing about
20 lbs.
" What is all that for ? " I inquired.
" To keep down the roof, yere Arnh'r, during the
winds of winter," he replied.
In the low hills six miles from Westport we now
passed, close on our right, a large whitewashed building
with sable wooden shutters that were closed. Above

Part I. MY TOUR. 163
the door I observed a black board, on which was
written in white letters, Carrekenedy
National School.
About a mile beyond this building — which, as I
passed, I inwardly hailed as the best means, under Pro
vidence, of bringing together, in friendly communica
tion, the Catholic and Protestant children of Ireland —
in a spacious flat of heath and swamp, forming altoge
ther a splendid grouse and snipe country, I observed,
without spire, a white Catholic church, which, except
ing one whitewashed cottage with a straw-roped roof,
were the only habitations to be seen. Over the sides
of the mountains on my right, as well as across the
great level before me, mag'nificent shadows of clouds
were slowly passing. On the top of a small bush, close
to the solitary little white cabin, lay extended to sun
and air the only emblem of animal life I could any
where behold, a madder-red woollen petticoat.
After looking for a few seconds at the church, which,
like the school-house we had just passed, ought to
unite together in brotherly love the whole Christian
family of Ireland,—" What do you pay your priests ? "
said I.
He replied, " For getting married the poorest pay
from 25s. to 20s. ; those that attind give from 2s. 6d.
to Is. ; thim are the poorest. For baptizing a child
they pay 2s. 6d., and the ghossip's name goes down
after the child's name, but the ghossips pay nothing at
arl. At Christmas and Aister the poor people pay hum
Is. ; the shorpkeepers '11 pay hum 1/." m 2

164 MY TOUR. , Part I.
After trotting for a short distance along the banks of
a small rapid river, of dark, rich, tawny-coloured Water,
here and there breaking white over large stones, among
which were, I was afterwards told, a quantity of
salmon, —
"What are those for?" said I, pointing to a little
potato-field, full of tall, upright sticks, on the top of
several of which was affixed a peat.
" To frighten away the crows, yere Arnh'r. They
take a note arf um, that they may be a marn's hat."
We now stopped for a few minutes to bait our horse
at a small house close to the river and bridge of Errib.
The kitchen I entered was, as usual, full of smoke ; and
yet I was much struck with the gentle, pleasing manner
of its mistress as she lighted for the driver a large
match of wood that flared as if it had been soaked in
spermaceti oil.
" It's yere bog-wood," said the driver to her, " isn't
ut?" " Tissur ! " was her answer to him.
As we drove away, " God speed ye ! " said her hus
band to us, slightly waving his hand to us in adieu.
We now continued our course along the bank of the
river, that appeared to be rushing more violently than
before. On each side of us were mountains. In a little
green valley stood, mourning together over the loss
they had severally sustained, the stone walls and sharp
triangular gables of eight unroofed cabins. At a short
distance from them appeared, as if it had just risen out
of the ground, a bran-new good house.
Two little girls about fourteen years of age, with
their plaids over their heads, lay together on the side

Part I. MY TOUR. 165
of the grassy valley, and without raising an eye towards
our car, which passed close to them, they continued
playing at the old-fashioned English school-game of
throwing into the air small stones and catching them
on the back of their right hands. Not a cabin was in
sight. " Very honest people in this country ? " said I to the
driver. . " Sure, yere Arnh'r might travel by yereself here a'
night. Divil a word would any man say to ye."
At fourteen miles from Westport we came to a beau
tiful narrow lake, at the head of which a number of
workmen were busily erecting a large substantial stone
Protestant church with Gothic windows.
, " Thart's," said the driver, as he pointed at it with
his whip, " for what we ca' ' joompers ;' but if the pita
turs would return, they'd a' come back. They would,
indade, yere Arnh'r."
Opposite to the church, embedded in trees, was a
most beautiful retreat, called " Ashley Lodge," be
longing to the Hon. David Plunket (brother to the
Bishop of Tuam), who has lately purchased from the
Marquis of Sligo the whole range of mountains for
three miles. Adjoining is a similar property of about
10,000 acres, purchased, I was informed, by Captain
Houston a short time ago at the rate of 2 id an acre.
I here passed on the road two or three groups of
children, all, especially the girls, strikingly clean and
neatly dressed. Following them at some distance was
a tall, slight, intelligent gentleman, whose black clothes
and white neckcloth clearly explained to me that he
was a Protestant clergyman. I accordingly desired

166 MY TOUR. Part I.
the driver to pull up, and for a few moments conversed
with the Rev. Weldon Ashe, who informed me that,
although the church was not yet built, his congregation
amounted to 102 persons. Just as I was leaving him,
I made some observation on the pleasing appearance of
his children. " We teach them cleanly habits," he
replied. " They were all baptized Catholics," said my driver
to me, with great energy, the instant we were alone.
" I'm as sure of ut, yere Arnh'r, as I am that I hould
this whup. But, poor craters, whart could they do ? "
My attention was now engrossed by a view, imme
diately before us, of what appeared to be a beautiful
serpentine lake, but which, in fact, was an arm of the
sea, ten miles long, called Killary Harbour, dividing
the counties of Mayo and Galway.
As we trotted along the shore, its only habitations
appeared to be eight unroofed cabins, surrounded by a
few poplar-trees and whitethorns, a good-sized old
post-house, a new rival one, and the clean white barrack
of the constabulary. On arriving at the latter, I en
tered it, desiring the driver to go to the post-house.
The little force established on this sequestered spot
consisted of one constable (a Catholic) and four sub-
constables (two Protestants and two Catholics), who
had been here from two to four years. All were in
full uniform ; the buttons of their coats and the brass
plates of their waistbelts shone resplendently. The
walls, which have been regularly lime-washed by them
selves once a month, were as white as snow, and the
staircase and floors of the rooms were literally as clean
as an English dairy. The constable told me that the

Part! MY TOUR. 167
new proprietors of the country in the neighbourhood
had been unroofing the cabins since 1848.
" What has become of the evicted ? " I inquired.
" Some," he replied, "have gone to America, some
to England, some into the poor-house, and some are
dead." " Have you had any disturbances here ? " I asked.
" There has," he replied, " been no outrage or crime
of any sort committed here for three months ;" cor
recting himself, he added, " when Patrick M'Anus's
wife was baten we took the two that did it, and they
have both been lodged in gaol."
" How far is your Catholic church off?" He replied,
"Five miles."
To my great surprise he then told me, in answer to
my inquiries on the subject, that he and his little party
could obtain no provisions nearer than Westport, not
even potatoes! " We tried," he said, " the other day
to get one stone of them, but nobody would sell them.
They say they want what they have got, or think they
are failing, and that they '11 have too little for them
selves. We send," he added, " two of our party, with
a horse and cart, once a month to Westport, to buy
meal, flour, potatoes, bacon, fresh beef, and we then
corn it. Thro'out the year we live almost entirely on
salt provisions. At Christmas we buy a sheep among
ourselves." " Whose potatoes are those ? " said I, pointing to a
jilot not three yards from me, without a fence of
any sort.
" They belong," he replied, " to the hotel-keeper."
" Why, surely," I observed, with an astonishment

168 MY TOUR. Part I.
I could scarcely conceal, " he would allow you a
few?" " Divil a stone, sir ! For nearly three years we have
not been able to buy a potato."
Before me on the hill were amicably grazing toge
ther several sheep and cows, and as I looked at them,
and reflected that the next-door neighbour of the con
stabulary would not allow to them a single potato out
of the lot that were literally growing almost beneath
their feet, I could not help muttering to myself —
" Sic vos non vobis."
, On arriving, at the post-house I found playing very
sweetly before it a piper, at whose feet, knitting socks,
were sitting four women and three children, in old
ragged red petticoats. I had never before heard the
Irish bagpipe, which is played with bellows instead of
by the breath, and I was particularly admiring its bass
notes, when, all of a sudden, the women and girls
jumped up, and, casting my eyes down the road, I
saw, rocking, and reeling, and rapidly approaching me,
one of Bianconi's three-horsed cars, accompanied on
each side by a swarm of girls from twelve to eighteen,
all in red petticoats, and all with extended hands
o'ffering to passengers, whose knees they could touch,
scarlet and white socks.
As soon as the car reached the post-house, at which
it was to change horses, the arms and stockings were,
if possible, more earnestly extended than before.
The passengers, who on each side of the carriage
appeared closely packed together, side by side, as if for
sale or exhibition, were nearly all composed of English

Part I. MY TOUR. 169
wide-awake travellers, most of whom held in their
hands a certain pea-green book. Among them, with kid
gloves on her hands, with a parasol on her lap, and in
a gown that modestly covered her shoes, sat a tall,
dusty, finely-dressed lady, of about forty, who appeared
to be the pattern of a good housewife. Every feature
in her face demonstrated that she knew how to pre
serve, pickle, and otherwise superintend the various
items that make the inside of a good home comfort
able ; but she was evidently bored to death by the
group of vile, naked-legged, bare-footed Irish savages
that were buzzing about her. Averting and slightly
tossing her head, she had already said " La ! " once ;
and as that word comprehended all that could pos
sibly be said on this subject, she very properly
would neither answer them nor again even look at
them. In a very few minutes the fresh horses were
affixed, and away drove the car at a brisk trot, fol
lowed by its escort of red fluttering petticoats; and
certainly nothing could be wilder than the picture of
the whole group following the serpentine course of the
bay, until passing a small promontory it at last totally
disappeared from view. The constable, who had
accompanied me from his barrack, told me that these
children had joined the car at two or three miles from
the post-house, and after its departure usually followed
it for about the same distance.
At the post-house called Leenane there was no
fresh horse ; " but," said my driver to me, as he
apprised me of the calamity, " sure, yere Arnh'r,
and I '11 not lave ye ; so I 'm baiting my harse
to take yere Arnh'r on." And having thus a few

170 MY TOUR: Part I.
minutes to spare, as the readiest mode of disposing of
them, I ascended the mountain-side, which was close
to the road, to a small promontory. On turning
round to look at the view, I beheld before me, on the
opposite side of the beautiful serpentine salt-lake be
neath, stupendous hills, heatherless, but covered with
green, rank, sedgy grass, which faded at the summit
into grey sterile rock. On the left was Mewlrea, the
highest mountain (2688 feet) in the west of Ireland.
While I was slowly ascending, I had more than once,
suddenly and very peremptorily, exclaimed, " Be off
with ye, you young vagabond!" to a boy of about
twelve years of age, who, with a pair of bright-red
socks in his hand, had, like a wolf, followed me from
the road. At each angry exclamation, the boy, as I
turned round upon him, stepped back, and, showing
me a set of white teeth and a pair of laughing eyes, I
felt I had the worst of it, until, by his pleasing manners
and pretty face, he succeeded in terminating the war
that had been waging between us.
" Have you any father ? " I inquired.
" No," he answered ; " he was taken up for fishing,
and died in prison."
" Have you ever in the course of your life," said I,
looking at his ten toes, " worn shoes ? "
" Never, yere Arnh'r," he replied.
" What hurts your feet most ? " said I, thinking at
the moment of the sharp macadamised road beneath us.
" Snow ! " he replied.
" Why ?" I ignorantly asked.
" Snow is cauld, yere Arnh'r!" replied the boy.
" Rain is bad ! " he added.

Part I. MY TOUR. 171
"Why?" I asked.
" You take cauld out of the rain," he replied.
" Is hot weather bad ? "
" No, if it wouldn't be too hot entirely."
" When it is too hot, what does it do?" I asked.
" Take some of the skin arf 'em, Sir ! " he replied.
" Don't the stones cut your feet ? "
" Very seldom ! " he replied, with a smile ; and yet,
when I made him show me one of them, I was sur
prised to see that, excepting the heel and ball, which
felt hard an dspringy, like India-rubber, the rest of his
little foot was apparently almost as soft as if he had
lived in shoes on a Brussels carpet.
As, however, I could now see that the car was ready,
we descended to the post-house, and, on entering it for
a moment, I found a small, nicely furnished bedroom
and parlour, forming comfortable fishing quarters for
any one of the numerous family of Isaac Walton who
visit this neighbourhood.
As we quietly trotted along the road that, at about
ten or twenty feet above it, obsequiously followed the
lake, which, though here and there slightly awakened
by a momentary breeze, was, generally speaking, en
joying a siesta, we were surrounded by highland scenery
of magnificent description. One of the mountains,
curiously scooped out, resembled the section of a vol
canic crater. At its base, like a speck, was an unroofed
cabin, surrounded by the ruins of little walls, appa
rently short hieroglyphic memoranda of its history.
On taking leave of the lake, we went through a rocky
pass, at the end of which there suddenly burst upon
my view the distant " Twelve Pins," or " Benna Beola,"

172 MY TOUR. Part I.
of Connemara, a group or family of wild, high, bleak*
barren mountains, of very striking appearance. After
crossing, by a bridge, a small stream, near which was
a cascade, the road conducted us through a boggy space,
about two miles long and one broad, of coarse grass,
completely surrounded on every side by mountainous
hills of all shapes. Excepting three wild ducks that,
from a small lake, rose, and then, as if spell-bound, with
extended necks, continued flying in circles above it, not
a living being was to be seen, or a habitation of any sort.
At last we came to a few goats grazing near an un
roofed cabin, of which only one frail gable remained.
The number of unroofed houses I passed was to me
a subject not only of unceasing regret, but of asto
nishment. The census return of 1851, as compared with that of
1841, shows a diminution of inhabited houses in Ireland
of 2 1 per cent. ! or, in actual numbers, there were in
the former year no less than 281,104 fewer inhabited
houses than in the latter ; and, accordingly, the same
return shows a diminution in the number of families of
265,785. And these figures, which very accurately
confirm each other, moreover show that the 15,314 re
maining families must either have been crowded into
the houses still remaining, or have taken shelter in the
workhouses or towns, the latter having, it is well
known, received large numbers of the rural poor, just
as the former sheltered those who were wholly
destitute. It must not, however, be considered that the cabins
and houses that have disappeared have all been levelled
or unroofed by the process of eviction ; for in a very

PartL my tour. 173
great many cases the occupiers were removed with
their own consent, and, moreover, were assisted to
emigrate. In many instances improving landlords have
built better cottages for their tenants before throwing
down the old ones.
Adjoining the ruined cabin that had so particularly
attracted my attention was a small white Catholic
chapel with slated roof; and by the road-side, as its
guardian angel, sat by himself, bareheaded and bare
footed, a beautiful child of about two years of age.
A mile further, near the head of Kylmore Lake,
which is nearly a mile long, we suddenly drove by a
Protestant schoolhouse and six comfortable cottages in
a line, all building for widows and children.
"Are all these hills in winter covered with snow?"
said I to a large, coarse, strong, bony, useful young
woman, as the car trotted by her.
" They do, Sir," she replied.
A little further on, close to the water, I observed,
surrounded by a high wall, a quadrangular line of
cottages on a stony hill, constructed in 1848 for a
workhouse, but now deserted.
At the head of the lake, on which there was at the
moment gambolling a beautiful ripple, I observed a good
hotel, and as we were trotting towards it along the road
close to the water's edge, we met a well-attired gentle
man, comfortably walking with a lady leaning on each
of his arms, — both dressed in silk, and both with parasols
in their hands. Excepting the inn and the deserted
workhouse not a habitation was to be seen. The stones
at the bottom of the lake, in which there is no mud,
were, near its brier-covered banks, glittering in the sun.

174 MY TOUR. Part I.
At the extremity of the water we passed almost under
impending rocks of great beauty, the clefts in which
were teeming with heather and with brushwood, com
posed of beech, hazel, and strong briers.
Traversing a second defile of about 100 yards in
length, we burst upon another smaller lake, the per
pendicular right bank of which was covered, as before,
with wood, among which I observed a quantity of
holly-trees growing very luxuriantly. At 8 miles from
Leenane we passed a substantial house with smoking
chimneys, belonging to an Englishman, Mr. Eastwood,
of Liverpool, the owner of upwards of 1000 acres bor
dering on the lake. Here we found fields of oats, and
close to the road a herd of 30 cows and a magnificent
bull, all busily grazing. In the midst of them, intently
knitting, there sat on the ground, in a madder-red petti
coat and chequered shawl, a fine-looking Connemara
girl of about 1 8.
From this beautiful lake ran a strong stream, which,
after we had crossed it by a bridge, continued for some
time alongside of the road. Before us, at a consider
able distance, was a large, lofty, solitary mountain. On
our right and left were low, rocky hills.
Immediately under a lofty mountain, called Molless,
we suddenly burst upon the magnificent salt-water
harbour of Ballynakill ; and on stopping at a small
hotel beside it, a number of little girls in bright-red
petticoats ran up to me.
" Take some di'monds, yere Arnh'r ! " they all ex
claimed, extending at once their slight arms and small
hands, in which I saw glittering a few tiny bits of
Avhite crystal.

Part I. MY TOUR. "175
But my attention was engrossed by a very handsome,
large, well-built Protestant church immediately before
me, which only a few days ago was consecrated by the
Bishop of Tuam.
Its site has been most happily chosen where the
winding road from Clifden to the Killeries approaches
the beautiful bay of Ballynakill, in the immediate
vicinity of some of the most improved parts of that
romantic district. The church, on the day of its con
secration, was, I was informed, densely crowded, not
only by the rich, poor, and poorest classes of the sur
rounding country, but by thirty clergymen of the
Established Church, as also by several people from
England. The ceremony, ornamented by the grand
mountain scenery around, was, no doubt, calculated to
make a deep and lasting impression on the minds of
those who witnessed it. For some time, by the skill
and energy of new settlers, the surrounding waste of
brown bog and heather had been converted into corn
fields and pasture, and in the midst of this placid
picture there now arose a solid building in which all
might assemble to invoke together the blessing of the
Almighty on all sorts and conditions of men.
Nearly opposite the church stood a very fine house,
built and occupied by James Ellis, Esq. (a Quaker,
brother to the late member for Leicester), who has
also just constructed a large and commodious school,
with a suitable residence for the master. He was,
moreover, the possessor of a large crop of oats on
ground that last year was a bog. The principal shop
keeper, and postmaster, is also an Englishman.
As usual, I walked for information to the con-

176 MY TOUR. Part L
stabulary barrack, in which I found, in the same state
of dress and discipline I have so continuously had
occasion to describe, one constable (a Roman Catholic)
and five sub-constables (four Roman Catholics and one
Presbyterian). In the constable's room I observed ' The
Works of Josephus,' ' Smith's Wealth of Nations,'
' Industrial Resources of Ireland,' ' Chalmers' Dis^
courses,' ' Anecdotes of Napoleon,' 'Waterton's Wan
derings,' ' Lamartine's History of the Girondists,5
' The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia,' ' The Saturday. Ma
gazine,' with several other volumes.
On my asking him what were his principal duties,
he readily replied, " Executing warrants generally, and
especially for poor-laws ; arresting those who have
absconded from workhouses with the clothes thereof,
besides often leaving their families behind; escorting
prisoners by night and by day ; patrolling from two
to four miles from the station ; going to fairs and
'patrons,' on the requirement of a magistrate, where
disturbances are expected ; attending quarter sessions,
assizes, and at elections, if called upon."
On asking him whence he procured provisions ? he
told me that, as he and his men could obtain but little
in the neighbourhood, excepting potatoes, they usually
sent to Clifden for their meat and salted it.
On the side of the harbour, which, being land-locked,
looks exactly like a beautiful lake, we passed a small,
comfortable house built by Mr. Graham, an English
man, and not far from it a small stone pier, at which
were lying moored three boats. Further on was a
large substantial residence, just completed by Captain
Fletcher, of Dublin, around which were growing pats

Part I. MY TOUR. 1 77
and green crops. In the surrounding heather-covered
hills, the summits of which had the soft, round appear
ance of those in Scotland, were to be seen here and
there, lower down, patches of oats.
We now came to a house called Rockville, a
propertybelonging to Mr. Butler (a Protestant), from
Carlow. Here a beautiful English-looking village
church, at the consecration of which 300 persons had
lately attended, and school-house, had been newly built,
and a residence for the clergyman, Mr. Lynch, is more
over in progress. In front of Mr. Butler's lawn and
gardens was a small rocky eminence, on which from a
slight flag-staff I saw revelling in pure air the British
Union Jack, beneath which several children were gam
bolling. The young plantations were thriving very
luxuriantly. After trotting by six unroofed cabins, victims to the
progress of the civilization that was striding around
them, the country reverted to grouse-shooting hills,
which again gradually changed into a vast extent of
coarse, rank, sedgy grass, in which, as the road wound
its serpentine course, not a habitation was to be seen.
Behind it stood the Twelve Pins, looking perfectly
barren. A little further on was another beautiful salt
lake, an inland branch of the sea, of which we had a
distant glimpse.
We now passed a house of modern form, surrounded
by crops and woods. At four miles from Clifden,
towards which our tired horse was slowly trotting, the
road began gradually to descend until we entered a
region of heather and furze, in which the flowers of the
purple loosestrife and yellow rag-weed were so blended
N

178 MY TOUR. Tart I.
together that they appeared to spring from the same
plant. " That's beautiful ! isn't it ? " I observed to the
driver, as we came rather suddenly in sight of a fine
lake. " Very handsome, indade, Sir! " he replied.
In a solitary potato-field a stout woman, in a red
petticoat and with bare ankles and feet, was stooping
down digging potatoes ; as we passed close to her she
raised her uncovered head, from which hung a quantity
of black shaggy hair as wild as the mane of a Shetland
pony. On the hill side above her I observed an animal
grazing. " Will mules," said I to the driver, pointing towards
it, " eat potatoes ? "
" Oh yes ! " he replied, with a grin : " they'll poke
'um up with their fate."
My friend's mouth now began to pucker up, and
around each eye there gradually appeared such innu
merable wrinkles of fun, that I saw I had uninten
tionally touched a ticklish point.
" Oh yes, Sir," he added, scarcely able to suppress
laughter. " Oich ! yere Arnh'r, they're the bloodiest
rogues you ever see in yere life! They're mortal
knowing, and you can niver depend on 'um. Gad ! if
ye mind 'um for twinty yares, they'll some day or night
all of a sudden turn on ye and give ye a kick ! "
We now entered Clifden, the principal town of that
western highland portion of Ireland comprehended
under the local names of Jar Connaught, Connemara,
and Joyce Country, the whole being usually called
Connemara, a district about 34 miles long and 20 in

Part I. MY TOUR. 179
breadth, and comprehending upwards of 20 capacious
harbours fit for the reception of vessels of any bur
den. The best land in Connemara is comprised in the
neighbourhood around the town.
Leaving my carpet-bag at the hotel at which I had
ordered dinner, for it was now past six o'clock, I
walked to the union workhouse (an enormous manu
facturing-looking building of two rows, one behind the
other, each row having twenty windows in front),
situated about two hundred yards from the termination
of the main street, and, as I only wanted to see its
inmates, I requested the master to assemble them, at
once, in their respective yards. Their numbers were
as follows : —
Able-bodied men, of whom only six were
really fit for work, and boys above 15 159
Able-bodied females above 15 .... 226
Infirm  44
Boys below 15  108
Girls do.  227
Nurses | S2
In hospital, &c. f Total  846
At the entrance-gate I had observed two messenger-
boys, fifteen and sixteen years of age, with unusually
handsome countenances, and I was surprised to learn
that " they could get no work." The girls below fifteen,
who were dressed in blue, without hats or shoes, ap
peared healthy, but very small; many of them had
been in the house three or four years. The little boys
below fifteen were— as I have before observed — fear
fully diminutive. The women and girls above fifteen I
N 2

180 MY TOUR. Part I.
found all standing in the yards, in a row, with their
backs against the wall. Almost every one had an
honest countenance, was clean, but all "were barefooted.
The men and boys over fifteen, who generally speaking
looked weak, were dressed in clothes so old that they
appeared to be on the confines of turning into rags.
The aged and infirm, principally women, formed, of
course, a sad scene ; and, as my brief observations were
concluded, I was not sorry to get once again into the
free air.
On walking towards the inn I was surprised at the
number of public buildings I could see. In front of
me, inclining to the left, was Bridewell ; not far from
it a comfortable house on an eminence belonging to
the parish priest ; and on its right a Catholic chapel,
the constabulary barrack, and, lastly, a court-house.
The town is composed of a principal street, straight,
very broad, and about 120 yards in length, of houses of
two and three stories high, and of another similar but
curved street joining it at one end, at an angle of about
45 degrees. At the point of junction I found seated on
the ground several groups of women and girls, all in
red petticoats and white or striped shawls. Some
wore caps, while the hair of the remainder hung loose
on their shoulders, with nothing to keep it from dangling
before their eyes but their ears, behind which a portion
of it was more or less neatly packed or poked. Before
each of them lay a quantity of fruit or dried fish in a
flat basket, but, as there was not in sight a single pur
chaser, patiently and cheerily they sat chattering in
Irish, and looking into each other's eyes, taking not the
slightest notice of me, although for a few minutes I

Part I. MY TOUR. 181
stood among them noting their appearance in my book.
Close to them, with a family of weights beneath it, was
a large iron triangle, in charge of a sturdy man called
a " craner," whose official duty — in consideration of a
salary of 10/. a-year and a small payment for each
article — consisted in weighing potatoes, corn, hay,
straw, &c, for the whole community. Two of the
constabulary, neatly dressed, were standing beside him.
At their feet sat an extremely pretty, modest-looking
young woman, in a ragged red petticoat mended by, or
rather composed of, patches, no one of which was as
big as my hand. From her head, twisted into beautiful
folds, hung an old blanket in rags and tatters. Close
to her was a tiny circle of little children of about two
or three years old, cheaply amusing themselves with a
heap of dust. Below the street, at the end of the town,
and at a considerable depth, lay a beautiful narrow
lake or arm of the sea, called Ardhear Bay, on the
opposite side of which green crops and oats were
growing among rocks in small enclosures, bounded by
dilapidated stone walls ; and about two miles distant
appeared Clifden Castle, to which a quantity of landed
property in the neighbourhood is attached.
On returning to the town I entered into conversation
with an exceedingly intelligent English farmer, who
had lately purchased land in Connemara. He told me
that the strong, rank, sedgy grass, which from its luxu
riance had much attracted my attention, was fit only
for rough Irish cattle or brood mares; in fact, that
neither sheep nor English bullocks would touch it.
And on my asking him why throughout the country I
had that day passed I had scarcely seen any live stock,

182 MY TOUR. Part I.
he explained to me that on much of the property in the
neighbourhood, that had been lately purchased, there
proved to be unexpected arrears of poor-rates, which
the purchaser could not conveniently pay ; and, as he
knew that if he stocked his land with cattle they would
be seized, he allowed it, for the present, to remain
without them.
The necessity for some means of facilitating the sale
of encumbered estates had been apparent in Ireland for
many years. The extravagant habits of the last cen
tury, the establishment of " middle-men " and of the
cottier system, which converted the small tenant into a
mere rent-producing animal, induced the formation of
large family settlements, and thereby encouraged loans,
for which estates, one after another, were mortgaged.
In addition to all this, competition rents, the system of
creating 40s. freeholders, of paying for land by labour,
and the consequent result, namely, a state of barter
and of low subsistence, produced altogether, early in
the present century, a climax, the evil consequences of
which the high prices of the war temporarily averted.
At last, however, the hour of retribution arrived.
Rents were necessarily diminished ; the cholera, the
potato disease, and the famine consequent thereon,
rendered the collection of these reduced rents imprac
ticable ; and, first, the creation of the poor-law, and,
secondly, its extension to out-door relief, produced the
inevitable effects of completely breaking down not only
the landlord but the system on which he had lived.
Many who had long been striving to compound, or to
effect a sale on fair terms, were suddenly compelled to
go into the market on any terms, and no sooner were

Part I. MY TOUR". 1 83
they forced into this miserable emergency than they
practically experienced, most keenly, the evils that in
Ireland fettered the transfer of real property.
For instance, there were lands occupied on parlia
mentary titles, scarcely two hundred years old, so
hampered in the intricate meshes of the law that they
could not pass through those of the Court of Chancery.
The system of registry established in 1715 had be
come nearly useless, and it was therefore evident to
all concerned — to buyers as well as to sellers —
that nothing short of the creation by Parliament of a
new court, almost as arbitrary as that (the Court of
Claims) which had originally given the titles, would
suffice to remove the embarrassments in which all were
involved. The benefits conferred upon Ireland, and indeed
upon English and Scotch purchasers, by the Encum
bered Estates Act, have proved almost incalculable.
Seven hundred and seventy-two properties, or parts
of properties, have already been sold to 2335 new pro
prietors, for no less than 7,215,000/. The greater part
of these sales have been so small that only ten have
exceeded 20,000/. each. Several of the purchasers had
been the tenants of the very lands on which, under the
old system,, they were before starving, and which they
had been struggling to cultivate. Others are persons
who have realised, in trade and in professional labour,
fortunes they were desirous to expend on land— some are
mortgagees — several English or Scotch settlers. And
thus, although all must regret to see old properties
broken up, old families dispersed, and ancestral man
sions deserted, it cannot be denied that the unavoidable

184 MY TOUR. Part I.
change that has been effected is highly advantageous,
most especially as compared with the laws, habits, cus
toms, and state of society it succeeded. In common justice
to the unfortunate proprietors who, under the operation
of the new Act, have been summarily obliged to sell, it
should, however, be recollected that for the erroneous
system of their forefathers — the results of circumstances
rather than of guilt — they ought not to be held answer
able ; that this system they had no power to alter ;
and, lastly, that the blow which eventually felled
them to the ground was an extraordinary dispensation
of Providence — a simultaneous visitation on animal
and vegetable life they could not have foreseen, and
which it was utterly out of their power to avert.
The actual effect of the famine in Ireland, even merely
as it regards population, it is not very easy to calculate.
By the last census the population of Ireland amounted
in that year to 8,175,124. Reckoning by its previous
average advance, it had probably in 1845 increased to
say 8,500,000 (but for this there can be only conjecture,
and the computation above stated). In 1851 the popu
lation was found to have sunk to 6,515,794. In round
numbers half of this diminution may, I have reason to
believe, be set down to foreign emigration, 150,000 or
200,000 to immigration to England, and the remainder
to a diminution of births, owing partly to the emigrants
having been in the prime of life, and partly to the
effects of the famine, which, although it did not actually
prove fatal to as many as is usually supposed, not only
forced and frightened many of those most likely to
have children to emigrate (leaving behind the aged
and infirm members of their families), but by poverty

Part I. MY TOUR. 185
diminished the marriages and fecundity of those who
remained. At half-past nine o'clock at night I walked to the
barrack of the constabulary, composed of one sub-
inspector (a Protestant), who having just returned from
a long journey was in bed, one head-constable (a Pro
testant), two constables (Catholics), and sixteen sub-
constables, of whom thirteen were Catholics and three
Protestants. From the head-constable I ascertained that, at a cost
of 2300/., there had just been constructed in the town
a substantial Protestant church ; and that for another,
to be erected on the opposite side of the Bay, 600/. had
already been collected. He informed me that " no
crime of importance had been committed in the neigh
bourhood for the last twelve months."

FOURTH DAY.

At seven o'clock in the morning I started edgeways
— until I got tired I involuntarily, invariably, and un
ceasingly grumbled at this awkward attitude — from
Clifden, with a new driver, and a long-stepping, nearly
thorough -bred, bay horse, sound, six years old, and
called, as the man at my back told me, " Ballinasloe,"
because he had been bought there — and I may add, as
a fact of greater importance than his name — for eleven
pounds. On each side of us, as we trotted along, were low
stony hills covered with a mixture of heather and
sedgy grass, before us a range of higher ones, on the

186 MY TOUR. PartI.
summit of which soft white watery clouds were re
posing. We now passed four substantial cabins un
roofed, and I felt my flesh creep as I saw exuding from
one of them a slight smoke, thus denoting, as I soon
discovered, but too truly, that the lone sepulchre was
still haunted by the living inmates who had been
evicted from it. After traversing a spendid snipe-level
we passed, at its extremity, another unroofed cabin, on
the floor of which, as we drove by, I saw, in full bloom
and luxuriance, the beautiful purple loosestrife. On
our left, and apparently close to us, was that magnifi
cent assemblage of mountains round which we had
been travelling, namely, the Benna Beola, or Twelve
Pins. In front were the Cashel Hills, on the right that
of Erespeak. Close to us, on a small dark-coloured
level, were four women, in bleached red petticoats and
white shawls, arranging peat in heaps.
As we proceeded we came to two beautiful small
placid lakes, from which there were rising such a quan
tity of rushes that the colour of the surface formed a
series of gradual alternations from green to white
water, and vice versa. Around were heaps or tumuli of
black peat.
As we were steadily trotting by the side of a small
lake, called Darlie, there stood, close to its edge, a soli
tary melancholy-looking unroofed cabin.
" A great number of poor people," said I to the driver,
as, twisting my neck, I turned half way towards him,
" appear to have been turned out of this country."
" A good dale, Sir !" he replied, keeping his eye
fixed steadily on his horse.
" Do you think the new system will answer ?"

PartI. MY TOUR. 187
" I do, yere Arnh'r ! Until the last five or six years
they niver had a grane (grain) crap in this county."
" Have you lived all your life in this neighbour
hood?" " Indade I have, Sir. They are taking great pathron
(pattern) from the gintlemen who are coming into this
counthry. All the paple (people) wants is a little in
struction." " Of what description? " I inquired.
" Yere Arnh'r ! they didn't know how to reclaim their
lands. When these English gintlemen came into the
counthry, and they saw how they were draining their
land and digging it up, they took pathron from them,
and are now improving every other thimselves."
" How have you been living ? " I inquired.
" For eleven years in the hotil. In summer I drive
the car to support four of us. In winter we have nothing
to do. Divil a hap'orth can we gain."
We here met a fine bareheaded boy riding behind
two panniers full of peat on a horse with a straw crupper,
and, in lieu of one of Wilkinson and Kid's double
bridles, a straw halter.
" The potatoes," I observed to my driver as I pointed
to the black-topped leaves of a small quantity growing
by the road-side, " seem to be failing a good deal."
" Yes, they did !" he replied.
After passing a few small patches of oats and potatoes
we came to another great expanse of rough sedgy grass,
on the left of which, towering close above us, at an
average altitude of 2300 feet above the sea, were Ben-
cullagh, Benhaun, Bencorr, and Benlettery, the finest
portion of the Twelve Pins. A little boy had been

188 MY TOUR. Part I.
running close behind the car for upwards of a mile.
When he commenced to do so, I shook my hand, and,
looking very sternly at him, said, " No ! no ! " To get
rid of him, however, I at last held out to him a penny,
which I conceived to be the object that was upper
most in his mind — in fact, the locomotive engine that
was propelling him. His little fingers grasped mine
as he took it, but, instead of triumphantly relaxing, as I
expected he would, into a walk, he continued running
about ten feet from us for more than another mile ; in
short, he was sociably disposed, and, like most people,
preferred travelling in company to journeying alone ;
indeed, from this social feeling, my car was often
followed for miles by boys, and occasionally by little
girls. On our left I now saw a small house, surrounded by
a tiny field of oats, the property of a man, Adams, who
had been severely reduced by the famine. On the
road-side, covered with a rude garment exactly of the
colour of earth, sat a remarkably fine-looking woman
of about forty, knitting and minding four cows. After
passing her, we suddenly saw beneath us, sparkling in
the sun, a most beautiful, large, long serpentine lake,
called Ballynahinch, studded with small islands, on one
of which were the picturesque ruins of an ancient
castle. " That's auld Dick Martin's !" said my driver, point
ing towards it with his whip : " ut was the prison," he
added, "where he confined paple that were cruel to
animals." " But whereabouts," I asked, " did old Dick Martin
live himself?"

PartI. MY TOUR. 189
" I'll show yere Arnh'r immadiately !" he replied ; and
accordingly, in about one hundred yards, he pointed to
two large residences, more than a mile from each other,
both partly concealed from view by the wood that
clothes the whole of the southern boundary of the
water. Of these handsome-looking edifices, one was
the house and the other the stables of the late Mr.
Martin. The latter building, however, as is but too
often the case, had ruined the former. The proprietor
of both unfortunately became ruined, lost a property
extending from his house to Oughterard, a distance of
twenty -five miles; and his daughter, a lady of consi
derable literary attainments, alas ! died on her passage
to America.
The Lake of Ballynahinch communicates on the north
with Loughs Inagh and Derryclare, the eastern boundary
of the Benna Beola, or Twelve Pin Mountains ; and the
surplus waters of all three flow from Ballynahinch
through the deep and ample channel of the Owenmore
River into Round-stone Harbour, and from it into the
great Atlantic Ocean.
As we were trotting along the bank of the bright,
lovely lake on our right, we overtook a car on which
were three English tourists, forming altogether a pleas
ing picture of a happy family. On the left bench sat
two young men in wide-awake hats and shooting jackets,
one holding a landing-net, the other a rod in several
lengths bound together by little straps. On the
opposite bench was a very old, hale gentleman — ap
parently the father, — sitting erect, with his fishing-rod,
longer than a Cossack's lance, pointing to his zenith.
Close by his side sat a useful, bareheaded, ragged little

190 MY TOUR. Part I.
boy, with red, naked feet and ankles dangling againstthe
drab-coloured, gaiter- covered calves of his aged neigh
bour's long, lean legs. In the middle of the whole,
bolt upright, sat the driver. I need hardly say they
were on a fishing excursion, for which the neighbourhood
of Ballynahinch has long been celebrated. The lake of
that name, as we journeyed along its picturesque banks,
appeared to be upwards of two miles in length by about
a half or a quarter of a mile in breadth, and at its ex
tremity we took leave of those twelve pins, around two
sides of which, from north to south and then from west
to east, we had so long been trotting. As we wrere
proceeding alongside of a river on our right, we passed,
on a lonely desolate road, an extremely beautiful bare
footed girl of about 17, whose hair, unrestrained even
by her ears, was hanging in a state of perfect nature on
her shoulders. On her back was a bundle, and in her
right hand, which was vibrating easily by her side,
there swung a very small bonnet. Altogether she was
a fine specimen of the Connemara peasantry, considered
to be the tallest and handsomest in Ireland. The river
now introduced us to another long beautiful lake, full
of little islands from 100 yards in length to a single
black rock protruding from the water. Most of these
romantic islands were covered with wood ; and we
had scarcely taken leave of them all, when we trotted
by the side of another square lough called Garroman,
or Glendalough, upwards of a mile in length by half
a mile in breadth, in which were two rocky islands,
ornamented with brushwood of various shades of green.
In a very short distance we came to two other lakes,
at the extremity of which was an unroofed cabin, the

Part I. MY TOUR. 1 9 1
only representative of a human habitation in sight.
Near it stood, alone and all forlorn, a finger-post, on
which was the name of a branch road.
" What is written on that ? " I unkindly inquired of
my driver, who had remained silent, I thought, rather
too long.
"I don't read, yere Arnh'r! " was his reply.
After ascending a slight acclivity, — the termination
of the district of Connemara, — there suddenly appeared,
lying prostrate before us, Lough Lindy, bounded at a
distance by a wild group of magnificent-looking, high,
conical mountains. We here met two barefooted,
bareheaded boys, riding on a horse with a straw halter.
On the left of this lake was a whitewashed building,
which from its shape (for they have almost all been
built on the same plan) I instantly recognised to be a
constabulary barrack. Beyond it, at intervals, were
three other whitewashed houses, the only habitations
in sight.
On entering the barrack, the windows of which were
wide open, the walls milk white, and the floors as clean
as a kitchen dresser, I found one constable (a Protestant)
and four sub-constables (Catholics), all as neat, as closely
shaved, as tightly buttoned up, and with accoutrements
as well appointed as if they had been on guard at St.
James's Palace.
The constable, an exceedingly fine, handsome, well-
behaved, intelligent-looking young man, of about 29
years of age, who had been at the station two years and
seven months, told me 'that he and his party could get
no provisions from the surrounding country ; and that,
accordingly, they obtained their groceries from Galway,

192 MY TOUR. PartI.
36 miles off,* and the rest from Clifden, distant in the
opposite direction 14 miles (English).
"Can't you get potatoes here? " I observed.
" No ! " he replied ; " we cannot get a ha'porth of
anything else." After a moment's reflection he added,
" Milk, and that's very dear— that's the only thing we
can obtain. For our mate, butter, and fish, we send to
Clifden. On Friday the men generally eat milk and
butter." " But can't you get fish out of the lake ? " said I,
pointing with my umbrella to the beautiful expanse of
water before us.
" No, Sir ! " he replied, very gravely ; " we're not
allowed to fish. I wish," he added, with a pleasing
smile, " / wish we were ! "
The words seemed to stab me like a sword. For
many hours I had been almost solitarily gazing upon
an expanse of water which, although beautifully sub
divided in endless variety, appeared to form very
nearly half of this desolate but magnificent portion of
Connemara. By the beneficent arrangements of Pro
vidence this extensive aqueous district was, of course,
more or less teeming with fish.
Now, it was easy to comprehend that it may be highly
advisable that the constabulary of Ireland, whose dis
cipline it is so necessary to maintain, should, especially
in their remote stations, be discouraged, or, in strict
military parlance, should be forbidden from cultivating
gardens, killing game, or catching fish — amusements
which would inevitably divert their time, and distract
* They could purchase them, he said, at Oughterard, but at exorbitant
prices.

PartI. MY TOUR. 193
their attention from the vigilant, important, and un
ceasing duties they have to perform. And yet, when
I listened to the words I have just repeated, and ob
served the truth, obedience, and self-command with
which they were expressed, I own I felt a pang, which
it required a few moments' reflection to convert into
indescribable admiration of the man who had uttered
them, and of the general discipline of the force of
which he was a worthy representative.
" How's the climate here in winter?" I inquired of
him. " Very wet and very rough," he replied.
" Have you much frost ? "
" No," said he ; " there's very little frost or snow in
Connemara ; it is, I think, too near the sea."
" Is it healthy ? "
" Very, Sir," he replied ; " but," after a short pause,
he added, very gravely, " there is no place of worship.
I have not been in one for two years and a half. The
other men liave one within three miles."
On the table, at which I sat copying in my book his
words as fast as he pronounced them, there was lying
his Bible.
" You have got that," said I, " at all events ; and
with it, and a consciousness that you are performing
your duty, you should try to rest satisfied ;" and I
then explained to him how many of our soldiers and
sailors were occasionally similarly situated.
" What you say is very true, Sir ! " he replied, with
an aspiration amounting very nearly to a sigh.
Just before we had stopped at the barrack we had
met a young, well-dressed Englishman, walking along

194 MY TOUR. Part I,
the road. Immediately opposite, on the other side of
the lake, was his beautiful farm, with a residence sur
rounded by trees. At the end of the lake we passed
close by a small slated house, with offices, environed
by trees growing luxuriantly — the residence, I was in
formed, of Mr. Tiger (a Protestant), of Dublin.
" What is the price of provisions in this country?"
I inquired of the driver, who readily replied as
follows : —
" Chickuns are about 5c/. a couple, dooks 10c/. A
couple of young gaise 10c/. ; when auld, not less than Is.
or 14c/."
" And turkeys ? " I asked.
"I can't say; ,we havn't many of thim in the
counthry, and I don't want to tell yere Arnh'r a lie.
Fish little or nothing, A large turbot, of 30 lbs.
weight, for 3s. Lobsters, a dozen for 4c/. Soles, 2d.
or 3d. a-piece. T'other day I bought a turbot, of 15 lbs.
weight, for a gintleman, and I paid 18c?. for ut."
We here met a boy with a book in his hand, and
shortly afterwards two more, going to Mr. Tiger to
school. " Has yere Arnh'r ever sane an agle ? " said my
driver, pointing to a magnificent pair of brown eagles
chained to a post close to a house we were now
passing. " There was a pair," he added, " of 'um on
that island, that lived there one hundred years, till
they gort quite grey. They grab fish in the middle of
the lake, and, when too heavy, I've sane em put up a
wing like a sail, and bring it ashore."
" Have you really seen them do that ? " I Pick-
wickianly inquired.

PartI. MY TOUR. 195
" I did, Sir ! " he replied ; " and then they ate it."
As he was speaking, a large heron, with white body
and quaker-grey wings, majestically rose from the lake-
shore, and, Avith its long neck pointing to its course,
away it slowly flew.
" Now take yereself away out o' that ! " exclaimed
the driver, very sharply, to a pretty little girl of about
13 years of age that was running behind us.
The lake now branched into two more, separated
from each other by a small, serpentine, silver thread
of water, and the country then changed into a great
expanse of flat, snipey ground, covered with rank,
sedgy grass, intermingled more or less with heather;
in a short time we drove up to a solitary post-house,
called Flyn's Hotel, a low, irregular-shaped, white
washed building, surrounded by dilapidated stone walls,
enclosing sometimes something of very little value, and
sometimes nothing but loose stones. Altogether it was
the wildest-looking spot I had seen for a long time ;
indeed it much reminded me of a Gaucho's hut in South
America. Behind it was the extensive grassy land we had
just passed. Before it a beautiful lake, called Shin-
dilla, studded with islands covered with wood. Imme-r
diately on the left was the termination of the Foyne
mountains, the summits of which were so bald, barren,
and bleak that it was evident at a glance that the
whole range would not afford sustenance for a mouse.
Beyond the lake were distant hills covered with heather.
Just as I was starting with a fresh horse, car, and
driver, I heard a voice close before my knees say, " I
suspect yere Arnh'r wull not forget the arsler ? "
o 2

196 MY TOUR. Part I.
" What ? " I inquired. The driver explained to me
it was the horsier.
The lovely lake Shindilla, and two others with
which it is connected by isthmuses and bridges, are
above three miles in length. We here came to a white
house, the office of Mr. Robertson, a Scotchman, agent
to the great London Insurance Company by whom
almost the whole of the surrounding country has been
lately purchased, and yet since we had left Clifden I
had scarcely seen any stock.
As we were driving through an immense plain of
rough grass and heather,
" Do you live in that place where we changed
cars ? " I inquired of my driver, who had the appear
ance of being rather a dull companion.
" I do, Sir," he replied.
" Were you born there ? "
" I was indade, yere Arnh'r ! " he replied with a
yawn. " I work at the shovel. I can mow, or rape,
or anything."
" Where do you go to church ? "
" At  " (I could not copy the sound, for it
appeared to be composed merely of a common cough
and bark in about equal proportions), " tin miles off
ixactly." " How often ? " I asked.
" Once a wake, sometimes once a fortnight."
" How many people attend ? "
" Oich ! " he replied, " there's a great dale."
" But how many ? " I asked.
" Oich ! I couldn't till, yere Arnh'r ; there'd be a
graight number."

