By this means alone can
relief be extended to the starving population. And I confess it was with
pain I can scarcely describe, that I received, by the same post that
brought me the above report, an account of very different proceedings in
the county of Mayo. There I find, so far from subscriptions having been
entered into to maintain their people, that the landlords, or their
agents, are pursuing a system of ejectment, under processes for rent, to
an extent beyond what had ever been known in the country. The number of
processes entered at the quarter sessions exceed, very considerably,
anything they have been before. At the quarter sessions of the barony of
Ballina, 6,400 processes have been entered, of which 4,000 are at the
suit of the landlords for rent. The same letter further states,
that--"these proceedings have almost depopulated the country, the people
having fled with all they possessed to prevent their property being
seized, or themselves thrown into prison, under decrees. There are
districts in this barony where the townlands hitherto occupied by 400 or
500 persons are now uninhabited." This, he said, may account, perhaps,
for some of the thousands landed on the quays of Liverpool from the
Irish steamers; and if the same course were to be generally pursued, I
should despair of the country ever being relieved.
Pages:
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587