38
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peasants
At a Preliminary Meeting convened by His Excellency the Governor, and held at Government with them some roots of grass and earth.
What for? So attached to the soil are the Irish House, on Saturday, the 6th March, 1880, the following Resolutions were unanimously passed: at, when they leave the country and know they will never return-going to Canada on the United Resolved,That a Public Meeting be called to obtain subscriptions for the relief of the senates they carry with them little particles of their native earth to have them placed upon their 'distress in Ireland, the finds so collected to be sent to the Duchess of Marlborough's Committ ave The famine that then afflicted the country might have been prevented, or at least mitigated. Resolved,That a Local Committee be formed representing the principal interests in the Come are now meeting to do that which was not done with respect to the famine of 1846 and 1847; munity, and that Mr. JACKSON be requested to act as Honorary Secretary and Treasurer pro. tem. t is, we are meeting to prevent a famine.--(Applause.) Prevention is better than a tardy and make arrangements for calling the Meeting."
effectual cure, Subscriptions amounting to $1,8-10 were collected in the room.
Now, with respect to the present distress, what evidence have we? We have the various letters In accordance with the above Resolutions, a Public Meeting was held in the City Hall, on the 8eived from our friends, and the statements in the public press; but especially I may refer to the of March, for the purpose of inaugurating a Subscription for the Relief of the Distress in Ireland His Excellency Governor HENNESSY presided, and the attendance was large and enthusiastic. Anong those present were His Excellency Major-General DONOVAN, Sir JOHN SMALE, Chief Justice; Bish BURDON, Hon. W. H. MARSH, Colonial Secretary; Hon. E. O'MALLEY, Attorney-General; Hon. RYRIE, Hon. NG CHOY. Mr. T. JACKSON, most of the Leading Members of the Mercantile Community and a large number of Military and Civil Officers.
that Her Majesty the Queen, with her usual generosity has given a considerable contribution to Duchess of MARLBOROUGn's distress find. That Peeress of benevolence in her own right, Lady ERDETT Courts, has subscribed largely to the fund, and Mr. Gounox BENNETT, of the New York Herald, has subscribed $100,000.--(Applause.) I mention these facts for this reason, that Her Majesty the Queen has the very best sources of information at her disposal, that Lady BURDETT Courts is a charitable lady who never lays out a pound except in the right direction, and that Mr. The GOVERNOR said My Lord Bishop, Ladies and Gentlemen, the announcements in the Pub GORDON BENNETT is also an eminent authority in every great and good work. Press have informed you that I took the liberty to summon a Preliminary Meeting of some In hold in my hand a telegram from Dublin Castle which was sent to me last week. It is to this effect, In addition to that, gentlemen at Government House, to consider the distress in Ireland. We resolved to ask you to com Acute distress prevails," signed by the Duchess of MARLBOROUGH, together to-day, for the purpose of raising subscriptions to be sent to the Duchess of MARLBOROUGH dearest proof that the time has come when some steps must be taken to meet the growing distress.
You have, I think, before you the fund. Now, you are men of business, and my first duty is to endeavour briefly to explain to you ho But you are fairly entitled to ask also, if this money he sent to the Duchess of MARLBOROUGH's fund, it comes to pass that we have to ask you for subscriptions. I cannot deny that the loss of the crow will it be dealt with? That is answered anthoritatively by the last mail, in a few words, which I took place in England as well as in freland, and that, in fact, the loss of the crops in England was will take the liberty of reading, in a leading article in The Times newspaper. actually greater than that in Ireland; but, nevertheless, the fact remains that the distress in Ireland "We continue to receive satisfactory assurance of the progress made with the collections for the far more severe, and threatens a more dangerous future, than the distress in England. The spec Duchess of MARLBOROUGn's fund, both in this country and in Ireland, and of the care with which the reason why Ireland suffers so much when distress of this kind occurs has been explained in a lethoney is laid out. The object is one for which both money and care are needed. from the Duchess of MARLBOROUGH, which puts the whole case so clearly that, with your permissing brings fresh proof of the reality and magnitude of the existing distress in Ireland.
Almost every day I will read it. Her Grace says:--
The public has the means of judging the way in which the work is done. Every penny received is accounted for; the The class whom I and those associated with me are endeavouring to assist is chiefly composes of the recipients are recorded and may be seen; local committees or local agents are appointed of small farmers holding from two to ten acres of land, extremely numerous in Ireland, as you "perhaps aware. These sorely tried people are excluded by law from obtaining relief under the
rates unless they first give up their land, and, rather than yield to this necessity, it is well kuor I am aware that some gentlemen in the community would wish to send subscriptions to the fund that they will submit to inconceivable privations. It cannot be doubted that the want through being collected by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. I will only say this that I received information by to- this land, if not promptly responded to by the voice of charity, will culminate in a famine." day's mail that the Duchess of MARLBOROTan's Committee and the Lord Mayor's Committee are work- The fact is, as the Duchess puts it in that letter. the poor law in Ireland is different from the ping in complete harmony. Both Committees are working on parallel lines. Therefore, I think that law in England, according to the English poor law it is sufficient if the Relieving Officers you may fairly leave to the Committee you will be asked to approve of to-day, our own local Com- the Board of Guardians should be of opinion that any man is destitute; that gives him a cmittee, the question whether it may not be in the power of that Committee to send a contribution to on Parochial Relief. But unfortunately in Ireland there exists the addendum that the occe the Lord Mayor's fund as well as to the Duchess of MARLBOROUGH'S.--(Applause.) There is not, in of small holdings, though the whole of their crops may have failed, though they may be absolut faet, in the whole of Ireland, a man more zealous or active in mitigating distress than Mr. GRAY, the starving, cannot get relief according to law. Perhaps I mention here that an attempt Lord Mayor of Dublin.--(Applause.) Accordingly, ladies and gentlemen, I feel convinced that, what- made some years ago to remedy this state of the law, and to assimilate the law of Ireland to that ever we may do in the way of subscriptions, the money will be well laid out.