FartL MY TOUR. 197
" What do you live on?"
" Pitaturs, milk, and butter. In summer I ate bread."
" Did you suffer much during the famine ? "
" And indade I did not, thank God ! "
At five miles from Shandilla, from which we had
started, we came to some patches of oats, growing by
the side of a small lake ; and, after passing a solitary
cabin, another beautiful lake, about a mile long, sur
rounded on all sides by grouse-shooting hills, gradually
came in view. We here met a small boy and two little
girls. " God bless yere Arnh'r ! " said the former as he
ravenously picked up a penny I had thrown to him.
As the roan horse trotted steadily onwards, we passed
on our right along a Sedgy, snipey strip, composed
sometimes of green and yellow grass, and sometimes
of water. At seven miles from Shandilla we came to
seven or eight cabins, surrounded by several patches of
oats and potatoes, and shortly afterwards the narrow
stream beside us ended in a lake half a mile long,
terminating in a small village, which my driver told
me was called " Durrarglin." I here found nearly
finished a substantial stone, slated building, of four
windows in front, a Protestant school, and shortly
afterwards, trotting through a congregation of sixteen
huts, called Glenrowlen, where our eyes were refreshed
by the sight of about a dozen women in red petticoats,
we emerged from the mountains into, comparatively
speaking, a flat country of heather and coarse grass.
In it, at some distance on the right, appeared two white
buildings and slight machinery, in the immediate vici
nity of some lead-mines, worked by about forty or fifty
people.

198 MY TOUR. Part I. #
The day was beautifully soft and cloudy, and as we
drove through a dead snipe-flat about three-quarters of
a mile long we met a horse and cart ; and at nine and
a half miles from Shandilla, after ascending a slight
acclivity, we suddenly beheld an immense open country
of poor land, bounded by that great inland sea Lough
Corrib, which, by a river of the same name, is con
nected with the maritime town and harbour of Gal way.
On the north, Lough Corrib has lately been made to
communicate with the great Lough Mask ; and as it
will be evident to the reader that the three districts of
Jar Connaught, Joyce's Country, and Connemara are
singularly mixed up with, as well as bounded by, inland
¦ lakes of immense extent, a few observations on the sub
ject may be deemed necessary.
In a climate so humid as Ireland drainage is an
indispensable preliminary to agricultural improvement,
but to render practicable that description of minor field
drainage which is effected by straightening and deepen
ing watercourses, &c, it is indispensable that proper
outfalls should be provided ; and here the geological
structure of the country comes in the way. Ireland, as
is well known, consists of a great limestone district ex
tending over the whole centre of the island, the edges
being almost everywhere upheaved by primary rocks.
Many outlets are thus turned aside, and thus the central
district, which occupies two-thirds of the country, lies
stagnant for want of a discharge of its waters. The
limestone in the interior is further distorted, and formed
into basins, which in some cases discharge into or through
each other, and in others have no discharge, but are "
either filled with extensive bog deposits, or, as in the

Part I. MY TOUR. 199
* counties of Mayo and Galway, form absolute lakes,
called turloughs* (land-lakes), which occasionally, in
very dry seasons, are emptied partially, and very irre
gularly, through subterranean channels in the cavern
ous limestone on which they rest.
To open these basins — to clear away obstructions in
the rivers — and thus permit the free discharge of pent-
up waters of the interior into the large rivers or into
the sea — is therefore indispensable to the successful
operation of the land improvement, and this the Go
vernment has undertaken, under authority of the Acts
for arterial drainage.
A remarkable and very successful case has lately
been the subject of public attention at Galway. A rain
catchment-basin ¦ — i.e. the district bounded by the
watershed line of the hills whose drainages run into it
— contains the extensive lakes Mask and Corrib, which
together are about thirty miles long by ten in breadth,
being separated from each other only by a tongue of
land three miles wide. Into this basin others open, the
aggregate extent being 780,000 acres. Now, although
all the waters of this enormous district were thus
received into Loughs Mask and Corrib, and found their
way into the sea at Galway, the connection between
the two great lakes above named was by subterranean
channels only. Moreover, while the discharge from
Lough Corrib to the sea, distant about five miles, was
for the greater part sluggish for want of a fall ,the
remainder was a rapid.
To effect the discharge of the waters of the upper
. into the lower lake, and of the accumulated waters of
* From Tra, land ; and Lottsh, lake.

200 MY TOUR. Part I.
both into the sea, was the main and first object ; and
yet, as if to complicate the problem, it was evidently
necessary, for the purposes of navigation, to maintain
sufficient water in the lakes and connecting rivers.
Now, it was found that the first object (drainage)
would be sufficiently effected by keeping the lakes at
the summer level the whole year round ; but that below
that limit the waters could not be reduced without
destroying the navigation. The calculation and ar
rangements for simultaneously attaining both objects
were the results of long and careful observations made
by the Board of Works on the fall of rain and other
circumstances, and, much to the credit of that im
portant department, the requisite works are now nearly
complete. Lough Mask will now be made to communicate
with the Lower Lake by a canal passing over cavern
ous limestone, which, being as porous as a sponge or
coral, must be stanched or made water-tight, that it
may be always full for navigation. The surplus dis
charge for drainage will be secured by a side cut sepa
rate from the subterranean passage above described.
On the late visit of the Lord Lieutenant (the Earl
of Eglinton) to Galway, the canal between Corrib and
the sea was opened by the Viceroy in person.
Loans for the arterial drainage of Ireland, as above
described, have been granted to the amount of about
2,000,000/. This expenditure, which is on a larger scale than
individuals could defray, is made in the first instance
entirely by the Board of Works, for the evident reason
that it affects the interests of numerous proprietors,

PartI. MY TOUR. 201
which could only be disinterestedly guarded by pecu
liar powers.
The advantages will be as follows : —
1. With respect to drainage, the upper and flooded
lands of Ireland will be relieved, and the means of
thorough drainage placed within the reach of the
landed proprietors.
2. In regard to navigation, the greatest lakes will
become accessible from the sea and from each
other.
3. Mill-power will not only be scientifically regu
lated and be made more constant at all seasons,
but will considerably be increased.
4. Fisheries will become more profitable to capi
talists, and consequently productive of increased
food for man.
5. Besides the direct benefits above enumerated, the
expenditure of the loan must create an industrial
school of skilled labourers, and the pauper will
thus be trained to improved habits, to the use of
improved instruments, and to improved modes of
working.
The drainage loans are to be repaid by the proprie
tors, on the security of the lands improved ; but when,
as in the case of Lake Corrib, navigation and mill-power
are combined with drainage, one-half of the cost of the
project is made a free grant, and the other half charged
to the county-rates.
Pointing to a hand-post we were passing, my driver
said, " That, you see, is the road to Knock."
" And where did you learn to read ? " I inquired.
"At home, at my oun place," he replied.

202 MY TOUR. Part I.
Crossing the dark bog-coloured water of the River
Fough, which runs into the adjoining Lough Corrib,
we now entered the village or little town of Oughte
rard, at the commencement of which stands a small
cottage, known as " Martin's Gate House," being the
commencement of the immense property formerly held
by the proprietor of that name. In driving along a
street containing shops and a few two-storied houses, we
passed a large handsome Catholic church with a tower
and entrance like a cathedral, a stone court-house of
five windows in front, and a very new capacious Pro
testant church, in the interesting state of being enlarged.
There is also at a distance a long line of military bar
racks for 150 men, a bridewell, and lastly an inn and post-
office kept by a Mr. O'Flaherty. I here ordered a fresh
horse and car, and while they were getting ready I
walked a short distance to the constabulary barrack : its
force was composed of a sub-inspector (absent on duty),
one head constable (Roman Catholic), one acting ditto
(Protestant), one mounted constable (Catholic), eight
sub-constables, of whom two were Protestants and six
Catholics. The head constable, who had been at the station for
four years, informed me that little or no crime was
committed in the neighbourhood ; " that the offences
were trivial and very rare, and that during the last six
months nothing of consequence had occurred." As a
proof of the honesty of the people of the country he
added that few houses in the neighbourhood had either
bolt, bar, or shutters. " Before and during the elections,"
he observed, " there were some petty disturbances
between the lower order of Catholics and Protestants,

Part I. MY TOUR. 203
and in the month of May last there was in the village a
mission of both religions, and during that time, had it
not been for constant vigilance by day and by night,
there would probably have been serious disturbances.
Windows were broken, but now these angry feelings
have almost entirely subsided."
He also informed me that about four or five months
ago a great many evictions had taken place in the
neighbourhood, principally on the Martin property,
170,000 acres, lately purchased by a London Life
Insurance Company ; that he had to attend at all these
evictions, but that " there was no resistance or trouble
of any sort."
" What became of the people evicted ?" I inquired.
"They went," he replied, "to the workhouse, to
America, England, or wherever they could get em
ployment." " Did they commit any depredations during their
distress?" I asked.
" They did not, indade, Sir !" he replied.
" What do you pay for your tea and sugar here ? " I
inquired. " Very dare, Sir," he replied. " We pay 5s. for tea,
5c/. for brown sugar, and 8c/. for white ; that is, if we
buy a single pound."
The whole constabulary establishment was in ad
mirable order, the men's equipments were all shining,
and the brass scales on the shoulders of the mounted
constable literally shone like burnished gold.
What a moral example of cleanliness, order, and
obedience, must the 1590 Constabulary Barracks
offer to the people among whom they are everywhere

Part I:
204 MY TOUR."
located! Indeed, as a pleasing proof how much this
" Force " is respected, I may state that it is a common
practice for poor persons to come to the head con
stable to settle any little pecuniary disagreements
between them, instead of incurring the expense of
going to law.
On a slight eminence outside the village, the head
constable showed me, in a field, two buildings, as white
as snow, one a national, and the other a Protestant
school ; he told me that about two miles off there had,
moreover, been lately constructed another Protestant
school. In the market-place were a number of women, one
in red tatters that completely defied description.
I also observed there several pigs in tandem form ; that
is to say, their owners were driving them in pairs, each
couple being matrimonially tied together by a long straw
band, but during certain paroxysms that occasionally
occur in all descriptions of wedlock, which was leader,
and which was wheeler, it was sometimes for a moment
or two exceedingly difficult correctly to declare.
From the market I went to the workhouse, a very
large, new building, hardly completed. In it were 795
poor, of whom there were very few men that could
really be termed able-bodied. The general appearance of
the various classes was very nearly what I have already
repeatedly described. By the master I was informed
that on the 1st of January last the number of inmates
was 972, but that on the 29th of June he had, in con
sequence of evictions, no less than 1475, of whom 680
had since emigrated or managed to find employment.
Of the amount of out-door relief administered by the

Part 1. MY TOUR. 205
Board of Guardians of the Union the master could give
me no information whatever.
Previous to the passing of the Poor Law Act in 1839,
there was no legal provision for the poor in Ireland ;
and, indeed, that Act strictly confined relief to the
walls of the workhouse in which the infirm, aged, and
destitute were to be received. In consequence of the
famine, out-door relief, which it was necessary to
legalise by the extension Act of 1847, was administered,
in the first instance, by a gigantic system of what were
misnamed " Public Works."
At this labour, often nearly useless, the poor in
winter suffered severely, and, as there was no food in
many parts of the country, money-wages soon became
comparatively useless. The system, therefore, was
succeeded by one of direct relief, for the legalization of
which there was passed a new Act that still continues,
and which, in fact, forms the present Poor Law of Ire
land, the expenditure and relief of which has, since
1840, been as follows : —

Year.

No. of Unions.

Expenditure.

No. of Paupers,

1840

4

£ 37, 057

10,910

1841

37

110,278

31, 108

1846

129

435,001

243, 933

1847

130

803, 686

417, 139

1848

131

1, 835, 634

610,463

1849

131

2,177,651

932, 284

1850

163

1,430, 108

805, 702

1851

163

1, 110,892

708, 450

The numbers relieved under the Poor Law system in
1848 and 1849 were 1,433,042 and 1,210,482. Through-

Part I.
206 MY TOUR.
out the whole of Ireland there are now 163 Poor Law
unions, comprehending 3439 electoral divisions.
I now returned to the inn, where I found waiting
for me a car that had once been black, a new driver in
a hat that appeared to have been severely crunched, and
a little, lean, wiry, thoroughbred pony, wearing a straw
collar, a bridle with only one winker, and a belly-band
loose enough to have admitted a child's body On
assuming my seat, with my eyes as usual exactly at
right angles to the line of draught, I was accosted by
two or three beggars.-" Dis yere Arnh'r want a lob
ster," exclaimed to me a very fine-looking woman of
about thirty, " beautiful, jumping, and alive ? "—and as
there was nothing in their appearance or language that
happened to strike my fancy, I said to the driver,
" Now then, my man ! " At the little horse's head I
had observed a man standing, apparently as if to pre
vent his starting forward too hastily. I soon found,
however, that it was diametrically for the opposite
purpose, for as soon as the little creature received
a slight touch with the whip, instead of taking me, as
I desired, eastward, he began to back due west. Off
jumped the driver, and, with his round, red face to
wards the Occident, he pulled at the bridle with all his
force, and, in an instant, the car was surrounded by men,
women — lobster included — and children, all of whom
had either something to exclaim, or something to pre
scribe. In the centre of the joyful group, for everybody
looked delighted, I sat, like Patience on a monument,
smiling, not so much at Grief as at the eager, earnest,
prescribing faces that surrounded me. What happened
to the wiry little horse I can hardly say, as so many folks,

Part I. MY TOUR. 207
all at the same time, were pinching, poking, or violently
abusing him ; however, all of a sudden the dose, what
ever it was, became at last more than he could bear ; ac
cordingly he plunged forwards, and then, as if he wanted
to run away, proceeded at such a pace that I feared the
driver would let go the reins. He, however, managed
to jump on the low seat at my back, and then, gradually
slackening the little animal's impetuous career, we
soon sobered down to a steady trot.
" He's a little tinder, yere Arn'r ! " which I after
wards ascertained to mean that he had an exceedingly
sore shoulder; however, when once he was off, his
spirit was so great and so good, that he apparently
cared nothing at all about it.
On our left was apparently the sea. It was, how
ever, Lough Corrib, in length rather greater than the
distance between Dover and Calais.
" There are 366 islinds on ut, yere Arn'r ! " said my
driver, pointing at this noble expanse of water with a
whip not worth three-halfpence. " There's an islind
over for ivery day in the year !"
In about a mile and a half we came to fine large
fields of wheat, oats, barley, and of green crops, in the
centre of which stood an extensive English-looking
farm-yard and buildings, belonging to Mr. O'Flaherty —
the whole enclosed by new substantial stone walls. On
the left were the ruins of the Castle of Aghnanure, in
feudal times the residence of the chief O'Flaherty,
among which survives a yew-tree, said to be more than
a thousand years old.
At this point the driver descended from the car, and,
begging me to follow him, we left our impetuous little

208 MY TOUR. Part L
horse on the road entirely by himself, and proceeded
some distance on our left to a natural bridge, composed
of a stratum of limestone, under which a considerable
stream was rushing. On one side I observed a mass of
rich-coloured bog-water rapidly but calmly approaching
what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of solid rock ;
on the other side I beheld it escaping out of utter
darkness, head over heels, frightened, apparently, almost
into fits at the unusual, strange, and unaccountable catas
trophe that had befallen it.
"Very honest paple here, yere Arn'r!" said my
driver, as, on our return to the car, he pointed to my
umbrella, carpet-bag, and blanket-poncho, all remain
ing in it exactly as we had left them. On resuming
my seat, I own I expected once again, against my will,
to migrate towards the Far West, but the sensible little
horse knew that — between two mangers — he had better
proceed, and so off he trotted.
"How many children are there at your school?" I
inquired of a little girl, who, with a book in her hand,
had for some time been running close to me.
" Och ! there's a large lot of 'um ! " she replied.
" But how many ?" I repeated.
"Sure! 1 couldn't count 'um, yere Arn'r!" was the
answer. We now passed a woman in a red petticoat and plaid,
heavily laden with a creel or basket of peat, lying dia
gonally along her back.
"The women are graight slaves in this counthry,
yere Arn'r : they carry loads as would do for horses.
They do well in Ameriky."
" Do many of them go there ?" I inquired.

Part I. MY TOUR. 209
" A grate dale !" he replied.
" Which do they like best ?" I asked, " England or
America?" "Those," he answered, "that havn't got the manes
must go to England to earn 'um."
" Fine turf this," I observed, pointing to a quantity
piled in black heaps, about 100 yards off.
"Och!" he replied, with an arch smile, "there's
plenty o' turf and water in Ireland. Ireland 's a fine
counthry, but the warnt of pitaturs and the poor-rate
are ruining ut. A marn with a long family can't get
on at a' ; pitaturs are the things to support a counthry !"
At three miles and a half from Oughterard we came
to a fine plantation of fir, oak, larch, and beech, enclosed
with a stone wall cemented by lime, extending more
than a mile and a half, with handsome iron entrance-
gates, belonging to Mr. Martin, of Ross (a Protestant),
whose park appeared quite equal to anything of the sort
in England. Around it were fields of turnips, oats,
barley, wheat, and here and there, as the memorial of
a departed system, an unroofed cabin. On the right
the vale was bounded by heather hills.
" That's the latter ind of Mr. Martin of Ross's istate,
yere Arn'r," said my driver, pointing to an angle in the
high wall on our left ; " and now here's the commince-
ment o' the phroperty of Mr. Anthony O'Flaherty
(a Roman Catholic) of Knockbane."
At this point we met one of Bianconi's (usually, in
Ireland, called Biancony) jovial and well-appointed
cars, on one side of which sat very comfortably together,
like a couple of hooded crows on a rail, two fine, ruddy,
powerful-looking priests; next to them were two English

210 MY TOUR. PartI.
tourist ladies ; then, of course, two tourist young gentle
men ; and, on the opposite bench, dos-a-dos to priests,
ladies, and Co., half-a-dozen more of her Majesty's
subjects, all evidently in search of the picturesque.
" What a pity it is," said I to my driver, thinking,
as it were, aloud, " that Catholics and Protestants in
Ireland can't pull together ! "
" There should be no arnimosity 'atween 'um," said
the clerk at my back in amen reply to the extempore
sermon I had just preached to him ; " ivery man ought
to go his own way paceably till the day of judgmint."
At five miles from Oughterard we saw, on our left,
the Lake of Ross, which appeared to be about two
miles and a half long, and on our right a mixture of
heather and stones.
" There's a fine lime-kiln, yere Arnh'r," said my
driver, pointing to one before us, " for putting out lime
on thim bogs."
In half a mile we came to the property of
O'Flaherty (a Protestant), whose lofty lime-cemented
park wall — in which there was a very handsome en
trance gate — extended about two miles. Within it,
among trees, I saw large spaces covered with waving
corn, which a gang of reapers were busily cutting.
On the right was a national school, from which, as
we passed it, were exuding a number of healthy-
looking children, dressed either in red petticoats or in
corduroy jackets and trowsers. Several of them —
principally little girls thirteen or fourteen years of age
— began to run close to the tail of our car, and for
more than a mile, scarcely panting, they continued, up
hill and down hill, with merry faces and light tread,

Part I. MY TOUR. 2 1 1
to run over a hard road, on parts of which the sharp
stones of Mr. M'Adam had been newly laid. As they
were doing so I kept my eyes carefully on their coun
tenances, and I can truly say that the jagged metal did
not in the slightest degree affect the pleasing innocent
smile that, unsullied even by a cloud of momentary
pain, testified to the sport they were enjoying.
It is no use any longer trying to conceal the fact
that during my short tour in Ireland my prejudices
against bare ankles and naked feet were considerably
softened ; indeed, there can be ho doubt that there is
a freshness in this costume of Nature that cannot
belong to a fine fashionable gown, which, from sweep
ing the ground, and from being tightly bandaged round
the waist, forms a splendid unventilated palace, in
which the architect has forgotten to insert either
chimney, staircase, door, or window !
" Yere Arnh'r," said my driver to me, " ought to
have been in Galway last week. The Lord Liftinant
was there for three or four days."
" And how did he get on ? " said I.
" There was grate rejoicemint," he replied. " Och !
he's a simple-looking gintleman ! "
" What do you mean ? " I asked.
"A plain marn, yere Arnh'r, and no affictation. He'll
be apt to do some sarvice to Ireland. He went out on
the salt say and come up on the canal, and the roads
were a' crowded, yere Arnh'r, with men, women, and
chilthren." We next came to the park of Mr. Kilkelly (a Ca
tholic), of Drimcong, the wall of which for nearly a
mile and a half bounded the road on one side, and
p 2

212 MY TOUR: Part!
then to the park wall of DaUesfield, the property of
Mr. Burke (a Catholic), extending about two miles
and a half, and shaded on both sides of the road by
beautiful plantations.
We now entered Moycullen, a small village con
taining a large Roman Catholic chapel, blessed with a
congregation, from all quarters, of about 200 persons ;
also a national school, two stories high, with five win
dows in front.
In the constabulary barracks are quartered one con
stable (a Catholic), and five sub-constables (three Ca
tholics and two Protestants).
" Have these stairs been just planed?" I inquired of
the constable.
" No, Sir; only cleaned," he replied.
They, as well as the floor of the rooms and table,
had been scrubbed till they were literally almost white.
The constable wore his side-arms ; his men, as usual,
were dressed as for parade.
After seating myself at the table of his room, " What
is the population of this village ? " I inquired.
" Seventy," he replied ; " there are about fourteen
or fifteen families."
" Sit down, sergeant," I said to him, pointing to a
chair close to him.
" No, I thank ye, Sir, I'll just stand," was his reply,
remaining perfectly erect.
" Whence do you get your provisions?"
" From Galway" (74 miles off), he answered; " we
get from thence grocery, meat, everything except po
tatoes and turf. When we are buying beef we get it
about three times a month, so as to have it half fresh and

PartI. MY TOUR. 213
half corned ; but beef is scarce, and we have therefore
bought a flitch of bacon for the entire of this month."
" What is your principal duty here? " I asked.
He replied, " In escorting prisoners from Connemara
and Oughterard districts to Galway county gaol."
" Has there been much crime here ? " I inquired.
" Excepting a few cases of drunkenness, no offences
for some time. Nothing can be more peaceable and
tranquil than this neighbourhood."
As it appears from the above statement of the con
stable that drunkenness is one of the offences that has
been occasionally brought before him, I feel it right to
state that, up to the period of my arrival at Oughterard,
I had not, in Ireland, excepting in the police-cell in
Dublin, seen one drunken person, either male or female.
The following comparative return, however, will
accurately show how much less spirits are drunk in
Ireland than in Scotland, the morality of which country
is proverbial.
Population. Gallons of Spirits.
Scotland, in the year 1850 . 2,870,784 . consumed 6,935,003
Ireland, „ „ . 6,515,794 . consumed 6,973,333
In the above the number of gallons of spirits charged
with duty for home consumption is taken from the
Parliamentary Returns of 1850; the population from
the census of 1851.
Our game little pony now trotted us into a large
expanse of stony country, partly cultivated, and in
those places divided by loose stone walls into rather
small fields, among which were several unroofed
cabins. From thence we drove through a village,
every habitation of which was unroofed, excepting one,

214 MY TOUR. PartI.
out of which tottered an old woman, who had no doubt
heard the approach of our wheels. " Harve pity on a
poor widiw ! " she exclaimed, as we passed her. From
the dead village we emerged into a large space of
heather, bog, and water, at the end of -which we came
to a park limed wall, a mile long, and a fine handsome
house, the property of Mr. Browne, of Moongare. By
the side of the road, in a scarlet petticoat, and with no
covering on her head or feet, I observed a fine-looking
woman breaking stones so intently that her loose black
locks, at every blow she gave, kept dangling before her
eyes as we passed.
A little further on we came not only to several
cabins, but to a large farm-house and buildings, all un
roofed ; indeed, in every direction, jagged triangular
gables, of various heights, denoted that the hand of the
destroyer had been at work. On our right was a limed
wall about a mile long, enclosing rich grass and lofty
trees, belonging to Mr. Comyn, of Woodstock (a Ca
tholic). We here met eight women carrying heavy
creels, each harnessed to her back by a rope of straw.
After passing the park the country relapsed on our
right into unroofed houses, surrounded by frail low
stone walls ; and on our left, by an expanse of snipe-
ground — miserable crops of oats — desolation — cart
horses without blinkers — red petticoats — and pretty
children. The tenants were apparently nearly all gone,
and their lands (without metaphor) were mourning in
weeds !
At two and a half miles from Galway we passed
near a small village, called River-view, on the banks of
Lake Corrib. On the left, in a beautiful park, lives Lady

PartI. MY TOUR. 215
Ffrench; on the right, opposite to a Catholic chapel,
is Bushy Park, the residence of Mr. Robert Martin.
At the head of Lake Corrib there appeared a large
milk-white building, of eighteen windows in front — a
nunnery. Near it were three cabins.
The process of filling the nunneries that are growing
up in Ireland is, I believe, very nearly as follows : —
Young girls go first to nun-schools, — come home, — lose
their appetites, — can't sleep, — grow pale, — get restless.
The parents send for the doctor, and eventually for the
priest, who advises the white veil, merely as an occupa
tion, there being no necessity whatever to remain. The
parents give the necessary bond, and the poor victims
end by taking the black veil !
On reaching a slight eminence, a peep of the castle-
towers and churches of Galway suddenly announced to
me that I had at last nearly arrived at the end of a very
rough journey.
The road, which now gradually descended, was still
bounded by stone walls ; and although I was about to
enter an opulent town, of great commercial importance,
both on my right and left I continued to be haunted
by little miserable fields, low tottering Avails, and
here and there by unroofed cabins, which continued
until I almost reached the suburbs. But from such
objects my attention was now attracted by a series
of magnificent public buildings, and of large irregular
streets, swarming alive with a population appa
rently of all sorts, of all sizes, and of all colours:
in short, of a mixture of wealth, intelligence, industry,
and squalid rags, that it would be difficult to describe.
Indeed, on the car suddenly stopping before the door

216 MY TOUR. Part I.
of an excellent-looking hotel, when I descended to the
pavement from its bench I was so giddy and dizzy that
I felt I could not describe my own feelings, much less
the busy objects that were thronging around me.
" Thank Heaven ! " I said to myself as my car drove
slowly away, "I have now done with jolting slowly
through this world sideways ! " An old woman stood
between me and the door of my caravansarai. As the
readiest way to drive her out of my way, I gave her
the few halfpence remaining in my bag, for which she
bellowed blessings after me as loudly as if I had at
that instant robbed her of everything she had ever
possessed. FIFTH DAY.
The seaport town of Galway, the capital of the
West, and in point of population the sixth town in
Ireland, from its peculiar position has always been a
point of great commercial importance. Its bay, one
of the finest in the world, is a magnificent funnel, in
tended by Nature for the reception of vessels from all
quarters of the globe. By means of two short canals,
already described, an inland water communication of
great extent and value is on the point of being effected.
Lastly, by the Midland and Great Western Railway,
which as nearly as possible bisects Ireland, Galway
and Dublin are inseparably joined together by a line
of communication, which, besides being the nearest and
speediest, is the shortest that could have been devised
between the Irish Channel and the great Atlantic
Ocean — Nature's thoroughfare between the United
Kingdom and the two continents of America.

PartI. MY TOUR. 217
The connection which formerly existed between
Galway and Spain is not only recorded in history — is
not only to be traced in the architecture of Lynch's
Castle, also in the wide entries, arched gateways,
stone-mullioned windows, and outside stairs of several
ancient mansions in the town, but the traveller, as he
runs, can most legibly read it in the dark eyes, noble
features, and high-bred demeanour, that in Galway in
particular, and throughout Connemara in general, con
stantly remind him of the fact ; indeed, I repeatedly
met men and women whose countenances, to say nothing
of their garb, would anywhere have induced me to
address them in Spanish rather than in English.
The town is now a medley of streets and buildings
of various dates, forming altogether a strange, incon
gruous, but very happy family of narrow crooked alleys,
broad thoroughfares, docks, churches, dispensaries,
chapels, banks, gaols, court-houses, nunneries, barracks,
monasteries, storehouses, breweries, a union workhouse,
distilleries, flour-mills, docks, bridges, a magnificent rail
way hotel just constructed, several ancient houses just
" falling, a number of hovels of the most wretched appear
ance, evidently destined to be replaced very shortly by
mansions of wealth and luxury. There are several streets
composed almost entirely of immense warehouses, from
four to six stories high, each with a small pent-house-
covered crane affixed to its upper stratum. These vast
receptacles are now nearly all empty ; and, on inquiring
the reason, I was briefly informed that Galway, which
used to import and bond corn in large quantities, now
exports it.
Queen's College, just completed on the outside of

218 MY TOUR. PartI.
the town, is one of the chastest and handsomest
public edifices I have ever seen. It is a pity, how
ever, that the lowness of its position prevents it from
contributing as much as it ought to the general beauty
of the town. In its vicinity is a large poor-house,
built eight years ago ; and about 100 yards from it,
on an elevated plot composed of emerald-green turf
and beds of beautiful flowers, stands a school-house,
resembling very much a modern villa; and yet, in
their immediate neighbourhood are to be seen un
roofed huts, miserable cabins, a confusion of tottering,
crooked stone walls surrounding small enclosures, many
of which are so full of rocks that they really resemble
a rising crop of young tombstones, several, like chil
dren's second teeth, coming out all crooked.
As I was strolling through the suburbs I came to a
potato-market, in which I found, squatted on the ground,
a number of women, four or five of whom were suckling
ravenous infants. Of the potatoes, which in heaps were
before them, it was sad to observe many diseased, some
quite rotten. The clothes of buyers, as well as sellers,
were also, generally speaking, in the very last stage of
consumption. The arms of the jacket of one old man
beside me had each been replaced with a portion" of a
coarse grey worsted stocking, in holes ; and his cordu
roy breeches, which had no buttons at the knees, had
been mended with pieces of cloth of various hues.
Several of the women's red petticoats had likewise been
patched with old flannel and rags of so many colours
that the garment resembled altogether a printed map
of modern Europe, the scarlet bit being, of course, the
papal dominions. In a mantilla of old blanket, fantas-

PartI. MY TOUR. 219
tically shrouded over her head, so as to show nothing
of an aged face but an Arab nose, a pair of piercing eyes,
and a very small portion of sallow complexion, there sat
at my feet a regular Spanish beggar. Before me two
fine little barefooted boys, of about five years old, stood
for some minutes whapping each other on the head ; at
last one tried to pull the hair of t'other one, but, as his
mother had happened to cut it almost to the quick, the
little urchin could grasp nothing, until he bethought him
self of catching hold of the yellow side-locks of his com
rade, which in dead silence he steadily pulled with all
his force. " And that's the way," said I to myself, " that
the Protestants of Ireland are said to deal with their
Catholic brethren ! " In the middle of this group stood
erect a stout man, in official charge of an iron triangle,
from the apex of which hung scales for weighing
potatoes, diseases and all. As I was looking at him, a
pretty half-naked child of about two years old tottled
up, and in high glee whipped my leg with a stick.
" Och ! ye blackguard," exclaimed an old woman sitting
behind me on the ground with her legs sticking out,
showing me, when I turned round, ten up-pointed toes
and a pair of soles as hard as hide. In all directions
was to be heard a deal of very rough female cackling,
and occasionally laughter, but no quarrelling. In the
midst of the whole stood here and there, with
drooping head and motionless thin tail, a donkey,
patiently bearing a pannier laden with turf, secured by
straw ropes.
After proceeding some way I was gradually assailed
by a very strong smell, and, summoning my eyes to the
elucidation of this discovery of my nose, I perceived

220 MY TOUR. Part I.
hanging on some rails before me a quantity of salted
congor-eels, split open ; in short, I found myself in a
fish-market, with mackerel, " hake," and other beings
fresh from the vasty deep, of such guttural names
that, although they were over and over again pro
nounced to me, I felt the alphabet had not consonants
enough to repeat them. A gentleman who happened
to stand near me, pointing to a basket of young her
rings about the size of sprats, observed to me, " It's
a great shame they should be allowed to take them
so young." I replied, " Why, there must be plenty of
all ages in the sea ! " " And sure," exclaimed an old
fish-woman at our side, " the say is richer than the
land!" For a few moments I stood gazing at a roofless and
almost floorless building, of Spanish architecture, on
the curiously worked front of which was inscribed, in
old style, JWarttnt 33rofon,
1627.
A woman passing at the moment gratuitously informed
me it was the oldest house in the town.
As I was crossing the great esplanade in front of
Kilroy's hotel, I suddenly heard the din of martial
music, and soon saw approaching me, preceded by a
crowd of ragged, barefooted boys, a regiment of sol
diers, whose fine scarlet clothes and white crossed belts
formed a striking contrast with the dingy, crooked,
narrow street from which they had emerged.
After admiring for some time the dock, which ap
pears to be most admirably constructed, I observed

PartI. MY TOUR. 221
close to it, quite apart from the town of Galway, a
little city of cabins, entirely inhabited by fishermen and
their families. It is called " The Claddagh ;" and as
I had heard much of their strange habits, prejudices,
superstitions, and of their being governed almost exclu
sively by their own laws, with considerable curiosity
I slowly dived into it. I must own, however, I was
wofully disappointed ; for although it certainly was
strange to wander by oneself through winding narrow
streets of huts, containing a population of nearly 1300
people, yet with this eccentricity there was mixed up
so much filth and misery that the amalgam altogether
was anything but attractive.
As might naturally be expected, the first thing I ran
against in the city of The Claddagh was a tall dirty
old woman, with a long fish dangling, as if it had grown
there, from her right hand.
On each side of every street the doors of the cabins
were wide open. On entering one of them I found,
kneeling on the ground in the middle of her chamber,
an old woman, with one tooth, preparing, in a wooden
bowl, for two little pigs a quantity of potato-parings,
which they were eyeing and she chopping very atten
tively. Around her were walking, and now and then
interjectionally hopping, three hens. " After the
disorder," said the aged creature to me, pointing with
her bony dry chin to her two pigs, " they're very sick ! "
In another cabin I found four women rapidly mak
ing nets, and a very old man, in rags, slowly combing
his hair.
After passing through several streets of cabins, in
which I usually saw, mixed up in different proportions,

222 MY TOUR. Part I.
half-naked children, pigs, fowls, women, and nets, I
heard an astonishing cackling of female voices, and on
arriving at the hovel from which it proceeded I was sud
denly surrounded by ten or a dozen women, of various
ages, who— nem. con. — appointed me high-judge and
arbitrator in a dispute of apparently extraordinary im
portance. As, however, they all addressed me at once, in
a confusion of tongues that must very closely have resem
bled that of Babel, I am unable to impart to the reader,
simply because I don't know, what in the whole world it
was all about. The only person in the group that said
nothing was a poor woman, of about thirty, who, with
eyes streaming with tears as she looked at me, and with
a countenance of excruciating grief, was bitterly cry
ing. " Her husbind has been just drowned !" observed
to me one old wife. " That 'oman," exclaimed to me
a stout girl, down whose flushed and violently-heated
cheeks tears appeared to be almost hissing as one after
another they rapidly fell on the ground — " that
'oman," yere Arn'r," said she, pointing to a female on
her right, " horped I might be a cripple ! "
" Oh, never mind," said I to her in a soothing tone ;
but as I only made her cry more violently, and as her
sobs seemed about equally to excite the voices of plain
tiffs as well as of defendants, I gave up the cause in
despair ; and accordingly, turning on my heels, and
deferring judgment, I left the court, and in doing
so nearly ran against a boy carrying a basket on
a naked arm ; his right leg was barely covered with
blue rags, his left leg with brown cloth ; and through
both, as also through his jacket, sundry pieces of white
skin were peeping at me.

Part I. MY TOUR. 223
As I wandered I hardly knew where, I entered a
tarred-roofed cabin, in which I found hanging round a
fire a quantity of drenched blue sailors' clothes, in rags;
from the black rafters drooped, in form of a cone, a net
which a sturdy woman was mending. While talking
to her I heard something breathing apoplectically hard,
and looking towards the sound I saw, on a little patch
of straw, two very fat piebald pigs ; close to them was
a heap of muscle-shells, and a smoked wicker cradle
containing a sleeping infant begrimed with dirt.
In the pea-green book, to which I have so often had
occasion to refer, the English tourist is informed that
the people of " The Claddagh will marry with no one
but themselves." " I should like to know who'd
marry them ! " said I to myself, rather petulantly —
principally because at the moment of the intemperate
expression I felt something or another crawling on and
occasionally biting my legs. In short, of all the dirty
places in this world I have ever had occasion to visit,
The Claddagh is the worst.
" They really," I said to myself, improperly irri
tated by the tingling in my legs, " should be swept
off the surface of the globe, and the easiest and least
painful mode of putting them to death," I added, as
with my umbrella I slightly scratched my left ankle,
" would be suddenly to wash them, which, like oil on
a wasp, or a drop of prussic acid on the tongue of a
dog, would inevitably in an instant render them inani
mate." On extricating myself from this extraordinary con
gregation I observed close on the adjoining dock, whose
admirable construction had already attracted my atten-

224 MY TOUR. Part I.
tion, a fine hewn stone building, three stories high, sur
mounted by a large statue or figure of a fisherman with
his hat on, leaning with his left hand on an anchor, and
holding in his right hand a flag-staff.
" He'd a fine green flag in thart hand," said to me
with evident pride an old fisherman who had attentively
been remarking what I was looking at, "the day the
Lord Liftinunt was here !"
The building in question, on which was inscribed in
large letters, " Claddagh National Piscatory School,
an. mdcccxlvl," at a cost of 1200/., had been con
structed for the children, male and female, of the
fishermen of the Claddagh, on a site where a few
years ago salmon could be caught.
On entering it I found, barefooted, but with clean
faces and in decent attire, about 130 children in narrow
room's, in which the girls were instructed to sew, spin,
read, and write ; and the boys, in addition, to make
nets, &c. On the walls were several pictures, the most
striking of which was a very large fish ; there were also
maps, the model of a ship, &c. The improvement in
their appearance was certainly very striking. A very
respectable-looking priest, who was in attendance, ear
nestly solicited me to write my opinion of the school in
a book which he presented to me for that purpose ; as,
however, my object in my little tour in Ireland was
to listen to opinions rather than impart them, as cour
teously as I could, I declined.
Moored to the wharf was a little black steamer with
a small raised buff deck immediately abaft the black
funnel, which was in midship.
On its stern was the word " O'Connell." At its

Part I. MY TOUR. 225
prow, with wings extended, was a very large white fat
bird with a pouting breast and a hooked bill.
" Is that an eagle ?" said I dubiously to a small group
of the Claddagh fishermen, who, in blue jackets and
weather-worn trousers, were standing indolently be
side it.
" I don't know," replied one. " Yere Arnh'r can judge
better than we can !" " Ut's like an agle !" said another.
" I think ut's a doove !" said a third, " or a goole ! "
" Where does this little steamer go to ?" I inquired.
" She's been doing nothing, divil a hap'orth, for
months. Last wake she took the Lord Liftinunt and
his lady up thro' the locks. They stood thegither alone
on that deck. The ady-cumps were arl in front. Ivery
soule cheered um. 'Twas a fine sight, yere Arn'r ! Ut
was, indade!"
From the dock I went to the constabulary barracks,
the force of which in Galway consists of one sub-
inspector, one head constable, five constables, two act
ing ditto, 38 sub-ditto.
The sub-inspector was on duty at the Court-house,
but from the head constable I learned that the par
ticular duties of the force consisted " in protecting pro
perty, the docks, and the quays, on which arrive a
quantity of sea-weed and goods from the country ; in
attending to emigrant vessels, in keeping returns of
emigration, &c."
During my tour, wherever I went, I had observed that
Irish dogs are infected with a wooden log tied round their
necks, and which bruises their knees if they attempt to
go faster than a trot. " It's inflicted on um by the aris-
tocricy of England !" said a man of whom I had mo-
Q

226 MY TOUR. Part I.
destly inquired on the subject. I certainly inwardly
laughed at the idea, but, on asking the constable why
the dogs of Galway were all tackled in this extraor
dinary way, he produced to me, to my astonishment,
an Act of Parliament, authorising " all dogs within 50
yards of any public road to be logged ;" and, moreover,
under a warrant from the Justice of the Petty Sessions
district, any sub-inspector, head, or other constable to
"seize or kill any such dog." It must, however,
be recollected that this log is no doubt wisely in
tended by Parliament to balance the infliction upon
English dogs of the income-tax ; and as an English dog
runs about unfettered, but taxed, and an Irish dog lives
untaxed, but logged, it would admit of argument, if
"the twa dogs" were to meet, which was the freest
animal of the two.
I had now a few questions to put to the constable on
a subject of very great importance, on which I was
particularly desirous to obtain accurate official infor
mation. From the morning on which I had visited the great
model National School in Marlborough Street, Dublin,
to the hour of my arrival at Galway, I had remarked
in the Irish female countenance an innate or native
modesty more clearly legible than it has ever been my
fortune to read in journeying through any other country
on the globe.
Of the pure and estimable character of English
women, I believe no one is a more enthusiastic admirer
than myself : nevertheless I must adhere to the truth of
what I have above stated, and I do so without apology,
because I am convinced that no man of ordinary ob-

Part I. MY TOUR. 227
servation can have travelled, or can now travel, through
Ireland, without corroborating the fact.
But I have lived long enough to know that outward
appearance cannot always be trusted, and accordingly,
wherever I went, I made inquiries, the result of which
was not only to confirm, but to over-confirm, my own
observation ; .indeed, from the Resident Commissioner
of the Board of National Education in the metropolis,
down to the governors of gaols and masters of the
remotest workhouses, I received statements of the
chastity of the Irishwomen so extraordinary, that I
must confess I could not believe them ; in truth I was
infinitely more puzzled by what I heard than by the
simple evidence of my own eyes.
I resolved, therefore, that before I concluded my
trifling tour, the sole object of which had been to
inform myself as correctly as possible of the real
character of the Irish people, I would, instead of gene
ralities, come to particulars on the subject in question,
and I accordingly put to the constable the following
questions, the answers to which I wrote as he pro
nounced them : —
Q. " How long have you been on duty in Galway ? "
A. " Above nine years."
Q. " Have you much crime here ? "
A. "Very little ; it principally consists of petty larcenies."
Q. " Have there been here many illegitimate children ? "
A. " Scarcely any. During the whole of the eight years I have been on
duty here I have not known of an illegitimate child being reared up in any
family in the town."
Q. " What do you mean by being reared up ? "
A. " I mean, that, being acquainted with every family in Galway, I have
never known of a child of that description being born."
Q. " Does that fact apply to the fishing village of ' The Claddagh ' ? "
A.. " Particularly so."
Q 2

228 MY TOUR. Part I.
Q. " Do you mean to say that, to your knowledge, there has never been an
illegitimate child in the town of Galway ? "
A. "I have heard that a servant-girl has had one, but at the present
moment there is no such case in my mind. In the village of ' Claddagh '
they get their children married very young."
The above statements appeared to me so extraordi
nary, that I begged the constable to be so good as to
conduct me "to his commanding officer (sub-inspector),
a well-educated and highly intelligent gentleman,
whom we found at the Court-house, seated on the
bench with the magistrates. As soon as the business
was over I went with him to his lodgings, and, after
some conversation on the subject, I asked him the fol
lowing questions : —
Q. " How long have you been on duty here ? "
A. " Only six months."
Q. " During that time have you known of any instance of an illegitimate
child being born in the village of the Claddagh ? "
A. " Not only have I never known of such a case, but I have never heard
any person attribute such a case to the fisherwomen of Claddagh. I was on
duty in the three islands of Arran, inhabited almost exclusively by fishermen,
who also farm potatoes, and I never heard of one of their women — who are
remarkable for their beauty — having had an illegitimate child, nor did I ever
hear it attributed to them ; indeed, I have been informed by Mr.  , a
magistrate who has lived in Galway for eight years, and has been on tem
porary duty in the island of Arran, that he also had never heard there of a
case of that nature. These people, however, when required to pay poor-rates,
having no native poor of their own in the workhouse, resisted the payment of
what they considered a very unjust tax — in fact, they closed their doors, and
the rate was only partially collected."
The officer, seeing that I took great interest in the
subject on which I had been conversing with him, sent
for some subordinates, who, he observed, had been
longer in Galway than himself.
They arrived separately, and the information of the
head constable (serjeant), in reply to the same ques
tions I had put to the constable, were as follows : —

Part I. MY TOUR. 229
A. " I have been here better than two years, and during that time I have
never known of any woman of Claddagh having had an illegitimate child—
indeed, I have never even heard of it."
Q. " Have you ever known of any such case in Galway? "
A. " Oh, I think there have been some cases in town. Of my own know
ledge I cannot say so, but I have heard of it."
The serjeant in charge of the Claddagh station now
arrived, and gave his opinion as follows : — '
Q. " How long have you been in charge of the Claddagh village ? "
A. " I have been nine years here, for five years of which last March I have
been in charge of Claddagh."
Q. " During that time has there been an illegitimate child born there ? "
A. " No, I have never heard of it, and if it had happened I should have
been sure to have heard of it, as they wouldn't have allowed her to stop in
the village."
Q. " Have you ever heard of any that occurred he/ore your arrival ? "
A. "No, Sir."
Q. "During the nine years you have been in Galway, have you known of
any cases that have occurred there ? "
A. " Well, there were very few : only one that I know, of my own know
ledge." Q. " Are the Claddagh people always as slovenly in their persons as I have
seen them to-day ? "
A. " Oh, no ! on Sundays the fishermen turn out clean and neat, in blue
jackets and trowsers, and shoes. The women turn out with scarlet cloaks
and white caps ; the young women with their hair trimmed and bound up
very tastily."
" And yet," said I to myself, " what ornament can
these poor young people put on equal to that virtuous
character which they wear wherever they go, and which,
in spite of their poverty, it appears no human power
can deprive them of !"
He added, " But they are very improvident ; they
make much money in summer. I have known them
catch 260 pair of soles in one haul."
The officer here stated, and the last witness (the
serjeant), who had been in charge of Claddagh for the
last five years, subsequently of his own accord repeated

230 MY TOUR. Part I.
the assertion, that until lately " the crime of theft had
been utterly unknown among the fishermen, and was
almost so now; in fact," added the serjeant, "no theft
has occurred in Claddagh during my time."
From the officers' quarters I hastened to The Clad
dagh, and, hiring a boat, I desired a couple of boys, who
evidently looked upon me as the best fish they had
caught for some time, to take me aboard an emigrant
ship heavily laden with passengers (they had only
yesterday taken leave of all their friends), and lying in
the bay, about a mile and a half off.
There was a nice fresh side breeze, and after rolling
about for a few minutes, while the youngsters were
hauling up the sail, the 15-year-old pilot took the
helm, and I and his comrade, aged 17, sat down close
by him to windward.
Of course it was the interest and object of these lads
to make the most of the haul they had got, and accord
ingly, said the youngest,
" The lighthouse is a very nice place. Would your
Arn'r like to see ut?"
" Art-fry, there," said the other, pointing to a deso
late-looking spot, more than 12 miles by road from
Galway, " is the nicest place in a' the town. Will your
Arn'r go to ut ?"
" No, I thank you !'' I replied, " I want only to go to
that ship ; do you know what sort of emigrants are on
board of it ?"
" They're all from this neighbourhood," he replied.
After pausing for a few seconds, he added, " They're
distroyed out of this land, and must go to Ameriky !"

PartI. MY TOUR. 231
" How long have you been a fisherman ? " said I to
the eldest of my crew.
" We're been to say," ejaculated the youngest, " yere
Arn'r, since we were four years awake ! " Pointing to
the stone ballast in the centre and at the bottom of the
boat, he added, " That's our bed ; we're aften out a
week wet through in these little boats ; for winter we
have big boats, of from twelve to fifteen tons ; this little
one is but four."
" What do you subsist on while you are out? " I in
quired. " We ate bread, and cook mackerel with turf, and
we arlways carry two kegs of warter with us."
" But," said I, " will the fish you catch for sale keep
for five days ? "
" Oh yes, yere Arn'r," he replied ; " we take the
goots and liver out o' um, and then they'll keep a
week." But by this time we had got close to the black vessel,.
a " bark," over whose stern I observed hanging by the
heels and gently vibrating twenty-five flaccid-looking
cabbages, among which there appeared, written in
large white letters, THE ALBION OF ARBROATH.
Over the gunwale were ranged a line of rustic faces,
male and female, all quietly looking at us. In a few
seconds, however, we were alongside, and I had scarcely
stepped among the crowd when, the interest of my arrival
having completely ceased, no one took the slightest no
tice of me ; however, on one of the crew passing me, I

232 MY TOUR. Part I.
begged he would tell the captain I would be glad to
see him. In about five minutes he came up from below,
told me he was very busy serving out provisions, but
that I was quite welcome to go over the vessel, and he
desired a sailor-boy to accompany me.
On the deck, besides a number of steerage passen
gers, were three or four women of superior garb,
sitting rather indolently, reading. The boy told me the
bark was registered at 302 tons ; and he then led me
down below between decks, which, as soon as I could
see— for at first I fancied I was in almost utter dark
ness — appeared completely thronged with country
people, very poorly but clean and decently dressed ; in
fact, it was evident they were all in their best clothes.
On each side throughout the whole length of the
vessel, without any curtains or compartments to sepa
rate them, were, one above the other, two tiers of
berths, each 4 feet 8 inches broad by 5 feet 10 inches
in length. Each of these beds was nominally for two
people. " What do they pay for them? " I asked the boy.
" Those of full age pay 3/. 10s., under age 3/.," he
replied. " Whart / pay," exclaimed a female voice from a
berth on my right, "for myself and two chilthren, one
three and the other five, is 8/. 5s. I have here, myself,
my two chilthren, and another woman ! "
Although I was thus loudly addressed, no one no
ticed me ; in fact, they had not room to do so. In
several of the berths I saw powerful-looking men lying
indolently ; the distance from their faces to the deck
above them was 2 feet 7 inches.

Part I. MY TOUR. 233
After worming my way through a number of women,
some of whom were erectly arranging their berths,
others stopping to ferret into trunks, and others sitting
placidly mending extremely old clothes, I came to the
hold, down which a small gleam of sunshine from
above was illuminating the red moist face of the captain,
who, in a blue superfine jacket, blue foraging cap, and
in a clean shirt, but without his stock, was very busily
occupied in weighing out, and noting down in a book
he held in his hand, meal for his passengers.
After saying but a few words — for I did not like to
interrupt him — I proceeded onwards with the boy,
who told me that in the several adjoining berths " cou
sins, friends, and families go together," until I came
to a crowd, which for a few seconds obstructed me.
" Come along out o' thart and let hum pass ! " exclaimed
the fine manly voice of an emigrant who had observed
my predicament. Very shortly another poor fellow,
fancying I belonged to the ship, came up to me and
asked me something about meal. " This man," replied
the sailor-boy, "has nothing to do with you ! " and my
friend accordingly turned aside.
Affixed to one of the berths I observed a placard of
printed regulations, which I own appeared to me to
have been concocted by some one not very conversant
with the various indescribable desagremens of a gale of
Avind ; for instance, it ordained —
" That all the passengers must be out of bed by seven o'clock a.m. ; the
children to be then washed and dressed : all to be in bed by ten p.m.
" That, when the emigrants victual and cook for themselves, the overseer
will see that each family has its regular hour at the cooking place.
" That there be issued to each passenger three quarts of water, not less
often than twice a-week. Bread, biscuit, flour, oatmeal, and rice — in all,
seven pounds per week. One-half of the supply to consist of bread or biscuit ;

234 MY TOUR. Part I.
and if potatoes be used, five pounds to be reckoned equal to one pound of
bread-stuff. " That the washing-days be on Monday and Friday.
" No smoking, gambling, swearing, or improper language to be allowed.
" No sailor to be allowed between decks, except on duty," &c. &c.
After reading these regulations, and gazing on both
sides, and as far as between decks my eyes could reach,
at the men, women, and children, who in numerous
groups, active, passive, and neuter, were apparently
blocking up the thoroughfare, I could not help feeling
very keenly how little they were aware of the discom
forts of being jumbled together during a sea voyage,
and, above all, of the tragic catastrophes that have so
often in one relentless gulf buried the cares, sorrows,
hopes, and lives of shipload after shipload of poor Irish
emigrants — such as were now around me and before
me, nursing infants, unpacking and repacking boxes,
making beds, and engaged in numberless other little
domestic arrangements. On a curtainless berth beside
me, in extreme lassitude, sat a slight, elegant-looking
girl, of about seventeen, very poorly dressed; her
elbows nearly touched each other — the backs of her
hands rested on her lap, on which her eyes also
listlessly reposed — her whole attitude appeared col
lapsed and unstrung. In fact, she was the personifica
tion of the word " Eviction ! "
" Erin, my country ! though sad and forsaken,
In dreams I revisit thy sea-beaten shore ;
But, alas ! in a far-distant land I awaken,
And sigh for the friends who can meet me no more.
" Where is my cabin-door, fast by the wild wood ?
Sisters and sire ! did ye weep for its fall ?
AVhere is the mother that smiled on my childhood ?
And where is the bosom friend, dearer than all?"
The picture before me was on the whole so distress^

Part I. MY TOUR. 235
ing that I was glad to find myself again in my boat ;
and as the distance between it and the emigrant bark
gradually increased, my mind became engrossed with
one simple, single, and natural subject of inquiry —
namely, Why are these good people leaving their
native homes? " Why," said I to myself, as I finally
closed the note-book of my little tour — " why, for so
long a period, have the inhabitants of Ireland been cen-
trifugally ejected from their country, as if its lovely
verdant surface were a land blasted by pestilence, or as
if its virtuous and intelligent peasantry were male
factors who had been sentenced to transportation ? "
From the year 1620, when the pilgrim fathers went
out, up to the present time, not less than 9 1 millions of
Irish have emigrated from England, Ireland, and the
Canadas to the United States of America.
From 1806 to 1851 not less than 4\ millions of the
Irish people have emigrated from their country.
From 1841 to 1851 upwards of 1£ million have left
Ireland. In the single year 1851 Irish emigration amounted
to no less than 257,372 ; and even from the Clyde, of
14,435 emigrants who in 1851 sailed to America, above
one-third were Irish !
In London there are more Irish than in Dublin. In
Manchester and Salford more Irish than in Cork.
In Glasgow as many Irish and descendants of Irish as
in Belfast. There are more Irish (born in Ireland)
now living in Glasgow than there are living at Belfast
Irish who have been born there. Of the Anglo Saxon
and Celtic races abroad, nearly one half of the whole
are Irish.

236 MY TOUR. Part I.
Now, in the sacred names of Mercy and of Justice,
who, I ask, are the guilty authors of this awful deso
lation ? And, as the answer to this query is an easy
one, I will at once proceed to its consideration.

END OF PART I.

PART II.

Part II. ( 239 )

PART II.
DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE IRISH
PEOPLE.

The condition of the Irish people, and especially of
the Irish poor, has for ages been a phenomenon which
neither the statesman nor the philosopher has been
able to explain. Indeed, Spenser, in his View of
the State of Ireland, a. d. 1596, thus quaintly
expressed the opinion of his day, which, without the
alteration of a word, is at the present moment that
current throughout the civilised globe : —
"Marry, so there have bin divers good plottes devised and wise
councels cast already about reformation of that realme ; but they
say, it is the fatal destiny of that land, that no purposes whatsoever
which are meant for her good will prosper or take good effect,
which, whether it proceed from the genius of the soyle, or influence
of the starres, or that Almighty God hath not yet appointed the
time of her reformation, or that He reserveth her in this unquiet
state still for some secret scourge, which shall by her come unto
England, it is hard to be knowne, but yet much to be feared."
The anomalous state of Ireland, above described,
still continues, and certainly it is impossible to bring
before the mind of any man a more extraordinary
mass of conflicting evidence than is offered to a stranger
by a brief inspection of the country. The rags, filth,

240 DEGRADED CONDITION Part II.
and apparent moral degradation of a large proportion
of the lower classes, it is beyond the power of any pen
to describe ; indeed, I can truly say, that, although
I have had an opportunity of visiting and of asso
ciating with several uncivilised tribes, I never, until
I went to Ireland, saw human beings and animals living
together in. an atmosphere of stench and smoke such
as I have described. But there exists throughout this
lovely, verdant land a moral degradation of a deeper die,
and which is the more appalling because to the passing
stranger it is utterly invisible. Among savage tribes,
when the hatchet of war is displayed, the cruelties,
tortures, and scalping exercised upon enemies are pro
verbial, and yet among themselves the fraternal pipe of
peace is never extinguished. In Ireland, however,
agrarian combination, Whiteboyism, and what is only a
phase of the same thing, Ribbonism, have long main
tained, and still maintain, a Cain-and-Abel state of
society, a bloody and barbarous civil warfare, such as
exists within the limits of no country on the surface of
the globe. Respecting this invisible system, through the
meshes of which every stranger safely and imperceptibly
glides without the slightest suspicion of its existence,
many a poor man, when interrogated as to its objects, has
replied, " Yere Honor, I know no more about its system
than you do, except that to * the local Ribbon parish
master ' I pay for my quarter's pass, to enable me to
move through the country with security. Yere Honor,
I'd be proud if it were put down all-thegither I"
What the poor man means by the little word " it,"
is a power which, though it often slumbers, awakens on
the slightest commotion to supersede the laws of God
and man.

Part II. OP THE IRISH PEOPLE. 24 1
" Now on the beak,
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin
I flamed amazement : sometimes I'd divide
And burn in many places ; on the topmast,
The yards, and bolt-sprit, would I flame distinctly,
Then meet, and join : Jove's lightnings, the precursors
0' the dreadful thunder-clap, more momentary
And sight-out-running were not.''
As long as the lower orders are satisfied, the organism
is apparently extinct ; but whenever an estate gets dis
organised, agrarian offences creep in, and with it Rib-
bonism and landlord-shooting rise to the ascendant. It
is then vain for the law to pretend to punish, to intimi
date, or even to try the authors of noon-day murders ;
for even in the hallowed courts of justice the demon of
Ribbonism — like a ghastly spectre — significantly stands
with a loaded gun in one hand, and a black coffin in the
other, both ready for any witness who shall dare to
give evidence against the murderer, or for any juryman
who shall presume to declare the blood-stained criminal
at the bar to be " Guilty."
And as, in a description of this wicked, lawless sys
tem, it would be impossible to
" Give ample room and verge enough,
The character of hell to trace,1'
let us now proceed dispassionately to consider, Who are
the authors of this vast calamity, which, in conjunction
with others, every just mind must alike deprecate and
deplore. *
Have the Imperial Parliament and British
Government been the cause of the moral degrada
tion of Ireland ?
A few facts and figures will briefly reply to this

242 DEGRADED CONDITION Part II.
query. The following is a rough outline of the assist
ance which Great Britain, commonly called " England,"
has rendered to Ireland since the Union.
1. The royal harbours of Kingston, Howth, Dun-
more, and Donaghadee have been all made with public
grants. Half the expense of the Shannon navigation
was a grant. The ordnance and boundary surveys have
been wholly an imperial expenditure. Grants to the
amount of 696,790/. have been made by the Board of
Works, exclusive of the famine advances. The Queen's
Colleges, and the addition to Maynooth College, the
general prisons, penitentiaries, and asylums, have been
wholly from imperial funds. Grants have been made
to the Royal Canal and other inland navigations. In
like manner the great roads in the western counties, and
many others, have been constructed from grants. The
above sums altogether amount to a total of not less
than four millions.
(In the above estimate,' the tithe million, which
many would include, has been omitted, because it
might, I feel, be said it was granted only to a class.
In the same category stand the linen and other
bounties.) 2. The famine expenditure granted from public
funds amounted to about eight millions.
Besides which the two great subscriptions raised by
the Queen's letter, and by the British Association,
amounted to 460,320/. In addition to which, from
private bounty, from Quakers, and others, there was
paid not less than 500,000/.
3. Ireland pays no assessed taxes and no income-tax.

Part II. OP THE IRISH PEOPLE. 243
(But in 1842 the spirit duties Avere increased, and an
addition was made to the stamp duties.)
4. The expense of the constabulary force, which,
previous to 1846, Avas half paid by the respective
counties, has since that period been defrayed wholly by
the consolidated fund.
5. For public buildings and for county purposes,
such as lunatic asylums, gaols, &c, and also for the
creation of railways, there has been advanced to
Ireland, as loans, the sum of not less than ten millions.
6. For the general improvement of the lands of
Ireland, by draining, subsoiling, straightening fences,
making farm-roads, farm buildings, small flax-mills,
&c, there have been loaned by public grants to
proprietors, and expended at their own discretion
(subject to the inspection of the Board of Works, who
must approve the project and details before the loan
is made, and who then issue the money by instalments),
the sum of 1,800,000/., out of a public loan for the
purpose, of two millions.
6. For the arterial drainage of Ireland, by straight
ening and deepening water-courses, and opening out
falls, there has been granted from public funds, to be
expended by the Board of Works, who could alone
carry into effect projects in which so many competing
local interests are concerned, a loan of two millions.
I conceive that if the above figures and facts were
to be submitted to a disinterested jury taken from the
whole family of man, there would be given, in favour
of the Imperial Parliament and British Government,
the ordinary verdict of acquittal, " Not Guilty."
r2

244

DEGRADED CONDITION

Part II.

Has the Irish Government been the cause of
the moral degradation of ireland ?
To discuss the political merits or demerits of the
various individuals who have successively administered
the government of Ireland, would be impracticable.
I will therefore submit to the reader merely the
names of those who in the present century have been
the viceroys of Ireland.

1800. Marquis Cornwallis.
1801. The Earl of Hardwicke.
1806. The Duke of Bedford.
1807. The Duke of Richmond.
1813. EarlWhitworth.
1817. Earl Talbot.
1821. The Marquis Wellesley.
1828. The Marquis of Anglesey.
1829. The Duke of Northumberland.
1830. The Marquis of Anglesey (re
appointed).

1833. The Marquis Wellesley (re
appointed).
1834. The Earl of Haddington.
1835. The Marquis of Normanby.
1839. Viscount Ebrington.
1841. Earl de Grey.
1844. Baron Heytesbury.
1846. The Earl of Besborough.
1847. The Earl of Clarendon.
1852. The Earl of Eglinton and
Winton.

The above noblemen, whose united talents are un
deniable, have been assisted by the following list of
Chief Secretaries : —

1800. Viscount Castlereagh.
1801. Charles Abbot (afterwards
Lord Colchester).
1802. W. Wickham.
1804. Sir E. Nepean.
1805. N. Vansittart.
1806. Charles Long.
1807. Sir Arthur Wellesley.
1809. Hon. R. Dundas.
1810. Hon. W. W. Pole.
1813. Robert Peel.
1819. Charles Grant.
1822. Henry Goulburn.
1827. William Lamb (Lord Mel
bourne).

1828. Lord P. Gower.
1829. Sir Henry Hardmge.
1830. Lord Stanley.
1833. E. J. Littleton (Lord Hather-
ton).
1834 l^T ^' ®' Hobhouse.
• Sir H. Hardinge (reappointed).
1835. Viscount Morpeth.
1841. Lord Elliot.
1845. Sir Thomas Premantle.
1846. Earl of Lincoln.
Henry Labouchere.
1847. Sir W. Somerville.
1852. Lord Naas.

Part II. OP THE IRISH PEOPLE. 245
It will appear from the above two lists that, besides
the pecuniary assistance I have detailed, England has
honestly doled out to the Government of Ireland not
only a fair share of the talented men of the United King
dom, but that, with scarcely an exception, the most
vigorous portion of the lives of the most distinguished
of our statesmen, including such men as the great Duke
of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Melbourne, and
Lord Derby, have by this England been devoted to the
important subordinate duty of " Chief Secretary."
As, therefore, the best talents which the United King
dom can produce have been bestowed on the practical
administration of Ireland, I conceive that the Irish Go
vernment is fairly entitled to the verdict already re
corded of " Not Guilty."
Have Irish Landlords been the cause of the
moral degradation of ireland ?
In order to deliberate upon this question it is neces
sary to inquire, Who are the Landlords of Ireland ? or,
in other words, To whom does old Ireland belong ?
The answer to this apparently harmless question
elicits tAvo truths of very angry importance.
• 1. From the best data I could obtain, it appears that
about two thirds of Ireland belongs, in fee, to Protest
ants, who hold in their own hands about one-half of
their lands, the other half being leased or farmed by
Roman Catholics.
2. That, of the present population of Ireland, about
5-12ths are Protestants and 7-12ths Roman Catholics.
As this division of the Avhole population seriously
differs from that which it has been the interest of poli-

246 DEGRADED CONDITION Pakt II.
tical agitators to affirm, it may be well to submit the
principal grounds or data on which the estimate has
been formed.
The only enumeration ever officially made of the
Protestants and Roman Catholics of Ireland (for in
the Census Acts of 1841 and 1851 all questions touch
ing religion were by special clause excluded) was in
1834, when the numbers were as follows : —
(Established Church . 852,064 j
Presbyterians . . . 642,356 | 1,516,228
Protestant Dissenters 21,808 J
Roman Catholics  6,427,712
(the Protestants being then about one-fourth).
In the above estimate it was alleged by some parties
at the time that the Protestants were under-rated ; but
as the subsequent increase by births Avas probably
greatest among the Roman Catholics, the proportions
which the above numbers give for 1834 may perhaps
be safely assumed to be nearly correct in 1841, or in
1845, when the famine began.
But, in consequence of this calamity, combined with
the failure of the potato crop, succeeded by fever and
cholera, the population of Ireland, which
In 1841 was  8,175,124,
And which ought to have increased in 1845 to, say 8,500,000,
In 1851 was ascertained to have fallen to . . 6,515,794. -
Now, as it is notorious, first, that the Roman Catholic
poor subsist more entirely on potatoes than the Pro
testant poor ; and, secondly, that the chief effect of the
famine produced by the failure of the potato crop Avas
to force all who most suffered from it to emigrate,
leaving behind them the old and infirm ; it is evident
that, by death and emigration, the population of the

Part II. OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 247
Roman Catholics of Ireland has been comparatively
reduced more than that of the Protestants ; and accord
ingly, as accurately as it is possible to enter into a
calculation on the subject, the present relative num
bers of Roman Catholics and of Protestants are, as
I have stated, 7-12ths and 5-12ths.
Now, considering the lamentable effects on the lower
classes of the violent political agitations which for so
many centuries have afflicted Ireland, it is natural to
suppose that wherever the landlord, Protestant or Ca
tholic, could manage to escape from the troubled scene,
and from the invisible reticulation of Ribbonism —
which they (i. e. the political agitators) had mainly
created, and by which, without the power of extrica
tion, he found himself encompassed — he would be too
happy to do so ; and thus, just as Mother Carey's
chickens predict a storm, or, as sailors say, are created
by it, so out of the soil of Ireland there arose the class
of middle-men, for Avhose acts the landlords are, no
doubt, to a considerable degree responsible.
But besides the above, landlords are accused of
having not only for the attainment of political power
encouraged the subdivision of their properties, but,
availing themselves of a competition which the poor
improvidently waged one against another, of having
accepted proffered rents higher than it was in the power
of their lands to repay.
From the bare showing of the case it will however
be admitted that Irish landlords have been quite as
much the victims as the originators of the disorganiza
tion, and of the organized (Ribbon) system I have
described. They have, no doubt, been greedy of poli-

248 DEGRADED CONDITION Part II.
tical influence, and, without considering any one's interest
but their own, have often accepted what, without
reflection, they considered the best offers they could
obtain ; but, as there exists no country on earth where
political, selfish, and short-sighted views do not exist, I
submit that, although a jury might deliberate on the
subject for many hours, their verdict, even if they
could not agree on an acquittal, would at least amount
to the Scotch declaration of " not proven."
Are the Irish people the cause of the moral
degradation of ireland ?
That the people of Ireland are the victims of some
secret malign influence which is driving them whole
sale from their country, there exists not the smallest
doubt; indeed, the very investigation we are making
admits the fact that they are in a degraded state.
And if it could be shoAvn that an Irishman, when re
moved from this secret malign influence, whatever it
may be, continues in the same degraded state, it would
of course be philosophically undeniable that, besides
being the degraded, he is the degrade of his country.
But I shall have no difficulty in showing, not only that
the Irish are intelligent and industrious in the innu
merable foreign countries to which they migrate, but
that in their own country, wherever they are properly
encouraged, they display a character and conduct highly
creditable to human nature.
1. It is a fact Avhich is undeniable, that, as the great
public works of the United States of America have
mainly been paid for with English capital, so have they
been constructed by the muscles and sinews of Ireland.

Part II. OP THE IRISH PEOPLE. 249
In short, it has been the Irish people who have prin
cipally delved the numberless canals and constructed
the extensive railways of America. As settlers, they
have in every region of the globe proved themselves to
be equal to the natives of England and Scotland, and
during the late rebellion in our North American
colonies the Irish particularly distinguished themselves
by their energy, loyalty, and courage. For instance, in
a despatch laid before both Houses of Parliament from
a Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, describing
the outbreak to which I have alluded, it was stated, —
' ' Regiments of tired farmers and leg- wearied yeomen flocked in from all
directions. On their arrival I of course went out and thanked them, and then
told those who had no fowling-pieces that they should immediately receive
muskets and ammunition.
" ' If your honour will but give us arms,' exclaimed a voice from the ranks,
in a broad Irish brogue, ' the rebels will find legs.' "
In the army and navy the Irish, from the great Duke
of Wellington downwards, have done their full share
of duty, and during a long march in rain and through
muddy roads, how often have the drooping spirits of
our gallant troops been enlivened by some short, Avitty,
merry observation from an Irishman !
" I'm afraid, my men, you are very wet," observed an
officer to his company.
" No, your Honour," replied an Irish voice ; " but
we're very dry ! "
2. But the most remarkable feature in the pheno
menon we are discussing is that in- his own country,
wherever he is properly treated, the Irishman, Catholic
or Protestant, instead of remaining in a degraded state,
suddenly casts off what is supposed to be indigenous to
his nature, and exhibits qualifications of the highest

250 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
order. For instance, in England it is a general opinion
that Irishmen of the same creed, and especially of
opposite creeds, can never meet without a fight. Now,
I assert on the highest authority — namely, that of the
Resident Commissioner of the Board of National
Education in Ireland — that not only " among the
Catholic and Protestant teachers there has been a
total absence of any religious quarrels, but that
among the 500 boys (Catholics and Protestants) there
is never a fight, and scarcely ever a blow struck ! "
In my sketch of the great model school I have shown
— what is open to the inspection of any one — the fa
cility with which Irish infants, as if instinctively, fall
into ranks, follow each other like soldiers, and obey the
orders of little chubby-faced monitors, scarcely old
enough to pronounce the words of command they utter.
Again, I have shown, and I most confidently repeat —
what any traveller in Ireland may witness — that no
sooner are Irishmen enlisted into the constabulary force,
than they display native talents, energy, ability, clean
liness, trustworthiness, and an aptitude for discipline,
such as are not to be witnessed, in combination, in any
country in the world. Moreover, that in the most
secluded spots, in cheerless situations, trying to human
spirits and temper, Irish Catholics and Protestants live
and serve together in perfect amity. In the Dublin
police force, in the revenue police force, in the coast
guard service — all of which are open to public in
spection — the same high qualifications are evinced, and
the same friendly union between Catholics and Pro
testants maintained: in short, Avherever the British
Government parentally takes hold of an Irishman — as

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 251
if by magic — he casts off the mortal coil of his de
gradation ; and, instead of being a disgrace and a bur
den, he at once becomes, without the smallest exagge
ration, an honour to his country and to the name of man.
In virtue of the above facts, which are incontro
vertible, I feel justified in asserting, that the Irish
people are the victims of some secret malign influence,
and that of the dissensions and demoralization which
disgrace their country they are " not guilty."
Are the Priesthood of Ireland the cause of
the moral degradation of Ireland?
I reply, " They are ! "
The affirmation of these two small monosyllables
will of course excite the anger of those against whom
they are directed ; but, as it is in sorrow rather than in
anger that I very deliberately make the assertion, I
calmly defy all the talents, ability, sophistry, artifice,
and indignation of the Irish priesthood to repel the
evidence I am about to adduce, for the avowed object
of degrading in the estimation of every Irishman, and
most especially of every Irishwoman — to the proper
level — a clergy who — I will prove it — have brought
scandal on the sacred character of the Catholic Church,
who have disgraced the cloth they wear, and who are
culpably driving from a beloved soil hundreds of
thousands of men, women, and little children, whom
it was their especial duty spiritually and morally to
befriend. As far as I am individually concerned I have no
interest whatever in the prosecution of those whom I
have thus publicly arraigned. I am in no way con-

252 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
nected with them, with Ireland, with the Irish Govern
ment, with the Whig Government, or with Lord
Derby's Government; but, like everybody, I owe a
duty to my Sovereign and to my country, and, in pei>
formance thereof, I will at once proceed to substantiate
what I have affirmed. All I ask of Ireland — in return
for the service I am endeavouring to render to her — is
an unprejudiced hearing, a cool judgment, and an
honest decision.
What is the amount of Power that can practically
be wielded by an Irish Roman Catholic Priest ?
As in all cases of ordinary trial it is customary for the
prosecutor to commence his case by informing the jury
of the position in life of both plaintiff and defendant, so
it is proper, and indeed absolutely necessary, that in un
dertaking to arraign before the judgment of mankind in
general, and of the inhabitants of Ireland in particular,
the Irish priesthood, I should by a very brief outline
explain what are the powers it is their destiny to wield,
in comparison with those of other authorities.
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as the representa
tive of the British Sovereign, is invested with poAver to
bestow an amount of patronage which ' Thorn's Irish
Almanac and Official Directory' will specifically detail ;
but he has no power over either the law of the land, or
over the property, the lives, or the persons of those he
governs. The Judges of Ireland have poAver to administer the
law, but they have no power to alter it. Moreover,
hoAvever they may be convinced of his guilt, they have
no power whatever to punish the av ell-known perpe-

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 253
trator of a noon-day murder, if the jury in direct viola
tion of evidence adduced shall declare him to be " not
guilty." The Landlords of Ireland, be they Protestant or
Catholic, have power to retain in their own hands the
cultivation of their own land. They have power to
lease it in gross to middlemen, or in detail to the
honest deserving peasantry by whom they are sur
rounded. If these poor people either refuse or are un
able to pay to their landlords the stipulated rent, each
of these landlords, on application to the sheriff, and in
presence of a constabulary force armed with loaded car
bines, has power to unroof the cabins of his poor tenants,
and thus to evict them from his land. But he has no
power to inflict upon them a blow ; and if, under a
lease, they can pay to him the rent therein stipulated,
he has no power whatever to walk, ride, or in any way
trespass upon his own land.
The Protestant Parson has power on stated days
and at stated hours to read to his congregation the
word of God — he has power to expound it to them in
any way he may think fit ; but he has not power either
from the reading-desk or from the pulpit to assail the
character of any individual present or absent. In his
parish or out of it he has power to offer to any one that
is willing to receive it admonition or advice, but he
has no power to enforce either upon any one ; in short,
although he has power to marry, christen, bury, and
administer the sacrament, yet, practically speaking, he
has no powers spiritual or temporal over his parishioners
beyond what, in their opinion, are due to his doctrines,
his character, and his conduct.

254 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Fart II.
Now, with a sincere and earnest desire to say nothing
disrespectful of the Roman Catholic religion, and most
especially nothing offensive to the religious feelings of
the Irish people, whose unaffected devotion I have had
so much pleasure in proclaiming, let us calmly and dis
passionately weigh and consider, 1st, what are the
assumed powers of the ultramontane head of the Irish
Catholic Church ; and, 2ndly, what is the amount of
power which that ultramontane head has delegated to
the Irish priesthood. Or, to state the problem, if pos
sible, in still plainer terms, what are the powers with
which the Irish Roman Catholic parish priest is invested.
I. In the Tenth Article of the Creed of Pope Pius
the Fourth, the Church of Rome binds her members to
believe as follows : — ¦
"I acknowledge the holy, Catholio, Apostolic, Roman Church for the
mother and mistress of all Churches ; and I promise true obedience to the
Bishop of Rome, successor to St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and Vicar of
Jesus Christ."
Now, it will appear, from the following extracts
from the canon law of the Church of Rome, that the
spiritual and temporal authority of the Pope is pro
claimed to be paramount, in Great Britain and Ireland,
not only to any law enacted by the British Parliament,
but to the constitutional authority of the British Sove
reign, in her Majesty's own dominions.
" The laws of kings have not pre-eminence over ecclesiastical laws, but are
subordinate or subservient to them.
" The statute law of laymen does not extend to churches, or to ecclesiastical
persons, or to their goods to their prejudice.
" Whatever decrees of princes are found injurious to the interests of the
Church are declared to be of no authority whatever.
"While a sovereign remains excommunicated, his subjects owe him no
allegiance ; and if this state of things shall last for some time, and the sove-

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 255
reign being admonished do not submit himself to the Church, his subjects
are absolved from all fealty to him.
" The See of Rome hath neither spot nor wrinkle in it, nor cannot err.
" The Bishop of Rome is not bound by any decrees, but he may compel, as
well the clergy as the laymen, to receive his decrees and canon laws.
" The Bishop of Rome hath authority to judge all men, and specially to
discern the articles of faith, and that without any councils ; and may assoil
(acquit) them that the Council hath damned ; but no man hath authority to
judge him, nor to meddle with anything that he hath judged, neither emperor,
king, people, nor the clergy ; and it is not lawful for any man to dispute of
7iis power.
" The Bishop of Rome may excommunicate emperors and princes, depose
them from their states, and assoil their subjects from their oath of obedience
to them, and so constrain them to rebellion.
" The Bishop of Rome is judge in temporal things, and hath two swords,
spiritual and temporal.
" The Bishop of Rome may give atvthority to arrest men, and imprison
them in manacles and fetters.
" The Bishop of Rome may compel princes to receive his legates.
" It appertained to the Bishop of Rome to judge which oaths ought to be
kept, and which not.
" Princes' laws, if they be against the canons and decrees of the Bishop of
Rome, be of no force nor strength.
All kings, bishops, and nobles that allow or suffer the Bishop of Rome's
decrees in anything to be violate, be accursed.
" The Bishop of Rome may be judged of none but of God only ; for although
he neither regard his own salvation, nor no man's else, but draw down with
himself innumerable people by heaps unto hell, yet may no mortal man in
this world presume to reprehend him. Forasmuch as he is called God he
may be judged of no man, for God may be judged of no man.
" The Bishop of Rome may compel by an oath all rulers and other people
to observe, and cause to be observed, whatsoever the See of Rome shall ordain
concerning heresy, and the favourers thereof ; and who will not obey, he may
deprive them of their dignities.
" He that acknowledgeth not himself to be under the Bishop of Rome, and
that the Bishop of Rome is ordained by God to have primacy over all the
world, is a Iieretic, and cannot be saved, nor is not of the flock of Christ."
In virtue of the above powers, the authority assumed
by the Church of Rome is sternly but very clearly pro
claimed as follows.
By Canon 1, Sess. 7, of the Council of Trent, it is
laconically declared, —
" Whoever shall affirm that the Sacraments of the New Law were not all

256 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord, or that they are more or fewer than
seven, namely, Baptism, Confirmation,Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction,
Order, and Matrimony ; or that any of these is not truly and properly a
Sacrament, let him be accursed."
And by Canon 8, Sess. 7, it is further decreed, with
reference to these seven sacraments, —
" Whoever shall affirm that grace is not conferred by these Sacraments of
the New Law, by virtue of the act performed (ex opere operatd), but that faith
in the divine promise is all that is necessary to obtain grace, let him be
accursed.'' Now, the supernatural powers invested by the Church
of Rome in its priesthood, including of course the Irish
priesthood, will clearly appear from an attentive con
sideration of the following sample of decrees : —
1st. As regards the power of transubstantiation to be
performed by the priest.
By Canon 2 of the Council of Trent it is decreed,—
" If any shall say that in these words, ' Do this in remembrance of me,'
Christ did not appoint the Apostles to be priests, or did not ordain that they
and other priests should offer his body and blood, let him be accursed."
Again, by Canon 4, Sess. 13, of the Council of Trent,
it is decreed,—
" Whosoever shall affirm that the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
are not present in the admirable Eucharist as soon as the consecration is
performed, but only as it is used and received, and neither before nor after ;
and that the true body of our Lord does not remain in the hosts or consecrated
morsels which are reserved or left after communion ; let him be accursed."
Again, in Sess. 22, Canon 3, it is decreed,—
"If any one shall say that the sacrifice of the Mass is only a sacrifice of
praise and thanksgiving, or a bare commemoration of the sacrifice made upon
the Cross, and that it is not propitiatory, or that it profits only the receiver,
and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for their sins,
punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities, let him be accursed."
Of the " consecrated morsels " reserved or left after
communion, it is affirmed by the Church of Rome, that
in every particle of the bread, transubstantiated by the

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 257
priest, there exists " a whole and entire Christ ;" and
that in every globule of the Avine, also transubstantiated
by the priest, there exists " a whole and perfect Christ."
Accordingly, by Canon 1, Sess. 13, of the Council of
Trent, it is decreed —
" Whosoever shall deny that Christ entire is contained in the venerable
Sacrament of the Eucharist, under each species, and under every part of each
species when they are separated, let him be accursed."
Again —
" Whoever shall deny that in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist
there are truly, really, and substantially, contained the body and blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ, together with his soul and divinity, and, consequently,
Christ entire ; but shall affirm that he is present therein only in a sign or
figure or by his power, let him be accursed."
The Roman Missal, in its directions to priests respect
ing their consecration of each species of the Sacrament,
directs that —
" If, after the consecration, a gnat, a spider, or any such thing fall into the
chalice, and if it produce nausea to the priest, let him draw it out, and wash
it with the wine ; and when Mass is concluded, let him burn it, and let him
throw the ashes and the washings into a sacred place. But if there is no
nausea and he fears none, let him swallow it with the blood.
" If any of the blood of Christ fall on the ground or table by negligence,
it must be licked up with the tongue, the place must be thoroughly scraped,
and the scrapings burned ; but the ashes must be buried in holy ground."
By Canon 6, Sess. 13, Cap. 5,- of the Council of
Trent, it will appear that the priest is authorised to
carry in procession the elements he himself has tran
substantiated, and that his parishioners are required to
adore what he has just done.
" If any one shall say that this holy Sacrament should not be adored, nor
solemnly carried about in procession, nor held up publicly to adore it, or that
its worshippers are idolatrous, let him be accursed."
The Church of Rome declares that, in the sacrifice
of the Mass, the priest has the power of retrospectively

258 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
benefiting the absent dead, as well as the living pre
sent at the ceremony, and accordingly —
By the 25th Sess. of the Council of Trent, it is de
creed —
" That the souls delivered in purgatory are assisted by the suffrages of the
faithful, but especially by the acceptable sacrifice of the Mass."
2. The power which the Church of Rome invests in
a priest to receive auricular confessions is sternly and
clearly explained as follows : —
By Canon 6 of the Counil of Trent it is decreed —
" Whosoever shall deny that sacramental confession was instituted by Divine
command, or that it is necessary to salvation ; or shall affirm that the practice,
of secretly confessing to a priest alone, as it has been ever observed from the
beginning by the Catholic Church, and is still observed, is foreign to the
institution and command of Christ, and is a human invention ; let him be
ACCURSED." Moreover, the following Canon ordains that every
mortal sin must be confessed : —
" Whosoever shall affirm that, in order to obtain forgiveness of sins in the
sacrament of penance, it is not by Divine command necessary to confess every
mortal sire which occurs to the memory after due and diligent premeditation — ¦
including secret offences, and those which have been committed against the
two last precepts of the decalogue, and those circumstances which change the
species of sin ; but that such confession is only useful for the instruction and
consolation of the penitent, and was formerly observed merely as a canonical
satisfaction imposed upon him ; or shall affirm that those who labour to con
fess all their sins wish to leave nothing to be pardoned by the Divine mercy ;
or finally, that it is not lawful to confess venial sins, &c. &c, let him be
accursed." And accordingly the Council of Lateran has re
quired —
" That, every man and woman, after they come to years of discretion,
should privately confess their sins to their own priest, at least, once a-year,
and endeavour faithfully to perform the penance enjoined on them ; and after
this they should come to the sacrament at least at Easter, unless the priest,
for some reasonable cause, judge it fit for them to abstain far a time ; and
whosoever does not perform this is to be excommunicated from the Church ;
and if he die, he is not to be allowed Christian burial."

Part II. • THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 259
On the subject of auricular confession, extraordinary
powers-^over-riding those given by any temporal power
on earth — are granted by the Church of Rome to the
parish priest.
For instance, in Dens' ' Theologia,' Vol. vi., No. 159,
' De Segillo Confessionis,' Avill be found the following
instructions, which are taught at the Irish College of
Maynooth : —
" Q. What is the seal of a sacramental confession ?
"A. It is the obligation, or debt, to conceal those things which are known
from sacramental confession.
" Q. What therefore ought a confessor to answer, being asked concerning a.
truth which he has known by sacramental confession alone ?
" A. He ought to answer that he does not Icnoiu it, and, if necessary, con
firm' the same by an oath."
But the most important attribute which the Church
of Rome invests in the parish priest is the power, how
ever immoral may be his own conduct, of absolving
his parishioners from their sins ; and accordingly the
Council of Trent, by their Canons 9 and 10, have sternly
but most explicitly decreed that
" Whoever shall affirm that priests living in mortal sin have not the
power of binding or loosing, or that priests are not the only ministers of
absolution, &c. &c, let him be accursed."
And to avoid the possibility of any doubt or petti
fogging quibble as to whether or not the immorality of
a priest disables him from forgiving in others the sins
he is himself openly committing, it has been peremp
torily enacted by the Council of Trent, c. 6, as fol-
Ioavs : — ¦
" The Council further teaches, that priests who are living in mortal sin
exercise the function of forgiving sins, as the ministers of Christ, by the
power of the Holy Spirit conferred upon them in ordination ; and that those
who contend that wicked priests have not this rjower hold very erroneous
sentiments."
s2

260. DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
3. By the ninth article of the creed of Pope Pius IV.,
every parishioner is required by the Church of Rome
to believe as follows : —
" I also affirm that the power of indulgences was left by Christ in the
Church, and that the use of them is most wholesome to Christian people.-"
On this subject the Council of Trent decreed as fol
lows (Sess. 25, De Indulg.) : —
" Since the power of granting indulgences has been bestowed by Christ
upon his Church, and she has exercised this power, divinely given, from the
earliest antiquity, the holy Council teaches and enjoins that the use of indul
gences, in the highest degree salutary to Christian people, and approved by
the authority of venerable councils, is to be retained in the Church ; and it
condemns with anathema those who assert that they are useless, or deny that
the power of granting them is in the Church."
The enormous moral and spiritual extent of this
power granted to the Roman Catholic priesthood may
be briefly exemplified as follows.
In ' Duffy's Catholic Library, Part 9, On Examen of
Conscience, Sorrow, &c, Confession, and the Penance
enjoined by the Confessor, translated from the Italian
of St. Alphonsus M. Liguori' (Dublin, 1845), it is
recited, p. 31, —
" First. He who hears Mass gains an indulgence of 3800 years. Secondly.
He who wears the scapular of Mount Carmel, observes chastity, abstains from
meat on Wednesday, and recites every day the Our Father, Hail Mary, and
Glory be to the Father, &c, seven times, will be soon delivered from pur
gatory, as we read in the Office of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel.
There are also many indulgences gained by wearing the scapulars of the
Blessed Virgin in Sorrow, of the Conception, and de Mercede. Thirdly. He
who says, the Angelus Domini, when the bells ring for it, gains many indul
gences. Fourthly. They who say, Blessed be the holy, immaculate, and
most pure conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, gain an indulgence of a
hundred years. To them who say the Hail, Holy Queen, is gained an indul
gence of forty days. Por pronouncing the names of Jesus and Mary, twenty-
five days. They who say five Paters and Aves, in honour of the passion of
Jesus Christ and the dolours of the Virgin Mary, gain an indulgence of
10,000 years."

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 261
Again, by a rescript, dated at Rome, the 14th May,
1842, Pope Gregory XVI. graciously granted for ever
the following Indulgences to the contributors to St.
Joseph's Asylum : —
"A plenary Indulgence to such as shall approach the sacraments of
Penance and the Holy Eucharist on the feasts of the Patron St. Joseph—
likewise a plenary indulgence in the hour of death, and once each month, on
any day at their option.
" These indulgences may be applied by way of suffrage to the souls of the
faithful departed."
So recently as the year 1840 the Pope granted an
Indulgence of one hundred years to every one who
should recite the following prayer : —
" 0 Immaculate Queen of Heaven and of Angels ! I adore you. It is you
who have delivered me from Hell. It is you from whom I look for all my
salvation." 4. The extraordinary power invested by the Church
of Rome in her priesthood to mutilate a parishioner by
what is commonly called "excommunication," is fear
fully exemplified by the following extract : —
"We excommunicate, damn, anathematise, and separate' him from the
threshold of the Church. Let his children be orphans ; let him be cursed in
the city, cursed in the field, in the open field, in the wood, at home ; cursed
in his barn, on his couch, in his bedchamber ; cursed in the court, on the
road, in the city ; cursed in the camp, on the river ; cursed in the church, in
the burial-ground, in the courts of justice ; cursed in the market-place, in
war ; cursed in praying, in speaking, in holding his tongue, in eating, awake,
in sleeping, drinking, touching, sitting, lying down, standing ; cursed when
at leisure ; cursed always ; cursed in the whole of his body and soul, and in
the five senses of his body ; cursed be the fruit of the womb, the fruit of his
land ; cursed be all his goods ; cursed be his head, mouth, nostrils, nose, lips,
jaws, teeth, eyes, pupils of the eye, brain, palate, tongue, throat, breast,
heart, belly, liver, all his entrails ; cursed be his stomach, bladder ; cursed
be his legs, thighs, feet, and toes ; cursed his neck, shoulders, back, arms,
elbows ; cursed his hands and fingers ; cursed his finger and toe nails ; cursed
his ribs, conception, knees, flesh, bones ; cursed be his blood ; cursed his skin ;
cursed be the marrow of his bones, and whatever concerns him ; cursed be he
in the passion of Christ, and with the shedding of Christ's blood, and with the
milk of the Virgin Mary.

262 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
" Morepver, let the earth be cursed in which he is buried ; let him perish
in future judgment ; let him not have any conversation with Christians, nor,
when he is in the article of death, let him receive the Lord's body ; let him
be as the dust before the wind ; and as Lucifer was cast down from Heaven,
and as Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise, so let him be expelled from
the light of every day."
5. One of the greatest powers granted by the Church
of Rome to a parish priest is that of suppressing from
any one or more of his parishioners such passages in
the Word of God as, in his judgment, he may deem
proper to repudiate.
For instance, in the creed of Pope Pius IV., Avhich
every Roman Catholic is bound to acknowledge, the
following formula is promulgated : —
" I also admit the Holy Scripture, according to that sense which our Holy
Mother, the Church, has held and does hold, to which it belongs to judge of
the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures ; neither will 1 ever take
aud interpret them otherwise than according to the unanimous consent of the
Fathers." And, accordingly, that there might be no mistake
as to the " sense " or opinion of the Roman Catholic
Church on the subject, ten rules were drawn up by
the Fathers selected from the Synod of Trent, and
approved of by Pope Pius IV. Of these rules or de*
crees the fourth is as follows : —
" Since it is manifested by experience, that if the sacred books, in the
vulgar language, are circulated everywhere without discrimination, more harm
than good arises on account of the rashness of men, let the judgment of the
Bishop or Inquisitor be abided by in this particular. — So that, after consulting
with the parish priest or confessor, they may grant permission to read transla
tions of the Scriptures made by Catholic authors, to those whom they shall
have understood to be able to receive no harm, but an increase of faith and
piety, from such reading ; which facidty let him have in writing. But
whosoever shall presume to read these Bibles, or have them in possession,
without such faculty, shall not be capable of receiving absolution of their sins,
unless they have first given up their Bibles to the ordinary. Booksellers, who
shall sell, or in any other way furnish, Bibles in the vulgar tongue to any one
not possessed of the aforesaid licence, shall forfeit the price of the books,

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 263
which is to be applied by the Bishop to pious uses, and shall be otherwise
punished at the pleasure of the same Bishop, according to the degree of the
OFFENCE." Again, in the Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XII. to
his ' Venerable brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates,
Archbishops, and Bishops, of the Catholic Church,'
to Avhich there is appended ' A Pastoral of the Irish
Popish Archbishops and Bishops to the Clergy and
Laity of their Communion throughout Ireland, recom
mending the same — Dublin : Printed by Richard Coyne,
Printer and Publisher to the Royal College of Maynooth,'
¦ — there is contained the folloAving Appeal : —
" You are aware, venerable brethren, that a certain society, called the
Bible Society, strolls with effrontery throughout the world ; which society,
contemning the traditions of the Holy Fathers, and contrary to the well-
known decree of the Council of Trent, labours with all its might, and by
every means, to translate — or rather to pervert — the Holy Scriptures into the
vulgar language of every nation ; from which proceeding it is greatly to be
feared that what is ascertained to have happened as to some passages may
also occur with regard to others ; to wit, that by a perverse interpretation
the Gospel of Christ be turned into a human Gospel, or, what is still worse, -
the Gospel of the Devil. [Here there is a vague reference to Jerome on the
Epistle to the Galatians.]
" To avert this plague, our predecessors published many ordinances ; and
in his latter days, Pius VII., of blessed memory, sent two briefs — one to
Ignatius, Archbishop of Guesen ; the other to Stanislaus, Archbishop of
Mohilow — in which are many proofs, accurately and wisely collected from
the Sacred Scriptures and from Tradition, to show how noxious this most
WICKED NOVELTY IS TO BOTH FAITH AND MORALS.
" We also, venerable brethren, in conformity with our apostolic duty,
exhort you to turn away your flock, by all means, from these poisonous
pastures. Reprove, beseech, be instant in season and out of season, in all
patience and doctrine, that the faithful intrusted to you (adhering strictly to
the rules of the Congregation of the Index) be persuaded that, if the Sacred
Scriptures be everywhere indiscriminately published, more evil than advantage
will arise thence on account of the rashness of men," &c. &c. — " Given at
Borne, at St. Mary Majors, the 3rd day of May, 1824 — the first year of our
Pontificate." This document was recommended by the Irish
Romish Bishops and others as follows : —

264 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
" To all the faithful clergy and people committed to our care, we, the
undersigned, Archbishops and Bishops in Ireland, send health and benediction.
" Very reverend, and reverend and dearly beloved brethren, we have just
laid before you a copy of the ' Encyclical Letter ' of our most holy father,
Pope Leo XII., addressed by his Houness to his venerable brethren, the
Patriarchs, Primates, &c. &c. &c.
" On receiving this letter, replete with truth and wisdom, we at once recog
nised the voice of him for whom our Redeemer prayed ' that his faith might
not fail,' and to his ardent charity he intrusted the care of his entire flock.
" Our holy father recommends to the observance of the faithful a Rule of
the Congregation of the Index, which prohibits the perusal of the Sacred
Scriptures in the vulgar tongue, without the sanction of the competent autho
rities. His Holiness wisely remarks that more evil than good is found to
result from the indiscriminate perusal of them, on account of the malice or
infirmity of men. In this sentiment of our head and chief we fully concur,
&c. &c.
" Hence, dearest brethren, such books have been and ever will be execrated
by the Catholic Church ; and hence also those salutary laws and ordinances,
whereby she has at all times prohibited her children to read or retain them ;
nay, why she has frequently ordered them to be committed to the
flames." . . . . " And that these our instructions may come to the know
ledge of all, we desire that portions of them be read at time of Mass by our
clergy on successive Sundays, in the presence of the faithful.
" Given under our signs manual."
Here follow the signatures of twenty-seven Romish
Bishops, including Dr. Doyle and Dr. Murray.
6. In order to complete the power of the parish
Priest over his parishioners, the Church of Rome has
not only rigidly insisted on the celibacy of her clergy, for
the purpose of restricting, confining, and concentrating
upon the Church alone the whole of those affections,
interests, and regards, which other men so readily
bestow on worldly objects, but this object has been
honestly explained by Sarpi, the historian of the
Council of Trent, as follows : —
" It is plain," he says, " that married priests would turn their affection and
love to their wives and children, and by consequence to their home and
country ; so that the strict dependence of the clergy upon the Apostolic See
should cease. Thus the granting of marriage to priests would destroy the .
ecclesiastical hierarchy; and leave the Pope bishop of Rome only."