And of one other thing England. A bill to that effect was passed in the House of Commous. It was proposed by the I am also confident; when I see the commercial gentlemen of the Colony in this hall to-day, when I of KIMBERLEY in the House of Lords, but, owing to the late period of the session, it did not pe know the character of Hongkong, its reputation as the leading commercial community in Her Subsequently, it was again pressed on the attention of the House of Commons, and again was passajesty's Colonial Empire, a community ever distinguished for its public spirit and munificence, 1 after repeated debates and divisions. It was then moved in the House of Lords by the late Dlso feel that the appeal which I and my countrymen are now making will not be made in vain.- of NEWCASTLE. He described that provision of the Irish poor law as a harsh and unjust provision (Loud applause).
*
may
superintend the distribution of each grant. The utmost care is taken that the money shall reach the fittest objects with no waste by the way."
It would be a very
provision which would always be fatal to the people of Ireland when distress arose. "But, by a su The CHEF JUSTICE. Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen, when I entered this room I did not majority of four, the bill was unfortunately thrown out. We therefore see that the poor rates of expect, that I should be called on to take any prominent part on this occasion. country provided by the law of Ireland are not available for a considerable portion of the populati deult thing to attempt to say why this famiue exists in Ireland. I only agree in this, that there is a And if these rates are not so available, what is the meaning of an Irish famine, what is it in realitat amount of human misery, and when that exists I am sure it ought to call forth universal sympathy. On looking around here to-day, I see some countrymen of mine, but perhaps there are few pres Homo sum et vill humanum á me alienum puto. I think every man who has a soul and power of who actually remember the events of the great famine of 1846 and 1847. I am sorry to say that la thought innst think this is an occasion for him to do his utmost. Something has been said as to whoi old enough to remember them; and though I was only twelve years of age at the time, I have a ve soney is to be entrusted. It does seem to me the wife of the Viceroy of Ireland is the person collection of the fact that I then saw in the streets of Cork one morning seven dead bodies lying above all others, if she will undertake the kindly office, to whom we should extend the distribution of far from the residence of my father a sight which has remained ever engraved on my memory. The sinall contribution this small Colony can give. I have not the honour of knowing the Lord Mayor were in two groups, one a group of five people lying dead, and another of two--a woman, apparat of Dablin. Many persons here may know him, but there is no private itulividual, be be what he may, a young woman, and what appeared to me to be a very old but diminutive woman, but, on look is no gentleman in the position of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, who is in the responsible position closely, I saw that it was in reality a dead child; it had died of starvation. Similar scenes the Duke of MARLBOROUGH. Therefore I conceive the money from a Colony like this should witnessed week after week by those who were in the South and West of Ireland. Some months orson responsible to the world in a way which the Lord Mayor, however high a man he may be, is wind another event occurred which struck me forcibly. I was walking not far from top of the Duke of MARLBOROton because it is the Duke's responsibility, although it is the Duchess' fund. I do hope that whatever money goes from Hongkong will be distrilmted under the responsibility Cork, and I came close to an old grave-yard where I saw a group of people collected round a "I beg to move that a subscription be raised to relieve the distress prevailing in Ireland.--(
1.--(Applause.) Mr. F. H. ARJANEE, in supporting the resolution, suid-I beg to express, on behalf of the Indian esidents in this Colony, the deep sympathy we feel for the people of Ireland in the distress which has fortunately overtaken them. No Indian, I feel sure, will refrain from subscribing his mite, however all it may be. towards the relief of the sufferers. Only a short time ago we read here with very great satisfaction bow the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, by their gene-
grave. Suddenly, there arose near at hand the lamentation for the dead, and a peasant who standing in the road said to me, "That, sir, is the pleasantest music that has fallen on my es many a day." for the preceding twelve months had beheld so many dead in Ireland-the f stricken people buried without coffins-that even the accustomed weeping for the dead was suspe and the Irish peasant was delighted to hear once more the cry of lamentation. Well, years r on, but the effects of that famine were still felt in Ireland, and I have myself seen at Qeensto stepping into the emigrant ships, strong men shedding tears on quitting their country, and carry
hot.
Mr. META seconded the resolution.
go to a