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 265
On a calm perusal of the foregoing extracts, it must
be evident to every man of sound judgment — be he
Catholic or Protestant— that the Church of Rome has
purposely imparted to a parish priest powers not only
superhuman, but Avhich invest him, in his little parish,
Avith the character of Jesus Christ himself. And in
order that there may exist not the smallest shadoAv of
doubt on this most important point — in order that
the divinity of the parish Priest may be clearly ex
pounded to every parishioner, it is promulgated in the
Catechism of the Council of Trent, page 260, that —
" In the minister of God, who sits in the tribunal of penance, as his legi
timate judge, he (the penitent) venerates the form and person of our Lord
Jesus Christ ; for in the administration of thin, as in that of the other sacra
ments, the PRIEST represents the character and discharges the functions of
JESUS CHRIST."
Now. let any one for a single moment place in one
scale of a balance the enormous amount of power
imparted by the Church of Rome to an Irish parish
priest, and in the other the strong innate sense of
devotion which distinguishes and adorns the character
of the Irish Roman Catholics, and he will at once, I
feel confident, readily admit, that a poor, illiterate,
honest Irishman, living with his pig and donkey in a
chimneyless cabin, is completely in the hands and at
the mercy of his spiritual master, whom — as I have
shown — he is literally required to consider as one
" representing the character and discharging the func
tions of Jesus Christ."
I am aAvare that in the United Kingdom there exist
many Protestants, so devotedly attached to their own
religion, and unconsciously so intolerant to the religion
of Rome, that a perusal of the evidence I have just

266 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
submitted will raise in their minds the cry of " No
Popery!" Avhich at present it is my desire to allay
rather than excite.
Injustice, therefore, to the important inquiry I have
undertaken, I deem it necessary to observe that, although
I have undoubtedly shown that the poAver, temporal as
well as spiritual, assumed by the Pope, and by His Sanc
tity and by the Roman Catholic Church delegated to
the parish priests of Ireland, is — theoretically speaking-
subversive of the poAA'er of Queen Victoria and of the
power and authority of the Imperial Parliament, yet
it by no means folloAvs that these ultramontane poAvers,
hoAvever great they may be, are to be exercised in
Ireland simply because they exist.
For instance, every living creature has the power to
desert its young, and yet how affectionately are they
attended to ! The British Sovereign, without consult
ing her people or her Parliament, has power, with rea
son or Avithout it, to declare Avar Avith the inhabitants of
any country on the surface of the globe, and yet it has
been her pride, as it has been her noble policy, in many
instances, to pardon aggressions she had power to avenge.
But not only may temporal or spiritual power — like
heat — be latent, but even in cases Avhere a hostile atti
tude is assumed it is often followed by no serious results.
For instance, since the mission of Lord Castlemaine
in the reign of James II., it has been, and still is, the
rude aggressive policy of England to hold no public com
munication whatever Avith the Pope. According to those
rules, or as they may truly be termed prescriptive laws,
Avhich give dignity to the transactions betAveen the great
nations of the civilised world, the withdrawal of an am-

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 267
bassador is intended to be considered as a frown, which,
like the little cloud seen by the servant of Elijah, indi
cates an approaching storm. But although England
for so long a period has insisted on keeping in the sky
of Rome this vain blustering illiterate symbol of her
wrath, yet has the exercise of this undoubted and
undenied power been productive of no open rupture ;
indeed, on the contrary, in spite of it, and in direct
opposition to it, the British Government, as if it Avere
the policy of England " To do good by stealth,
And blush to find it fame,"
for some years has been iii the habit — as it Avere clan
destinely—of communicating Avith the Court of Rome
through the medium of an attache of the Embassy of
Florence, permanently residing at Rome in private
lodgings; and although the reports from this Floren
tine attach^, who — strange to say — was lately a Roman
Catholic, have invariably been addressed to the Foreign
Secretary, yet so peremptorily has England exercised
her "power " of refusing to hold any public communi
cation Avith the head of the Roman Catholic Church,
that the intervieAVS between this "borrowed light" and
the Pope have been secret and sub rosa.
" Hip. Well shone, moon ! Truly, the moon shines with a good grace."
It does not, therefore, I repeat, necessarily folloAV,
because the Pope of Rome has a'ssumed for himself and
has conferred upon the parish priests of Ireland powers
incompatible with the constitutional government of the
British empire in general, and of Ireland in particular,
that those powers must be executed. If they be, there
can be no doubt that they amount not to a declaration

268 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
of war, but to actual warfare. On the other hand, if
they be not executed, but lie dormant in desuetude,
they are as harmless as has been our own unnecessary
and irrational conduct towards the Pope at Rome.
Without therefore raising any objection or taking
any offence at the theoretical existence of the extraordi
nary powers which I have detailed, let us now calmly
proceed to consider Avhether these poAvers have been
exercised at all, and, even if they have, whether in their
exercise there has been anything of which the Sove
reign, the Parliament, and the people of Great Britain
can — not captiously but — reasonably complain? and
first, as regards the powers assumed by the Pope.
It would give me sincere pleasure to be enabled to
affirm that the Church of Rome, in the exercise of its
undoubted spiritual authority over Roman Catholics, in
whatever region they may reside, had restricted itself
within the bounds of reason and moderation. But
Avithout entering into tedious details, which, after all,
would be unnecessary, I will simply refer to the well-
known fact, that the Pope of Rome, not satisfied with
the existence in Ireland of Roman Catholic bishops, by
an act of unjustifiable aggression divided the territory
of Protestant England into tAvelve districts, the in
habitants of which, without any exception being made,
he summarily placed under Roman Catholic episcopal
jurisdiction ; and that, accordingly, a Papal proclama
tion, of which the following are extracts, was actually
issued within the limits of her Majesty's Palace and
both Houses of Parliament, by a priest ordained by the
Pope to be the commander-in-chief of the whole.
" Nicholas, by the Divine Mercy, of the Holy Roman

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 269
Church, by the Title of St. Pudentiana, Cardinal
Priest, Archbishop of Westminster, and Administrator
Apostolic of the Diocese of Southwark. :
" To our dearly beloved in Christ, the Clergy secular
and regular, and the faithful, of the said archdiocese
and Diocese :
" Health and Benediction in the Lord.
•^ *P £f& * *n
" Given at London, this 30th day of November, in the
year of our lord 1850.
" Signed, " NICHOLAS, Cardinal,
" Archbishop of Westminster.
" By Command of his Eminence,
" FRANCIS SEARLE, Secretary."
As this daring invasion of the Queen's territory and
authority has been indignantly and effectually repelled
by her Majesty, by both Houses of Parliament, and by
the people of England, by a law fresh in the recollec
tion of every one, I will only draw from this aggression
one undeniable inference, namely, that, if the Church
of Rome in the nineteenth century has been bold
enough, by so overt an act, to attempt to overrule the
Queen's authority in Protestant England, it is reason
able to suppose that, for the same object, to the utmost
of its power, it would simultaneously exert its visible
as well as invisible dominion in Ireland, where the
Catholic majority, Avho, as in duty bound, acknowledge
spiritual allegiance to the Pope, have of late years been
so rapidly declining. And, without further comment,
I will now proceed to show, 1st, what for a long time
has been the secret policy ; and, 2ndly, what has lately
been the open or aggressive conduct of the Irish priest
hood.

270 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.

1. What, for a long time, has been the secret
Policy of the Irish Priesthood ?
The superhuman power possessed by an Irish priest,
even beyond the limits of his own parish, will shortly
be exemplified very clearly by a trial which is to take
place at the next Sligo quarter sessions, for an offence,
the extraordinary particulars of which appeared in The
Times of the 10th of September last, as folio avs:—
" The Evening Mail supplies the annexed report of some
rather curious proceedings which came before the magis
trates at Collooney petty sessions on Monday last, and
by which it will be seen that a Roman Catholic clergy
man is to take his trial at the next quarter sessions for
Sligo, on the old charge of a too generous use of the
"horsewhip" on the shoulders of a young girl who had
fallen under the displeasure of the rev. flagellator.
" Monday, Sept. 6.
"The magistrates in attendance were Messrs. Whelan
and Knox, S.M., and Mr. Culbertson, J.P.
" The court was unusually crowded, and the greatest
interest prevailed when the case of James Blair against
the Rev. Andrew Quinn, C.C. of Sligo, was called on.
" Mr. Gethin, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the latter
personage. " Mary Anne Blair, a well-dressed, respectable young
woman, and who gave her evidence Avith considerable
firmness, was the first witness examined. — •' I was return^
ing from Mr. Cooper's school at Ballisodare in company
with a girl named Jane Nearin, and, when near my
residence at Ballydrihid, I was overtaken by a person on
horseback, who asked me how far I was going, and where
I lived? I said, Not far, Sir; and I live convenient.
He put other questions to me, and to avoid him I went;
into a man's house named Colleary. He got off his horse

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 271
and followed me in, and asked the woman of the house
who I was? She replied, An honest man's daughter.
He then went away, and in about five minutes returned,
and with the butt end of his whip beat me on the
shoulders. He left large welts upon me. He then
caught Jane Nearin, and threw her on the ground. The
woman of the house was going to strike him with a shovel,
but, when she saw he was a clergyman, she begged his
pardon. He then rode away in the direction of Sligo.' "
Now, if an Irish priest has been invested by the
Church of Rome with such magic influence over the
minds of the illiterate, that a sturdy IrishAvoman, —
with uplifted arms, vigorously defending with a stout
iron fire-shovel that which above everything she
innately reveres and appreciates, namely, the virtue of
" an honest man's daughter," — almost falls down on her
knees to ask forgiveness of the offender, in flagrante
delictu before her eyes, the instant that under his
disguise she discerns the holy habiliments of a priest,
how beneficial might be the influence of the Irish
priesthood, composed of four archbishops, 24 bishops,
2168 priests and curates, besides readers and alumni
of all sorts, lay as well as clerical, who minister to
and instruct the people. (There are, moreover, in
Ireland, Roman Catholic colleges, missionaries, and
other establishments, both male and female, with a
large staff, all of whom are authorised to "visit the
people." For these establishments — Avhich, ever since
the numerous conversions to Protestantism have been
rapidly extending — the Roman Catholic Church has
lately purchased some of the very best houses in the
country, and is building others on plans submitted to
Rome and approved there. In short, the map at the

272 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
commencement of this volume, shoAving the distribu
tion of the constabulary force, would not inaccurately
delineate the ecclesiastical stations occupied by the
Roman Catholic priesthood.) And yet, how comes it,
I emphatically ask, that with all these positions, and
with all this superhuman power, the poor, good,
virtuous Irish people, who, in fervent devotion to their
revered religion, will proverbially do anything that
their priest bids them — how comes it, I ask, that,
bound together only by Ribbonism, they are to be found
almost everywhere, in squalid rags, living with their
pigs and asses, and, without metaphor, existing — most
fearfully — with nothing between them and the far west
of America but the rind of a round root, which it has
lately pleased the Almighty to fester and corrupt before
it even comes to maturity ?
Is it because the facility of cultivating that root,
which supports dogs, sheep, fowls, pigs, and children,
encourages early marriages ; and that for every such
early marriage the improvident couple is required to
pay to a certain personage the exorbitant fee of 25*. to
begin with, with a further demanded fee of 2s. 6d. for
every child that it produces ?
Are the receipts of those fees the latent reason why
every well-organized system of emigrating from such a
degraded state has been strenuously opposed by the
Irish priesthood?
Is it to prevent the stimulating light of knowledge,
which education would throw- upon the Irish poor,
that Archbishop M'Hale, and the majority of the Irish
priesthood, have unceasingly opposed, and are still
strenuously opposing, that national system of education,

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 273
the beneficial effects of which I have imperfectly
described, — just as they have opposed that legal provi
sion for the poor which prevents the parish priest from
remaining their sole almoner ? And while a stranger,
in travelling through Ireland, cannot give a little child
a halfpenny without receiving in return the indigenous
words " God bless your Arnh'r," why is it that the
Catholic population of Ireland have been and are still
taught to revile, as a bitter enemy, that generous bene
factor, the British Parliament, Avhich in the late period
of their distress assisted them to the enormous extent of
eight millions ? In short, in plain terms, is it, or is it
not, the interest and the object of the Irish priesthood to
keep their flocks in their present state of degradation ?
For if it be neither their interest nor their object,
why, I ask, have they neglected to teach those who
have so implicitly confided in them to maintain clean
dwellings,, to wear decent clothing, and to adopt a
species of cultivation which would prevent them, to a
considerable degree, from falling victims to a vegetable
disease ?
Lastly, — I beg leave to ask, how comes it that the
constabulary map at the commencement of this volume
indisputably proves, to any one, at a single glance, that
in the north of Ireland, where the poor are, generally
speaking, under Protestant clergymen, as also on the
western coast, where Protestantism has made great
progress, there are infinitely less police stations — that
is to say, there is infinitely less crime — than in the
remaining portion of Ireland, where the poor are under
the especial and almost exclusive care of the Irish
priesthood ?

274 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. Part II.
In reply to my queries, will the archbishops, bishops,
and Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland affirm that
really they are not invested with power or influence
enough to produce that moral change which Major-
General Sir Duncan M'Grigor and Colonel Brown — as
it were by word of command — effect upon every
Irishman that enlists either into the constabulary or
into the Dublin police?
In the face of the staring fact that Father Matthew
— single-handed — prevailed upon millions of illiterate
Protestant as well as Catholic Irishmen to drink cold
water instead of warm whisky, will the archbishops,
bishops, and Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland declare
that the Church of Rome has gifted them with so little
power, and such feeble influence over their flocks, that
it would be utterly hopeless to advise them to break
the wicked band of Ribbonism, which, as is well known,
is composed solely of Irish Roman Catholics ?
The only calm and reasonable solution that can be
offered of the phenomenon of an intelligent people
living in the state of moral degradation I have so often
described and bewailed, is either that their priests, whose
influence over them is undeniable, are not gifted by the
Pope with sufficient power, or that these Irish priests
have had worldly objects in view, which, to say the
least, have distracted their attention from the temporal
welfare of their flocks ; and on the horns of this
dilemma I leave Archbishop M'Hale.
Having, I submit, negatively replied to the first
query, I will noAv by the production of positive evi
dence proceed to elucidate

Part II. THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 275
2. What has been the open aggressive conduct
of the Irish Priesthood ?
If it depended on assertions of my own to convict so
powerful and intellectual a body as the Irish priesthood,
supported as they have been, are, and will be, by the
Roman Catholic Church of Rome, I might naturally
tremble at the difficulty of the task. I have, however,
merely to produce two very unequal descriptions of
evidence, namely,
1st. That which has been officially published and
countersigned by the priesthood themselves.
2ndly. That which I collected myself.

T 2

( 276 ) Part II.

TACTICS OF THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD.

In justice to the priesthood of Ireland, as well as to
myself, I have iioav to request that the reader will dis
passionately listen to their own case as explained in
their own speeches — in their own writings — and lastly,
in their own press. As, however, it is absolutely neces
sary, before I throw before the reader this mass of evi
dence, that he should understand to what point or points
it precisely refers, I will briefly afford this preliminary
explanation, not in my own words, but in those of a
few very brief extracts from the documents about to
be perused.
1. At a monster meeting preparatory to the Meath
election, the chairman, the very Rev. Dr. M'Evoy, P.P.,
thus clearly announced, on behalf of the priesthood,
their views, objects, and intentions.
" Oh, if the oldest, the greatest, the most incorruptible
and sacred power in this island — I mean the influence of
the Priesthood with the people — if that power be but pro
perly exerted at the coming elections, to what glorious
results may we not confidently look forward ! (Hear,
hear !) Yes ; if the priests but lead the people, the people
will c oquer. (Great cheering.)" — (p. 37.)
In advocating a proposed attack on the existing
rights of Irish landlords, the reverend gentleman ex
plained the opinions of the Priesthood as follows : —

Part II. TACTICS OF THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. 277
" But what is tenant-right ? What means that term that
grates so harshly upon landlords' ears. I will tell you in
a few and simple words. Tenant-right means fair and
equitable rents fixed by impartial arbitration, dealing im
partial justice to landlord and tenant, and enabling both to
live  Tenant-right is the only lever to lift our pros
trate country — the only balsam to heal her bleeding
wounds." — (p. 34.)
The reverend gentleman proceeded further to an
nounce the political tactics of the Priesthood as fol
lows : —
" Gentlemen, to one, and one only, other subject shall I,
in conclusion, briefly allude. If this country is to be saved,
if she is ever again to become prosperous and free, an Irish
party must be formed. [Hear !] Unless that be done at
the coming elections, all our labour will be lost, and the
regeneration of Ireland rendered hopeless. From the vic
tories which twenty Irish members last year won, it is easy
to see what an Irish party, animated with the like spirit,
could achieve, if composed of fifty or sixty sterling men.
[Loud cries of ' Hear, hear !'] Why ! in the balanced
state of parties, they could dictate to any Minister what
terms they pleased — they could make and unmake govern
ments at will. [Hear, hear !] It is clear that the Irish
people, by the return of such a party, have it in their power
at the coming elections to secure their every right. Let
them but send to Parliament fifty, or even forty, members
pledged to oppose any and every Government that will not
make tenant-right and the abolition of the Church Esta
blishment Cabinet questions, and, as sure as to-morrow's sun
will rise, so sure will the charter of tenant-right be con
ceded, and the monstrosity of the Protestant Establishment
disappear from the face of an outraged world. [Loud
cheers.]" — (pp. 36, 37)
2. At the conclusion of his speech the reverend
gentleman introduced to the meeting the successful
candidate, Mr. Lucas, " as the tried and trusted advocate

278 TACTICS OP THE IRISH PRIESTHOOD. Part II.
of every principle dear to the hearts of the entire Prelacy
and Priesthood of the land."
Mr. Lucas, in that high capacity, expressed himself
in a speech of great ability, of which the following are
extracts : —
" I have come to ask you to do me the high honour of
giving me your votes, and returning me, as your representa
tive, to a very nasty house. [Laughter and cheers.] ....
By the blessing of God in heaven, I will never rest or cease
my exertions, as long as I am in a position to exercise any
public functions whatever, until that accursed monopoly,
the Established Church, be cut down by the root, and
cease to blast the land with its unwholesome influence. . .
.... I pledge myself here to oppose every Government
that will not make something that is equal to Sharman
Crawford's bill, in every one of its protecting provisions, a
Cabinet question. [Hear, hear! and loud cheers.]. ... I
will have nothing to do with any Government, if you return
me to Parliament — except, indeed, to oppose them, which
I shall do very cordially — until they make the conces
sion of justice to the tenant-farmers of Ireland part of their
acknowledged policy. [Loud cheers.] I hope I have
satisfied my reverend friend by the spirit of my answer?
[Hear, hear !]— (pp. 38, 39.)
" The Chairman, the Very Rev. Doctor M'Evoy: Per
fectly so. [Cheers.]"
The abolition of the Protestant Established Church,
and the adjustment by arbitration of the property of all
Protestant and Catholic landlords, having been thus
publicly declared by a priest to be the avowed object
of the Priesthood of Ireland, the modus operandi, in
Avhich they proposed that " the influence of the priest-
" hood with the people should be properly exerted at
" the coming elections," shall noAV be explained by
themselves.

Part II. ( 279 )

PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES.

In all hostile irruptions it is usual for an invading
army, on entering the peaceful country it is their in
tention to devastate, to issue a Proclamation, laconically
stating their object and demands ; and accordingly the
following "Manifesto" was promulgated throughout
Ireland by a newspaper, the avowed organ, as will
hereafter be shown, of the Irish priests : —
FROM ' THE TABLET,' MAY 8, 1852.
" General Election. — Manifesto from the Clergy of Emly.
" We, the undersigned clergymen of the diocese of
Emly, and county of Limerick, seeing that the general
elections are near at hand, when we shall be called upon
to exert our influence -in returning two members to repre
sent this county in Parliament, and knowing that on the
issue of these elections depend not only the liberties of
our religion, but the happiness and the lives of millions —
nay, the existence of the old Faith and the old Celtic race
in Ireland —feel ourselves bound in duty to our country to
place before the public our firm, deliberate resolve to sup
port no candidate seeking the representation of this county
at the next election who will not pledge himself in express
and unequivocal terms —
" First — To give his utmost support to Mr. Sharman
Crawford's Tenant Right Bill, or, in its absence, to a
measure embodying all its principles.

280

PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES.

Part II.

" Secondly — To advocate a repeal of the Ecclesiastical
Titles Act of last session.
" Thirdly — To support a measure for appropriating
the revenues of the Established Church in Ireland (saving
existing rights) to useful national purposes.
" Fourthly — To give a strenuous bona fide opposition
to every ministry that will not actively favour the passing
of the. above three vital measures.
" Fifthly — To resign his seat in Parliament when a
majority of his constituents shall call on him to do so.
(Signed)
Thomas Clancy, P.P., Galbally.
John Mahek, P.P., Murroe.
John Ryan, P.P., Knockany.
Paul Heney, P.P., Emly.
John Magrath, P.P., Knocklong
Wm. Barron, P.P., Hospital.
James Ryan, P.P.,Caherconlish.
John Madden, P.P., Kilteely.
John FoGARTY,P.P.,Ballybricken
Patrick Ryan, P.P. Cappamore.
Laurence Power,P.P., Kilbenny
Thomas Hewit, P.P., Oola.
James Ryan, P.P., Pallasgreen.
N.B.— To English readers it may be necessary to state that in the above
list P.P. means Parish Priest, and C.C. Catholic Curate.

Thomas Hickey, Adm., Cullen.
Thomas Meagher,C.C, Galbally
Patrick Ryan, C.C, ditto.
James Burke, C.C, Murroe.
Robert Short, C.C., Knockany.
Wm. Lanigan, C.C, Kilcummin.
Michael Ryan, C.C, Knocklong.
Thos. CollieRjCC, Pallasgreen.
Thomas Gilhooly, C.C, Oola.
M.Callanan, C.C, Ballybricken.
Micn.CoNWAY,CC,Caherconlish.Richard Rafter, C.C, Hospital.
J. O'Dwyer, C.C, Doon."

On the 10th of July, 1852, The Tablet, by authority,
promulgated the following general order : —
" The priest will have not only to exhort, and entreat,
and command his people to vote for the popular candidates,
but he must bring the voters together, and go with them
to the polling-places, and watch over them at the tally-
rooms like a sentinel .... The priest must be the gutter
agent." (A gutter agent is a street agent, as contradistinguished from the agent
whose orders are to remain in the polling-booth. The duty of the
gutter-agent is to rummage the streets for voters, — lay hold of them, —
and bring them to the polling agent.)
Nine days afterwards, the following district order
was circulated throughout Ireland : —

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 28 1

" County Waterford Election — Power and Esmonde.
" Rev. dear Sir, — The election committee respectfully
request that you and independent Liberal electors do
make the necessary arrangements for bringing the voters
of your parish to their proper polling-places on Friday,
the 23rd of July. You should appoint a time and place
where the voters should assemble at an early hour on
Friday morning, and proceed under your direction to the
polling-place. Wherever a difficulty exists in procuring
jaunting cars, the voters should be told to travel by their
own horses ; and some of the farmers should provide for
the conveyance of such voters as have not horses by
bringing their own common cars, for which they will be
paid. The polling will commence at nine o'clock on the
morning of Friday, and at eight o'clock on the morning
of Saturday. The Committee deem it expedient that you
should attend in the booth while your parishioners are
being polled. . The people should be cautious against
rioting, as the sheriff would have the power of suspending
the poll. " Richard Musgrave, Chairman.
" Roger Power, R. C. C, 1 Honorary
" James Delahunty, J Secretaries.
" Committee Rooms, Mall, Waterford,
" 19th July, 1852."
The foregoing well-organized arrangements having
been duly completed, the part openly assumed by the
priests in the late elections will appear from the fol
lowing imperfect list : —
" In the county of Galway, and also in the county of
Mayo, Archbishop M'Hale himself boldly came forward
and proposed the candidates.
" In the borough of Carlow the Rev. Dr. Walsh, of
Carlow College, nominated Mr. Sadleir.
" In the borough of Galway the Rev. P. Daly, P.P.,
nominated Mr. O'Flaherty.

282 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
" In the borough of Clonmel the Very Rev. Dr. Burke,
P.P., nominated Mr. Lawless, and the Ven. Archdeacon
Laffan spoke in his favour.
" In the county of Cork Mr. Scully was seconded by
the Rev. Mr. Corkran, P.P.
" In King's County Mr. Bland was seconded by the
Rev. Dr. O'Rafferty, P.P., and Mr. O'Brien by the Rev
W. O'Malley, P.P.
" In Tipperary the Very Rev. Dr. Burke, P;P., and
the Rev. J. Morris, P.P., proposed Mr. Scully; and the
Rev. Mr. Laffan, P.P., seconded Mr. Sadleir.
" In Waterford the Rev. Mr. Flynn, P.P., seconded
Mr. Power.
" In Leitrim the Very Rev. Dean Dawson, P.P., pro
posed Dr. Brady, and the Rev. P. Curran, P.P., proposed
Mr. M'Mahon.
" In Carlow County the Rev. Mr. Lawler, P.P., pro
posed Mr. Keogh.
" In Meath four priests, the Rev. Mr. Kelly, P.P., the
Rev. Mr. Power, P.P., the Rev. R. Ennis, P.P., and the
Rev. Thomas Langan, united in recommending Messrs,
Corbally and Lucas.
" In Queen's County the Rev. Mr. Fitzpatrick, P.P.,
proposed Mr. Dunne.
" In Mayo the Very Rev. Dean Burke and the Rev,
Mr. Hardiman proposed Mr. Higgins.
" In Limerick the Rev. Mr. Hickey, P.P., proposed
Mr. Monsell, and Archdeacon Fitzgerald, P.P., spoke in
his favour.
" In Westmeath the Rev. Mr. Coghlan, P.P., pro
posed Mr. Urquhart, and the Rev. Mr. Dowling, P.P.,
spoke. " In Wexford the Rev. J. Redmond, P.P., proposed
Mr. Morgan, and the Rev, P. Devereux Mr. M'Mahon.
" In Galway the Rev. J. Macklin, P.P., proposed Sir
Thomas Burke.
" In Clare the Rev. Mr. Lynch, P.P., the Rev. Mr.
Quaid, P.P., the Rev. J. M'Mahon, P.P., and the Rev.
Mr. Bourke, united in the recommendation of Mr.
O'Brien and Mr. Fitzgerald.

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 283
" Iii Monaghan the Rev. P. Brennan, P.P., proposed
Dr. Gray.
" In Kilkenny the Rev. Mr. Aylward, P.P., recom
mended Serjeant Shee.
" In Limerick City the Rev. J. Brahan, P.P., proposed
Mr. O'Brien.
" In Clare County the members were recommended,
proposed, and seconded by the Rey. Wm. Lynch and
Rev. Mr. M'Quaid.
" In Kilkenny County by the Rev. Mr. Keeffe and the
Rev. Mr. Aylward.
" Longford County, Rev. E. M'Gaver.
" Sligo County, Rev. D. Noone.
" Louth County, Rev. Mr. Bannon, Rev. Mr. Lough-
ran, Rev. Mr. Trainor.
" New Ross, Rev. Pat Crane, Rev. Thomas Doyle,
Rev. J. Crane.
" Athlone, Rev. John Reilly.
" Dundalk, Rev. Dr. Kieran.
" Kerry County, Rev. Dr. M'Ennery.
" Cork City, Rev. John Falvey."
But, besides proposing and seconding those candi
dates whom they considered most likely to support
their views, it will appear from the following docu
ments, officially published in their own newspapers, that
the Roman Catholic priests of Ireland in the name of
the Almighty openly avoAved sentiments religious,
moral, and political, which shall now, Avithout intro
ductory comment, fairly speak for themselves.
At the Galway election Archbishop M'Hale spoke as
follows : —
" If you wish that your chapels should be wrecked,
that your priests should be flung into prison, that the
God of Heaven, under the form of bread and wine,
should be exposed to blasphemous insult, as he was on a
late occasion, you will support Lord Derby's Government."

284 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
Again at a meeting at Tralee held for the purpose
of promoting the return of Mr. Maurice O'Connell, the
Rev. Mr. * * *, P.P., proclaimed the threats of the
Priesthood as follows : —
" If there be a Catholic elector of this borough who
will dare to go forward and register his vote for the
English enemy, pass him by with scorn and contempt.
Do not be seen to walk with him, to talk to, or associate
with him. Let him fester in his corruption : be not you
contaminated by any contact with a wretch so base and
degraded. Despise him. If you meet him on the high
road, pass over to the other side. Have no dealing with
him. Make him understand that he cannot afford to brave
the honest indignation of his fellow-countrymen. Electors
of Tralee, you- — the honest electors — who have always
upheld the independence of your town, assemble in a body
tomorrow, go to those unfortunate wretches, and make
them acquainted with the consequences of their guilt.
For my part, I'll confess to you what my feelings are with
respect to those wretched and corrupt Catholics. Let me
suppose one of those wretches prostrated by sickness.
Suppose the hand of death heavy upon him, and that a
messenger comes to me to attend him in his dying mo
ments. If there were no other priest in the way, I would
be bound to go. I dare not refuse to attend him. But I
confess to you that I would be sorry from my heart to be
called upon to attend the death-bed of such a being — '¦ ¦
(great sensation). I would go to attend such a wretch
with a heavy heart, without much hope, because I would
feel that I was going to administer sacraments to one
whose conscience was so smeared, and whose heart was so
rotten at the core, that I could not have much expectation
of effecting a conversion. Overpowered with the im
pression that I was about to visit a perjured wretch, who,
for a miserable bribe, had betrayed the dearest interests of
his country and his religion, and borne down with the
harrowing reflection that God, in His just anger, might
leave such a wretch to die in his sins — (sensation) — I
would fear that my mission would be fruitless — that I

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 285
could have no hope of converting a heart so hardened —
so lost to every sense of duty and religion as to vote in
support of those who would trample on the Lord of Hosts
— (sensation) ! "

The views and objects of "the Irish Priesthood were
openly explained by themselves as follows : —
FROM ' THE TABLET,' APRIL 10, 1852.
" The Approaching Election — Important Public Meeting
in Tuam.
" [From the Tuam Herald.]
" On Tuesday last, pursuant to requisition, a most nume
rous and influential meeting of the electors of the baronies
of Dunmore, Ballymoe, Tyaquin, Clare, and other dis
tricts of the county, was held in the Court-house of this
town, for the purpose of securing, at the coming election,
the return of gentlemen who will honestly represent the
feelings of this great county.
[Amongst those present are published the names of no less than 26 priests.]
"M.S. Kirwan, Esq., D.L., J.P., Blindwell, was called
to the chair.
"The Very Rev. P. Reynolds and W. Gannon, Esq.,
were nominated honorary secretaries.
" The Chairman addressed the meeting, and read a letter
from Mr. Bodkin, of Kilclooney, in which he declined to
be put in nomination as candidate for the county.
" The Rev. Mr. Reynolds having given some explana
tions relative to the proposal made to Mr. Bodkin,
" Mr. W. Gannon, T.C., came forward, and proposed the
rst resolution.
" The Chairman, having put the question, declared it
carried unanimously.
"Rev. P. M'Gauran,. P.P., Ahascragh, proposed the
second resolution, and said — No candidate will merit the
suffrages or support of the electors of Galway, if not

286 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
pledged to vote for a just, fair, and equitable adjustment
of the relations between landlord and tenant— what is
known as tenant-right — (hear, hear) — the removal of that
monster nuisance the Protestant Establishment, that in
cubus which is the great social evil of the country, and the
badge of degradation and religious inferiority on the
Catholic people, who are the great majority. (Hear, and
cheers.) Moreover, to obtain from the Government funds
for free and Catholic education in Ireland, as the funds at
present devoted to that purpose are spent in establishing
educational instruction unsuited to the requirements, and
hostile to the religious feelings and circumstances of the
people of the country. (Hear, hear.) The reverend gen
tleman, after some further remarks, concluded amid loud
cheers."

PROM ' THE TABLET,' MAY 22, 1852.
" Great Meeting at Navan.
"On Thursday a most numerous, respectable, and influ
ential meeting of the independent electors of this great
county was held at Navan for the purpose of receiving
Mr. Lucas, on the occasion of his presenting himself to
the constituency as a candidate for the representation of
the county in the next parliament. Mr. Lucas, on his
arrival in the town, was met by a respectable deputation
of the local clergy and electors, and he was accompanied
by them to the Parochial-house, where he was most cor
dially received by the clergy [consisting of 24 priests]
assembled from different parts of the county.
"The chair was taken by Thomas Maker, Esq., of
Roundstown. "The Rev. Messrs. Kelly and Tormey and Mr. Foley
were requested to act as secretaries to the meeting.
" The Rev. Mr. Kelly then read letters of apology from
some gentlemen who were unable to attend the meeting.
"The Rev. Mr. Power, President of Navan Seminary,
then presented himself, and Avas received with loud and
most hearty acclamations. He supposed that they were

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 287
already aware of the objects of that meeting. They knew
that an election in this county might be expected in a very
short time, and that the Liberal party ought to be pre
pared when the time arrived to have their men selected,
who would be capable of expressing the feeliugs of the
constituency, their wants and their wishes, in the British
Parliament. Why was it that they were now again fight
ing for civil and religious liberty ? They had supposed
that that question was settled in 1829 by the great Libe
rator of Ireland — (loud cheers) — but the Catholics were
forced again into the field of agitation by the aggression
that had been made in the last session of parliament on
their rights and liberties. (Hear, hear.) But they were
now determined to take the field against the British Par
liament, and to maintain their rights, civil and religious,
as they had the power to do so in their own bands. (Loud
cheers.)"

FROM 'THE TABLET,' MAY 22, 1852.
" Representation of Westmeath — Meeting of the County
Club at Mullingar.
" A numerous and influential meeting of the Indepen
dent Club of the county Westmeath was held in the
Court-house, Mullingar, on Tuesday, which was crowded
in every part by electors and others, in addition to the
members of the clubs. The proceedings, which were of
a very animated character, commenced shortly after one
o'clock, and did not terminate till after six p.m.
" Amongst the large number of gentry, clergy, and
electors of the county present, there were
[Here follow the names of 13 priests.]
" At half-past one o'clock the chair was taken, amid
loud cheering, by Col. Fulke Greville.
" The Rev. Mr. Savage, C.C, secretary, having read
the minutes of the previous meeting of the club,
" The Very Rev. Dr. Kearney, P.P., said that before the
candidates were heard he wished to propose a resolution

288 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II,
declaring and defining the principles of the electors of the
county Westmeath, and without a clear adhesion to which
no candidate would be acceptable. (Hear, hear.) The first
of these principles was the determination to use every effort
for the appropriation of the temporalities of the Protestant '
Church for national uses. (Cheers.) The next was the re
peal of the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, though he would con
fess it was a matter of perfect indifference whether that was
done or not, inasmuch as the Bishops had already repealed
it themselves. (Cheers.) But both these questions faded
into insignificance when eempared with the third question
— a question which, in his heart and soul, he believed to
be one of life and death to the tenantry of Ireland — and
that was, Avhether their representatives would to the utmost.
support the principles of Sharman Crawford's bill. (Loud
cheers.) After a few more remarks, the reverend gentle
man concluded by moving the meeting to declare that
none of the addresses published by the various candidates
came up to the requirement of the electors of the county,
and that the meeting adjourn to another day, when they
would take into consideration the propriety of looking for
other candidates. (Hear.) He would, however, be glad
to hear what explanations were to be given of these ad
dresses, but if they were not satisfactory he would move
the rejection of all the candidates, and that the club apply
to the Tenant League to recommend candidates to the
county. (Cheers.)
" The Rev. Mr. Masterson, C.C, Mullingar, seconded
the resolution.
" The Rev. Mr. Dowling, P.P., Clonmellon, considered
the motion premature.
" The Rev. Mr, Savage seconded the motion.
" Rev. Mr. Kearney. — All I will ask of the meeting to
declare now is, that the addresses as they stand do not
come up to the requirements of the country. (Cheers)."

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 289

FROM THE ' WEEKLY TELEGRAPH,' JUNE 26, 1852.
" Great Meeting of the Liberal Electors of Tyrone.
" [ From our own Reporter.]
" One of the largest county meetings ever held in the
North of Ireland assembled at Omagh, on Thursday, fcr
the purpose of giving expression to the feelings of the
Liberal electors on the subject of the representation of
the county, and to denounce the attempts made by the
Government to connect the Catholic priests and the Pres
byterian clergymen who advocate the great principles of
tenant-right, with Ribbonism and the commission of
outrage. " The Rev. M. O'Kane rose to propose the first reso
lution. " The Rev. Paul Bradley proposed the next resolu
tion, and addressed the meeting in a brief but very telling
speech. " The Rev. John Hamilton, P.M., of Cross-roads, se
conded the resolution. The reverend gentleman, at some
length and with much eloquence, combated the arguments
put forward by the opponents of tenant-right.
" The Rev. Mr. Mooney, C.C, spoke in support of the
second resolution.
" The resolution was put from the chair, and carried
with acclamation.
" The Rev. Peter Gordon, P.P., proposed the third
resolution. " The Rev. Mr. Ferguson seconded the resolution.
The reverend gentleman, in the course of some very prac
tical observations, called on the people to use every legi
timate exertion to secure the return of the candidate
pledged to tenant-right. (Hear, hear, and great cheering.)
" The Rev. Mr. O'Doherty having been called to the
second chair, the meeting, at six o'clock, separated, cheer
ing for Captain Higgins and tenant-right."

u

290 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
FROM ' THE TELEGRAPH,' JUNE 28, 1852.
" Monster Meeting in Athlone. — Great demonstration in
favour of the Brigade.
" [From our own Reporter.]
" Decidedly one of the greatest popular demonstrations
that has been seen in Ireland for some years was that
which commenced in the town of Athlone on Saturday
night, and was brought to a close last evening. For some
days it had been very generally known through the coun
ties of Westmeath and Roscommon, and the King's
County,, that a meeting in favour of Civil and Religious
Liberty and Tenant Right would be held in Athlone on
Sunday.
" On the motion of the Rev. Mr. Kilroe, P.P., se
conded by acclamation,, the chain was taken by the Rev.
Dr. Kearney, P.P.
" The Chairman. — I beg to express my gratitude,
which I do most sincerely, for the high honour you have
conferred on me in selecting me to fill the position of
chairman of this assembly — of this enormous meeting.
(Hear, hear.) . .
" The Very Rev. Archdeacon O'Reilly, who, on pre
senting himself, was received Avith vociferous cheers, waving
of hats, &c, said, — I rise to second the resolution proposed
by the highly-gifted, talented, and patriotic member for
Mayo. (Cheers.) It is notorious that the Whigs and
Tories, who are now combining against him, would be
happy and delighted to deprive him of his seat in Parlia
ment ; but with the blessing of God they never shall do
that. (Cheers.) I would now remind you that you should
not let your exertions rest with this day; but aid those
other Irish members who have joined with Mr. Keogh in
resisting the enemies of our creed and our country.. (Loud
applause.) The Very Rev. Archdeacon resumed his seat
after having to frequently acknowledge the cheering which
greeted him on all sides."

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 29 1

FROM 'THE TELEGRAPH,' JULY 5, 1852.
" Great Meeting in Carlow.
" [Prom our own Reporters.]
" Yesterday there was held at Carlow a meeting which
must be considered as one of the most important of the
many interesting assemblages of the people that have
taken place within the last few weeks.
" The following were amongst those on the platform : —
Very Rev. Dr. Lalor, V.G. and P.P. ; Rev. James
Maher, P.P.; Rev. Mr. Hume, P.P.; Rev. Mr. Murray,
P.P.; Rev. Mr. Hickey, P.P.; Rev. Mr. Tyrrell, P.P.;
Rev. Mr. Muldowney, P.P.; Rev. Mr. M'Carthy, Admr. ;
Rev. Mr. Dowling, C.C ; Rev. Mr. Conroy, C.C. ; Rev.
Mr. O'Connor, C.C. ; Rev. Mr. Murray, C.C. ; Rev. Mr.
Dempsey, C.C. ; Rev. Mr. M'Alroy, C.C.
" At three o'clock, on the motion of the Very Rev. Dr.
Lalor, V.G., P.P., seconded by the Rev. J. Maher, the
excellent and esteemed parish priest of Carlow,
" John Hanlon, Esq., of Grange, was called to the chair,
amid vehement cheering.
" Mr. Robert Kenny, amid loud and prolonged cheers,
proposed the first resolution, which was in the following
terms : —
" 'That in the present awful crisis, when the public
exercise of the Catholic religion has been proclaimed — the
lives and property of many of Her Majesty's Catholic
subjects sacrificed — their houses of worship destroyed — the
most sacred emblems of their faith trampled under foot,
and some of the best and purest of their ministers assailed
with brute bigot force. — it is no longer possible for the
Catholic and Liberal electors of the county Carlow to
allow themselves to be misrepresented in the Imperial
Parliament by men pledged to support an administration
determinedly hostile to the principles of civil and religious
liberty. That in pursuance of this our determination, we
call upon John Ball, Esq., and Matthew Higgins, Esq., to
become candidates for the representation of the county at
u 2

292 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
the ensuing election, and we pledge ourselves to use all
the exertions in our power to secure their triumphant
return.' " The Very Rev. Dr. Lalor, V.G., P.P., seconded the
first resolution, and said — It was most probable there were
many present who might not be aware who he was, and
he therefore wished to announce himself to that great and
glorious meeting as the parish priest of Bagnalstown.
(Loud cheers, and cries of ' We know you well — you're
right welcome, Father Lalor.')"

FROM ' THE TELEGRAPH,' JULY 16, 1852.
" Great Meeting at Westport.
" [From our own Reporter.]
" The patriotic electors and non-electors of the barony
of Murrisk, of the towns of Westport and Newport, of wild
Croagh Patrick, and sublime Achil], of the extensive dis
tricts which surround Clew Bay, and the country from the
sea to Castlebar and Ballinrobe, assembled in public
meeting in the town of Westport, on Thursday last, to
express their confidence in their late patriotic and zealous
representatives, and their determination to drive the
Stockport candidate to seek the gratification of his parlia
mentary ambition far away from their noble county.
" The meeting took place in front of the Catholic
church, inside the railings, in front of which the platform
had been erected.
" At twelve o'clock the Very Rev. Dean Burke, and
many of the clergy and leading electors, in carriages, cars,
and on horseback, accompanied by a concourse of the
people on foot, proceeded along the Ballinrobe road to
meet Mr. George Ouseley Higgins.
" The following placard was posted throughout the toAvn
and carried on a board : —

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 293
" Massacre and Sacrilege at Stockport !
Irish Catholics murdered in their beds ! !
Twenty-four houses wrecked and plundered.
The priest's house burnt !
The Chapel sacked and pillaged ! !
The Tabernacle broken open ! ! !
And the HOLY OF HOLIES SPILT ON THE GROUND!!!
In consequence of LORD DERBY'S Proclamation.
Catholics of Ireland ! whoever votes for a supporter of LORD DERBY'S
Government votes for the massacre of his countrymen !
The violation of the House of GOD ; and
The pollution of the BODY AND BLOOD OF HIS REDEEMER ! ! 1
Down with LORD DERBY and M'ALPINE !
" Notwithstanding that heavy drenching showers poured
down during Mr. Higgins's entry, and through the greater
part of the meeting, the vast multitude firmly held their
ground. " On the motion of Captain Fitzgerald Higgins, se
conded by Francis Burke, Esq., M.D., the chair was
taken by the Very Rev. the Dean of Tuam.
" Amongst those present we observed : —
" Very Rev. Dean Burke, P.P., Westport ; George
Ouseley Higgins, Esq., Glencorrib, Candidate for Mayo ;
Captain Fitzgerald Higgins, J.P., Trafalgar Park ; Rev.
P. Ward, P.P., Aughagower; Rev P. Jennings, P.P.,
Lecanvy ; Rev. Mr. Fitzgerald, P.P., Islandeady ; Rev.
Martin M'Hale, C.C, Louisburgh; Rev. P. O'Malley,
C.C, Islandeady ; Rev. Mr. Ryan, P.P., Kilmena ; Rev.
Mr. Curley, C.C, Castlebar; Rev. John M'Geogh, C.C,
Kilmena; Rev Geoffrey Burke, C.C, Aughagower; Rev.
Bartholomew Cavanagh, C.C, Westport ; Rev. Mr.
M'Manus ; Francis Garvey, Barrister-at-Law ; Francis
Burke, M.D., Westport; George Hildebrand, Cherry
Cottage; John O'Beirne, Westport; P. Moore, West-
port. " The Very Rev. Dean Burke then proceeded to
address the meeting. The venerable and fearless patriot
spoke as follows :— Electors of Murrisk, and non-electors
of Murrisk, I beg to offer you my most unfeigned thanks
for the honour you have conferred upon me, by calling on
me to take the chair at this meeting and to preside over

294 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
the proceedings of this day. (Cheers.) I have, both by
word of mouth and by the exercise of my pen amongst
you, for nearly forty years, endeavoured to shake off the
trammels and the chains by which you, and your fathers
before you, were bound down. (Cheers.) I have been
obliged to agitate by day and by night for many a year,
and many a dreary journey have I taken, for the attain
ment of your rights before Catholic Emancipation was won
for you. There are many interesting and pressing sub
jects on which it is probably necessary that I should
address you ; but the subject which is beyond all others of
the greatest importance to you is that of tenant right,
without which your oppressed country will never be able
to raise its head. The revered and venerated patriot
then resumed his seat amidst protracted and enthusiastic
cheering. " The Rev. P. Ward, P.P., Aughagower, rose to move
the first resolution.
" The Very Rev. Patrick M'Manus rose to propose
the second resolution, expressive of the indignation of the
meeting at the audacious attempt made by the exter
minators to force a nominee of the Derby Government on
the county, and their determination to defeat him triumph
antly. " The Rev. Mr. Curley, C.C, proposed the third reso
lution, calling on the non-electors to join , in the canvass.
The reverend gentleman, in an able speech, implored of
those present to consider that the time for talking was
now passed, and that the period of action had arrived.
" The fourth resolution, affirming that 'no elector, who
valued the lives of his countrymen, the interests of Ire
land, or the freedom of religion, could vote for M'Al-
pine ; or, in other words, send him to sustain in Parliament
a ministry treacherously hostile to tenant right, the au
thors of the recent proclamation, and, through it, the
instigators of the Stockport massacre and bloodshed,' was
proposed by the Rev. B. Cavanagh, C.C."

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 295
FROM ' THE TELEGRAPH,' JULY 21, 1852.
"Mayo Election. — The Nomination.
" [From our own Reporter.]
" The nomination of candidates for the representation
of this great county took place yesterday.
" Very great excitement exists in Mayo on the subject
of the election, and the excitement has manifested itself in
an unmistakeable manner within the last few days. The
evening before last a large number of the clergymen of the
county had assembled in Castlebar ; and the street in front
of Armstrong's Hotel, in Avhich are Messrs. Moore and
Higgins's committee-rooms, was filled with people, who
cheered heartily for the popular candidates.
"The Very Rev. Dean Burke, the Very Rev. Dean
Costelloe, the Very Rev. Mr. Curley, one of the respected
curates of Castlebar ; the Rev. Mr. Egan, P.P. ; Captain
F. Higgins, and some other gentlemen, subsequently ad
dressed the electors from the window of the hotel, and
called on them to be at their posts when the time for
action would arrive.
"His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Tuam, accom
panied by Geo. Henry Moore, Mr. Keogh, M.P., Mr.
Valentine O'Connor Blake, and several other gentlemen
who occupied very elegant private carriages, entered
Castlebar, escorted by a very large body of people, many
of whom were mounted on horseback.
" His Grace, the popular candidates, the Very Rev.
Dean Burke, the Very Rev. Dean Costelloe, the Very
Rev. Archdeacon M'Hale, the Very Rev. Archdeacon
Coghlan, and a number of other clergymen and gentlemen
proceeded at ten o'clock from the committee-rooms to the
court-house. " The Lord Archbishop of Tuam rose to propose
Mr. George Henry Moore. We regret that, owing to a
great pressure of election intelligence on our space, we are
obliged to considerably abridge our report of his Grace's
splendid speech.
" Nine counties (said his Grace) were met that day, and

295 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
would triumphantly echo such music as had never been
personified by the Muses — it would be the music of free
dom all over Ireland. (Vociferous applause.) . . .
" He could not trust himself to dilate on that topic at
which he had just glanced — to the atrocities that had been
committed on their countrymen and their co-religionists in
another part of the empire. (Shouts of ' Stockport ')
He had not alluded to the desolation that was everywhere
visible on their own land. (Hear, hear.) He had not
spoken of the number of their children, of their brothers,
of their sisters, whom destitution had forced to another
land, and who were now with arms outstretched imploring
of those at home to do their duty. (Tremendous cheering.)
He would not in that court, which was consecrated to
Justice, sully his lips with a relation of the doings in that
town of some of the lordly occupants of the county. (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) In conclusion, the Archbishop called
upon the people to let their motto be, ' Moore and Higgins.'
(Loud cheers.) He would illustrate his adherence to that
motto by his vote. (Tremendous cheers.) If all the
Liberal electors did the same — if they pulled for the two
popular candidates, that would be the last time they would
be engaged in a conflict like the present The enemy
would be deterred from encountering them again. This
would be the sixth and last link in that electric chain
which, after the additional electric power which this contest
was sure to impart to it, would shock him who should
even touch it. (Rapturous cheering.) The distinguished
prelate concluded amid deafening applause, waving of hats,
&c. &c, by formally proposing Mr. George Henry Moore."

FROM ' THE FREEMAN'S JOURNAL,' JUNE 16, 1852.
" Representation of the County Cavan.
" [From our own Reporter.]
" An aggregate meeting of the clergy, magistrates, elect
ors, farmers, and other inhabitants of the barony of Tully-
garvey and of the adjoining districts was held on Monday,

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 297
in the town of Cootehill, for the purpose of securing the
return of two independent tenant-right members at the
ensuing general election. Not less than six thousand per
sons assembled on the occasion, and the proceedings were
characterised by the greatest possible enthusiasm.
" The Chairman having briefly explained the object of
the meeting,
" The Rev. Thomas Brady, C.C, Drung, came forward
to propose the first resolution, and was received with loud
and enthusiastic cheers. He said — Electors of Cavan, I
come here to ask you how you are determined to act at the
approaching election ; or are you resolved to wipe away
that stain which unfortunately has been attached to the
constituency of Cavan, that they are bound hand and foot,
body and soul, to the landlords ? It is a base calumny to
say so, for I am convinced that the great body of the
electors of this county are as free and independent as any
other constituency in Ireland — 'They know their rights,
and, knowing, dare maintain them.' (Cheers.) The pastors
of every creed are not out of place in affording their
counsel and countenance to assist in the regeneration of
their unfortunate country ; for unless the roof-tree is firm
the altar is not secure. As an humble shepherd of a poor
and suffering flock, I come here this day to raise my voice
against a system of oppression which can find no parallel in
any part of the civilised world. The poor people are
ground to powder by cruel and heartless landlords, and we
are called Communists and Red Republicans if we seek a
redress of their grievances in a legal and constitutional
manner. But I care not what opprobrious epithet they
may call me, I will stand by the people and proclaim
their wrongs as long as God endows me with an under
standing to know, a heart to feel, and a tongue to express
my sentiments. (Cheers.) The momentous questions
that are to be decided on the hustings throughout Ireland
are tenant-right and free-trade. No other questions ought
to be permitted to distract the attention of the Liberal
electors from the solemn duty which the occasion imposes
on them. The Earl of Derby is at the head of the present
government. He is the stern opponent not only of those

298 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part H.
measures, but of every measure calculated to improve the
condition of the Irish people. From his hostility to the
Irish people he was formerly designated ' Scorpion Stan
ley.' The sign of the Scorpion is again in the ascendant —
not in its natural and appointed time, but by a dislocation
in the Zodiac —
" ' Tibi brachia contrahit ardens,
Scorpius, et coeli justa plus parte reliquit.'
(Loud cheers.) The great work of social and commercial
reform, which the late Sir Robert Peel accomplished, the
Earl of Derby will attempt to undo. Sir Robert rescued
the labourer from poverty by bringing within his reach
abundant employment, and gladdening his household with
the presence of a full board ; but Lord Derby will pass
the poor man's loaf through the Custom-house before his
children can eat of it, and place on food an impost in order
that the owners of the land may indulge in luxury. And
what points with keenest anguish the arrows directed
against us is this, that we are told that Protection is for
our good. Yes, it is designed for our good just in the
same way that the ruthless slave-driver intends for the
good of his victim the new knot he adds to his whip. Lord
Derby may adopt the words of Rehoboam in sacred his
tory—' My little finger shall be thicker than my father's
loins. And now, whereas my father did lade you with a
heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father hath
chastised you with whips, and I will chastise you with
scorpions.' (Hear, and cheers.) Who is the present
Chancellor of the Exchequer, the leader of the House of
Commons? Benjamin Disraeli, a converted Jew, a gen
tleman whose ancestors were on visiting terms with Ne-
buchadonozor when his Majesty returned from grass.
Electors of Cavan, will you vote for any man who will sup
port such an administration ? (Cries of No.) No ; perish
the thought ! (Cheers.) The days of humbug are gone
by, the people can now appreciate sound sense, they know
what fair play means, and, while they are morally strong,
they are physically omnipotent. (Cheers.) The period is
passed when despotism could stifle the cry of misery, or

Part IT. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 299
the intrigues of ministers sport with the wrongs of a nation.
(Loud cheers.) The people are not to be gulled, and they
will not repose confidence in assertions, particularly when
they come from persons who have been cradled in the lap
of bigotry, who have fed upon venality, and who feel that
the ignorance of the human race is the most effectual
pledge for the safety and continuance of their vile and
pernicious system of exclusion and monopoly. (Loud
cheers.) Before despots bound and tyrants scourged her,
Ireland was the abode of harmony — the temple of science.
Instead of being a blank in the world, she was its enlight
en er; instead of being a receptacle of crime and wretched
ness, it was the land of sanctity and knowledge. (Cheers.)
In seeking for tenant-right we claim justice for the landlord
as well as the tenant. Fiat justitia ruat coslum. Are you
in earnest, then, to vote for tenant-right candidates? If
you are, prepare for the contest — an opportunity will be
soon afforded you. Send men to the British senate who will
vote for the tenant-right, and the storm may howl, and
the billows may roll, but the triumphant swell of a nation's
voice will waft her cause proudly buoyant over those
shoals and quicksands where temerity and imbecility have
foundered. (Cheers.) Some will be found, I fear, base
enough to sell their country, but they cannot sell the
liberties of her children ; that is a title derived from
Heaven, and the immutable heritage of myriads unborn.
The suicide may put out his lamp, but he cannot extin
guish the immortal spirit. (Hear, hear, and loud cheers.)
Let you rally, then, for tenant-right and free-trade, and
let your shout be heard within the walls of St. Stephen's
too distinct to be mistaken, too loud to be despised. The
slavish spirit may rest content with his condition, but the
expanding soul of liberty will burst the last fetter that
would bind it ! (Cheers.) He who trusts his freedom to a
tyrant from that moment becomes a slave. We seldom
hear of a nation deriving liberty through the benignity of
its rulers, or a people remaining long in bondage who are
determined to be free. Shake off, then, the galling yoke
which oppresses you; let your shout be for tenant-right
and liberty — liberty and tenant-right.

300 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
" ' And there 's a louder sound
Than earth asunder riven,
A voice that rises from the ground,
And will be heard in Heaven —
It is the death-shout of the free
Who dares and dies for liberty.'
(Loud cheers.) The rev. gentleman concluded by pro
posing the resolution, which was expressive of the dissatis
faction of the electors with the conduct of the present
members. " Mr. James Prior seconded the resolution.
" The Rev. D. Bell (who, on presenting himself in
obedience to the call of the meeting, was loudly cheered)
spoke to it. He said that, although he had complained as
much as any man in Ireland of the conduct of landlords, he
should do them the justice of observing, that, as it was the
instinct of every beast of prey to preserve its prey to itself
(laughter), so they were not to blame for trying to continue
the system of domination which they had so long pursued.
For his part, he expected no favour or affection at their
hands, and he told them to do their worst. (Hear and
cheers.) .... After some further observations the
rev. gentleman concluded amidst loud and prolonged
cheering. "The resolution was then put and carried."

FROM ' THE TABLET,' APRIL 17, 1852.
" Kells District Tenant-Right Society, County Meath.
" This body held a meeting in the Town Hall of Kells,
on Wednesday, the 14th of April, Rev. P. Kelly, P.P.,
in the chair.
" There was an unusually large attendance, on account
of the excitement occasioned by the approach of the
general election. The substance of the proceedings is
contained in the following resolution : —
" ' That we consider the time is now come to commence
the necessary preparation for the approaching election in
this county — that, therefore, we highly approve of the
proposal to hold a general meeting of the district societies

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 301
of Meath for that purpose at Navan at the earliest oppor
tunity — that we pledge ourselves to attend same, and all
adjournments of same, and that we respectfully call upon
all the tenant-right electors of the county to abstain from
promising their votes to any candidate for the present, in
order that they may be ready for combined and decisive
action at the fitting opportunity.'
" This resolution was moved by T. Finegan, Esq., and
seconded by the Rev. W. Gibney, P.P., and passed
unanimously. " Another resolution was moved by the Very Rev. N.
M'Evoy, and seconded by Thomas Briody, Esq., recom
mending Friday, the 23rd inst., as a convenient day for
holding the meeting in Navan. On this head a commu
nication was opened Avith the secretaries of the other
district societies of the county, and the result will be
publicly announced in due time."

" Meeting of the County Tipperary.
" On Monday last an important and influential county
meeting was held in the court-house, Thurles, for the
purpose of selecting candidates for the representation at
the approaching general election.
" Amongst those present Avere — The Ven. Archdeacon
Laffan; Very Rev. Dr. Burke, P.P., V.G., Clonmel ; Very
Rev. Dr. O'Connor, Templemore ; Rev. P. Laffan, P.P.,
Holycross ; Rev. William Morris, P.P., Borrisoleigh ;
Rev. W. F. Mullally, P.P., Annacarthy ; Rev. J. Ryan,
P.P., Golden ; Rev. W. Cantwell, P.P., Thurles ; Very
Rev. Dr. Leahy, D.D., Thurles; Rev. Martin Laffan,
P.P., Killenaule; Rev. Mr. Maher, P.P.; Rev. Mr.
Cleary, C.C ; Rev. M. Ryan, C.C. ; Rev. J. O'Dwyer,
C.C, Doon ; Rev. Mr. Morris, C.C. ; Rev.Mr. O'Carrroll ;
Rev. Mr. O'Connor, C.C. ; Rev. W. Cahill, C.C, Mul-
linahone ; Rev. J. Power, C.C. ; J. Carden, J. P. ; T.
Scully, J.P. ; F. O'Brien, J.P. ; J. Lanigan, J.P. ; L.
Keating, J.P. ; N. V. Maher, M.P. ; F. Scully, M.P. ;
R. Keating, M.P. ; C Bianconi, &c. &c.
" The Chairman, having addressed the meeting, urged

302 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
them to select candidates who would struggle for religious
liberty, tenant-right, &c.
" The Very Rev. P. Leahy, D.D., came forward to
propose the first resolution, amid loud cheers, and said-^
The boast of the present age is, that it is the age of pro
gress. In many respects it is so. But while the other"
civilised nations of the world have been steadily advancing
in religious toleration, England, instead of advancing, has
gone back of late years. (Hear, hear.) For a proof I
appeal to the Ecclesiastical Titles Act, which is a reversal
of the liberal policy of the last twenty years. (Cheers.)
In the year 1829 the Catholics of these countries were
emancipated, and what, I ask, is our actual condition in
1852 ? Our Church is assailed at all points and by all
manner of men, from the statesman with the power of
Parliament at his back to the itinerant Gospeller who
prowls about in Connemara or Dingle. (Cheers.) A
legion of emissaries from Exeter Hall, each with the Bible
in one hand and money in the other, is spread over the
land, polluting and devouring like the locusts that plagued
the land of Egypt. (Cries of 'Hear.') No doubt our
position is one of considerable difficulty, requiring all the
caution and determination we possess ; nevertheless we
need not fear. (Cheers.) If the two great parties of the
empire are united, it is only in their hostility to us.
(Hear.) In all or most things else they are just as much
opposed one to the other ; and, pretty equally matched as
they are, it will be easy for us, in their struggles for power,
to step in between the belligerents, not to give either the
mastery over the other, but to defeat them one after the
other, and to defeat them again and again, and by these
repeated defeats to teach them that no party can reckon
on the retention of power for twelve months without
rendering full justice to the Catholics of this realm.
(Cheers.) These are our tactics. They will, they must
succeed, if we only follow them up with energy, with
watchfulness, and, above all, with union of counsel and
action. (Loud cheering.) Union, that was the watch
word of the great Liberator who united the scattered
elements of our strength, and rendered the Catholic body

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 303
formidable to ministers and even to kings— (cheers) ; and
could his great spirit come back to tender us counsel in
the present crisis, he would surely call upon us to stand
together once more in defence of our altars ; every hill
and valley would echo his rallying cry for freedom — all
Ireland, from the Giant's Causeway to Cape Clear, would
rise as one man at the sound of his voice (hear, hear)—
our strength, our united strength, would bear down all
opposition — and the Tories would be driven from office,
and after them the Whigs, and after them any and every
party that refused to do full justice to the Catholics of
these countries. (Vehement applause, amid which the
eloquent and gifted divine, having moved the resolution,
resumed his seat.)
" Charles Bianconi, Esq., Longfield, briefly seconded
the resolution, which was carried unanimously.
" Captain D. Byrne proposed the second resolution, and
referred in terms of censure to the conduct of Viscount
Chabot, Lord Hawarden, and other landed proprietors of
the county.
" The Rev. W. Cahill, C.C, Mullinahone, in second
ing the resolution, delivered an eloquent and effective
speech in support of the principles of the Tenant League.
We regret that we have only room for a few sentences of
his brilliant speech. He said — Electors of Tipperary, I
am happy to perceive, by the determination and manly
bearing exhibited by the magnificent meeting which I now
behold, that Tipperary is not yet dead — that the old flint
has not lost its Celtic fire — that when struck its sparks
can still kindle an enthusiasm now as of old too strong to
be restrained, and too impetuous to pause until it wins the
goal. Men of Tipperary, the present meeting, in my
humble opinion, is the most important and momentous
ever held in this great county, for its aim and object are
to establish a new Irish parliamentary policy, on the
existence of which the salvation of this country depends,
and thereby to create a new life and a new spirit under~the
skeleton ribs of this old but unhappy land. Political
quacks, in seeking the representation of the various con
stituencies at the next general election, will offer sundry

304 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
nostrums to cure the maladies of Ireland, but I boldly
assert there is but one cure to heal her bleeding wounds,
and to tear up the roots of -her radical diseases — that cure
is tenant-right. (Cheers.) And to the candidate who
should appear at the hustings without that cure the con
stituents should say Anathema, were he even an angel
from heaven. The Irish people will soon have the power
to free themselves from the organised system of landlord
murder and robbery — for they will have it in their power
to send over to Parliament fifty or sixty honest Irishmen
pledged to oppose every minister who will not make
Sharman Crawford's bill a cabinet measure ; and with
fifty or sixty members so pledged, as sure as to-morroAv's
sun will rise so sure would we win tenant-right, and every
other right we would demand. (Loud cheers.) Facts are
proof that cannot be contradicted, and the following ques
tions involve facts which will prove as a demonstration
that Irish landlords supported by landlord laws are the
primary cause of Irish miseries. What has shrivelled the
brow of youth into the wrinkled features of old age ?
What has sucked away the strength and muscle from the
manhood of the country, and left our strong men as sap
less skeletons, staggering with hunger like drunken men
through our streets ? What has converted into quagmires
the graveyards of the island, oozing with the flooded
rottenness of the uncoffined dead? What has made the
Irish poor-houses swarm and fester like stagnant sinks
with pauper vermin, who must nest in corruption ? What
has swept away over the stormy waves of the western
ocean myriads of our peasantry, the bone and sinew of our
native land? What has melted away, in a few short
years, three millions of the Irish people, and left poor
Ireland a howling wilderness ? Why do I ;;sk the ques
tion ? The voice that cries in the wilderness of Irish
desolation answers, and says it is landlord despotism and
a want of tenant-right that have turned Ireland into a
desert, and made the Eden of the west the Niobe of
nations. (Prolonged applause.) The woes and miseries
of Ireland are principally of landlord creation. Why was
the failure of the potato attended with so trivial conse-

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 305
quences in every other country in Europe ? Because in
every other country the land is held on fair and equitable
terms — the tenants enjoy the fruits of their labour and
industry ; if the potato fails they can eat bread ; but in
Ireland the land is rackrented — the landlords are not
content with rackrents, but when a lease expires they step
in and devour, without a farthing's compensation, the
increased value added to the farm by the capital of the
farmer — by his sweat and labour during many years.
(Hear, hear.) Why, Irish landlords, by rackrents and
robbery, had left nothing to the great body of the people
but the wet potato, which a night's frost might destroy ;
and when the potato perished, what wonder was it that
the people perished too? But the case is now much
worse than ever ; the rackrents, founded on war prices,
protective duties, and the potato, are still exacted by
many landlords, when protective duties and the potato are
swept away. (Hear, hear.) Yes ; and these rents are
increased 19s. in the pound by poor-law taxes, to feed the
beggars which landlords have created by hundreds of
thousands in this unhappy country, and by the various
other taxes incidental to land. Is it not monstrous to
leave in the hands of any man the power to murder and
to rob? They can exact still rents which were rackrents
at the very best times, but which now, when prices have
fallen, are oppressive and intolerable. Yes, they can
exact them, or in default of payment exterminate God's
creatures from the homes of their fathers, and hunt them
out to perish without shelter or food. (Sensation.) Yes,
they can do what they like with their land — they have
one hundred laws in their favour, and all against the
tenant ; and from the battery of laws they have exercised
their power to the very vengeance for the last five years —
they have stormed the country, levelled 300,000 houses
in the dust, and reduced poor Ireland to an island of
skeletons and bones. (Sensation.) But will this bar
barous state of things continue ? — will they rob us of our
industry without compensation ? No, ten thousand times
no ; the Government must interfere to save the country —
we must have the land at a fair value ; we must have
x

306 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part Hi
compensation for improvements; we must have tenant-
right) or Ave must perish. As, then, the tenant-right is
the only hope for Ireland, I, from this spot, implore of
the constituents of the county, and those of every county
and borough in Ireland, as it concerns all alike— I im
plore of them by their suffering country to return no can
didates at the next elections who will not unequivocally
pledge themselves, in the words of my resolution, to sup
port in Parliament Sharman Crawford' s bill. I believe
we will have some hot work at the next elections. I
believe Tories will contest every county. I am sure they
will tempt us with gold, they will blind us with sophisms,
and coerce us with threats of wholesale extermination ;
but to their gold we will oppose our consciences — to their
sophisms common sense — to their threats firm hearts, and
the love, the rights, and liberties of our native land. (Loud
cheers.) They cannot blind by sophistry, but can they
coerce by intimidation ? (Hear.) I freely admit that
Irish landlords have tremendous power over the souls and
bodies of their tenant serfs — they hold over their heads
rents and arrears like a two-edged sword, ready every
moment to cut and strike. I am sure the landlords of
other counties, as those of Cork lately did, will endeavour
to drive like cattle their tenants to the hustings : and I
am convinced the only power to defeat them in this county
or elsewhere is the same that defeated them in Cork, and
that is the oldest, the greatest, the most incorruptible and
sacred power in this island — the power and influence of
the priests with the people. (Tremendous cheering.) Yes,
the priests will lead the people, and the people will con
quer. Ireland will send sixty fine men to plead her cause
in Parliament, and then her woes are ended. Contem
plating at a distance what this Brigade can do, I feel
lifted above myself; and see as from an eminence things
that are to come. I see our Church free, and the
penal chains falling from the Catholic soul of Ireland —
I see the feudal fetters of landlord framing falling from
the soil, and its rich resources bursting forth on every
river in cataracts of wealth and gold — and I see poor Erin,
beaming with smiles and renovated in youth and beauty,

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 307
strike from her harp the melting numbers she loved to
play in the olden time, ere despots scourged or tyrants
bound her. (Enthusiastic cheering, amid which the gifted
speaker resumed his seat.)
" The Very Rev. Dr. Burke, P.P., Clonmel, proposed
the third resolution, on the subject of the Established
Church, in a most able and eloquent address 
Gentlemen, you may be inclined to give me credit for
making out those edifying statistics of the Protestant
Church in Ireland ; but I disclaim any such merit. I
am indebted for all this to the zeal, to the industry, and
the ability of that honest, talented, and incorruptible pa
triot, my most dear and most esteemed friend, John
O'Connell, late member for Limerick. I took them from
an elaborate report made by him in the Repeal Associa
tion. Gentlemen, I have now placed before you a picture
of the Established Church in Ireland, as to its tempo
ralities. It is necessarily imperfect; but such as it is,
does it not exhibit things so monstrous, so unjust, so ini
quitous as not to have a parallel throughout the wide
expanse of the civilised world ? (Long-continued cheer
ing.) And because we priests raise our humble but
indignant voices against this atrocious injustice, this in
tolerable iniquity, we are proclaimed by the British press
as 'hooded incendiaries,' as 'political firebrands,' as 'rest
less and ambitious agitators.' As for myself, their abuse
and vilification has no other effect than to increase my
hatred of the monstrous nuisance, and to determine me to
proclaim my conviction to the world in the language of
the resolution — 'that the Protestant Church Establish
ment, as it exists at present, is at the root of all the diffi
culties of the British Government in Ireland, and that
these difficulties will never be removed, nor cordiality and
good understanding exist between the two countries, until
its revenues are appropriated in such manner as justice
and the interests of the Irish people imperatively re
quire.' The Very Rev. gentleman sat down amid enthu
siastic cheering.
" Mr. Leonard Keating, J.P., seconded the resolution,
which was carried amid loud applause.
x 2

308 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
" Mr. Lanigan, J.P., proposed the next resolution, which
was seconded by the Rev. Wm. Morris, P.P.
" Archdeacon Laffan, amid vehement applause, pro
posed the next resolution, expressing confidence in the
county members.
" The meeting was then addressed in able and eloquent
speeches by Mr. N. V. Maher, M.P., Mr. F. Scully,
M.P., and the Very Rev. Dr. O'Connor, P.P., Templemore.
"Amid loud applause, thanks Avere voted to Mr. Lid-
well, and the meeting separated."

The reader's particular attention is requested to the
report of this meeting, as published beneath in the
Priests' official newspaper.
PROM 'THE TABLET,' JUNE 12, 1852.
" The Meath Election.— Great Meeting in Kells.
"On last Sunday a most numerous, influential, and
splendid meeting of the electors and people of the county
Meath was held in the town of Kells for the purpose
of hearing Mr. Lucas [the Editor of the Tablet] explain
his views in reference to tenant-right and other great
questions. The meeting was held in front of the school-
house, where a spacious platform was erected, and the
numbers of persons from the town and the surrounding
districts present was not less than ten thousand. Mr.
Lucas was accompanied from Navan by the Rev. Dr.
Power, the clergymen of that and the neighbouring
parishes, and an immense number of people in cars
and on foot, preceded by the excellent band of the
town of Navan, and on their arriAral were met outside
Kells by a great multitude, who joined their acclamations
with those of the procession that accompanied Mr. Lucas
from Navan. On his arrival he was received by the Very
Rev. Dr. M'Evoy, the Rev. Mr. Geoghegan, the Rev.
Peter O'Reilly, and other clergymen and laymen from the
town and neighbourhood, who conducted him to the platform.

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 309
" About half-past two o'clock, on the motion of N. Landy,
Esq., T.C, the chair was taken by the Very Rev. Dr.
M'Evoy, P.P., and Chairman of the Town Commissioners.
"Among those present we observed the following: —
Very Rev. Mr. Dowling, P.P., Clonmellon; Rev. Mr.
Duncan, C.C, Clonmellon ; Rev. Mr. Daly, C.C, Boher-
meen ; Rev. Mr. Kelly, C.C, Navan ; Rev. Mr. Fagan,
Navan ; Rev. Mr. Kelch, P.P., Oristown ; Rev. Mr. Flynn,
Navan; Rev. Mr. Ginty, P.P., Moynalty ; Rev. Mr.
M'Cullagh, P.P., Athboy; Rev. Mr. Dillon, Athboy ;
Rev. Mr. Gibney, Castletown ; Very Rev. Richard Ennis,
P.P., Enfield; Rev. Dr. Tormey, Navan; Rev. Mr.
Sheridan, P.P., Carnacross ; Rev. Mr. Kelly, P.P., Kils-
kyre ; Rev. Dr. Power, President of Navan Academy ;
Rev. Mr. O'Farrell, Navan ; Rev. Mr. O'Reilly, P.P., Bo-
hermeen; Rev. Thomas Lynch, R.C.A., Blacklion; Rev.
Mr. Langan, Ardcath; Rev. Mr. Dunne, C.C. ; Rev. Mr.
Sheridan, C.C, Moynalty ; Rev. Mr. Daly, C.C, Boher-
meen. " The Chairman (the Very Rev. Dr. M'Evoy, P.P.), on
coming forward to address the meeting, was received with
enthusiastic applause. He said : — Fellow-townsmen, inha
bitants of the surrounding parishes, and patriotic electors of
Meath, the inspiring demonstration before me affords grati
fying evidence that in this great county a great soul still
lives — (cheers) — and that in the coming battle for Ireland's
freedom Meath is determined to maintain her wonted proud
position, and to lead, and to victory too, the other counties of
Ireland. The countless hands, and each with an honest
heart to back it, which you have come here to-day to tender
to the distinguished champion of tenant-right, bid fair for
making Meath as immortal in the annals of tenant-right as
is Clare in those of Catholic Emancipation. Yes, I think
I may now safely pronounce that Meath is for Ireland, for
Lucas, and for tenant-right. (Loud cheers.) As it now
becomes my pleasing duty to introduce to you my respected
friend Mr. Lucas, it may not be improper that I should, in
the first instance, say a word or two of his personal merits,
those high attributes that promise to render him a parlia
mentary representative of whom Meath, of whom Ireland

3 10 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
— regenerated Ireland — will at no distant day be proud — ¦
(renewed cheers) — and that I should in the second place
explain to him your wants and wishes, that you may hear
from his own eloquent lips his views in reference to your
great and cherished principles. First, then, as to Mr.
Lucas. He is, indeed, I should rather say he was, an
Englishman and a Protestant born, but is now a stanch
Catholic, ay, and I will add a true-hearted Irishman, and
no mistake. (Loud cheers.) Mr. Lucas is a barrister.
He has been called to the English bar. His commanding
talents, industrious habits, numerous and respectable con
nections, all conspired to ensure him professional practice
alike extensive and lucrative — (hear, hear) — and to exhibit
before him, in near perspective too, all the honours of the
judicial bench. Providence, however, luckily for Ireland
and Catholicity, has had upon him other and better designs.
(Hear hear.) Dazzled though well the young barrister
might have been by the brilliancy of his prospects, cor
rupted though other virtue than his might have been by
the immorality of that Babylonian metropolis, London, the
learned young lawyer, rising superior to every obstacle,
devotes his great mind, to the study of religion, and, aided
by the grace of God, ever in such cases the sure reward of
sincerity, he embraces the Catholic faith, and gives to the
world, in an able and celebrated pamphlet, the triumphant
reasons of his conversion. (Vehement cheering.) After
his reception into the Church, seeing the holy faith of his
adoption — the faith, too, of Christendom — assailed on all
sides by the lying press of bigoted England, in the warmth
of his zeal, renouncing every professional prospect, he seizes
his potent pen, and in the columns of the Tablet, in the
front of which he places the Virgin and Child, and the
success of which he glories in commending to the powerful
prayers of the Omnipotent Queen of Heaven — in the
columns of the Tablet he confounds and chastises, and that,
too, in the very seat and centre of bigotry, the truculent
slanderers of the Catholic creed, and triumphantly defends
from misrepresentation and obloquy the sacred character of
the priesthood. (Tremendous cheering.) But that is not
all. With a keen, embittered appreciation of England's

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 3 1 1
misrule and oppression of Ireland, the honest Frederick
Lucas, prompted by a love of justice strong as his hatred
of oppression, hoisted in the proud metropolis of the do
minant country the glorious standard of 'Repeal,' — first
unfurled by the immortal O'Connell — may God rest his
soul! (Deep sensation.) That is the epitome of Mr.
Lucas's history ere his coming to reside in Ireland
and rank himself among her most devoted sons. His
career since he came amongst us has not been less honour
able nor less brilliant. (Hear, hear.) Suffice it to say
that the pre-eminently gifted and honest editor of the
Tablet is now, as a journalist, the tried and trusted advocate
of every principle dear to the hearts of the entire Prelacy
and priesthood of the land. (Great cheering.) Electors
and non-electors of Meath, you and I have now had a
political acquaintance of some five-and-twenty years' stand
ing — (hear, hear) — and whatever character for honest de
votion to Ireland I may, during that long period, have
earned at your hands, that character, I feel, runs no risk
of forfeiture when I this day say to you, As you love the
lovely land of your birth ; as you would wish to see her
' great, glorious, and free ;' as you yearn to behold the
farmer no longer a serf, the altar no longer in chains ; as
you would heartily wish to see the holy faith you profess,
and for which you, like your martyred forefathers, would
cheerfully drain your Catholic veins ; as you would wish
to see that faith triumphantly vindicated in the imperial
senate, and its assailants repulsed and covered with confu
sion ; as you would exult to see the Spooners and the
Newdegates anil the Walpoles quail before the giant
champion of Catholicity — (loud cheers) — and driven from
the position of assailants to assume an attitude of defence,
and to disprove, as best they can, the beastly impurities
and revolting murders in which the so-called Reformation
was begotten — if you wish all this, and more, send to
parliament Frederick Lucas. (Tremendous cheering.)
Yes, send Frederick Lucas to parliament, and you will
send, in his person, the very ablest and most incorruptible
champion of country and creed that Ireland has had since
the days of the ever-to-be-remembered O'Connell. (Re-

312 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
newed applause.) Peace be with him! (Loud cries of
' Amen.') Send, I say, Frederick Lucas to parliament,
and you will send a man who can neither be bribed, nor
bullied, nor cajoled, nor corrupted — (hear, hear) — a man
who will be the terror, not only of your enemies, but whose
presence cannot fail to operate as a salutary check upon
those unworthy and faithless Irish members with whom
fear of exposure may effect what neither principle nor
patriotism could. Men of Meath, once again I say send
Frederick Lucas to parliament, and you will have struck
a glorious blow for tenant-right, religious freedom, and old
Ireland. (Renewed cheers.) Gentlemen, having said thus
much of Mr. Lucas's personal merits and claims upon your
suffrages, will you now allow me to explain briefly, on your
part, to Mr. Lucas the great principles you require him to
advocate in parliament, that he may thus be afforded an
opportunity of speaking, and you of hearing his sentiments
on these different topics ? The first, then, in order as well
as in, perhaps, importance, is tenant-right. (' Hear, hear,'
and loud cheers.) But what is tenant-right ? What means
that term that grates so harshly upon landlord ears ? I
will tell you in few and simple words. Tenant-right means
fair and equitable rents fixed by impartial arbitration,
dealing impartial justice to landlord and tenant, and ena
bling both to live. (Hear, hear.) That is the first leading
principle of tenant-right. Then, as regards improvements,
tenant-right means that these improvements, as being made
by the skill and capital of the farmer, should therefore be
the farmer's property, equally sacred in the eye of the law
as the property purchased by the landlord in the fee of the
farm. That is the second great principle of tenant-right ;
and who will deny that upon these principles nature and
nature's God have stamped their broadest seal of authenti
city? (Hear, hear.) Men of Meath, need I ask are you
for tenant-right ? (Loud cries of ' Yes, yes.') Yes, I see
you are, and no mistake. Tenant-right is the only lever to
lift our prostrate country — the only balsam to heal her
bleeding wounds. (Cries of 'hear, hear.') What has
turned so many of our fertile fields into a barren waste ?
What has made the Eden of the West the Niobe of nations ?

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 313
What has consigned the farmer to want and beggary — filled
the poorhouses — accumulated rates — pauperised the cus
tomer — made the shopkeeper bankrupt — and ruined the
artisan ? What has driven beyond the wide waters of the
western ocean myriads of our peasantry? What has
melted away in a few short years three millions of our
people ? What has made the graveyards too narrow for
the dead, and filled the graves with the coffinless corpses of
the victims of famine and pestilence ? I will tell you — a
parliament of landlords, and the unlimited, irresponsible
power of rackrenting and eviction, with which a hundred
statutes passed by a landlord parliament have invested the
landlords — a power which so many of that class have fear
fully abused — expelling God's creatures from the home of
their fathers, and turning them out to perish without shel
ter and without food. Do not facts undeniable speak
trumpet-tongued to a horrified and indignant world?
(Loud cheers.) Do not three hundred thousand houses
levelled to the dust, the disappearance from the land of
three millions of its hardy inhabitants, and poor Ireland
reduced to an island of skeletons and bones, bear appalling
attestation to the ruthless exercise of landlord power?
(' Hear,' and great cheering.) Men of Meath, are you
not determined that a power so barbarously exercised shall
be restricted 1 Are you not resolved to put an end once
and for ever to landlord oppression, to eviction and house-
levelling, to rackrenting and extermination, and to substi
tute in their stead a tenant-right which will secure to the
tenant a hearth and a home, and the fair fruits of his
honest industry ? (Cheers.) I feel I have trespassed too
long. (No, no.) On other topics, therefore, I shall but
touch. Here let me promise that to the religious belief of
any of my fellow-townsmen I mean no offence, and in now
speaking of the temporalities of the Protestant Establish
ment, to their own stern sense of right I appeal for the
justice of my observations. (Hear, hear.) If Protestants
wish to have Protestant clergymen, why, let them have
as many as they please, and support them as they like in
all comfort and splendour. With that we Catholics have
neither reason nor inclination to quarrel. But when we

314 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
Catholics see the vast property left originally by members
of the Catholic Church in Ireland for educational, chari
table, and religious purposes ; when we see that property
clutched by the clergy of a miserable minority of the
people, and applied by them exclusively to the main
tenance of themselves and families in splendour and luxury,
and when, besides this, we see Catholic capital and Catholic
industry taxed to add to their comforts and luxuries — (cries
of ' Hear') — but above all and before all, when we see those
plethoric usurpers of the property of the poor incessantly
employed in pouring their foul calumnies and filthy abuse
upon the holy faith of the poor, whom they haAre robbed,
as well as upon the pastors so beloved by those poor; when
we see those clerical harpies exhaust every resource of pen
and purse to rob of their faith and souls those whom they
have robbed of the charity bequeathed them by Catholic
piety ; when we see all this and more, to the manly spirit
of Protestantism itself, and to its sense of right and justice,
I appeal, and ask, Would not we Catholics deserve to have
slave and coward broadly branded on our brows were we
tamely, without a struggle, and for ever, to submit to such
assaults, and insults, and injustice, to an anomaly so mon
strous, so unjust, so iniquitous as not to have a parallel
throughout the wide expanse of the civilised world?
(Loud and continued applause.) Gentlemen, to one and
one only other subject shall I, in conclusion, briefly allude.
If this country is to be saved, if she is ever again to become
prosperous and free, an Irish party must be formed.
(Hear.) Unless that be done at the coming elections, all
our labour will be lost, and the regeneration of Ireland
rendered hopeless. From the victories which twenty Irish
members last year won, it is easy to see what an Irish
party, animated with the like spirit, could achieve, if com
posed of fifty or sixty sterling men. (Loud cries of ' Hear,
hear.') Why, in the balanced state of parties in the House
of Commons they could dictate to any minister what terms
they pleased — they could make and unmake governments at
will. (Hear, hear.) It is clear then that the Irish people by
the return of such a party have it in their power at the
coming elections to Avin their every right. Let them but

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 315
send to parliament fifty, or even forty members pledged to
oppose any and every government that will not make tenant-
right and the abolition of the Church Establishment cabinet
questions, and as sure as to-morrow's sun will rise, so sure
will the charter of tenant-right be conceded, and the mon
strosity of the Protestant Establishment disappear from the
face of an outraged world. (Loud cheers.) Is this, men
of Meath, your conviction ? (It is, it is.) Well then, to
form such a party — to make it powerful and respected — to
even guide and lead it — you (turning to Mr. Lucas) have
not, I believe in my soul, your superior among the public
men of Ireland. (' Hear,' and cheers.) Oh ! if the oldest,
the greatest, the most incorruptible, and sacred power in
this island — I mean the influence of the priesthood with
the people — if that power be but properly exerted at the
coming elections, to what glorious results may we not con
fidently look forward ? (Hear, hear.) Yes, if the priests
but lead the people, the people will conquer. (Great
cheering.) The Very Rev. gentleman then introduced
Mr. Lucas to the meeting, and resumed his seat amid
renewed applause.
" Mr. Lucas then presented himself to the meeting and
was received with loud and protracted applause. The
cheering having subsided, he said — Dear Father M'Evoy,
my reverend friends, and you, the other electors and non-
electors of the county of Meath — I think that if I had
been born dumb, this day would have given me speech.
(Loud cheers.) The glorious demonstration which I have
been witness to the whole of this morning — the reception
I had at Navan — the march from Navan up to this spot
— the splendid procession of those well-known and well-
tried patriots who have conducted me up to your beau
tiful town — the reception you have given me — and the
kind and eloquent and most over-complimentary address
of your Very Reverend Chairman, — these things, I think,
if I had been born dumb, would this day have given me
speech. (Cheers.) And yet, gentlemen, I have come —
not in my own name, but at the honourable request which
has been, I may say, pressed on me by so many kind
friends in this county — to make here of you a very strange

316* PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
solicitation. (Hear, hear.) I have come to ask you to do<
me the high honour of giving me your votes and returning
me, as your representative, to a very nasty house.
(Laughter, and cheers.)
" A Voice — And so we will, and no mistake. (Cheers.)
" Mr. Lucas — Gentlemen, you know what house I mean
without my naming it, by the description I have given.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) It is a house which has starved
your poor — (hear, hear) — and has made poor those who,
by their honest industry and good conduct, had made them
selves rich. It is a house which, by the bad laws which it
enacts, and the worse administration of them which it
sanctions, has made beggars of your rich and wealthy
farmers, has made paupers of those who were less rich, has
filled the graves and workhouses, and has covered the land
with desolation. (Loud cheers.) It is a house which can
not, by the rule of parliament and the law of the land,
proceed to business without, at its first meeting, as a neces
sary preliminary, obliging its members to march up to the
table in platoons, and blaspheme the holiest truths of your
religion. (Groans.) It is a parliament within the order
of whose business it has been decided to be to pronounce,
or, at least, to leave its members at perfect liberty to pro
nounce, the grossest and foulest insults on your clergy, on
those who serve at your altars, on the venerable ladies who
devote themselves in retirement to the education of your
children, and the promotion of religion among all classes.
(Groans and hisses.) It is a house within the order of
whose business it has been decided to be, to cover them
with the filthiest and most brutal calumnies. (Hear, hear.)
It calls itself an assembly of gentlemen, but its conduct
and language too often would disgrace the lowest and most
reprobate of the population 
" In carrying out this policy I have been asked what my
views are about opposing the government. I tell you at
once, for I make no secret of my views. In regard to this
question, I pledge myself here to oppose every government
that will not make something that is at least equal to
Sharman Crawford's bill, in every one of its protecting
provisions, a cabinet question. (Hear, hear, and loud

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 317
cheers.) And if ever, by the course of events, I see rea
son to alter my opinions on that subject — and I am not
likely to do so — I promise to come before you, and lay at
your feet the trust you will have imposed on me. (Cheers.)
In my opinion there is no good to be done except by the
most decided, unrelenting, persevering, troublesome oppo
sition to every government until they do justice to Ireland.
(Hear, hear.) They have got in Westminster a constitu
tional system, of which a principle is that justice, almost
what every man recognises to be justice, shall be done to
the people of England. In that constitutional system Ire
land is an anomaly, because what the people of this country
know to be justice, the people of England are opposed to,
and do not wish to have it conceded. (Cries of ' Hear,
hear.') Now, if they insist on uniting the English and
Irish parliament, which in my judgment and conscience I
believe to be a foul wrong — if they insist on a parliamen
tary union between the two countries, my earnest convic
tion is that it is the duty of the Irish part of the repre
sentatives to act as a separate element in that legislature,
disordering, disorganising, and interfering with every
business thai may be transacted, as far as it is prudent and
possible to do so, and tormenting this unjust and anti-Irish
House of Commons, until they find it their interest to do
justice to us. (Protracted cheering.) And, therefore,
tell your friends, that I will have nothing to do with any
ministry — no matter of what party — I will have nothing
to do with any government if you return me to parliament
— except, indeed, to oppose them, which I shall do very
cordially — (cheers) — until they make the concession of
justice to the tenant farmers of Ireland part of their
acknowledged policy. (Loud cheers.) I hope I have
satisfied my Rev. friend by the spirit of my answer.
(Hear, hear.)
" The Chairman, the Very Rev. Dr. M'Evoy, P.P. —
Perfectly so. (Cheers.)
" Mr. Lucas — The next thing Father M'Evoy drew my
attention to is the subject of the Established Church.
(Cries of 'Hear, hear.') The question involved in it,
embracing, as it does, the whole field of Ecclesiastical

318 PRIESTS* PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
polity, is much more important in many of its character
istics, but really in its results to the people is hardly more
important than the question of Tenant Right. (Hear,
hear.) Gentlemen, you have had experience of that
Church now for three centuries, and I think it would not
need a conjurer to tell what you think of it after the three
centuries you have been witnesses of it, subject to it, tor
tured by it, robbed by it, murdered by it, injured by it in
every way in which man can injure man ; and knowing
this, how can I answer the question in any other way than
one ? By the blessing of God in Heaven, I will never
rest nor cease my exertions, as long as I am in any position
to exercise any public functions whatever, until that ac
cursed monopoly, the Established Church, be cut down by
the root, and cease to blast the land with its unwholesome
influence. (Tremendous cheers.) If Father M'Evoy
wishes a stronger declaration I will make it. (Cries of
' No, no,' and laughter.)
" The Chairman, the Very Rev. Dr. M'Evoy, P.P. —
Language could not be stronger nor more satisfactory.
(Cheers.) " The Rev. Peter O'Reilly, C.C, Kells, came forward
to propose the first resolution, as follows : —
" ' Resolved— That this meeting, anxious to uphold the
unanimity and determination which has hitherto character
ised the meetings of the Liberal party in this county, do
pledge itself to return triumphantly to parliament at the
coming election the two candidates unanimously chosen
by the tenant societies of Meath — Mr. Lucas and Mr.
Corbally.' " The Rev. Gentleman said — As a humble workman in
the cause of tenant-right, and one who had contributed his
poor mite to place it in the glorious position he was proud
to say it occupied to-day in that great county, he had
been selected, and for no other reason, to propose for their
attentive consideration the first resolution 
" They had heard Mr. Lucas say he would like to be in
a position to demonstrate from facts drawn from this county
that tenant-right was necessary for it. Now, he (Rev.
Mr. O'Reilly) intended to give them a few facts to prove

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 319
his case in the House of Commons — (hear, hear) — and
they would also help to show the villany of what was called
the Parliamentary Crime and Outrage Committee. (Hear,
hear.) They all knew that body was appointed for the
ostensible purpose of discovering the cause and origin of
certain agrarian murders which were perpetrated lately in
the North of Ireland. That was not the object of it.
(Cries of 'Hear, hear.') It was appointed by the law
officers for the purpose of concealing their real opinions,
and fixing — by the most atrocious calumnies — by the foul
est and blackest lies — on the Tenant League the cause
and origin of these crimes. (Groans.) They all knew if
the League was the cause and origin of them, as was
stated : where it existed strongest, and was in most exten
sive operation, in that county for instance — (hear,, hear) —
there were no outrages committed. (Hear, hear.) Yes,
there had been fearful murders and outrages, and by
whom ? By the landlords. (Cries of ' Hear, hear.')
Crimes and outrages, not against the law of the land —
there was no such law to protect the poor man — but
against the eternal and immortal laws of God, which said,
' You must not do an injustice ; you shall not murder, even
legally.' (Cheers.) Mr. Lucas spoke of requiring facts
to be collected in order to demonstrate the necessity of
Sharman Crawford's bill for Meath. He (Mr. O'Reilly)
could furnish him with facts enough taken from that lo
cality. In 1841 the population of the Kells union was
47,015; in 1851 it should have been, according to the
usual rate of increase, considerably above 50,000, but in
fact it had fallen to 31,143. (Shame, shame.) He held
in his hand a list of the evictions that had taken place
within the various toAvnlands of this parish, brought down
only to twelve months ago, and he found that at that late
date there had been 292 houses levelled to the ground, and
1447 human beings turned out upon the world. He
could show the names of the exterminators and of their
victims to any gentleman, and would pledge himself to the
correctness of them. The evictions were still proceeding,
and several persons had been exterminated within the last
month. Of course he would supply their future member,

320 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
Mr. Lucas — (cheers) — with all the facts of which this was
a mere sample. In conclusion, he would call on them, in
the name of Heaven, to rally round the tenant-right man,
as the member of their choice, and return him to parlia
ment, and if they did so, as sure as to-morrow's sun would
rise they would not only obtain tenant-right, but perfect
equality with all classes of their countrymen. (Loud and
protracted cheering.)
" The Very Rev. Dr. Power, President of the Academy
of Navan, proposed the next resolution as follows: —
" ' Resolved — That the Parliamentary Committee of
the Defence Association, being composed almost exclu
sively of landlords and land agents, is utterly unfit to reflect
the feelings, or wishes, or wants of the Catholic people of
Ireland, and is unworthy of our confidence, and that We
repudiate their interference in our election as an abortive
attempt to create division amongst us, as altogether un
called for, and as most oppressive to the electors of this
county. " The Very Rev. Gentleman then said — On coming to
this meeting, I did not expect to be called on to speak to
any resolution, as having already taken an active part in
the first great meeting held in my own town. I would
willingly leave to the true and independent men of Kells
and its localities the pleasing duty of addressing you on
this occasion ; but a resolution has been placed in my
hands which has a reference to an extraordinary document
that has been placarded through your town, issued, I
believe, by a junta of landlords and agents, sitting in a
back parlour in Dublin, who profess to be the defenders
of Catholic rights, both social and religious, and some of
whom are the representatives of Liberal constituencies —
some of whom also bear honoured names. But in issuing
this document I have no hesitation in saying that they
have shamefully abused the confidence hitherto placed in
the association ; that, whilst they profess to defend the
rights of Catholics, they audaciously interfere with the
rights of the electors of this great county, and presume to
set aside Mr. Lucas — the unanimously chosen candidate
for Meath, the only true friend of the tenant farmer, the

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 321
Cobden of tenant-right ; the bold and honest advocate of
the social and religious rights of the people ; in fact, the
only man capable of sustaining and supporting Sharman
Crawford in the House of Commons, and of carrying
out those measures which are of such pressing necessity
for the very existence of the Irish people. (Great
cheering.) ....
"You heard to-day from the lips of the priest who min
isters at your altar of the wholesale evictions that have
taken place in this union, and the consequent decrease of
population ; you have heard the harrowing description of
individual cruelty and oppression that has taken place even
within the last fortnight in this parish, and I am prompted
to ask you are we living in a Christian land, or are we
members of a well^constituted society, ruled by just laws,
and wisely administered ? Men of Meath, it is time that
the social wrongs of our country should be redressed — that
the inhuman and barbarous laws which affect the tenure of
land should be abrogated, and a Avise and humane code
substituted in their place, which, whilst they would secure
to the landlord a fair and equitable rent, would also pro
tect the industrious tenant by giving him security for his
outlay, permanence for his punctuality, and every encou
ragement for the employment of manual labour on the
soil. Men of Meath, I believe the candidate before you
is the man best qualified by talent, by persevering indus
try, and by a thorough knowledge of our social wants and
grievances, to effect this wholesome legislation. (Great
cheering.) There are many grievances affecting Ireland
— the Established Church, that national robbery, that
incubus upon a nation's strength, and the badge of a
nations slavery. This, I admit, is a monster grievance,
and most galling and most bitter 
" Be true, then, to the gre*at cause of Ireland. Be united
and determined as one man. Let1 Lucas and tenant-right
be the rallying cry ; and by your example to the other
constituencies of Ireland we may hope that a band of
faithful representatives may be formed that will devote
themselves with zeal and earnestness to sustain the fading
interests of our neglected land. (Tremendous cheering.)
Y

322 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
" Rev. P. Kelly, P.P., seconded the resolution.
" Considering their state and their sufferings, they did
require in that nasty house of parliament, as it was de
scribed to them, an intelligent, enlightened, independent,
and zealous man, who would speak the truth, and advocate
the cause of those who sent him there. (Cheers.) This
gentleman (Mr. Lucas) they had selected. He had ad
dressed them already, and was able to speak for himself,
and did not require his humble advocacy. (Hear, hear.)
He had introduced himself to their notice, and had given
them a specimen of his talent, his opinions, and determi
nation ; and believing, as he did, in his inmost soul, in the
sincerity of his promises, and his ability to carry them
out, he was firmly convinced he did not come to deceive,
but to assist them, and to promote their interests. (' Hear,
hear,' and loud cheers.) ....
" But it was also said that they had selected Mr. Lucas
because he was a Catholic. (Hear, hear.) Was that a
reproach to them? (No, no.) Yes, they would elect
him because he was a Roman Catholic. They would
elect him because he knew their Faith, and would defend
it. (Loud cheers.) They elected him for the purpose of
going into that nasty House of Commons, the centre of
intolerence and bigotry, where filthy and corrupt insinua
tions were thrown out against them and their Church.
(Cheers.) They would send him to parliament in that
particular sense, and also send him because he was the
poor man's friend ; because he Avas the unbending advocate
of tenant-right ; because he was the unyielding foe of the
oppressor's demands ; and at that moment he had no
doubt of their success — (hear, hear) — for although the
Times gloated over the extinction of the Celtic race,
blessed be Heaven they still formed a numerous group.
(Prolonged cheering.) Though famine had thinned their
people, though pestilence walked in its train, though op
pression had drawn many from their native land, there
were still enough of them to struggle for their country's
cause. ('Hear,' and renewed cheering.) It was, then,
their duty and his, and he hoped they would fulfil it, to
return Frederick Lucas on to-morrow or the next day.

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. 323
In him they had a man of profound learning, of varied
erudition, and extensive knoAvledge. (Loud cheers.) His
talents had earned for him the applause of many, and his
services in behalf of the Irish people, before he set foot on
the soil of Ireland, entitled him to their gratitude. (Hear,
hear.) Need he tell the honest farmers of Meath that he
was the tenant's friend ? Need he tell them that he was
the vigorous and indefatigable champion of their rights —
the generous foe of all ungenerous oppression, whose
talented pen would silence the slanderous tongue and
check the march of their exterminating enemy? (Tre
mendous cheering.) The resolution which he had the
honour of seconding had been already explained. It was
sent forward by the Parliamentary Committee of the
Defence Association ; and, as he said before, without refer
ring to those men, it was ill-timed, ill-judged, and uncalled
for ; and again, without meaning any personal offence, it
deserved, he must say, to be disregarded and contemned by
the freeholders of that county. (Cries of ' Hear, hear.')
He hoped they would not do what was required of them,
but that they would return that honourable, talented, and
enlightened man (Mr. Lucas) as a fit and worthy associate
with their other representative. (Loud cheers.) He said
it deliberately : he did not at that moment think the Bri
tish empire contained a more intrepid, enlightened, and
virtuous man than Mr. Lucas. (Enthusiastic cheering.)
The Rev. gentleman concluded by seconding the resolu
tion. " Professor Tormey next came forward to address the
meeting, and was received with enthusiastic applause.
" The marked thanks of the meeting were then voted to
the Very Rev. Dr. M'Evoy for his dignified conduct in
the chair.
" After the termination" of the open air demonstration
Mr. Lucas was conducted to the Town Hall, where he was
entertained at a public dinner by his friends and sup
porters. About eighty gentlemen sat doAvn to table, the
chair being occupied by the Very Rev. Dr. M'Evoy. The
greatest harmony and unanimity of feeling prevailed."

Y 2

324 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED SPEECHES. Part II.
At a large public meeting held at Armagh on the
3rd of February,
" The Rev. Mr. Lennon, P.P., of Crossmagien, in pre
senting himself to second the resolution Avas enthusias
tically cheered. What, he would ask, was the cause of
destitution in Ireland ? (Cries of ' Hear, hear.') They
would all answer him with one voice — arbitrary, cruel, and
rack-renting landlordism. (Cheers.)"

Part II. ( 325 )

PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS.

It may fairly be urged that in speechifying it is the
nature of Man, under the excitement of the moment, to
ejaculate from that mischievous little hole, his mouth,
more than he had intended to say ; and although a
priesthood most certainly ought not to take the lead in
violent political meetings — and if they do take the lead,
should, for the credit of their cloth, be exceedingly
careful not to be seditious, yet, I admit, they may argue
that the same excuses which are granted to the frailty
of other men ought liberally to be extended to them.
Be it so. But when a priest sits down in his lonely
chamber to Avrite a letter to be disseminated — not in
his own little parish, but — throughout the length and
breadth of Ireland, he and the gown he wears must be
held responsible, not only for the principles he ex
pounds, but for the language in which those principles
have been promulgated. FROM ' THE TABLET,' MAY 15, 1852.
" Mr. Corballis, Q. C, and the ' Standard.'
" to the editor of 'the tablet.'
" Arklow, May 12, 1852.
" Dear Sir, — It would be a charity to administer some
wholesome admonition to Mr. J. R. Corballis, whose letter
to the Standard you term 'pert and low,' but which I

326 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. Part II.
designate at once ignorant and impertinent. He boasts of
his familiarity with the venerated deceased. I am sorry
the intercourse has not left a deeper trace of knowledge,
and of a more profound respect for the dignitaries of the
religion which the gentleman professes.
" He has the audacity to call our Episcopal titles 'empty,'
and to insinuate that some who bear them rest thereon their
claims to respect instead of depending on their public and
private virtues. . . .
" But Mr. Corballis is a great stickler for the inviolabi
lity of the law of the land, which he doubtless thinks should
supersede the law of God as well as the law of the Church.
If he lived in the days of Nero or Domitian he would, as
a matter of course, have burnt incense on the altar of
Jupiter Capitolinus to prove his loyalty ; and if the British
parliament took it into their wise heads (unlikelier things
have come to pass) to render penal the observance of
Catholic Fasts and Festivals, he would, I suppose, deem it
a conscientious duty to eat flesh-meat on a Friday, and not
to dare show his nose in a Catholic house of worship on a
holiday. Let me instruct this gentleman a little, and tell
him that any law at variance with the Divine law, or with
the Ecclesiastical law in matters purely spiritual, is no law
at all, has no binding force in conscience, is, like the body
sweltering in the grave, void of sou] and animating prin
ciple, and should be evaded, and disobeyed, and got rid of
by the subject whenever and by whatever fair means he can.
Such I hold the Titles Act to be, and I hold, moreover,
that no Catholic in the kingdom can vote without sin for a
candidate who he believes will maintain that law, or second
any similar legislation. . . .
"The Catholic Clergy, Mr. Editor, are a loyal body.
They most willingly acknowledge the supremacy of their
Sovereign in temporal matters. But in their spiritual
affairs they allow her no supremacy, they owe her no
allegiance, and will pay her none, because they cannot do
so without a violation of their conscience and their duty to
God. — I remain, dear Sir, yours truly,
"James Redmond, P.P."

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. 327'
FROM 'THE TELEGRAPH,' MAY 31, 1852.
"Extract of a Letter from the Rev. T. Beechinor.
" ' Newmarket, May 15, 1852.
"Let me tell you, Sir, there are no men in existence
more anxious to avoid the turmoil and family losses of
contested elections than priests ; they are members of
society, however, as well as others, and nothing but the
heavy injustice of the oppressors of our creed and country
could have dragged us from the quiet of the sanctuary ;
and it is only when landlords, agents, drivers, and the
underlings managing properties, will cease their threats and
persecutions, that the Catholic clergyman ought to be silent
in his chapel ; at all events it is only then that I will. Let
Lord Derby give us the 'ballot,' when every honest voter
will be independent of any influence, and we will then see
how many Frewens will come to the hustings. Such, Sir,
is my reply to your budget of charges. . . .
"I will make no apology for sending both your letter
and my answer to the Cork Examiner for publication,
particularly as you have courted public opinion by sending
your thoughts on paper to the tenants on the estate.
I am, Sir, faithfully yours, &c,
" J. Beechinor, P.P.
" W. R. Fitzmaurice, Esq., Everton, Carlow."

FROM ' THE TELEGRAPH,' JUNE 4, 1852.
" To the Electors of Carlow.
" ' Now is the day, now is the hour.'
" We are deeply steeped in misery. There is no use in
attempting to describe it. It is seen by all. It is apparent
in the rags and filth with which seven-eighths of the people
are covered. It is apparent in the fleshless bones, the pal
lid lips, the sunken eyes of the population. It is there
before us, it meets us at every turn, in broad, palpable,
hideous characters. It has seized upon every class and
section of the people. The farmers, the,, shopkeepers, the

328 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. Part II.
trades, the professions; Protestants, Catholics, and Dis
senters are all oppressed, impoverished and borne down.
By whom ? by what agency has this almost universal ruin
been caused? What has left the shops of our country
towns without business, the traders unemployed? What
has forced the population in hundreds of thousands to quit
the land of their fathers, or to take refuge in-those monster
emporiums of human wretchedness, the Irish workhouses ?
The cause is evident. The people are borne down by the
landlord and the law-maker ; by the enormous burden of
rent, tithes, and taxes, placed on their shoulders, and by the
want of a legal tenant-right to protect farming industry.

" Mr. Clayton Browne in his address puts forward, as a
claim to our support, ' his increasing anxiety to promote
the welfare and improvement of the town.'
- "I regret for his own sake, for I feel disposed to speak
kindly of him, that he has not eschewed this topic. When
and where, and after what fashion, I beg to ask his friends,
has he attempted to improve the town or promote the wel
fare of its inhabitants ? His increasing anxiety which, no
doubt, he feels intensely, has never, to my knowledge, and
I am rather an old inhabitant of the borough, developed
itself in act. Has he, men of Carlow, ever contributed,
even in the smallest amount, to one Catholic educational
or benevolent institution in the town ? The Catholics
constitute the masses of the people. They have been
oppressed, ground down, and plundered ; they have had,
out of their poverty, to erect their own schools, colleges,
chapels, and cathedrals ; for of these and the means of
supporting them they have been robbed in favour of the
State Church ; and I have yet to learn to what extent we
are indebted to the munificence of Mr. Browne in those our
unparalleled difficulties.
" His sympathies have never been with the people, they
seem to have been all reserved for those fanatical associa
tions, those dens of bigotry, proselytism, and corruption,
which have originated in and grown out of the hatred of
the national religion, and of the classes whom the bigots
seek to pervert and oppress.

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. 329
"The worst, the most furious and besotted of these associa
tions is, perhaps, that which takes the title of ' The Priest
Protection Society.'' What insolence and insult there is
in the assumption of the name ! They are disposed to
protect priests, somewhat after the fashion in which the
hungry wolf protects the lamb. Of this society Mr.
Browne's cousin, Lord Mayo, is one of the vice-patrons,
and his representative, Colonel Bruen, is another. There
are, besides these, four other members of Parliament,
several lords and dignitaries of the Established Church
in the list of patrons.
"Now what do these Protectionists — lay and clerical
— say ? I have the address of their committee to the Pro
testants of the empire lying before me. They tell us that
Ireland has become a hissing and an abomination amongst
the kingdoms of the earth, and the reason assigned is, that
' the Parliament has endowed Maynooth, and incorporated
idolatry. — Instead therefore, they say, of two hundred and
fifty priests that have issued annually from her filthy walls,
we are henceforward to have an annual crop of five
hundred priests to issue, to pollute and to fester in the
land. This College, Maynooth, is in future to be the head
quarters of the Pope's black militia.'
" A little after, these reverend and unreverend bigots,
forgetting their character of priest-protectors, betray a little
of the hatred which animates them in the expression of a
hearty wish to meet us in battle array, and there, they say,
* amid the flash of arms and roar of cannon, to contest for
victory.' " Catholics of Carlow, read attentively these passages,
and ask Mr. Browne when he solicits your suffrage will he
not himself, as an elector in the county, vote for Colonel
Bruen, who thus assails the priesthood of Ireland ? — Will
he not support the policy of his cousin, Lord Mayo, and
Lord Roden, the patron of the Priest Protection Society ?
Is it wonderful that our streets are filled with living
skeletons ; that we are all oppressed, ground down, and
beggared, when patrons and approvers of rampant bigotry
and furious fanaticism, without other qualification, are

330 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. Part II.
selected and sent to Parliament to make laws for the
nation ? . .
" If a Catholic elector choose to support Mr. Browne,
let him do so ; but with his eyes open. Let him, if so
disposed, vote through Mr. Browne, as his representative,
that the Catholic religion is damnable and idolatrous, and
that its colleges ought to be suppressed — let this be done ;
but, then, the less the elector speaks of religion, principle,
and conscience, the better.
"Men of Carlow, it is necessary to state the truth
openly and fearlessly, to throw aside the flimsy pretences,
the affectation of principle and patriotism which has never
been felt, with which men clothe their acts, seeking to
deceive, and succeed only in deceiving themselves. It is
necessary, I say, to lift the veil of hypocrisy, and exhibit
in open day the bigotry, the distorted views, the heartless
ambition, the all-devouring selfishness, and hauteur con
cealed beneath.
" Men of Carlow, you now see your position. On',
then, to the contest. Your country requires your co-opera
tion to rescue her from beggary and ruin, and to vindicate
your creed from insult and chains.
" May Heaven defend the right !
"James Maher, P.P.
" Carlow Grraigue, June 2, 1852."

FROM ' THE FREEMAN,' MAY 4, 1852.
" His Grace the Archbishop of Tuam — The Representation
of Sligo.
" The following letter of his Grace the Archbishop
of Tuam appeared in a second edition of Saturday's
'Tablet:'— " ' St. Jarlath's, Tuam, Feast of the Annunciation, 1852.
" ' Reverend dear Sir — As our holy religion has been
recently subjected to penal enactments at once injurious
and insulting, no person should be permitted to aspire to

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. 331
the representation of our counties or boroughs, but one
who will be prepared strenuously and perseveringly to vin
dicate our religion from such hostile as well as impolitic
legislation. " ' Next to the duties of religion, there are those which
we owe, in a particular manner, to our own country, and
which, on account of the hostility and jealousy of England,
as well as the recreancy of many of the children of
Ireland, have been so neglected, that the condition of
our people is a by-word among the nations of the
earth. " 'Since, then,. the abject social condition of our people
is owing to the strange and adverse influences that uni
formly swayed the administration of our affairs, as if they
were only of a nature subordinate to English interests, I
deem it as a matter of vital and essential importance that
it is among Irishmen, if they can be found to come up to
the required standard, and among Irishmen alone, we are
to look for candidates for the representation of our consti
tuencies, on the same principle that Englishmen or Scotch
men would never dream of overlooking their own and
seeking for representatives in Ireland. But in some
places, as in Sligo, so long trodden under the hooves of an
anti-Catholic ascendancy, it may be difficult or impossible
to find such, and, therefore, rather than minister to the
support of an unchristian establishment, the chief source of
all our misery, we should gladly avail ourselves of the
services of any gentleman who will aid us in protecting
our religion from penalties, and our people from utter ruin.
With these convictions of the necessity of a uniform selec
tion of Irishmen in preference to any others, when Irish
men, not hostile or treacherous, can be found, it will be
presumed that an English gentleman must have very Irish
feelings, and strong addictions to our country, when I
venture to recommend him to your choice on the coming
occasion. This gentleman is Mr. Swift, the Catholic High-
Sheriff of London, ipsis Hibernis Hibernior, whose career
has been a distinguished one, the sincere admirer of the
character of the illustrious Liberator, and who is as ready
to advocate all Irish measures as if he were a native of

332 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. Part II.
Ireland. Of promises profusely made and recklessly
broken our country furnishes but too many examples.
His stern attachment to his religion, and his edifying dis
charge of the duties of domestic and social life, afford the
best pledge of his integrity, and his ample fortune places
him above the temptations to which indigence has some
times fallen a victim. Knowing that you will kindly ex
cuse an obtrusion to which I have been prompted by those
you revere, I remain yours very faithfully,
" ' £» John, Archbishop of Tuam.
" 'Rev. Thomas Phillips, Hon. Sec. of the
County Sligo Liberal Club.' "

FROM ' THE TABLET,' APRIL 24, 1852.
" The New Ross Election.
" The Venerable Catholic Archdeacon of Limerick'
writes : — " ' Rathkeale, April 19, 1852.
" ' My dear Sir, — I received your letter urging me to
be present at the monthly meeting of the Council of the
League on to-morrow, the 20th inst. I regret that I am
quite unable to comply with your request. 1 spent most
of the sunny days of Easter week on a sick bed, and,
though I made an effort yesterday to discharge some por
tion of my usual Sunday duties, I remain still in a state of
health that precludes all possibility of proceeding to
Dublin on the present occasion.
" ' I regret that inability the more as I learn that one
of the principal objects of the council to-morrow will be
to promote the return of Mr. Duffy for the borough of
New Ross. In that return I take the deepest interest,
from feeling the deepest and most sincere conviction that
no single return is likely to be made to parliament within
the present year that possesses one-fortieth part of
the vital importance to the tenant occupiers of Ireland
that attaches to the return or the rejection of Mr.
Duffy. ... J
" ' Mr. Duffy in the House of Commons may, perhaps,

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. 333
be derided or coughed down, or his voice drowned amidst
those brutal or beldame sounds we sometimes hear of; but
Mr. Duffy is knoAvn to the empire. He is not quite un
known to any part of the civilised world ; and his words
spoken in his place in parliament will go forth to the world
through the press as the faithful record of the true state of
landlord and tenant relations in Ireland, and of the horrors,
unparalleled in the history of mankind, to which the power
of imposing impossible rent, and of inflicting the direst
penalties on default, has given rise.
" ' I am not myself very sanguine as to any great good
to come from British rule, British connection, or British
parliaments. Little good has ever come of them ; but of
pains, and penalties, and wrongs, full plenty. But if
honest, earnest, untiring advocacy and vindication, urged
by a man of undoubted ability, and no less undoubted
sincerity, be an object to the tenant farmers of Ireland, I
say that no election has occurred in the present parlia
ment, or can occur in the next, in which the tenant occu
piers of land have so deep and vital an interest as that
- about to take place at New Ross.
" 'Can the land be said to be free in which hundreds of
thousands hold all they possess in the world at the will
and pleasure of another man, who can come at any mo
ment, seize every pennyworth they have on earth, and
turn them out houseless, and absolutely destitute, to shift
for themselves as best they may ? Yet such is the lot of
nine out of ten of the tenant farmers of this parish, and, I
believe, of every parish for twenty miles round. Can the
man be free who can be commanded under such penalty
as that just referred to, of extreme confiscation, to register
a vote by perjury, to send his child to a proselytising
school, to work on a holiday, &c. &c, all which things
have been done in Ireland fifty times over? Can a land
be called free in which two thousand acres are lying
waste and uncultivated within a circle of five miles round
this one small town — the inhabitants having been rooted
out like vermin because they did not pay rents impossible
to be paid ? Such is the state of this country. My
worthy brother, the Archdeacon of Cashel, tells me the

334 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. Part n.
" Irish Brigade are destined to save Ireland, and make her
free." I trust my patriotic and respected brother may
prove a prophet ; and yet I fear there are some members
of that corps who would be found very unwilling to dimi
nish in the least the high feudal privileges of their order
— yet these privileges constitute the murderous and de
grading yoke of Irish slavery.
" ' I am, dear Sir, your obedient servant,
" ' Michael Fitzgerald, P.P.' "

" County Wicklow.
" The following letter was read from the Rev. James
Redmond : —
" ' Arklow, April 18, 1852.
" ' Dear Sir, — An arrear of the duties of this season
will not permit me to attend the meeting on Tuesday.
" ' I earnestly press on the council not to delay their
applications to constituencies till the latter shall have
passed their words to more early candidates. Limerick
was lost in this way.
" ' I have written to nearly all the Parish Priests in the
county Wicklow to combine for the expulsion from the re
presentation of the exterminating bigot, Lord Milton,
whose father, Earl Fitzwilliam, outraged the Catholics of
the United Kingdom, in and out of Parliament, last year,
by his calumnies on their religious tenets, and by aiding
the penal legislation against their Ecclesiastical liberties.
The said noble earl has also repeatedly raised his rents,
during the last six disastrous years, compelling his tenants
to pay interest for their own money by an enhanced rent
for their improvements. As Lord Milton has aided and
abetted his father in all this tyranny and wrong, he must
be made share in the punishment ; he must be made feel
that he shall not with impunity insult and injure men as
good as himself, and must account for his misdeeds at the
bar of an enlightened public opinion. No Catholic can
vote for the noble lord without dishonour and without incur
ring the sacrilegious guilt of co-operating with the perse
cutor and the plunderer of the Catholic Church by sending
him to parliament to forge new chains for our bishops, to

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. 335
inflict heavier fines for the exercise of essential spiritual
functions, and to deprive the poor of Christ of their bread
by an unholy legislative confiscation. No tenant farmer can
vote for him without being a consenting party to the con
tinued robbery and vassalage of his class, and without being
a sharer in all the miseries and crimes resulting from
irresponsible landlordism.
" 'I confidently trust my beloved clerical brethren of
this county will take — as they have always taken — their
stand in good time, and firmly, between their faithful
people and their oppressors; that they will employ their
fair influence to paralyse the arm of the prosecutor now
uplifted to strike down our religious liberties ; that they
will combine to deprive the landlord of the power of con
fiscating his tenant's property by expelling him at the end
of his tenure without full compensation for his improve
ments, or by making him pay an increased rent in respect
of the same, or by binding him to contracts rendered
flagrantly unjust or absolutely impossible by legislative
depreciation of the markets or heavy supervening taxation.
I am quite satisfied it will not be the fault of the worthy
Catholic clergy of the county Wicklow if a man, not
pledged to the defined and essentially just principles of
tenant-right, and to the removal from the statute-book of
all restrictive laws interfering with religious liberty, shall
go into parliament for this county.
" ' I remain, dear Sir, yours truly,
" ' James Redmond, P.P.
" ' To the Secretary of the Irish Tenant League.' "

FROM 'THE TABLET,' MAY 8, 1852.
" New Ross Election — Mr. Duffy.
"TO THE EDITOR OF ' THE TABLET.'
" Burt, Derry, May 3, 1852.
" My dear Sir, — I have published that I shall call on
the people of my parish on the 9th instant, requesting
them to be prepared on that day to contribute their mite
towards Mr. Duffy's expenses at the approaching election

336 PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. Part II.
of New Ross. My people are poor, but willing to do all
in their power on this most pressing occasion. Our duty
to our country is next to our duty to God. I hope Mr.
Duffy's friends, who, I will say, are as numerous as there
are lovers of country, will do their duty. Their general
contribution throughout the kingdom will make the Castle-
man Redington tremble for his fate. This pouring in of
money to free Mr. Duffy of all expenses will tell, more
decidedly than language can command, the hatred of the
people to him who helped to puff the Castle bellows
to forge chains for our Bishops, and their approval of
Duffy, the four-fold martyr and lover of his country.
Nothing ever terrified oligarchy so much as the general
contribution to the Catholic rent, and the thousands poured
into the Repeal treasury.
" Ireland showed herself great and independent in '28
by sustaining in the Clare election the great O'Connell,
and I trust she will consider New Ross a second Clare.
" Believe me, dear Lucas, yours faithfully,
"James M'Aleer, P.P."

" The People and their Pastors. — Letter of Archdeacon
Fitzgerald. "Rathkeale, April 26, 1852.
" My dear O'Dwyer, — I thank you for your kindness
in communicating to me the important fact that the Clergy
of Emly have unanimously resolved to demand unequi
vocal pledges from the candidates for the representation of
this county at the coming election. The resolve is in
every way worthy a body so truly respectable and pa
triotic as I have always considered your manly and honest
fellow-clergymen of Emly to be.
" I will take this opportunity to observe that there are
many things in the present aspect of Irish affairs that sadly
puzzle these old brains of mine ; and as you are so much
younger, and as I verily and sincerely believe so much
sounder, I wish to Heaven you could be induced to help
me a little to a right understanding. Thus, for instance,
it appears to me not a little strange that clergymen should

Part II. PRIESTS' PUBLISHED LETTERS. 337
see the houses inhabited by Catholics in their parishes di
minished by one half — (as most certainly happened in this
parish within five years, and in hundreds of parishes
besides) — without giving themselves apparently the
slightest concern on the subject, or making the least effort
to save the remnant of their people. When the object
was to repeal the Union, great efforts were made, and
large sums were subscribed or collected by clergymen.
Some clergymen in this diocese insisted on every newly-
baptized child being registered a Repealer, and duly
qualified by his parents paying down the usual shilling
entrance fee.
" But there is another sort of persecution, which I can
well understand, where millions are shut up in workhouse
graves, or workhouse prisons, or banished for ever to
foreign climes. I can imagine that the religion of a
country is in danger when a Church and a nation are in
process of speedy extinction — when, under pretence of the
rights of property, a small class of men exercise un
bounded power over hundreds of thousands. Have those
who are zealous for the faith considered that there is not a
landlord in Ireland who" if he set about it in right earnest,
could not make his Catholic tenants, in nine cases out of
ten, apostates ? He had only to say — You must pay rent
to the day, and endure all the extremes of landlord inflic
tion, unless you go to the church and send your children
to my anti-popery school. Are not the worldly goods, the
morals, the religion, the whole being of the tenant-slave in
Ireland, utterly at the mercy of his owner or his landlord,
whichever you please ? And is this a state of things that
ought to be endured f
" I remain, my dear O'Dwyer,
" Most truly yours,
" Michael Fitzgerald, P.P."

338 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.

PRINTED EXTRACTS
FKOM THE PRIESTS' PRESS.

The connection between the Roman Catholic priests of
Ireland and that portion of the press which avowedly
disseminates their temporal and political doctrines, has
been publicly explained and advertised by themselves
as follows : —
1. In The Warder newspaper of the 14th of August,
1852, the Archdeacon of Meath addressed a letter to
Dr. Cantwell, titular bishop, in which he stated that at
an election meeting held at Kells on the 6th of June,
1852, Mr. Lucas, editor of The Tablet, Avas, by the Very
Rev. N. M'Evoy, P.P., introduced to the meeting (at
which it was stated by The Tablet that upwards of ten
thousand persons were present) " as the tried and
TRUSTED ADVOCATE OF EVERY PRINCIPLE DEAR TO THE
HEARTS OF THE ENTIRE PRELACY AND PRIESTHOOD OF THE
LAND." Again, in another newspaper, it was publicly declared
by Dr. M'Evoy, P.P., that Mr. Lucas, "the trusted
advocate of every principle dear to the hearts of the entire
Prelacy and Priesthood of the land," "was the de
fender OF THE SACRED CHARACTER OF THE PRIESTHOOD ;"
and that in token thereof he had stereotyped in front of
the Tablet newspaper, of which he was the editor, the
following picture of the Holy Virgin and Child .

Part II.

THE PRIESTS' PRESS.

339

2. In The Tablet, and in other Irish journals advo
cating " the principles of the entire prelacy and
priesthood of the land," there repeatedly appeared
the following advertisement : —
TWO CHEAP CATHOLIC NEWSPAPERS.

THE TELEGRAPH,
X PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY,
AND FRIDAY.
First Number to appear on Friday, January 2nd, 1852.
THE WEEKLY TELEGRAPH,
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY.
First Number to appear on Saturday, January 3rd, ] 852.
BOTH PAPERS EDITED
By WILLIAM BERNARD MAC CABE, Esq.,
Author of a ' Catholic History of England.'
The Telegraph is called into existence with the authority,
aid, and full approval of the leading Catholic Members of Par
liament, who in the last session combined for the preservation
of Catholic liberty, and with the most encouraging assurances
of support from the Catholic Clergy and laity throughout the
United Kingdom.

THE WEEKLY TELEGRAPH,
A Catholic Newspaper, price Threepence.
In connection with the Three-Day Paper, the Telegraph, is
established a Threepenny Newspaper, the
WEEKLY TELEGRAPH.
Equal in, the size of its sheet, and the quantity and quality
of matter, to the Weekly Journals at present in circulation, it
will be, by the Lowness of its Price, brought within the reach of
the humblest Catholic reader.
7 and 8, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin.
z 2

340 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM ' Part II.
3. In The Nation of the 10th of July, 1852, a long
leading article on the approaching elections ended by
the following brief admission of its own blind,' abject
subserviency to the Irish priesthood : —
" Would to God that we could make one word of ours
— and it is all that we have to say on the subject — heard
and heeded by every elector of Kilkenny in this contest!
For God's sake, and the sake of the cause, vote as
Father Tom O'Shee bids you ! "
The connection between the Roman Catholic priests
of Ireland and the editors of their newspapers, and
vice versa, having been thus avowed by themselves, it
becomes necessary to submit a sample of the doctrines
they inculcate, or, to use their OAvn terms, " bring
within the reach of the humblest Catholic reader."
Now, from the extracts and evidence I have submit
ted to the reader, it has hitherto appeared that the
Irish priesthood have had only two wicked objects
in view, namely, 1st, the attainment for themselves
of the property of the Protestant Church; and,
2ndly, the attainment for their Catholic flocks of
" tenant rights" over the whole of the landed property
of Ireland, of which two-thirds belongs, in fee, to Pro
testants. The reader will, however, now perceive that
"the Irish Priests' Press," in addition to advocating
these two unholy breaches of the Eighth Command
ment, which explicitly declares to them " Thou shalt
not steal," not only openly preaches to the people of
Ireland hostility to everything bearing the name of
British, but sympathy and alliance with every offender
against British laws, as well as with every tribe,
civilized or uncivilized, at war with the British
sovereign and people.

Part II. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 34 1
As the editor of The Tablet has already had a full
opportunity of explaining to the reader his connection
with the priesthood and the principles he avows, we
will proceed to consider extracts from other portions
of the priests' press.
In that newspaper, which obediently " votes as Father
Tom O'Shee bids it," there appeared, on the 10th of
July, 1852, this respectable announcement: —

FROM 'THE NATION,' JULY 10, 1852.
" The Venerable John Binns.
" The following affectionate and characteristic letter
was received a few days since by Mr. Meagher, from the
venerable John Binns, of Philadelphia, enclosing the
address and resolutions of his friends :—
" ' Philadelphia, June 15, 1852.
" ' My dear and highly-esteemed Friend and Coun
tryman — By this mail I send you an official letter, but
I feel that that communication does not bring me so near
to your affections as is my heart's desire. Allow me,
then, for this purpose, to set forth some passages in my
life:— " ' In 1795 I was tried in England for sedition, and
acquitted. In 1798 I was tried with James O'Coigley
[lianged on Penenden Heath] and Arthur O'Connor
[transported] for high treason. In 1799 I was imprisoned
for treasonable practices, and kept there until 1801, when
I came to the United States, where in 1806 I became
a citizen, and, I trust, in peace and in war, have faith
fully, ay, and zealously, discharged all the duties of a
citizen. Such, in brief, are the causes for which I claim,
in my own person, your affectionate regard. Do you
acknowledge them ?
" ' Faithfully, I am, dear Sir, your friend,
" ' John Binns.
" ' To T. F. Meagher, Esq.' "

342 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.
FROM THE 'MUNSTER CITIZEN,' JULY 31, 1852.
" Demonstration in honour of Meagher in New Orleans.
" A great demonstration in honour of T. F. Meagher
took place on Saturday, the 3rd inst., in the American
Theatre, New Orleans. The arrangements, say the New
Orleans papers, were highly creditable to the gentlemen
who got up the affair. The theatre was densely crowded
at an early hour by one of the most attentive and warm
hearted audiences ever seen. The Mayor of the city
took the chair, and, after offering a few remarks, intro
duced to the meeting ex-Governor Johnson, who addressed
the assembled multitude in a highly exciting oration, from
which we take the following extract : —
- " 'If we will exercise patience and bide our time, we
will get it (Ireland), said the Governor. Already we have
taken much from Ireland — many of her noblest citizens.
And now we have Meagher ! And not long will England
insult the spirit of the age ! How long will she oppress
Erin ? How long will it be before Emmett's epitaph shall
be written, and Meagher, to quote his own language, shall
raise his head and join in the hymn of liberty? Not
long ! not long ! as sure as there is a God in Heaven.'
Then, after dwelling at some length further upon the cha
racter of the man, to honour whom was the special object
of the convocation, the speaker concluded enthusiastically
by tendering him a thousand welcomes to our shores."
" What do our down-stricken people at home think of
these words from an American? There is no whining in
these sentiments, no talk of 'returning members' and
' petitioning ' to save the country. Verily the Eagle of the
West would seem in reality about to become the avenger
of the wrongs of Ireland."

Part II. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 343
FROM THE < DUNDALK DEMOCRAT AND PEOPLE'S JOUENAL,
AUGUST 14, 1852.
" The Caffir War.
" The latest intelligence from the Cape left Sandilli,
the ' rebel chief,' as his foes call him, still in armed hos
tility against the British forces. Sir Harry Smith was
called home, as his masters imagined that he had not pro
ceeded with sufficient vigour against the foe ; but his suc
cessor, General Cathcart, it would seem, so far as the
latest intelligence describes, has gained no new advantage
over the enemy. Cattle kraals are still attacked and the
beasts driven away ; herdsmen, waggon-drivers, officers,
and soldiers are shot down in detail ; and ammunition
waggons captured and carried into the strongholds of the
enemy with the greatest impunity. Those semi-savage
Caffirs are brave fellows. They know how to fight for
and hold their own. A large number of ' the bravest
army in the world' have been tugging at them for a consi
derable time, and they appear as fresh for the fight as
they did on the first day they revolted against British
authority. " One of their latest achievements was a very gallant
affair. On the 13th of June, Captain Moody and 31 Sap
pers and Miners were proceeding with five waggons of
ammunition from Graham's Town to Fort Beaufort, and
some Hottentots posted themselves in the thick bush of
the Konap-hill, and fired a sudden volley at the convoy,
killing seven of them and wounding nine others. Captain
Moody and his men scampered off, and left thirty thousand
cartridges in the hands of the ' rebels,' who, doubtless, will
use them against the original owners on the first opportunity.
" Exasperated by the daring conduct of the Caffirs, and
determined to make a bold stroke for the purpose of ter
minating this harassing war, General Cathcart has issued
orders for a general onslaught on the territory of the Caffir
Chief Kreli, who resides beyond the Kei, a river which
separates his territory from British Caffraria.
"By this time, we have no doubt, the forces are at»

344 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.
work; Cathcart against Kreli, and Kreli against Cath
cart. This Caffir war is an ugly affair, and has brought
no renown to the ' bravest army in the world.' However,
it has made one thing evident, namely, the courage and
bravery of the uncivilised tribes who fight with such gal
lantry and perseverance for their nationality. It has
demonstrated, too, if such were necessary, the inordinate
love of domination in the English breast, which, in some
quarter or other of the world, every day we rise, disturbs
the peace of men, and sheds rivers of blood in its struggles
for increased dominion. England is the disturber of the
peace of the world. Like a drunken bully- she swaggers
about, and no weak nation is safe from her insolence and
brutality. In Ireland she has weakened the national
forces by creating jealousies and divisions, and twice a-year
her garrison collects tribute from the prostrate people. In
India her army gives no peace to the unfortunate people
who groan beneath her sway ; and scarcely a nation in
Europe is free from her assaults in some shape or other.
The consequence of all this is, that she is hated at home
and abroad, and the day that shall witness her shorn of
the means that enable her to scourge and oppress, will be
hailed by rejoicings by every lover of rational freedom in
the world."

FROM ' THE NATION,' AUGUST 14, 1852.
" How the Kaffirs were stirred up, and why the Kaffirs
can't be put down.
" A mail has arrived from the Cape, and the gallant
rebels not only hold their own, but improve it. It fur
nishes another long chapter of accidents to England ; and
we may reasonably hope that the end of the war and the
final triumph of the natives is not far off. No one who
understands the quarrel can honestly wish the victory to
their enemy. They are fighting for their natural rights
against unprovoked and unjustifiable aggression.
" The Kaffirs are a pastoral people — they live under a
serene sky, among droves of oxen, which they rear with—

Part II. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 345
skill and defend with intrepidity ; but if there be truth in
the opinion of the ancients, such a race must be, empha
tically, a mild and peaceful people. They live amid the
calm scenes of pastoral simplicity, where they love to
guard their quiet flocks — their gamboling children, fro
licking youths, and patient matrons within sight.
" Many native tribes had been exterminated before they
took up arms. Nothing had been left, in many instances,
to bear witness to the existence of a powerful horde except
a few bones whitening in the waving herbage of the waste.
Their men had been butchered by the bayonet — their
women carried away by Boors — their cattle captured, and
children massacred ; and their smoking village of bee-hive
cottages, forgotten in the desolate valley, had mouldered
into rubbish and ashes.
" What had the Ficani done (asks an English traveller)
when they were massacred in wholesale by British, sol
diers? The army was marched into the unknown terri
tory to slaughter a tribe who were not even known to
their assassins. The shrieking women were cut to pieces
amid the stifling smoke of their blazing residences. Mas
sacre in all its enormities raged amid the scene of blood.
Atrocities without a name were perpetrated by men
without a conscience. Sinless infancy and helpless age
were promiscuously butchered, fire flamed high in the
clouds, and blood poured deep into the earth. The
murderers had never seen their victims until they plunged
the bayonets in their untutored breasts. Nay, what was
more revolting if possible than the brutal extirpation of
a whole tribe, a British Clergyman — a Wesleyan Mis-
sioner — was base enough to defend this brutality in the
newspapers, to extenuate the enormity — to justify the
massacre of these defenceless people.
"The outrages perpetrated by the arms of England
Avere seconded with eagerness by a people denominated
Boors. " The European continent has been filled with admi
ration in contemplating these uneducated warriors of
Africa. If the world, however, knew the calamities they
have endured, the wrongs they have been subjected to —

346 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.
could the ample current of their melancholy annals be set
in all its gloom before the European mind — pity for their
sorrows would blend with admiration of their manliness.
Meantime, no people on earth understand the character of
Britain so profoundly. They know that they must beat
her in battle or perish in her grasp — that no alternative
exists beneath the sky but heroic victory or their own
total destruction.
" Notwithstanding these manifold disadvantages, the
Kaffirs are, perhaps, the only people on the face of the
globe who have successfully coped with British generals.
Such is the reward of self-reliance. They were guilty, it
appears, of offences which the proud and tyrannical fasti
diousness of England could not overlook. They refused
to sell oxen for buttons. They refused to kennel with the
hounds, and starve as wanderers upon the demesnes of
their ancestors. They refused to be less than freemen.
This was what the haughty arrogance of these overbearing
masters could not suffer. They refused to sacrifice their
lands, cattle, wives, and personal liberty, and the Euro
peans and colonists devoted them to extermination for
presuming to assert that they were men. At that time
the natives were numerous, and the colonists few and
feeble. But when the colonists or Boors became powerful
their covetous n ess became irresistible. They grudged
the Kaffirs the possession of their ancestral districts. They
crouched in the long grass with the firelock in their hand,
and shot the natives to feed their hounds. They deprived
them of 50,000 oxen in two years. On the 5th of Decem
ber, 1823, Major Somerset is described as pouring at day
break into the village of Makomo at the head of his troops.
' A few assegais were thrown ; but the attack was so
sudden that little resistance could be made.' ' As many
Kaffirs having been destroyed as it was thought would
evince our superiority and power, Major Somerset stopped
the slaughter, and secured the cattle to the amount of
7000 head.'
" The injustice and cruelties perpetrated on the natives
must be considered as the sole cause of the calamities
which embarrass the Government. But when the seeds

Part II. THE PRIESTS' PEESS. 347
of hate had been sown so deep that the art of man could
not root them out — when the horrors perpetrated by the
Spaniards in the West Indies had been surpassed by the
ferocity of the Europeans of Cape Colony — when the
enormities of the Boors threatened to bring all Africa in
arms on the heads of the Colonial Government — when it
was too late, the British interfered to arrest the murderous
career of their sanguinary friends, and undertook the task
of punishing the natives, under the pretext of protecting
them, for refusing to be robbed. When plundering com
mandoes or exterminating expeditions had ravaged so
frequently and cruelly the country of the Kaffirs that peace
was no longer possible — when the wild justice of revenge
had been so thoroughly excited that the blood of the
invader could alone appease it — when the infuriated Kaffirs
proved too strong to be routed, too cunning to be defrauded,
the English Government undertook to ' doctor ' them —
that is, to divide them, to sow dissension among them, to
make them beat one another with their own hands ; but
the Kaffirs have outwitted them."

The following is a specimen of the delusions prac
tised on the Irish people by " the Priests' Press."
FROM THE ' MUNSTER CITIZEN,' JUNE 26, 1852.
" Workhouse Barbarity.
"The woman-flogging of the Czar convulsed Europe
with indignation some years ago. Here is a revelation of
female degradation and torture which out-Herods the
cruelty of the Russian monster. We think it possible for
women and children to be kept alive in this land of plenty
and of beauty without resorting to the beastly depletive
which the subjoined extract describes. If Irish manhood
yet possess rage, and Irish loyalty logic, this example of
the grinding tyranny of British institutions ought to inflame
the one and convince the other : —

348 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.
" ' To S. G. O.
" ' We have, through you, heard of the many methods
adopted to render the life of a poorhouse inmate as unen
durable and of as short a duration as possible ; but you
have yet to learn, the British public has yet to learn, that
at this day — in the nineteenth century — in this age of ci
vilisation — human beings — women — old and feeble, young
and helpless, sickly and infirm — are yoked like oxen to
a mill, and driven round with a whip, grinding corn, in a
dark room in an Irish workhouse. Yes, Sir, women, and
I believe women only, perform this duty in the workhouse
of the Bantry union ! I have seen them — I have seen the
heart-broken widow, with the furrows of three-score years
on her face — the child of fifteen — the "widowed wife,"
whose face was furrowed also, not by time, but by afflic
tion — I have seen them driven round there — i" have seen
their tears course down their cheeks, as did my own tears
mine, while I surveyed the ignominious spectacle. I
know not how the Poor Law Commissioners were induced
to overlook such a proceeding — for, to their honour be it
spoken, they have uniformly objected to the employment
of females at such laborious work. I know not whether
their resident representative here represented the matter
in its true light ; perhaps they were led to believe that
none but able-bodied women would be employed ; but this
I know, and assert, that old women as well as young —
feeble, emaciated, and helpless — are in gangs of thirty and
forty driven round that axle', and I am informed that
instances have occurred where they have dropped from
exhaustion and been trampled on in the revolution of the
wheel I Good God— who, worthy the name of man, can
contemplate the debasing spectacle presented in that grim
cell of toil ? Let him watch the weary step and faint eye
of the toilers as they tread their " weary round " — let
him see the crack of the whip — (he cannot hear it with
the din of machinery) — and let him imagine if he can that
he is not in the salt-mines of the Czar ; or in some sugar
manufactory in Louisiana, only with the difference that
the slaves are white. Or he will ask — "" What convict

Part II. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 349
department is this ? what kind of beings are these — what
heinous crime have they committed that they are con
demned to such hard punishment ? " " Alas ! " would be
the answer — " this is the Ban try union, these are Irish
mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters — and their only crime
is Poverty." ' "

FROM THE ' MUNSTER CITIZEN,' JULY 31, 1852.
" The Fallacy of a Reliance on Parliament.
" The battle of the Constitution must be first fought in the forge and after
wards in the fields and streets. — John Mitchell [transported].
" Sir — Faith, hope, and reliance in political and social
amelioration from the British Parliament is a palpable
abnegation of Ireland's individuality and of that holy
spirit of independence which God has implanted in the
heart of man. As to the 'Titles Bill,' ' Orange Juries,'
and other grievances, good Catholic, believe me that these
matters can only be settled to your liking and wish, which
in truth are not very exorbitant, by your armed union
against the English interest — both at home and in Great
Britain. He who tells you to rely on Brigades, prayers,
or petitions is your worst enemy. Discard for ever from
the rules of your friendly societies the disgusting oath of
allegiance to Queen Victoria, and substitute the sacred
and sensible one of Common Cause.
" I am, Sir, yours very truly,
" John C. Lynch."

"A few Words to Irish DEMOCRATS, particularly
those Resident in England and Scotland.
" Barnsley, July 25th, 1852.
" You, Brothers, who adhere to the Godlike creed of
real Irish Nationality ; — you who care not a fig for the
humbug of '82, nor the Repeal sham of '43 ; but who
cherish in your souls the noble creed that inspired our
fathers to face the hated foe on many a bloody field —
that creed for which Tone and Emmett died, and our

350 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.
own brave Mitchell is languishing in exile ;¦ — you who
repudiate the anti-religious lessons of British royalty and
expediency, and who feel no more desire to mumble
prayers for kings, queens, and royal families, than for
gipsies, brigands, or blacklegs ; — you who worship at the
shrine of truth, and believe that peace and concord amongst
royal conspirators called Christian kings and princes is
slavery, starvation, and death to that portion of God's
people, the useful and productive classes of society ; — you
who believe in the true and holy teaching of our Prophet,
' That nothing good can come from the English Parlia
ment or English Government,' and that Ireland can only
assert her nationality by force of arms, and who look on
the new-fledged Irish M.P.s who swear allegiance to
the English Queen, to be traitors to the £!eltic people,
and downright sworn enemies to their country ; — you are
the men of the Future, and on you devolves the impera
tive duty of rescuing our deluded countrymen from the
poisonous influence of mercenary traitors and hypocritical
or blind apostles. When England was exclusively Ca
tholic, King, Nobles, and Plebeians, did they not show
Ireland about as much mercy as the she-wolf Elizabeth
did when she ordered Raleigh to exterminate the natives
of Munster, and establish English colonies in their stead ?
Did they not make the penalty of killing a mere Irishman
just thirteen shillings and four-pence fine ? And did not
Catholic Mary, in her short reign, butcher the people of
Leinster, and convert the name of Leix and Offally into
the King and Queen's County ? Recent events prove
that the same undying spirit of hatred and extermination
towards the Irish is as rampant to-day as it was seven
centuries ago. It is said that the Roman Nobility in
Rome's degenerate days used to amuse themselves in
their arenas by witnessing the devouring of their Gallic
slaves by wild beasts. But in these enlightened days, and
in the land of enlightened humanity, ' the ferocious in
habitants of the forest ' are substituted by the Stockport
and Wigan savages. A private letter informs me that the
Wigan cannibals broke into thirty houses belonging to
Irishmen, and spared neither age nor sex, while the Mayor

Tart II. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 35 1
and Magistrates enjoyed a hearty laugh at the expense of
Irish blood and Irish money, for the poor Irish were
robbed into the bargain, and made prisoners, by their per
secutors. It is therefore pretty clear that there is to be
no protection whatever for the lives and property of Irish
men resident in England. Let us then prepare to protect
ourselves. At all events, let us be prepared, in those
districts where attacks are made, to sell our lives as dearly
as possible. The first thing requisite for this end is, an
armed organization. Let Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds,
London, and Liverpool make a beginning, and any simple
plan will do for a commencement. This would suffice till
a number of towns were partly organized, and then a con
ference could be held, say in Manchester, to propound a
real plan of ^organization, and take steps for spreading it
in Ireland. The organization should have but one great
object in view, viz. the Irish Republic.
" To work then, comrades, to work like men in earnest.
And while we register a vow of holy hatred and abhor
rence of the English system and English Oligarchy, we
can still afford to clasp hands, not with the Whigs or
Tories, nor the Radicals, nor Chartists, for they are de
generate, but with the few brave English republicans,
whose feelings are identical with our own. Is it not time
for us to begin ?
" Yours in the cause of the Irish Republic,
"Michael Segrave."

FROM THE ' WEEKLY TELEGRAPH,' AUGUST 14, 1852.
" The Murder-Ball at Stockport.
" Some of our contemporaries seem to be very much
shocked at the truly English no-Popery notion of having
a ball at Stockport for the benefit of ' the English pri
soners' charged with such crimes as 'sacrilege,' 'arson,'
and ' homicide.' To us the thing appears perfectly appro
priate. The persecutors of the Catholics profess, to be
profoundly learned in Scripture lore. They are all, they
assure us, great Bible-readers, and if they do participate
in 'a housebreaker's hornpipe,' a 'plunderer's polka,'

352

PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM

Part IL

The Devil and Medusa dancing the Cachuca.
or ' a murderer's mazurka,' why, they can, like their great
unavowed champion, ' quote Scripture' for what they do.
It was by means of a pas seul that St. John the Baptist
was martyred, and no doubt those who got up a dance at
Stockport for the benefit of the murderers of Moran and
the desecrators of the Ciborium, were prepared to justify
themselves by the words of St. Matthew : —
" ' On Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias
danced before them, and pleased Herod.
" ' Whereupon he promised, with an oath, to give her
whatsoever she would ask of him.
" ' But she, being instructed before by her mother, said,
Give me in a dish the head of John the Baptist' "

Part IT. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 353
The following article, containing an anecdote of
Governor Johnson and his lean, long-backed, inqui
sitive little boy, gives an amusing picture of the med
dling, incurable vulgarity of democracy in the United
States of America. FROM ' THE NATION,' JULY 24, 1852.
"New Orleans Tribute.
"Here also a passionate desire to honour the Irish
exile, and exhibit practical sympathy for his cause, ani
mates the bosoms of native Americans, as well as Irish-
born men. A few weeks ago there was a most influential
and enthusiastic meeting held in New Orleans, presided
over by Governor Johnson, for this specific purpose. The
following is but a' meagre sketch of this memorable pro
ceeding :—
" The Chair, before appointing the committee, re
quested that a letter from General Walker should be laid
before the meeting, and it was read amid tremendous
cheering by Secretary Walton.
" The committee having retired, the calls for Governor
Johnson were renewed, and. as he made his appearance
the house fairly shook with plaudits.
"Governor Johnson related an anecdote which eli ti
thunders of applause. ' It is but a few days since,' he
remarked, 'that a boy of mine, who has Irish blood in
his veins, asked me what a fillibuster meant ? I described
to him a fillibuster as a tolerable respectable sort of a
person, and when I had given the description the little
fellow asked me, " Well, Pay why don't we take Ireland
from England ?" (Cheers for several minutes. A voice
in the crowd, " He'll make a man.") I found some diffi
culty in answering the question, but told him that we had
already taken a pretty good share of British subjects from
Ireland, and will soon have them all, perhaps.' (Renewed
and continued cheering.)
" Governor Johnson expressed his highest admiration
of the character and abilities of Mr. Meagher, and asked
how long before the British government would be brought
2 A

354 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM' Part II.
to account for her cruel persecution of such men ? how
long before the epitaph of Emmett could be written?
how long before Meagher could return to his native land
a free man ? Governor Johnson closed with a fervently
expressed hope that the day was not far off when these
things might be done.
" Governor Johnson having closed his speech, Mr.
Burke, from the Committee on Resolutions, submitted the
following, which were adopted by acclamation and with
great enthusiasm : —
" ' Whereas Thomas Francis Meagher, a "felon " by
British law, for his love of liberty, and his desire to ex
tend its inestimable blessings to his native land, has
escaped from the English penal settlement of Van Die-
men's Land, and is now reposing in safety and security
beneath the flag of these United States, in the city of
New York ; the citizens of New Orleans, in public meet
ing assembled, without distinction of creed or country,
condition or calling, do resolve as follows : —
" ' Resolved-, That the congratulations of the citizens
of New Orleans be tendered to Thomas Francis Meagher
on his honourable escape from the convict settlement of
Van Diemen's Land, whither he had been consigned by
British tyranny to expiate the only crime of which he had
been guilty, namely, an ardent thirst for liberty, and an
undying attachment to his native land.
" ' Resolved, That the Irish patriots of '48 deserve
well of Old Ireland, in whose cause they perilled limb,
liberty, and life, and of every true Republican ; for the
annals of no nation afford better evidences of sincerity
good faith, and loyalty to the people than is recorded of
Mitchell, O'Brien, Martin, Meagher, arid their faithful
associates of the Irish confederation, in preparing the
hearts of their countrymen for war against the tyrants
that oppress them, up to the moment of their untoward
failure. " * Resolved, That in tendering the honours of a public
reception to Thomas Francis Meagher, the civic autho
rities of New York, not inappropriately called the " Em
pire City," did honour to themselves and the great city

Part II. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 355
whose government is intrusted to their administration,
and by their conduct have nobly vindicated the illustrious
"felons" still held in cruel bondage, [see Uncle Tom's
Cabin] as well as those happily escaped from British ven
geance, and have thereby entitled- themselves to the grati
tude of every lover of freedom.'
" Mr. Joseph Brenan next came forward, in response to
a unanimous call, and delivered a beautiful and brilliant
oration, chiefly devoted to the vindication of the Irish
patriots of '48 from the imputations of socialism and
communism, and to an argument showing that the fires of
republicanism are still unquenched in Francej in Italy, in
Hungary, in Germany, and in Ireland."

The following leading article and treasonable letter
but too clearly show the seditious language of the Irish
priests' press : —
FROM THE ' MUNSTER CITIZEN,' JUNE 26, 1852.
" England's Clerical Garrison.
" Mr. Segrave, whose letter we publish in another part
of the paper, is very careful to confine to himself the re
sponsibility of the sentiments he advances. Although we
appreciate the generosity of Mr. Segrave's motives in thus
endeavouring to protect us from the consequences of pub*
lishing the truths which he enunciates with so much bold
ness and vigour, we must protest against the injustice he
does Us if he means to imply that an inordinate terror of
consequences would induce us to violate the principles
which our prospectus propounded, and every number of
our Journal reiterated. We have repeatedly declared
that, whenever the performance of our duty brought us into
collision with power, we would not shrink from the trials
which honesty and consistency might incur. We, there
fore, adopt Mr. Segrave's letter without sitting down to
balance its operation on our private interests. We publish
it because we know it to be truth-^- and because we know
2 A 2

356 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.
that truth is the greatest want of Irish politics, and the
greatest instrument of Irish redemption. A Catholic is
bound by his religion to sacrifice his comfort, limbs, or
life to the maintenance of principle. What Catholic or
Christian principle is maintained by supporting British
connexion ? Do they not know that it entails upon Irish.
men the necessity of plundering and murdering their fellow
slaves in all parts of the world, at the bidding of their
country's tyrants— of acting as the accursed and despised
tools of a rapacious and criminal foreign oligarchy — and
of aiding in the propagation .and eternization of the or
ganized vice and villany that robs, starves, and vitiates?"

The following is Mr. Segrave's letter " adopted " by
the Editor of the ' Munster Citizen ' :—
" Moral Suicide.
" TO THE EDITOR OP THE ' MUNSTER CITIZEN.'
" Barnsley, June 19, 1852.
" Sir, — We are a wretched race of liars, both at home
and abroad — of mean, selfish, hypocritical liars ; and this
is what England made us by infusing into our souls her
own damnable spirit by which we propound the devil's lies
and blaspheme the GOD of Heaven. All the legalised
robberies and atrocious massacres perpetrated by tyrants,
from the slaughter at Mullaghmast to the Skibbereen
tragedy, have all been attributed to God by sham religion
ists in order to cloak aristocratic ruffianism and royal
villany. The Chinese are poisoned with opium and God
is glorified. The native Indians are robbed and slaugh
tered, and the Caffres' crops destroyed for defending their
native mountains, just the same as Elizabeth burned the
crops in Ireland. And it was God, they say, that aided
the blood-stained flag of England in its piratical crusade.
 But will the aristocracy of England practise
religion ? They will, when Hell becomes a Paradise, and
pandemonium converted into a choir of Angels. Will
they resign their voluptuous habits, their mistresses and

Part II. THE RIESTS' PRESS. 357
concubines, and consent to live in decent houses instead of
fairy palaces? Will they allow their parks, lawns, and
racing-grounds to be converted into comfortable farms for
the use of a happy peasantry, or will they consent to resign
their robber right to the land which God created for the
use of his people, that it may be proclaimed national
property and applied to its legitimate purposes? Will
they dispense with the twenty-eight million pounds raised
annually for interest of what is called a National Debt,
which was contracted (not by the present generation) for
the purpose of suppressing European liberty — and is, to
all intents and purposes, and in all its bearings, a great
national swindle ? Will they abolish their State-endowed
Church, resign its exorbitant livings, and betake them
selves to some honest and honourable occupation ? Will
they lessen the calendar of crime, by removing its causes,
that we may have unemployed partizan judges, and un
employed corrupt barristers ? Or will they relinquish their
hold on the colonies, that their cousins and nephews in the
army may turn their swords into ploughshares, and earn
a livelihood by honest industry ? I venture to assert that
they will do none of these things — nor would they tolerate
religion further than that the cant and superstition at
tached to it by agents of the DeA'il is made subservient to
the maintenance of their rotten system and their tyran
nical sway. Will the lords of the long chimneys and
manufacturers restore to the weavers and factory opera
tives the immense wealth which they accumulated from
their sweat and blood ? Will they discontinue their sys
tematic robbery, and allow the workman his fair share of
the profits, as the workman's labour is at all times as ne
cessary as the employer's capital, for without labour the
raw material would be valueless to the capitalist ? Will
they discontinue their slow process of murder, by sending
myriads to premature graves, and other tens of thousands
to their Malthusian workhouses, where the divine law of
marriage is rejected by the separation of man from his
wife, and children from both ? Or will they stop the
abominable traffic of their accursed myrmidons, who pur
chase female virtue for leave to toil ? Will the bankers,

358 PRINTED EXTRACTS FROM Part II.
stockbrokers, and all kinds of usurers, renounce their un
holy practices that are prohibited by the law of the land,
and denounced by the canon law of the Church as a crime
hateful alike to God and man ? Will the shopkeepers
cease to sell as genuine adulterated articles, and abandon
their immodest behaviour generally practised towards their
female servants ; or will the traders and dealers of every
description do what is utterly impossible under the present
system, live without cheating and telling lies ? Will the
myriads of thieves, and hundreds of thousands of prosti
tutes in such places as London and Manchester become
honest and virtuous ? No — -they are compelled to eat the
bread of prostitution or starve.
" Respect for your paper and its readers alone prevents
me from disclosing deeds of English brutalisation even a
hundredfold darker than I have already described — deeds
that would not be perpetrated by savages without the
burning blush of shame reddening their cheek— deeds that
would be considered incredible were it not that sometimes
cases are detected and placed on the calendar of crime.
Let no one say that in making these statements I have
outstepped the truth, as I can find, not only Irishmen
here, but also Englishmen, to vouch for their accuracy-
men who, like myself, pant for an opportunity to rid their
country of an infernal system that degrades, demoralises,
and brutalises society.
"How dare the Rev. Dr. Cahill or The O' Gorman
Mahon, or any other slavish priest or base lickspittle in
the English Parliament, assert, that in case of invasion
there is not an Irishman to be found that would not fight
for the Queen of England ? As an Irishman I protest
against this foul imputation with as much contempt as
The O'Gorman Mahon had the impudence to utter it, and
say what I have already said in a private letter to a friend,
•^-and I venture to assert that I speak the feelings _ of a
majority of my countrymen*---^ were Anti- Christ to
land with an army of devils and 666 visible on his fore
head, I would say, Bravo, son of his Satanic Majesty I go on
with your hoofy legion, and down, down with the bloody
old British Empire. I have just read the Queen of Eng-

Part II. THE PRIESTS' PRESS. 359
land's proclamation relative to Catholic processions, and
the statement of The Telegraph, ' that it will not diminish
the loyalty of her Irish subjects.' What can hounds
expect but the customary treatment of dogs,, to be whipped
into their kennel ? I desire to be alone responsible for
the contents of this letter, and believe me, dear Sir, to be
a rebel to the backbone,
" Michael Segrave.
" Mr. Joseph O'Grady."

It appears from the following extract from ' The
Nation,' which " votes as Father Tom O'Shee bids it,"
that the priesthood of Ireland are equally opposed both
to Whigs and Tories. JUNE 26, 1852.
" Down with the Whigs ! Down with the Tories !
" A general election in Ireland has come to signify
something essentially different from what the people
understood by it half-a-dozen years ago.
" Formerly the constituencies of Ireland were mar
shalled for one English faction against another. The
Whigs were the people's favourites; the Tories the
people's enemies. The Whig banner had emblazoned on
its folds the attractive legends ' Civil and Religious Li
berty,' ' Reform,' and ' Justice to Ireland.' The Tories
displayed the watch-words of ' Protestant Ascendancy,'
' Aristocratic Privilege,' and ' Coercion.'
" Down with the Whigs ! Down with the Tories !
Priests and people, down with both !
" Down with them in the name of the Union, the
Famine, the Convict-Ship, and the Penal Code.
" From the hut where the trembling tenant starves ;
from the poorhouse, where the broken industry of Ireland
rots ; from the altar, where your religion wears the slaves'
dress ; from the penal colony, where your exiled patriots
suffer; from America, where your banished friends con-

360 PRINTED EXTRACTS, &c. Part II,
spire — comes a mighty adjuration, calling on you to vote
against England and for Ireland.
" Down with the Whigs ! Down with the Tories !
Hurrah for Ireland ! "

FROM ' THE TABLET,' JULY 31, 1852.
The following confession was published beneath Mr.
Lucas's engraving of " the Holy Virgin and Child :" —
" No doubt the power of the priesthood in Ireland — a
power for which we heartily thank God — fills our enemies
with rage, grief, and dismay. It is a power quite un
known to the 'British Constitution' — a power which
British statesmen have not found a way to corrupt, or
overmaster, or manage, or cajole — a power totally distinct
from the sordid powers of purse and patronage, with which
they are familiar — a power exercised for country and con
science, and against low-minded and servile influences.
Therefore they hate it, and thirst to have the power to
destroy the possessors of it at one blow.
" We admit, of course, the great political influence of
the priesthood in Ireland. We would as soon deny the
existence of the sun blazing at high noon. We admit it ;
and again we say, from our whole hearts, we thank God
FOR IT."

Part II. (361 )

II.
EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF.

A parish priest, named Mullen, lately addressed to
the Irish people in the columns of The Freeman the
following appeal :—
" Is there to be no voice raised, no hope held out, that
will keep the people at home, and thus save millions from
spiritual destruction? I say millions I Here are my
facts : —
" The present population of the United States is about
15,000,000, and of these the Catholic Church claims only
1,980,000. From the year 1825 to 1844, 1,250,000 left
Ireland, 1,000,000 of whom came to America ; the pro
portion of Catholics amongst them may be fairly estimated
at. 800,000. Since that period to the present the numbers
who emigrated here from Ireland at the lowest calculation
were 1,500,000 ; and, taking the Catholics as above, we
will have in nine years 1,200,000. A large number (say
half a million) came from Germany, some from Italy,
France, Belgium, and other countries, during the last ten
years, half of whom were Catholics, say 250,000. Twelve
years ago America had a population (according to Dr.
England, Bishop of Charleston) of 1,200,000. Calcu
lating the increase of this number by births at the very
small number of 500,000, and adding, for converts in the
larger cities and towns, 20,000, we will have the following
total : —

362 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
" Catholic emigrants from the year 1825
to 1844  800,000
Catholic emigrants from 1844 to 1852 1,200,000
Catholic emigrants from other countries 250,000
American Catholic population twelve
years ago  1,200,000
Increase by births since . . . 500,000
Number of converts . . .20 000

Number who ought to be Catholics . 3,970,000
Number who are Catholics . . 1,980,000

Number lost to the Catholic
Church  1,990,000
Say, in round numbers, two millions ! "
In corroboration of the above statement, in the
'Annals of the Catholic Faith,' a Roman Catholic
publication of great celebrity, it has been authentically
stated that of the population of Ireland " millions
have lost their souls."
After the last tour made by the Bishop (Protestant)
of Tuam through the united dioceses of Tuam, Killala,
and Achonry, in a printed report the following state
ment was officially announced :—
" The general total of the result of the whole tour,
comprising all the three heads,, is as follows : —
" In all,, 1294 persons were confirmed, being 454 ori
ginal Protestants, and 840 converts.
" These converts, added to the numbers previously
confirmed upon the two occasions within the last three
years, make 2414 converts confirmed.
" Three new churches have been consecrated, and one
enlarged. Five new churches are in process of comple
tion. The first stones were laid of three more, and two
more were contracted for, making in all fourteen new
churches, which will afford sittings for 5210 persons.

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 363
" Six new licensed houses for Divine worship have
been provided, accommodating 2300 worshippers, which,
added to the former numbers, will afford accommodation
for 7510 persons.
" Besides this accommodation, afforded in twenty
localities where none existed before, there are five other
places, in West Galway, not included in the above tour,
in which there is a schoolroom where Divine service is
performed on the Lord's-day, and in which accommodation
is provided for 1350 worshippers. This number, added
to the 7510 already stated, makes a total of 8860 sittings
now newly provided.
" By order of the Bishop of Tuam,
" B. J. Clarke,
" Secretary and Deputy-Registrar.
" Tuam, 29th Aug. 1852."
The Roman Catholic priesthood, clearly seeing that
the " Exodus " of their fee-paying flocks, whom they have
invariably refused to accompany, was progressing; that
every family settled across the wide blue waters of the
Atlantic were beckoning to their compatriots to follow
them; that "millions of Catholic souls had been lost"
in America ; that the contagion was spreading even to
the metropolis of their own country ; and, lastly, that
as the result of these united movements, by cholera,
famine, &c, the Protestant population had so alarmingly
increased, that it not only already nearly equalled, but
that it threatened very shortly to overbalance in number
(as it has always greatly overbalanced in wealth and in
land) the Roman Catholic population of Ireland, felt
that, — unless some bold and decisive movement was
made by them to get into Parliament members favour
able to their views, namely, 1st, "tenant-right," or a

364 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
destruction of the title-deeds of Protestant and Catholic
landlords; 2nd, "a reversion," as Archbishop M 'Hale
has adroitly expressed it, "of the ecclesiastical funds of
the Protestant Church to their original purposes of pro
moting Catholic piety, charity, and education ;" 3rd,
the stoppage of emigration ; and, 4thly, above all, the
abolition of the existing combined Protestant-cum-
Catholic education of the people under the direction
of the National Board of Education in Dublin, — their
power, like their flocks, would vanish from the land.
Hitherto their masked influence had, as I have
shown, been apparently simply negative. It was, how
ever, only by positive force, by uniting together, and
boldly casting aside their spiritual character, — in fact,
by what may justly be termed "taking the field," — that
they could hope to maintain their position. They
therefore, as is notorious, virulently increased their
opposition to education: although the population of
Ireland had sunk from eight millions to six, they in
creased the number of their priests; and, as I have
indisputably proved by their own evidence, they regu
larly organized a system for advocating, from the altars
of their chapels and again in person on the hustings,
hostility to landlords, to Lord Derby's government, to
Lord John Russell's administration ; in short, to every
human authority and to every human power that should
dare presume to offer to their temporal interests and
objects the smallest opposition.
Of the conduct and speeches of the Irish priesthood
during the late elections, I received from gentlemen
and persons of high character who were present, and
whose names, if called upon, I can produce, state-

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF, 365
ments, on the truth of which the reader may implicitly
rely. I have not been requested by these individuals either
to withhold their oavii names or the names of the priests
extracts of whose speeches I shall briefly detail ; but as
in the investigation in which I have embarked I have
determined to avoid as much as possible all personalities,
and as the evidence already produced, namely, that of
the priesthood themselves, is undeniable, I feel that—
in my own outline of the case — the public will not dis
approve of my withholding, in a few instances only,
the mention of such names, dates, and places as might
be injurious or offensive.
Lastly, I deem it due to the officers and men quar
tered at the various constabulary barracks which I
visited on my tour, to state distinctly, that from them
I received no evidence whatever respecting the Irish
priesthood ; indeed, I deemed it my bounden duty to
abstain from putting to them a single question on that
subject. The only observation I ever made to them
respecting religion was, invariably to compliment and
congratulate them on the friendly and happy terms on
which as Catholics and Protestants they were living
together.

The following is a specimen of the mode in which the
Priesthood of Ireland by persuasion and ecclesiastical
threats advocated their own temporal views at the
late elections.
On the 27th of June, the priest of * * *, after mass,
addressed his congregation as follows: —

366 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
" The approaching election is not a war between two
kingdoms, but it is a war against your religion ; you ought
therefore to vote for the Liberal candidates. * * * is a
supporter of Lord Derby's government, and if Derby
gets a majority he will crush you ; the Government has
already done all in its power to crush your religion.
Priests and nuns are prevented from wearing their religious
habits ; the people therefore should be ready to sacrifice
their lives for the support of Liberal candidates. Those.
who have no votes should go to the houses of those who
have, and if they will not go with you, you know what to
do ; and as regards myself, / will not administer the last
Sacrament, if they were dying, to any person who shall
vote for the support of the present Government."
On Sunday, the 25th of July, the priest of * * *
spoke from the altar as follows : —
" I have to state, that those persons in this parish who
yesterday voted for * * * are perjured men. Let them
not come to me to speak about religion, for as long as I
am in the parish / will have very little to say to them."
On the following day the seats of the persons alluded
to were broken to pieces and thrown out of the chapel.
On Sunday, the 1st of August, a woman whose hus
band had voted for * * * was turned out of church by
the priest of * * *, who, striking her at the same time
on the back, exclaimed, " Be off, mother of the old
devil ! " (The poor woman Avas so frightened that she
Avas confined to her bed for many days.)
In the middle of the service of the mass, the priest,
seeing this woman's son, turned him out, too, saying,
" I will not administer the Communion to any one while
that man remains !"
When mass was over, the priest went into a house.

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 367
where, happening to meet another son of the woman he
had ejected from the church, he turned him out, saying,
" If I had but the * * * boys, I would hunt your family
out of fairs and markets."
In the chapel of * * *, after mass, the priest
addressed his congregation as follows : —
" One of you present has voted for his landlord. I tell
you all that any cause that man undertakes will not
prosper. The man that is base enough to vote against his
conscience and his country, his name and his children's
names will be handed down to the tenth generation. If
such a person should enter your house, order him out 1
If he remains, let every one in the house walk out ; and
when he goes to fairs or to market, let every one say,
' There goes the man that betrayed his country !' "
The priest of * * *, after mass was over, addressed
his congregation as follows : —
After denouncing "landlords and their accursed
exterminating system," he said — •
" As long as you get your rights commit no offence ; but
if the days of Cromwell are to return, / will not stop your
arms from the wild spirit of revenge. (Cries of Bravo
throughout the chapel.) May the curse of God light on
the Judases who have voted against you, and may their
conscience torment them till they go and hang themselves
as Judas did ! "
" Any man," said the priest of * * *, after mass,
" who shall vote for a supporter of the Derby Government,
his name shall be recorded to be handed down to posterity
in everlasting disgrace."
After mass, on the 4th of July, the priest of * * *
addressed his congregation as follows : —
" Catholic freeholders of this parish, now is the time
for you to show independence, by voting for * * * and
* * *

368 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
" Any man that through fear of his landlord shall vote
for the supporters of the present Government, I declare
him to be a perjurer.
" O'Connell called Lord Stanley a viper, and he has
now brought forward a measure to prevent the Catholic
clergy from appearing in their robes at any public meeting.
I shall visit you all during the ensuing week."
On the 1 1th of July the priest of * * * after mass,
addressed his parishioners as follows : —
" It is with deep regret that I allude to political subjects
from this altar, but I feel bound to do so to-day by the
conduct pursued by those in power. You are aware that
the present Government, on getting into office, declared
their determination to revert to a duty on corn, or, as they
called ' Protection ;' but this attempt not having succeeded,
they bethought themselves of the old war-cry of religious
persecution, to obtain thereby the support of the English
people to keep them in power.
" Two candidates have been brought forward by the
Orange faction to support this Government, so hostile to
your ancient faith ; and I ask you as Roman Catholics,
can you, or will you, give them your votes ? I tell" you,
if you do so you will commit perjury. Therefore, if any
of you vote for either of them, he might as well come here
and read his recantation, for he is no Catholic." *
On the 18th of July the priest of * * * addressed
his congregation as follows : —
"Now is the time for every elector to go forward and
give his vote to the Liberal candidates ; for if you do not,
Mr. * * *, who is the Government candidate, will be
returned." After alluding to the Stockport riots, he added, —
" Nothing else can be expected from Lordj, Derby's ad
ministration ; indeed, Daniel O'Connell never called him
string but ' Scorpion Stanley ;' the people, however,

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 369
have now an opportunity of hurling him and his ministry
from power, and / trust you will do so, and that you
will return to Parliament men who will support tenant-
right and religious freedom. All the electors from * * *
are to be at my house at 8 a.m. on Wednesday next, and
I request all in this parish to be there also, to proceed
from thence to * * *, where you will all be joined by the
electors of * * * and * * *, and I understand that porter
and whisky will be there."
On the I2th of July, on the return of the popular
candidates, a large bonfire was made on the green, at
the expense of the priest, who gave two shillings and
sixpence to purchase the materials, and fifteen shillings
to pay for drink and a fiddler.
On the 16th of July one of the candidates for the
representation of the county of * * * arrived at * * *
to canvass the electors, accompanied by two priests,
and from 400 to 500 persons, including women and
children ; the procession being preceded by two fifers
and a drummer, and by two flags bearing the following
mottoes : —
1st. " Welcome  and  , friends of Civil and
Religious Liberty. No  , no Derbyite. Remember
Stockport massacre.
2nd. " Remember O'Connell and 1828. Hurra! Up, men
of  , beware of the scorpion, who starved the kll-
rush paupers, who hunted Richard O'Gorman Van-
deleur."* On the 20th of May the priest of * * *, after mass,
addressed his congregation as follows : —
" There will be an election in the course of this summer,
and your landlords, who are the exterminators and the
* A rebel of 1848.
2 B

370 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. PartIL
oppressors of the poor, have combined together to return
Protection candidates.
" I am ready to admit there are a few good landlords ;
but as a class they are tyrants and, I repeat, exterminators
of the poor. I tell you that the man who shall vote for a
Protectionist candidate deserves to have his hand burned
in the fire and his tongue wither in his head, and / shall
not be surprised if Providence shall so deal with him.
There will be a meeting of the members of two clubs,, and
I call upon you all to meet me next Sunday after riiass,
when I will explain more to you."

II.
The following is a sample of the mode in which the
Priesthood of Ireland, by temporal intimidation, ad
vocated their own views at the late elections.
On Sunday, 25th of July, the priest of * * *, in his
chapel, addressed his congregation as follows : —
" There is an Orangeman in this town who has voted
for the Government. I recommend you all to shun him.
There are also two or three shopkeepers who have done the
same. Do not cross the threshold of their doors, for any
thing purchased from them can have no luck. There is
also a certain mill not far off, the owner of which has voted
against you. Do not purchase meal that has been ground
in it, but support * * *, who has also a mill. He gave
you his support, and you should therefore support him."
On the 1st of August the following notice was
affixed in the chapel of * * * : —
" Notice.
"Here are the friends of Lord Derby's Government
and the Stockport rioters, who would pull down our

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 371
chapels, hunt our priests from their altars, burn our houses
and books.

u 5(f

*

*

*

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*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

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*

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*

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*

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As soon as mass was concluded, the priest addressed
his congregation as follows : —
" I have received a letter from the priest of * * *,
informing me that he will not purchase hay of any of
those whose names are there placarded, because, he says,
they all voted for * * *. Out of the list, however,
I will absolve * * *, because I know he had no vote to
give." The seats belonging to two of those placarded were
then turned out of the chapel.
The following placard was published : —
" Notice to the Public.
"Any person found giving custom or going into any of
the shops of the persons named, shall be served with the
rod of correction. "Rob. Parks. Jno. Quail.
Thos. Faris. Abrm. Mitchill.
Jno. Owens. Fras. Connolly, &
Jno. Creamer. Jno. Rutherford.
" Let them mark the consequence.
" No objection to any but the above."
On the 29th of June the priest of * * * addressed
his congregation as follows : —
" The time is coming. I recommend that all of you
get ready and have your blackthorn sticks and your arms
2 b2

372 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
prepared. Vote according to your consciences; but I
tell you that he who votes for the enemy will not after
wards be able to live in the country.
" Do not spare those who vote for the enemy, but yell
after them in the streets, to drag them and strangle, them.
Vote for your religion"— and. striking the altar with all
his force, he added, "for your God. Never will there be
greater work in Ireland than on this occasion."
It will appear from the following speech, that from
" blackthorn sticks" the Irish clergy gradually but Jesu-
itically recommended the use of more deadly weapons.
On Sunday, the 20th of June, the priest of * * *, in
addressing his congregation on the subject of the ap
proaching elections, spoke from the altar as follows : —
" I challenge Mr. * * * to see which of us shall
have the votes of the people. How, I ask, can his voters
get to * * * ? for the colliers will be there with their
picks. The law prevents them from carrying arms, but
it does not prevent them from carrying their picks, because
their picks are their tools."

III.
The following is a sample of the coarse language used
by the Irish Priesthood in advocating their own
views at the late elections.
After mass, on the 28th of June, the priest of * * *
addressed a large congregation as follows : —
" Do not act as Judas did when he betrayed Christ—do
not betray * * *. Now is the time for those who have
no votes to watch those who have, and gull them to give
their votes for * * *, and not to any Tory rascal. Do
not thank your landlords for your votes ; thank yourselves.
Now, my boys, all stand by * * * with ammunition,

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 373
and go and persuade the people of * * * to come also
from their altar."
Afa, public meeting held at Tholsel of New Ross,
on the 28th of June, 1852, on the subject of the ensuing
elections, the Rev. * * *, P. priest, exclaimed —
" I suppose some of you think I ought to be ashamed
to appear before you this evening ? Let no liar mis
represent what I say. I am surprised to see * * *'s
name to any document against me. I condemn the
conduct of any man who endorses falsehoods. I tell them
it is a lie.
" The little coward of an Orange magistrate was the
cause of the disturbance on the quay."
"I," said the priest of * * *, in addressing a large
congregation of people, " am the son of a farmer. The
time will come when it will be as hard for a landlord to
get into Parliament as for a camel to pass through the eye
of a needle. In old times the landlords treated us like
cows and horses.
" There has appeared an article in the Independent
neAvspaper. That article, I tell you, is a filthy lie."
The Rev. * * * added, " * * * is a slanderer.
I tell him to his teeth he is a slanderer. * * * and
* * * went out and fired blank cartridges at each other,
but we won't fire blank cartridges at * * *."
The priest of * * *, addressing his congregation in
favour of " tenant-right," said,
" These big-bellied bailiffs have fattened on the poverty
of the, people. I request the women who hear me to
attend the election, and, if the men will not do it, I will
get you women to rip open their big bellies."
On the 3rd of July the priest of * * *, in addressing
from a Avindow a mob of people, said,
" Let us giA^e three groans for * * * ; three groans
for the Crowbar Brigade ; and nine times nine for the
Scorpion Stanley. There are in this town some base,

374

EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF.

PartH.

rotten, renegade, miscreant Catholics, who would, as at
Stockport, pull down a chapek and everything in it, for a
glass of whisky. But I will keep my eye upon them, and
I hope, my friends, you will too. I don't want you to use
physical force, but I promise you that I will pitch the
silk into them hereafter. There will be a public meeting
in this town on Tuesday next, when the clergy of the
diocese, and other influential gentlemen, will be present ;
and I expect that every man, woman, and child of this
and the adjoining parishes will be present to cheer on the
champions of their religion, and to hunt the nominee of
Scorpion Stanley from the field."
If the reader will recall to mind the superhuman
influence invested by the Roman Catholic Church in
the Irish parish priest, designated " the representative"
of a name we are justly forbidden to pronounce in
vain, he will not be surprised in perusing the following

IV.

Sample of the results of the spiritual and temporal
intimidation and coarse language used by the Irish
Priesthood in advocating their own views at the
late elections. 1.

Copy.

" Here lies
John
a trator

the body of
Cunningham,
to his country.

" John Cunningham, take notice if you dont give your
vote to the man whom it was asked for on Sunday last,
you may have your coffin to Manorhamilton with you.
So take" warning in time, do as the rest of your neigh
bours do, — if you dont you will be shot like a dog.
" A civil Caution."

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 375
2.
" Notice.
" Etan Durrow town — -Please Mr. Poter i sit dowq For
to trouble you with those few lines for to let you know that
we wont take you short. Prepare yourself as soon as
possibly can, you went against your Clergy, and what can
you expect — Peter gunnonde the Crippled Dog."

3.
" Notice.
" Take notice John Lang that you will not receive
from the sooper John Colman any milk or if you do it is
not a notice you will get but dedly wounds Sign buy me
" Captain thunderbolt."
4.
"To Mr. Turner * * *
" Sir Take notice that if you go to give your vote
against  you may quit both your mills : besides your
life is in danger also your son — in like manner.
" You may please yourself, but mark what will follow."
5.
" To Mr. * * *
" I herfore warn you if you go against us leave this
place or lose your life. You do not know the instant you"
ov your wife and child will be killed.
"Tom and Short
without shame or fear."

376 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
6.

"Never shew your face in Waterford again if you do
mark the consequence —
" We will send you home dead you turn coat —
"You will pay for this you blackguard —
" Your enemy till death —
" The Clergy." 7.
Copy.
" Mind yourself or you will soon get a bullet from us
the piple of Waterford " —

8.
About half-past two o'clock in the morning of the 20th
of July about 40 persons came to the house of Michael
Ledwith, situated in the townland of Carrickateam-j and
asked why the priest was refused his oath ? Ledwith
replied, he did not refuse the priest ! A book was then
handed to him by one of the party, when his son James
swore on it that his father should vote for Fox and
Greville. They broke 9 panes of glass in one window,
and 2 sashes. They then went away, saying, if he did not

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 377
vote for Fox and Greville, they would again visit him and
level the house. 9.
On the 18th of July seven. or eight men visited John
Geraghty's dwelling-house at Cloonsheran on the night of
the 18 th instant, broke the windows and door and fired a
shot into the house. Geraghty happened to be from home
at the time. Two of the attacking party desired his
family to tell him that if he did not vote for his clergy
and his country, that they would visit him again after the
election. 10.
On the 13th of July, at 2 J o'clock a.m., ten persons
called at the house of Thomas Devine, situated in the
townland of Carrickatrave, called him up, and asked him
for whom he would vote ; he said for his country and his
clergy, One of the men who had a gun broke a pane
of glass by thrusting the gun through it. They then
shook hands with him and said that was all they wanted,
and went away. 11.
On the night of the 11th of July, about 1 1£ o'clock p.m.,
a party of 9 or 10 men, two of them armed with pistols,
and a third with a gun, came to the house of Denis Evers
and obtained admission, after threatening to break in the
door if it was not opened. When they entered they
called for Evers, and asked for whom he proposed voting ;
he replied, for those he thought most worthy of it ; and
they then said that he should vote for the Priest*, that he
had been warned before, and that if they had to come
again he might have his coffin made, for that they would
shoot him and put him into it. They brought him outside
the door and told- him to kneel down until they would
shoot him ; he refused doing so, and they then fired one
shot close to his ear ; he resisted, in consequence of which
he received two cuts on the head: after repeatedly
threatening him, they went away across the country.

378 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II,
12.
On the 1 1th of July, between the hours of 1 and 2
o'clock A.M., the dwelling-house of Bernard Burns was
visited by a party of about sixty persons, unknown, about
10 of whom were armed with guns, some of them having
bayonets fixed on them. On hearing the noise Burns got
up, opened his door, and saw the party outside, the men
with arms close to the door. Party asked him who he
would vote for, and he replied, for his Priest and the
cpuntry. Party desired him to stick to that and not bring
them again, and, on departing, fired a shot some distance
from the house  13.
Copy.
"Connor Mic Grah,
" Take notice that you must give up the Medo you taks
from that bastely & drunken vagabond Mic Muldoon he
sould his countery & his holy religion to the enimy so
give up the Medo or mark what will be done to you —
there is sut of the poor mans house on his hand — he is
gettin Castle money, to sell you, we will make this drunkin
upstart as por as his fader was who made money by robbin
the poor — He must get no Gras in, or House no dealin
wid him now is the time to stand together if not America
is our dom, we must put this upstard out of the country,
let his medo rot & his land to feed Crows — If you do
not give up the Medo remember you will be sorry so take
warnin or make your will at once —
"A friend.

" This is your end if you hold the Medo.
"No one would take the traitors Mic Cormics Medo
in Dimor. No one would take the traitors Muldoons but
you."

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 379
14.
About the hour of 2 o'clock in the morning of the 12th
of July, the dwelling-house of John Mallow was visited
by a party consisting of about twenty-five persons, armed
with guns, a pistol, a pitchfork, and sticks. They said
they wanted Mallow's vote for Mr. Greville. Mallow
then got up and went to the window, and one of the
party put a gun through it and ordered him to put
out his hand, and, on doing so, one of the party handed
him a book, and swore him to vote for the Rev. Mr.
M'Keon, his parish Priest, Mr. Greville, and his country,
and then went away. 15.
The following notice was found posted on the door of
the dwelling-house of Mr. James McKenna at Santry: —

" If you vote for Hamilton, here is your coffin."
16.
"Take notice of this

" Dear Sir I have to inform you that I have to pay
you a visit on the night of the 16 inst. with regard to your
vote which I hope you will give for the good of your
country. But do not attempt giving it to  , or
any other Devil like him — so I hope "you will prepare and

380 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
go with your vote for  and save me the trouble of
going to visit you the second time. If you do, remark
what follows for I swair by the piper that played before
Moses or the water that flowed from the Rock I will send
your soul jumping to the lower pit of perdition and then
let  come to pay you the compliment to inhume
your mortal remains which I think that your neighbours
would not disgrace themselves by doing.
" So I will deliver the next verbify."

The following is a sample of the further organization
and of the violence and intimidation of the irish
Priesthood in advocating their own temporal in
terests. 1.
Pursuant to a public advertisement, a tenant-right
assembly assembled at Wexford on the 27th of April. A
caravan, containing musicians from Ross, Father Doyle,
and three priests, arrived at 12 o'clock, and proceeded to
the Town Hall. They were there joined by 7 more
priests, who remained closeted together for more than two
hours, when one of the priests came forward to the
meeting, Composed of about 250 people, and announced
•that they had decided on a monster meeting being held at
Enniscorthy on the 18th May, for the purposes which
they were to have discussed upon that occasion.
2.
On the 22nd instant, being the first day of polling for
the county, a riotous mob, armed with all sorts of formid
able bludgeons and other weapons, and headed by two or
three priests and the son of Mr. Barron, an assistant^
barrister, entered' Newry from the neighbourhood of Hill-
town, Castlewellan, Dolly's Brae, &c. &c, yelling and
flourishing their weapons in a terrific manner. It after
wards appeared in evidence before Capt. Warburton, R.M.,
that they entered in this furious mariner for the purpose of

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 381
intimidating the freeholders, and that a leader of the mob
gave an order for their friends to take off their neck hand
kerchiefs, that they might be able to distinguish their own
party. From this mob, headed by Priests, by the spirited
conduct of Captain Warburton, there were taken sixteen
pistols, one bayonet, one dagger, 50 rounds of ammuni
tion, 40 spare balls, 500 bludgeons and loaded whips.

At about 8 o'clock in the evening of the 25th July
instant, as privates John M'Kinney and Edward Len-
nory, of the 3 1st regiment, were returning to their Barracks
in John's-square, they were met at Pennywell (near
Clare-sreet) by a mob of persons, who, crying out, " These
are the murderers" knocked them down with stones, and
beat them most severely, giving M'Kinney several cuts in
his head, and otherwise injuring him in the body. Some
of his comrades coming up succeeded in carrying him to
the barracks, but the mob was greatly excited, and dis
posed to commit more outrage. VI.
The following is a solitary sample, out of hundreds that
could be adduced, of the mode in which the irish
Priests induced their followers forcibly to keep
from the poll those opposed to the temporal in
TERESTS of the Priesthood.
Copy of a large Placard.
" Men and Women of Clare.
" The chapels of your poor countrymen in England have
been torn down, the houses of your clergy have been demo
lished, their sacred vessels and vestments have been destroyed.
The officers of the government go to the elections with
Orange flags. Will you allow the men who are miscalled
the freeholders of Clare to send a member from Clare to
support such a government ? In the name of your clergy,
your altars, and your God, we call upon you to keep away

382 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
from the poll those voters who, if they had a free will,
would vote with their religion and the people, but who are
afraid of their landlords and agents. In mercy to those
voters, secure them and keep them away until the polling
is over ; do them no violence, treat them kindly, only keep
them out of the way, and success is certain.
" Women of Clare, we depend on you ; will you fail
us ? You will not.
" No Vandaleur. No Dutchman.
" Fitzgerald and O'Brien — Irishmen.
" Hurrah ! "

The triumphant consequence of, in the name of the
Clergy, forcibly " securing and keeping away " from
the poll those who desired to vote for Lord Derby's
Government was thus openly first foretold and then
boasted of in the Priests' official Gazette : —
1.
" It is well known that it is the priests of Tipperary,
and the priests alone, who can and will gain a triumph
over the enemies of freedom, in this great county, at the
coming election." — Tablet, July 10.
2.
" Tne number of votes recorded in his (Mr. Corbally's)
favour amounted nearly to two thousand, and for those he
was indebted to the bishop and the Catholic clergy., ....
If it had not been for the clergy, he would have been
beaten." — Speech at Meath election, Tablet, July 31.
Out of the above samples of Priests' speeches — which
I can faithfully declare form not a twentieth part of
similar evidence that I could adduce, and to the truth
of which hundreds and thousands, of eye-Avitnesses and
ear-Avitnesses, can testify — I beg the reader's particular
attention to the following brief extracts : —
1. " One of you present," said the priest of * * * after

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 383
mass, "has voted for his landlord. I tell you all, that any
cause that man undertakes will not prosper. If such a
person should enter your house, order him out ! If he re
mains, let every one in the house walk out ; and when he
goes to fairs or to market, let every one say, ' There goes
the man that betrayed his country.' " — Page 367.
2. "May the curse of God," said the priest of * * *,
after mass, light on the Judases who have voted against
you ; and may their consciences torment them till they go
and hang themselves, as Judas did !" — Page 367-
3. " Any man," said the priest of * * *, in address^
ing his congregation, " that, through fear of his landlord,
shall vote for the supporters of the present Government, I
declare him to be a perjurer." — Page 368.
4. " There will be," said the priest of * * *, after
mass, " an election in the course of this summer, and your
landlords, who are the exterminators and the oppressors of
the poor, have combined together to return Protection
candidates. I am ready to admit there are a few good
landlords ; but as a class they are tyrants, and, I repeat,
exterminators of the poor. I tell you that the man who
shall vote for a Protectionist candidate deserves to have
his hand burned in the fire and his tongue withered within
his head ; and I shall not be surprised if Providence shall
so deal with him." — Page 369.
5. " The time is coming," said the priest of * * *,
in addressing his congregation. " I recommend that all of
you get ready, and have your blackthorn sticks and your
arms prepared. Do not spare those who vote for the
enemy." — Page 371.
6. " How, I ask," said the priest of * * *, in his
chapel, " can the voters of * * * get to * * * ? for
the colliers are there with their picks. The law pre
vents them from carrying arms, but it does not prevent
them from carrying their picks, for their picks are their
tools."— Page 372.
7. " * * * and * * * went out," said the priest of
* * *, at a public meeting, " and fired blank cartridges
at each other, but we won't fire blank cartridges at * * *."
—Page 373.

384 EVDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
8. "These big-bellied bailiffs," said the priest of * * *,
in addressing his congregation in favour of tenant-right,
" have fattened on the poverty of the people. I request
the women who hear me to attend the election, and, if the
men Avill not do it, I will get you women to rip open their
big bellies."— Page 373.
Now, just as in a Protestant church the clerk offi
cially exclaims "Amen" to every prayer the clergy
man utters, so, as might naturally be supposed, the
illiterate congregations of the Irish priesthood out
wardly and inwardly repeated the same word after
every malediction which they heard their priest utter
against Irish landlords ; and accordingly, following the
example of their priest, or rather in obedience to his
unholy mandates, they cursed as he cursed — they
threatened as he threatened ; they had recourse first to
sticks, and finally to deadly weapons, exactly as from
the altar he had desired.
In fact, the anonymous signature of " TOM SHORT,
without shame or fear," and warning coffins, have, I be
lieve, sufficiently explained to the reader how com
pletely the Irish poor have been victims to the fury of
their priesthood.
The serpent beguiled them, and they did eat.
And what, I now ask of the priesthood of Ireland, has
been the result of the guilty hatred you have incul
cated between your poor parishioners and the legiti
mate proprietors of the soil they cultivate ? You have
excited passions which, as Christian ministers, it was
your especial duty to allay. In the name of God, and
from your holy altars, with all the power of that edu
cation which the British Parliament gave to you at

Part II.- EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF,- 385
Maynooth, you have not only denounced, cursed, and
threatened the Irish landlords, but, diverting the enor
mous spiritual influence you possess to temporal pur
poses of the most sordid description, you have instigated
your illiterate followers to the commission of the dread
ful crime of Murder ; and, that there may be no mis
take as to the awful consequences of your eloquence,
your imprecations, and of your appeal to blackthorn
sticks, iron picks, arms, and other deadly weapons, I
call upon you, before the civilized world, to read — and
as you read may you repent — the following list of
landowners (designated by you " tyrants, exterminators,
and oppressors of the poor ") and land-agents, who, in
Irish graves, are now lying festering around you, either
Avith fractured skulls and broken limbs, or with bodies
perforated by bullets and shot, fired upon them as they
were inoffensively coming from market, — as they were
innocently cultivating their land, — and in several in
stances as, in the sacred enjoyment of domestic hap
piness, seated in their own homes, they were surrounded
by families who are now mourning over their irre
parable loss.
When this list of murders shall be affixed — as I trust
it will be — to the door of eA'ery Roman Catholic chapel
in Ireland, will the priest thereof dare to cross its
threshold to administer holy mass to a devout Chris
tian congregation ? Will virtuous Irishwomen tolerate
his presence at the altar ?— will they confess to him
who, for his own sordid, revengeful views, has been
the means of turning wives into widows, and helpless
children into orphans ? Finally, Avhether they do or
hot, I ask the Irish priesthood^ while this list of murders
2 c

386

EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF.

Part II.

List of the Landlords, Land - Agents, Sub - Agents,

Care-takers, Bailiffs, etc, who have lately been

BARBAROUSLY MURDERED IN IRELAND.

County.

Name.

Date.

Occupation, &c.

Monaghan . .

T. D. Bateson, Esq., J.P

. 5 Dec, .

1851

Agent.

Westmeath . .

Roger North, Esq., J.P.

23 Sept.,

50

Landlord.

Armagh . . ,

R. L. Mauleverer, Esq.

23 May,

50

Agent.

Cork, W. B. .

1 April,

51

Farmer.

Donegal . . .

David Moore 

9 Aug.,

51

Bailiff.

Galway, W. R.

Bridget Connuly . . .

24 May,

50

Orphan ; for
giving inform
ation.

Kilkenny - . .

13 March,

50

Bailiff.

i i

Eichard Kinneally, and

29 April,

50

Caretakers.

his son David.
King's ....
19 Feb.,
50
Farmer.
> »
Robert Pike 
3 Aug.,
50
Sub -Agent to
Mr. Cassidy,
i >
William Mahon ....
3 Apr.,
51
Labourer.
Leitrini ....
24 Dec,
51
Parmer.
» »
Philip Rogers 
16 May,
62
Farmer.
Limerick . . .
Edmond O'Brien . . .
10 Jan.,
50
Farmer.
3 9
7 May,
50
Labourer,
Longford . , .
Bernard Roddy ....
7 March,
50
Farmer.
Louth ....
Mr. Samuel Coulter . .
2 May,
51
Agent.
, >
Bernard M'Entegart . .
15 June,
51
Tenant's son.
31 March,
50
Farm-servant.,
Queen's ....
Edward White, Esq. . .
25 Aug.,
51
Landlord.
Tipperary, N. R.
AVilliam Ardell . . . .
11 Jan.,
50
Land-steward.
» >
Thomas Martin ....
25 Oct.,
50
Farmer.
Tipperary, S. R.
Thomas Spearman . . ,
15 April,
50
Poor Farmer.
i ,
Thomas Batters . . . .
30 Aug.,
50
Caretaker.
» »
Eichard Kennedy . . .
Aug.,
51
Caretaker.
Waterford. , .
27 Oct.,
51
Bailiff.
» i
O'Callaghan Ryan, Esq.
2 Sept.,
52
Landlord.
Westmeath . .
7 June,
51
Eailway La
bourer.
N.B. — In the above list John Curtin, labourer, was murdered for refusing to
accompany a party of men to shoot a
bailiff,
Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 387
is before their eyes, themselves to declare whether I
was not justified in asserting that " They have brought
" scandal on the sacred character of the Catholic
" Church — that they have disgraced the cloth they
" wear — and that they are culpably driving from a
" beloved soil hundreds of thousands of men, women,
" and little children, whom it was their especial duty;
" spiritually and morally, to befriend" ?
Men of Ireland ! While in Italy, Germany, France,
Portugal, and Spain, the upper classes of society are
what they themselves term "philosophers" — our reli
gion, said a German lady, is " Indifferentism" — Ireland is
the only country in Europe in Avhich the eminent mer
chant, the lawyer, the judge on the bench — in short, in
which the well-educated Catholic — is a sincere Papist.
I respect your sincerity, — I admire your honesty, — I
revere your devotional attachment to your Christian
creed, — and I should despise any one how would unne
cessarily offer to your religion, or indeed to the religion
of any man, insult or offence. But, Avithout even a
latent desire to endeavour to convert you to Protes
tantism, I ask you, as men distinguished by talent, wit,
ability, and courage, Are you not ashamed of the conduct
of your own priests ?
If you yourselves chose to struggle, wrestle, and
even fight in favour of a political candidate, — if
you chose not only to bring him to the hustings on
your shoulders, but, in order to make his election
doubly sure, to tie the legs and pinion the arms of
antagonist voters, — your offenceis a civil one, belong
ing to a class which, diminishing down to bribery and
2 c 2

388 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
corruption, pervades more or less the United Kingdom,
It is a simple violation of the law, and let us leave the
law to deal with it. But when a low-born, low-bred
member of your society, who is neither masculine nor
feminine, tells you that he has weaned himself from the
affections of this world, — that his thoughts are fixed
only on eternity, — that they are so completely engrossed
by the sacred mysteries and miracles he has to perform
for you that he has no time — no, not a minute — to love
anything on earth but the cold crucifix, the emblem of
that mild, beneficent, parental religion which makes us
all brothers ; that for the sake of that Holy Religion
he sacrificed his manhood at Maynooth ; in short, that
by a purity of mind and conduct, such as a Roman
Catholic priesthood can alone enjoy, he claims your
confidence, your veneration, and your respect : is it not
disgraceful in him, from the altar of his chapel, in vul
gar terms such as I have adduced, to stimulate his con
fiding congregation to the commission of violence, — to
curse those who decline to join in that violence, — and
then, from the house of God, with uplifted gown and
black legs, to hurry to the hustings, to remain there,
for his own mercenary motives, minute after minute,
hour after hour, and day after day, from morning to
night, either as the low " gutte-r-s^exA" or as the elo
quent flaming firebrand of a political contest, at which
if he be present at all, he ought — and he cannot deny it
— to preach " peace and goodwill towards men " ?
Irishmen ! The redemption of your beautiful coun
try is in your own power and in your own hands. Raise
not an arm, — speak not a word against the life or pro-

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 389
perty of any man ; — but, firmly adhering to your Holy
Religion, with the finger of scorn silently point at your
degraded and self-interested priesthood, and in one
moment Ireland — great, glorious, and free — will be
emancipated from a thraldom which, though it has not
withered her verdant surface, has for ages degraded
her improvident poor, — which within the last three
years has more than decimated their numbers, — and
which at this moment is scattering, in rags and tatters,
hundreds of thousands of them over the whole surface
of the globe !
In the late electioneering contests your priests have
overreached themselves. They have unmasked their
long artfully-concealed objects, — they have destroyed
their own power, — they have extinguished their own
influence, — and, in the broad daylight, — in the middle
of the nineteenth century, — they die, in the judgment
of every enlightened citizen of the globe. .." Felo
de SE."
Irishmen ! Will you remain, as a nation, degraded as
you have been, and as you are ; or will you by one
manly effort rise — per saltum — to the high level of
your destiny ? Your redemption in this world can only
be effected by yourselves.
" Hereditary Bondsmen ! know ye not,
Who would be free, themselves must strike
the blow ? "
It would be alike vain and vainglorious to suppose
that the brief and feeble appeal of an individual, of

390 EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. Part II.
Avhose life only one fortnight has been spent in Ireland,
could possibly produce on a whole nation the smallest
sudden effect. On the other hand, however, such is
the magic influence and power of Truth over the human
mind, that there can exist no doubt that the facts and
evidence I have adduced are seed which no earthly
authority can forbid to vegfetate. The priesthood of
Ireland may rail at them, and, while they writhe, may
endeavour to give to the distortions of pain the appear
ance of a bitter sneer. They may deem it prudent, in
silence, to treat my evidence with feigned contempt,
but in all countries and in all directions wTill it arise in
judgment against them. Many a pretty Irishwoman,
when they ask for her confession, will silently shake her
slight forefinger in their face. Many a devout Catholic,
without upbraiding them, will when he meets them in
the street give them what is commonly called " a cold
shoulder." The title of " yere Rivirince " — like short
petticoats — will gradually go out of fashion, and their
malign influence will slowly but continuously wither
and decay, until, by the blessing of God, the whole
family of Ireland, Catholics and Protestants, will live
together as they ought in brotherly love, the prosperous,
enlightened, and happy members of one of the finest
nations of the globe.
But whether this prophecy be fulfilled or not, the in
controvertible evidence adduced against the Irish priest
hood, in their own speeches, writings, and imprecations,
will at all events, wherever the English language is
read, dispel a mystery which like a mist has hitherto
hung over the character of England. The latent cause.

Part II. EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY MYSELF. 391
of the degraded state of Ireland will henceforward rest
on the real culprits that have created it, and, by the just
verdict of the civilized world, the British Sovereign, the
Imperial Parliament, and the English People will, I
feel confident, as I have already said, be unanimously
declared " not guilty."

( 392 ) Part II.

"WHAT IS TO BE DONE
About Ireland ? " will no doubt be the engrossing pro
blem of the approaching session of Parliament.
Hitherto the House of Commons has been divided
into parties, the well-known names of which it is quite
unnecessary to detail. Into the present new assembly
there will, however, in a phalanx, march an entirely new
element in the legislation of our country, namely, fifty-
one members, representing Maryologically the interests
and objects of the Irish priesthood, which interests and
which objects have been openly avowed — in the mani
festo of the priesthood (page 279), and in the speech
(pages 315-318) of Mr. Lucas, M.P., Editor of The
Tablet, " in the front of which he places the Virgin and
Child " — as follows : —
1st. To advocate a measure embodying all the prin
ciples of Mr. Sharman Crawford's Tenant Right Bill.
2nd. To advocate a repeal of the Ecclesiastical Titles
Act of last Session.
3rd. To support a measure for appropriating the re
venues of the Established Church in Ireland (saving exist
ing rights) to national purposes.
4th. To give a strenuous bona fide opposition to every
Ministry that will not actively favour the passing of the
above three vital measures.
" In my opinion," says Mr. Lucas, the tried and trusted

Part II. WHAT IS TO BE DONE ? 393
advocate of every principle dear to the hearts of the entire
prelacy and priesthood of the land, " there is no good to be
done except by the most decided, unrelenting, persevering,
troublesome opposition to every Government, until they do
•justice [i. e. grant the above three measures] to Ireland."
—p. 317.
As a British House of Commons will, I feel confi
dent, summarily deal with physical-force projects of
this nature as they deserve, I will only observe, as a
statistical fact, that the argument for appropriating, to
Catholics the revenues of the Established Protestant
Church of Ireland, simply because the population of
the former creed exceeds that of the latter, rests on a
foundation that will very shortly be reversed, inasmuch
-as within a couple of years there can exist no doubt
whatever that the Protestant population of Ireland will
form " the majority ;" in which case, if the present
argument be worth anything, they, the Protestants,
might, according to " the law of the strongest," seize
- upon whatever property of the Roman Catholics they
might be inclined to covet.
Leaving, hoAvever, this question to be decided by its
proper tribunal, I will proceed to one on which I feel
not only justified, but that it is my duty respectfully to
submit my opinion : for as the facts and evidence I have
adduced will inevitably tend to increase throughout
England, Scotland, and the Protestant population of
Ireland, the never-ceasing cry of " No Popery ;" and
as this increased feeling will naturally excite a call
upon Parliament to discontinue to the priesthood of
Ireland the national grant for the maintenance of the
; College of Maynooth, 1 deem it right to say that in

394 WHAT IS TO BE DONE? Part II.
my opinion no such act of vengeance should be, I will
not say indulged in, but committed.
In 1795 Mr. Pitt, conceiving that, if the Irish priest
hood were to be forced to cross the Channels" of Ire
land and England to the Continent of Europe in quest
of education, they would with religious instruction
imbibe Jacobinical principles, proposed the formation
of a home college, in which they might learn not only
to be religious but loyal : in short, he conceived that
he would secure the Irish priesthood to the Throne
by educating them in Ireland. His expectations, how
ever, have been reversed ; for while Roman Catholic
priests on the Continent have always been in favour of
monarchy or despotism, in Ireland alone, generally
speaking, they have been, and are, liberals or re
publicans. But the establishment of the College of Maynooth
has produced other disadvantages Avhich might have
been foreseen.
If candidates for the Irish priesthood had con
tinued to go for education to the Continent, the mere
expenses they would have had to incur would have
sequred to the Church the sons of respectable people.
With an opportunity of mixing with foreigners, their
manners would have been polished, and their ideas
enlarged. Indeed, in the French School of Theology
at St. Omer there is very little of what is commonly
called " ultramontanism." On their return they would
thus have been fit to enter into the very best society of
Ireland, an intercourse of which the advantages would
evidently have been reciprocal.
Now, in the cheap wholesale manufacture of priests

Part II. WHAT IS TO BE DONE ? 395
at Maynooth there exist the following glaring errors : — ¦
Instead — like our young Protestant clergy at Oxford
and Cambridge — of enjoying the advantages of asso
ciation with gentlemen and noblemen of all profes
sions, their education is exclusively confined to them
selves; — indeed, the stone wall that environs them is
but an emblem of that which is artificially constructed
round their intellects, their minds, and their hearts ;
and as their life is evidently divested of all refined
intellectual enjoyments, none but the sons of small
needy farmers and small shopkeepers are willing to
embark in it, and thus it may be confidently asserted
that among the whole of the Irish priesthood there
scarcely exists the son of a gentleman. Indeed, the
bishops of the various dioceses are practically aware
that young men chosen from the very lowest ranks of
society are more subservient to them than had they
been selected from a higher caste ; and it is on this
account that in Ireland the Irish priest is rarely to be
found in the society of a gentleman.
In the class-books at Maynooth — for instance, in
Dens' Theology — ultramontane principles are irre
vocably implanted in their heads; their discipline
(vide the number of hours they are at study, page 95)
breaks down their minds; abject subjection to their
superiors crushes their spirits : in fact, not only is the
system altogether one of utter slavery, but I regret to
say it ends, as I have shown, in the slave becoming a
tyrant. The addition to education money granted in late
years by Parliament has not produced much improve
ment; for although it has undeniably increased the

396 WHAT IS TO BE DONE ? Part It.
number of priests, it has not improved their quality.
In short, Mr. Pitt's project, in almost every point of
view, has proved to be a most serious failure.
Notwithstanding, however, all these reasons in favour
of the abolition of the College of Maynooth, and not
withstanding the misconduct of the Irish priesthood, of
which no one can be more fully convinced than myself,
I will not conceal my decided opinion, that by con
tinuing to them our grant we shall administer to the
degraded priesthood of Ireland an infinitely heavier
blow than we should inflict upon them by withholding
it. In the struggle and contention which for so many
years have disgraced the connexion between England
and Ireland, it has been, and it is, of vital importance
that we should not only satisfy but undeniably prove
to the civilized world, who it is that has been to blame.
And as the priesthood of Ireland, blood-stained with
the barbarous murders they have encouraged, have
made themselves the object of detestation and contempt,
it is, I submit, the duty as well as the interest of Pro
testant England to evince, on the detection and self-
degradation of an inveterate and ungrateful opponent,
that generosity and magnanimity which have ever
characterised her conduct to Ireland in general, and to
the Irish priesthood in particular; and, therefore,
although I have, to the utmost of my power, acted as
the public prosecutor of their offences, with equal
energy I urge, as their advocate, that the annual Par
liamentary Grant for Maynooth should be continued
to them.
There is one other measure on which I will venture
very briefly to offer an opinion.

Part n. WHAT IS TO BE DONE ? 397
If it be our duty, as it must be our desire, to live
on friendly terms with the Roman Catholics of Ireland,
— if to their Christian creed it be our duty, as it ought
to be our desire, to offer neither insult nor offence, —
surely it follows, that with the spiritual head of that
Church we ought to maintain the same friendly inter
course that dignifies our communications with the
government of every nation on the globe.
From the system of education which the British
Parliament has thought proper to establish at May
nooth, it is evident that upon the Irish parish priest
no government, no officer, no gentleman, has the
slightest hold ; in fact, the two parties are elements of
society that, having no affinity for each other, cannot
chemically be mixed, and even if shaken together
separate in a few minutes by precipitation. But we can
not only hold official communication with the Pope at
Rome, but, if he assumes to be the head of the Catholic
Church of Ireland, if he arrogates to himself a divine
right and authority to govern that Church, we are
morally, and what is still better, we are physically en
titled to hold him responsible for any misconduct in
his subordinates of which we can reasonably complain.
The other day, when an ensign of an infantry regi
ment, in obedience to orders, marched his men out of
a Roman Catholic chapel in which the priest was com
mencing a political harangue, the priest did not attempt
to appeal to the soldiers — he would not deign to com
plain to the subaltern who had offended him — but he
addressed a coarse, intemperate letter to the Commander
of the Forces in Ireland respecting the misconduct of
what he — the priest — was pleased to term " this jack-

398 WHAT IS TO BE DONE ? Part II.
anapes." In principle the course he took was right ;
and yet, while throughout Ireland a spiritual discipline,
infinitely more powerful than exists in the army, sub
jects the priesthood to the Pope at Rome, we complain
to subordinates who detest and repudiate our power,
and with the real superintending authority we decline
officially to communicate ! I would therefore suggest
for consideration the propriety of Great Britain de
spatching to and maintaining an ambassador at the See
of Rome.
If these two measures be adopted, and if Parliament
Avill firmly resist the unreasonable demands of those
Avho style themselves " The Irish Brigade" there are
elements at work, over Avhich the British Government
has no control, that must very quickly completely sub
vert the present degraded position of Ireland.
Those hundreds of thousands of poor people whom
the famine forced to migrate, and who have no in
clination to return, are not only beckoning to their
friends at home, but to enable them to follow them
they have forwarded to Ireland out of their savings
very nearly the following sums : — *

£.

In 1 848 upwards of

460,000

1849

540,000

1850 ,, -

957,000

1851

990,000 !

Now, if the potato disease continues, it is inevitable,
not only that all those who, sleeping with SAvine and
asses, are still obstinately subsisting solely on this
* See Twelfth General Report of the Colonial Land and Emigration Com
missioners.

Part II. WHAT IS TO BE DONE ? 399
root, must, either by death or emigration, be swept, as
by a hurricane, from the surface of Ireland, but that
their vacant places must be filled by others ; and thus a
complete new system of what in parliamentary phrase
ology is termed " men and measures" will — not by the
vacillating order of man, but by a stern decree of Pro
vidence — effectually and irrecoverably overturn that
miserable, degrading, pig-priest-and-potato mode of
existence which has so long prevailed.
In the mean while, if the English Government,
instead of those vain attempts at conciliation which
have brought discredit on the administration of Ireland
by both Tories and Whigs, will but resolve to act with
firmness, justice, and impartiality ; if, without per
secuting the priesthood, they will — utterly regardless
of the colour of their coats — seize them by the throat
whenever they dare to disturb the peace of the country,
I declare advisedly that their conduct will be approved
of, not only by the well-educated, many of whom in
their hearts disapprove of the ultramontane doctrines of
the day, but by the poorer classes of Roman Catholics,
whose perception of justice is proverbially acute, clear,
and distinct.
In the present Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl
of Eghnton and Winton, the Crown has a mild, bold,
public servant, who, by his open attachment to the
Protestant religion — by honest justice towards the
Roman Catholic religion — by gubernatorial abilities of
high caste— by natural dignity of demeanour— and,
lastly, by affability and splendid hospitality, has legiti
mately won the confidence and respect of all parties ;

400 WHAT IS TO BE DONE ? Part II.
and, although I am neither directly nor indirectly
acquainted with a single measure of his intended policy,
and am indebted to him only for the general introduc
tion which, in reply to my application in writing, he very
liberally gave me, to the heads of those departments
from which I was anxious to obtain the few harmless
statistical data I required, yet it is with pleasure and
confidence I believe that — if he be manfully supported
by Parliament — he will, under Providence, succeed in
allaying the religious animosities and in promoting the
temporal prosperity of the Irish people, for whom, so
long as I may be permitted to live, I shall entertain an
unalterable affectionate regard.

THE END.

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BY LORD MAHON.
A New Edition. Crown 8vo.
To be Published alternate Months. Vol. I. on December 1st.

MY HOME IN TASMANIA,
DURING NINE TEARS.
BY MRS. CHARLES MEREDITH.
Author of " Notes and Sketches of New South Wales."
With Illustrations. 2 Vols. Post 8vo.

ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS.
EDITED, WITH CRITICAL NOTES AND DISSERTATIONS, &c.
BY THE REV. A. P. STANLEY, M.A.
Canon of Canterbury, late Fellow and Tutor of University College, Oxford.
8vo.

ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES TO THE THESSALONIANS
AND . GALATIANS.
EDITED, &c. BY THE REV. B. JOWETT, M.A.
Fellow and Tutor of Balliol College, Oxford.
8vo.

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF FORTHCOMING WORKS.
JOURNAL OF A CRUIZE AMONG THE ISLANDS
OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC,
INCLUDING THOSE INHABITED BY THE POLYNESIAN NEGRO RACE,
IN H. M. S. HAVANNAH.
BY JOHN ERSKINE, CAPT. R.N.
With Map and Plates. 8vo.

A CHURCH DICTIONARY.
BY WALTER FARQUHAR HOOK, D.D., VICAR OF LEEDS-
Sixth Edition, revised and enlarged. One Volume. 8vo,

FRESH DISCOVERIES AT NINEVEH, AND
RESEARCHES AT BABYLON ;
BEING THE RESULTS OF A SECOND EXPEDITION TO ASSYRIA; WITH JOURNEYS TO
THE KHABOUR, THE DESERT, LAKE VAN, ANCIENT ARMENIA, KURDISTAN,
AND ALONG THE BORDERS OF THE EUPHRATES.
BY AUSTEN H. LAYARD, ESQ., M.P.
Plates and Woodcuts. 2 Vols. 8vo.

SECOND SERIES OF

THE MONUMENTS OF NINEVEH,
INCLUDING THE SCULPTURES, VASES, AND BRONZES RECENTLY DISCOVERED,
CHIEFLY ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE EXPLOITS OF SENNACHERIB, FROM
HIS PALACE AT KOUYUNJIK.
With 70 Plates. Folio.

LITERARY ESSAYS AND CHARACTERS.
SELECTED FROM HALLAM'S " INTRODUCTION TO THE LITERATURE OF EUROPE."
Fcap. 8vo. (On Nov. 1st.)
For " Murray's Railway Reading."

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF FORTHCOMING WORKS.

THE EARLIER FORMS OF LIFE
AS DISCLOSED IH
THE OLDEK EOCKS.
BY SIR RODERICK 1MPEY MURCHISON, G.C.S.G. F.R.S. F.G.S.
Pkebident Royal Geookaphical Society,
Author of "Russia in Europe, and the Ural Mountains," &c. &e.
With Plates and Woodcuts. 8vo.
In this work the author will give =¦ popular view of the earliest known fossil
remains, and of the strata in which they are imbedded, as developed in the Silurian
Rocks, with slight sketches of the other and younger rock systems (Devonian,
Carboniferous and Permian), through which primaeval life extends.

SOLITARY RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF A
HUNTER IN THE PRAIRIES.
BY JOHN PALLISER, ESQ.
With. Illustrations. Post 8vo.
RATIONAL ARITHMETIC.
FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS AS WELL AS FOR PRIVATE INSTRUCTION.
BY MRS. G. R. PORTER.
12mo.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL
SOCIETY OF LONDON.

CONTENTS :

President's Address.
Messrs. Roe, Gregory, and Kennedy's Surveys
in Australia.
Dr. Ear's Expeditions in Search op Franklin.
Mb. Brierly's Friendly Islands and Tongatabu.
Mr. Petermann on the Arctic Regions.
Mr. Thurburn's Meteorological Notes from
Alexandria.

Mr. Dickson's Route from Tripoli to Gitadamis. > or Milo.
With Numerous Maps and Illustrations.
Vol. XXII. Svo.

Mr. Gaspott's Tour from Natal to the
Ltmpopo River.
Mr. Galton's Expedition prom "Walfish Bay.
Mkssrs. Livingston and Oswell's Explorations
North of Lake Ngami.
Capt. Synge's Proposed Communication "with
the East via British North America.
St. Leycester, R.N., on the Volcanic Group

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF FORTHCOMING WORKS. 5
THE TREASURES OF ART IN GREAT BRITAIN.
BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE CHIEF COLLECTIONS OF PAINTINGS, SCULPTURE, MSS.
MINIATURES, &c. &c, OBTAINED FROM PERSONAL INSPECTION IN 1836—60—51.
BY DR. WAAGEN,
Director of the Royal Gallery of Pictures at Berlin.
2 Vols. 8vo.

ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK OF ARCHITECTURE.
BEING A CONCISE AND POPULAR ACCOUNT OF THE DIFFERENT STYLES PREVAILING
IN ALL AGES AND COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. 'WITH A DESCRIPTION
OF THE MOST REMARKABLE BUILDINGS.
BY JAMES FERGUSSON, ESQ.
Author of "Indian Architecture," " Palaces of Nineveh and Persepolis Restored."
With 1000 Illustrations on Wood. 8vo.

A HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
FOR THE USE OF STUDENTS IN THEOLOGY, AND GENERAL READERS.
Part I. — To the Reformation.
BY REV. JAMES C. ROBERTSON, M.A.
Vicar of Bekeshourne, near Canterbury.
2 Vols. 8vo.

A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF
TRAVELS IN ASIA MINOR AND LYCIA.

BY SIR CHARLES FELLOWS.
With Woodcuts. Post 8vo.

HISTORY OF
EUROPE DURING THE MIDDLE AGES.
BY HENRY HALLAM, ESQ.
Tenth Edition, Revised, incorporating the Supplemental Notes.
3 Vols. 8vo.

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF FORTHCOMING WORKS.'

THE
TRUE HISTORY OF NAPOLEON AT ST. HELENA;
FROM THE LETTERS AND JOURNALS OF
THE LATE SIR HUDSON LOWE.
With Portrait. 3 Vols. 8vo.
This work is now rapidly advancing under the direction of a careful Editor.

A NEW LATIN-ENGLISH DICTIONARY.
BY WILLIAM SMITH, LL.D.,
Editor of the " Dictionaries of Greek and Roman Antiquities," — " Mythology and Biography,'
and " Geography."
One large Volume. 8vo.

STATE PAPERS OF HENRY THE EIGHTH'S REIGN.
COMPRISING THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT AND
THE CONTINENTAL POWERS, FROM THE PERIOD OF THE ELECTION OF
CHARLES V. TO THE DEATH OF HENRY VIII.
With Indexes. Vols. VI.— XI. 4to.

THE MISCELLANEOUS WORKS OF THE LATE
DR. THOMAS YOUNG, F.R.S.
NOW FIRST COLLECTED AND EDITED, WITH A MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE.
BY REV. GEORGE PEACOCK, D.D., DEAN OF ELY.
4 Vols. 8vo.

HISTORY OF ANCIENT POTTERY;
EGYPTIAN, ASIATIC, GREEK, ROMAN, ETRUSCAN, AND CELTIC.
BY SAMUEL BIRCH, F.S.A.,
Assistant Keeper of the Antiquities in the British Museum.
With Illustrations. 8vo.

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF FORTHCOMING WORKS.
ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS,
DISCOVERED 1S51, AT LITTLE WILBRAHAM, CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
BY THE HON. RICHARD CORNWALLIS NEVILLE.
WITH FORTY COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS BY SAMUEL STANE3EY.
Ito.

THE HANDBOOK OF CHRONOLOGY.
ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED TO FACILITATE REFERENCE.
One Volume. 8vo.

LIFE AND WORKS OF ALEXANDER POPE.
EDITED, WITH NOTES,
BY THE RIGHT HON. JOHN WILSON CROKER.
Portraits. 4 Vols. 8vo.

THE COMMERCIAL TARIFFS OF ALL COUNTRIES.
COLLECTED AND ARRANGED.
BY OTTO HUBNER,
Member of the Prussian Board of Trade;
And puhlished under the Sanction of the Prussian Government. Translated into English, with the
Weights, Measures, and Moneys carefully reduced to the English standards.
EDITED BY C. N. NEWDEGATE, M.P.
8vo.

A POPULAR
ACCOUNT OF THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
Foap. 8vo.
For "Murray's Railway Reading."

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF FORTHCOMING WORKS.
HANDBOOK OF FAMILIAR QUOTATIONS.
FROM ENGLISH AUTHORS.
Fcap. 8yo.

A HISTORY OF GREECE FOR SCHOOLS.
ON THE PLAN OF "MRS. MARKHAM'S HISTORIES."
BY WILLIAM SMITH, LL.D.

With Woodcuts. 12mo.

HANDBOOK FOR ENGLAND AND WALES.
Giving an account of the Places and Objects best worth visiting in England, more
especially those rendered interesting by Historical Associations, or likely to attract
the notice of intelligent strangers and travellers ; arranged in connexion with the
most frequented Roads and Railways in England. Showing, at the same time, the
way of seeing them to the best advantage, with the least expenditure of time and money.
With Map and Plans. 3 Vols. Post Svo.
ALSO,
A CONDENSED HANDBOOK OE ALL ENGLAND.
One Volume. Post 8vo.

HANDBOOK FOR THE CATHEDRALS OF ENGLAND.
BY REV. GEORGE AYLIFFE POOLE, M.A.
With Illustrations. Crown 8vo.

HANDBOOK FOR THE ENVIRONS OF LONDON.
WITHIN A CIRCLE OF THIRTY MILES AROUND ST. PAUL'S. WITH HINTS
FOR EXCURSIONS BY RAIL— RIVER— AND ROAD.
BY PETER CUNNINGHAMi F.S.A.
Post 8vo.

Albemarle Street,
October, 1852.

MR. MURRAY'S
LIST OF WORKS NOW READY.

DESPATCHES OF THE LATE FIELD-MARSHAL
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON:
DURING HIS VARIOUS CAMPAIGNS IN INDIA, DENMARK, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, THE
LOW COUNTRIES, AND FRANCE. 1799—1815.
COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL AND OTHER AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS.
BY COLONEL GURWOOD, OB.
A New and Enlarged Edition. 8 Vols. 8vo. 21s. each.
" That series of despatches which now constitute so extraordinary a monument to
his fame."— Times, Sept. 15, 1852.
" The grandest of all the Wellington monuments is to he found in the volumes
of ' The Wellington Despatches,' — that wonderful collection which, to those who
read its pages rightly, supplies proofs of the author's greatness more eloquent than
the bronze of Chantrey or of Steell — more convincing even than the early conquests in
India, the brilliant triumphs of the Peninsula, or the final overthrow of Napoleon." —
Edinourgh Cowramt. ¦
" The Duke of Wellington's Despatches will be a, source of wonder, praise, and
admiration to late, very late generations.
" It would be idle at this time of day to dilate on the treasure our country
possesses in the Duke of Wellington's Despatches — or the wisdom which sanctioned
their publication in the lifetime of their illustrious author." — Quarterly Review.
" The collected Despatches and military Memoirs of the Duke of Wellington
actually fill nine large octavo volumes, and these most honourably reveal the mail.
The Duke was not hnown till they appeared. In this collection we have a test of what
he truly was ; and, curiously enough, the parallel Despatches both of Marlborough
and Nelson survive to set off the delineation in the lights of contrast. The great
publication of Colonel Gurwood." — Morning Chronicle.
ALSO,
A POPULAR SELECTION FROM THE WELLINGTON DESPATCHES,
One Volume. 8vo. 18s.

10 MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF WORKS NOW READY.
FIFTH AND SIXTH VOLUMES OF
THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND FROM THE
PEACE OF UTRECHT.
BY LORD MAHON.
CONTAINING THE FIRST YEARS OF THE AMERICAN WAR.
2 Vols. 8vo. 30s.

THE GRENVILLE PAPERS;
BEING THE CORRESPONDENCE OF RICHARD GRENVILLE, EARL TEMPLE, K.G.
AND HIS BROTHER, GEORGE GRENVILLE, THEIR FRIENDS
AND CONTEMPORARIES.
BY WILLIAM JAMES SMITH, ESQ.,
Formerly Librarian at Stowe.
2 Vols. 8vo. 82s.
" The Grenville Correspondence extends over a period of more than thirty years,
commencing in 1742 ; but the most interesting and important part of it is that which
comprises the seven concludmg years of George II., and first ten years of George III.'s
reign  These are valuable contributions to history ; and serve to explain, to illus
trate, and to clear up some questions hitherto vexed and undetermined." — Frascr.

HISTORY OF ENGLAND AND FRANCE UNDER
THE HOUSE OF LANCASTER.
WITH AN INTRODUCTORY VIEW OF THE EARLY REFORMATION.
8vo. 15s.
" It is throughout such au honest and earnest investigation of truth as best becomes
the historian. An extensive research for original authorities, and a patient collation
of cotemporary writers, is visible ; and these are pursued with an indifference to
modern authors which shows at any rate a determination to drink of the streams of
history at their highest sources." — Gentleman's Magazine.

DR. WILLIAM SMITH'S
DICTIONARY OF ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY.
Now Publishing in Parts. Woodcuts. Medium 8vo. 4s. each.
" Dr. Smith, who has rendered great service to classical studies, has followed up the
publication of his Classical Dictionaries by one of Ancient Geography."— President of
the Royal Geographical Society's Address.

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF WORKS NOW READY. 11
THE CLARENDON GALLERY.
BEING LIVES OF THE FRIENDS OF LORD CHANCELLOR CLARENDON.
BY LADY THERESA LEWIS.
With Portraits. 3 Vols. 8vo. 42s.
" Lives more instructive cannot be perused ; for deep interest they are not
to he surpassed, inasmuch as they contain matter that will never cease to have
freshness and flavour for the English reader and for all who would learn how
constitutional liberty has been won in England, aud how a practical people work
their certain way to the full enjoyment of their rights. It is to be hoped that
the success of the present adventure will be sufficient to induce the authoress to
pay another visit to Grove-park, and to remove from a few more of the pictures the
dust which time has left upon them." — Times.

LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF GUSTAVUS VASA,
KING OF SWEDEN.
WITH EXTRACTS FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE.
With Portrait. 8vo. 10s. 6d.
" This is a Life, which was worth writing, written well. In the History of Gustavus
Vasa all the events are large and striking, some of them of the first historical
importance. They are told in this volume with the calmness befitting the Muse of
History and make a strong impression on the reader's mind. The book is founded
on a wide study of Swedish and other contemporary authorities, and is written without
any weakness of enthusiasm in a clear, impartial, manly way, and in a very unaffected
style. It wastes no words, and gives the reader value back for every minute spent
over its pages." — Examiner.

THE DANES AND NORWEGIANS IN ENGLAND,
SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND,
BY J. A. A. WORSAAE, F.S.A., of Copenhagen.
Woodcuts. Post 8vo. 10s. <M,

The 9th and 10th Volumes of
GROTE'S HISTORY OF GREECE.
FROM THE RESTORATION OF THE DEMOCRACY AT ATHENS, DOWN TO THE
ACCESSION OF PHILIP OF MACEDON, B.C. 403—359.
With Maps. 2 Vols. 8vo. 32s.

12 MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF WORKS NOW READY.
JOURNAL OF A WINTER'S TOUR IN INDIA,
WITH A VISIT TO THE COURT OF NEPAUL.
BY THE HON. CAPTAIN FRANCIS EGERTON, R.N.
With Woodcuts. 2 Vols. Post 8vo. 18s.
From the starting point at Southampton to the disembarkation at Trieste, the journey
and its sights are made real to us. In company like our author's the tour appears one
so easy to make and so pleasurable in the making, that some ' unsettlement may
accrue ' from the publication of Capt. Egerton's Journal to geutlemen having half a
year to spare, a fancy for a shot at an elephant, or a hankering after a card to one of
the King of Oude's rather indigestible breakfasts or diamond dinners 1" — Aihenavwm.

FARINI'S HISTORY OF THE ROMAN STATE.
TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN.
BY THE RIGHT HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P.
Vol. III. Svo. 12s.

THE TEA COUNTRIES OF CHINA]
INCLUDING SUNG-LO AND THE BOHEA HILLS,
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE BRITISH TEA PLANTATIONS IN THE HIMALAYA,
BY ROBERT FORTUNE, ESQ.,
Author of *' Three Years' Wanderings in the Northern Provinces of China."
With Map and Woodcuts. 8vo, 15s.
" Mr. Fortune, who five years ago introduced us to the interior of China, has just
issued a very spirited and agreeable,' as well as an instructive, account of the tea-
growing provinces. The zeal and the skill with which he has not only obtained the
finest varieties of the tea-plant, but has also directed its culture in Assam and the
north-western provinces of India, must prove of substantial service to our country. In
the meantime, as geographers, we have to thank him for a very good account _ of the
habits of the people, and for a graphic delineation of the Bohea mountains."—
President of the Royal Geographical Society's Address.

AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE.
AN ESSAY, REPRINTED, WITH ADDITIONS, FROM THE " QUARTERLY REVIEW.'
BY THE LATE THOMAS GISBORNE.
A New and Revised Edition. With Woodcuts. 12mo. 6d.

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF WORKS NOW READY. 13
A FAGGOT OF FRENCH STICKS.
BY SIR FRANCIS B. HEAD, BART.
Second Edition. 2 Vols. PostSvo. 24s
 * 
MODERN INDIA,
WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE NATIVES AND NATIVE INSTITUTIONS.
BY GEORGE CAMPBELL, ESQ.
Svo. 16s.
" A remarkably good digest of heaps of facts. It gives an outline of the history
and population of India, of the social condition and civil government of the people, of
the past and present political governments, of the relations we stand in to the numerous
native Powers and Princes, whether nominally we are their protectors or openly their
sovereigns, the extent and nature of their obligations to us aud ours to them ; in short,
it is a complete handbook." — Economist.

WORKS BY COLONEL W. MARTIN LEAKE, F.R.S.
1. TOPOGRAPHY OF ATHENS,
WITH SOME REMARKS ON ITS ANTIQUITIES ; TO WHICH IS ADDED,
THE DE.AII OF ATTICA.
Second Edition. Maps and Plates. 2 Vols. Svo. 30e.

2. TRAVELS IN NORTHERN GREECE.
Maps. 4 Vols. 8vo. 60s.
3. GREECE AT THE END OF TWENTY-THREE
YEARS' PROTECTION.
8vo. ed.
4. PELOPONNESIACA:
A SUPPLEMENT TO TRAVELS IN THE MOREA.
8vo. 15s.
5. THOUGHTS ON THE DEGRADATION OF
SCIENCE IN ENGLAND.
8vo. 3s. Gd.

H MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF WORKS NOW READY.'

STRIFE FOR THE MASTERY.
TWO ALLEGORIES. BY A. H. F. E. and M. L. B.
Woodcuts. Crown 8vo. 6s.

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL,
DURING THE SUMMER OF 1851.
BY A MEMBER OF THE LATE PARLIAMENT.
With Illustrations. 8vo. 9s. 6d. •

BUENOS AYRES, AND THE PROVINCES OF THE
RIO DE LA PLATA,
FROM THEIR DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST BY THE SPANIARDS.
BY SIR WOODBINE PARISH.
Second Edition. Plates. 8vo. lis.
" Among the contributions to the geography of the South American continent, the
work of our Vice-President, Sir Woodbine Parish, holds a very important place.
Professing to be a second edition of a former book, it is in reality almost a new work,
from the great quantity of valuable fresh matter it contains on the geography, statistics,
natural history and geology, of this portion of the world." — President of the Royal
Geographical Society's Address.

A JOURNEY TO NEPAUL,
AVITH A VISIT TO THE CAMP OF THE NEPAULESE AMBASSADOR.
BY LAURENCE OLIPHANT.
Fcap. 8vo. 2s. 6d.
"A most agreeable narration of the court of Nepaul, and its extraordinary
inhabitants ; of wild elephant-hunts, alligator shooting, and of the patient industry of
the people. Much information of the nature of the country is pleasantly mingled with
personal adventures ; and it is one of the most amusing and readable books that
we have read for a long time." — Economist.
TALAVERA.
WITH ODES ON LORD NELSON AND THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.
BY THE RIGHT HON. JOHN WILSON CROKER.
Svo.

MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF WORKS NOW READY. 15

HINTS TO TRAVELLERS IN PORTUGAL,
WITH AN ITINERARY OF SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING PARTS OF THAT
REMARKABLE COUNTRY.
Post 8vo. 3s. Gd.
" Portugal is certainly one of the most beautiful countries of Europe, and only the
bad repute of its inhabitants— wholly undeserved we believe— has prevented it being
much visited. They are now better understood, and the country is more easily reached
than formerly : it is likely to be much visited by English travellers, and the present
hints will be useful to them. The author of them is enthusiastic in his praise of the
scenery, and his recommendation will be welcomed by many. The itinerary is the
principal feature of the book, and it is a good guide for every part of Portugal. It
will be an acceptable work for gentlemen and ladies anxious to find a new place for an
autumnal tour. In the summer Portugal is too hot, in early spring it is most agreeable,
but in autumn the 'Englishman will find it not unpleasant to travel in and delightful to
behold." — Economist.

THE HUMAN HAND,
ITS MECHANISM AND VITAL ENDOWMENTS AS IT DISPLAYS THE
WISDOM AND GOODNESS OF GOD.
BY SIR CHARLES BELL.
BEING ONE OF THE BRIDGEWATER TREATISE3.
Fifth Edition. Portrait and Woodcuts. Post 8vo. 7s. 6d.

THE STORY OF THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.
FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SOURCES',
BY THE REV. G. R. GLEIG, M.A.
Chaplain-General to the Forces,
One Volume. Post 8vo.
" A very complete, painstaking, well-arranged, and interesting narrative, embracing
all the collateral points of the subject as well as its main features. We have never
met with so complete and well-arranged a view of the Story of the Hundred Days."
— Spectator.

A SMALLER CLASSICAL DICTIONARY,
FOR THE USE OF YOUNG PERSONS.
BY WILLIAM SMITH, LL.D.
Illustrated with 200 Woodcuts. Crown Svo. 10s. Gil.
"This abridgment contains every classical name that the juvenile pupil is likely to
meet with in the course of his preparatory reading; and those only are omitted which
occur in more advanced literature. The engravings on wood are executed with
consummate art. The explanations, which are very ample, supply all necessary
information. The quantities are clearly marked ; and in every instance the genitive
cases of the proper names are given." — Britannia.

16 MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF WORKS NOW READY'.

ILLUSTRATED LIFE OF STOTHARD, R.A.
WITH PERSONAL REMINISCENCES.
BY MRS. BRAY.
Illustrated with Portrait and 70 Woodcuts. Fcap 4to. 21s.

NOTES ON PUBLIC SUBJECTS DURING A TOUR
IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
, IN 1851.
BY HUGH SEYMOUR TREMENHEERE, ESQ.
Post Svo. 10s. Gd.
"A book which every Englishman who cares about public subjects should read
without delay. America has been made far too exclusively the political property of
a particular school. For those who wish to read the lessons of American experience
without putting on Mr. Cobden's spectacles, these notes will be of essential service.
Mr. Tremenheere has stated the result of his inquiries with simplicity and good sense,
as he seems to have made them with fairness and diligence." — Guardian.

MODERN DOMESTIC COOKERY,
FOUNDED UPON PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMY AND PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE, AND
ADAPTED FOR PRIVATE FAMILIES.
A NEW EDITION MOST CAREFULLY REVISED AND IMPROVED.
With 100 Woodcuts. Post 8vo. Gs.

A MANUAL OF FIELD OPERATIONS.
ADAPTED FOR THE USE OF OFFICERS OF THE ARMY
BY LIEUTENANT JERVIS WHITE JERVIS
Royal Artillery.
Crown Svo. 9s. Gd.
" This book is a r&svmi of military knowledge in a practical and luminous form. It
treats on every department of campaigning, and on all the duties and contingencies of
war. Such being the case it will be of the highest service to young officers. Lieutenant
Jervis avails himself of all writers of repute on these topics, and illustrates his
instructions by references to the last war." — Daily News.

Bradb'iry & Evans, Printers, Wliitefriara.