The History of the Great Irish Famine of 1847 (3rd ed.) (1902) by John O\'Rourke

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THE HISTORY

OF THE

GREAT IRISH FAMINE

OF

1847,

WITH NOTICES OF EARLIER IRISH FAMINES.

BY THE

REV. JOHN O'ROURKE, P.P., M.R.I.A.

THIRD EDITION.

Dublin:

JAMES DUFFY AND CO., LTD.,

15 WELLINGTON QUAY.

1902.

[_The right of translation and reproduction is reserved._]

TO

MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN

THIS NARRATIVE

OF ONE OF THE MOST TERRIBLE EPISODES

IN THE CHEQUERED HISTORY

OF

OUR NATIVE LAND,

IS

RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY

DEDICATED.

PREFACE.

The Author of this volume has, for a considerable time, been of opinion,
that the leading facts of the Great Irish Famine of 1847 ought to be put
together without unnecessary delay. Several reasons occurred to him why
such a work should be done: the magnitude of the Famine itself; the
peculiarity of its immediate cause; its influence on the destiny of the
Irish Race. That there should be no unnecessary delay in performing the
task was sufficiently proved, he thought, by the fact, that testimony of
the most valuable kind, namely, contemporary testimony, was silently but
rapidly passing away with the generation that had witnessed the Scourge.

Having made up his mind to undertake such a work, the Author's first
preparation for it was, to send query sheets to such persons as were
supposed to be in possession of information on the subject. And he has
here to express his gratitude and thanks to his numerous correspondents,
for the kindness and promptness with which his queries were answered.
He cannot recall even one case in which this was not done. But there is
a dark side to the picture too. In looking over the query sheets now, it
is sad to find how many of those whose signatures they bear have already
passed from amongst us.

Other materials of great importance lay scattered over the Public
Journals of the period; were buried and stowed away in Parliamentary
Blue Books, and Parliamentary debates;--were to be sought for in
pamphlets, in periodicals, and more especially in the Reports of the
various Societies and Associations, which were appointed for dispensing
the alms given with such free hand, to aid in saving the lives of the
famishing people. Those Records will be found quoted and referred to in
the course of the work.

Amongst them, it is but just to acknowledge, how much the Author owes to
the Report of the Census Commissioners for 1851; to the "Transactions"
of the Society of Friends; and to the _Irish Crisis_, by Sir Charles
E. Trevelyan, Bart.; which originally appeared as an article in the
_Edinburgh Review_ for January, 1848, but was reprinted in a small
volume of two hundred pages. Although far from agreeing with many of Sir
Charles's conclusions (he was Secretary to the Treasury during the
Famine), still the Author cheerfully acknowledges, that the statistical
information in the _Irish Crisis_ is very valuable to a student of
the history of the Famine period.

It was to be expected, that the alarm about the Potato Blight and the
Famine would be first raised through the public Press. This was done by
letters from various localities, and by Special Reporters and
Commissioners, who travelled through the country to examine the state of
the people, as well as that of the potato crop. There was a Commissioner
from the London _Times_ in Ireland at this period. His letters
written to that Journal were afterwards collected, and they made an
octavo volume of nearly eight hundred pages.

The English people, and many in Ireland, long adhered to the opinion,
that there was much exaggeration in the Irish Newspapers regarding both
the Blight and the Famine; but subsequent investigation showed, that
there was very little, if any, exaggeration; nay, that the real facts
were often understated. As to the Famine, several of the gentlemen sent
by the Charitable Societies to make Reports, wrote back, that there was
no exaggeration whatever, and, for a very sufficient reason, namely,
that, in their opinion, it was impossible to exaggerate the dreadful
condition in which they found the people.

Another mode of acquiring information adopted by the Author was, to
visit those parts of the country in which the Famine had raged with the
greatest severity. On such occasions he not only had the advantage of
examining the localities, but of conversing with persons whose knowledge
of that awful Calamity made them valuable and interesting guides.

As to the rest, it is left to the kindness of the Reader.

ST. MARY'S, MAYNOOTH,

_1st December, 1874._

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

The Potato--Its introduction into Europe--Sir Walter Raleigh--The
Potato of Virginia--The Battata, or sweet Potato--Sir John
Hawkins--Sir Francis Drake--Raleigh's numerous exploring
expeditions--Story of his distributing Potatoes on the Irish coast
on his way from Virginia groundless--Sir Joseph Banks--His history
of the introduction of the Potato--Thomas Heriot--His description of
the Opanawk a correct description of the Potato--That root in Europe
before Raleigh's time--Raleigh an "Undertaker"--The Grants made to
him--The Famine after the War with the Desmonds--Introduction of the
Potato into Ireland--Did not come rapidly into cultivation--Food of
the poorest--Grazing--Graziers--Destruction of Irish
Manufactures--Causes of the increasing culture of the
Potato--Improvement of Agriculture--Rotation of Crops--Primate
Boulter's charity--Buys Corn in the South to sell it cheaply in the
North--Years of scarcity from 1720 to 1740--The Famine of
1740-41--The Great Frost--No combined effort to meet this
Famine--Vast number of Deaths--The Obelisk at Castletown
(_Note_)--Price of Wheat--Bread Riots--Gangs of Robbers--"The
Kellymount Gang"--Severe punishment--Shooting down Food-rioters--The
Lord Lieutenant's Address to Parliament--Bill "for the more
effectual securing the payments of rents and preventing the frauds
of tenants"--This Bill the basis of legislation on the Land Question
up to 1870--Land thrown into Grazing--State of the
Catholics--Renewal of the Penal Statutes--Fever and bloody
flux--Deaths--State of Prisoners--Galway Physicians refuse to attend
Patients--The Races of Galway changed to Tuam on account of the
Fever in Galway--Balls and Plays!--Rt. Rev. Dr. Berkeley's account
of the Famine--The "Groans of Ireland"--Ireland a land of
Famine--Dublin Bay--The Coast--The Wicklow Hills--Killiney--Obelisk
Hill--What the Obelisk was built for--The Potato more cultivated
than ever after 1741--Agricultural literature of the time--Apathy
of the Gentry denounced--Comparative yield of Potatoes a hundred
years ago and at present--Arthur Young on the Potato--Great increase
of its culture in twenty years--The disease called "curl" in the
Potato (_Note_)--Failure of the Potato in 1821--Consequent
Famine in 1822--Government grants--Charitable collections--High
price of Potatoes--Skibbereen in 1822--Half of the superficies of
the Island visited by this Famine--Strange apathy of Statesmen and
Landowners with regard to the ever-increasing culture of the
Potato--Supposed conquest of Ireland--Ireland kept poor lest she
should rebel--The English colony always regarded as the Irish
nation--The natives ignored--They lived in the bogs and mountains,
and cultivated the Potato, the only food that would grow in such
places--No recorded Potato blight before 1729--The probable
reason--Poverty of the English colony--Jealousy of England of its
progress and prosperity--Commercial jealousy--Destruction of the
Woollen manufacture--Its immediate effect--William the Third's
Declaration--Absenteeism--Mr. M'Culloch's arguments (Note
A.)--Apparently low rents--Not really so--No capital--Little
skill--No good Agricultural Implements--Swift's opinion--Arthur
Young's opinion--Acts of Parliament--The Catholics permitted to be
loyal--Act for reclaiming Bogs--Pension to Apostate Priests
increased--Catholic Petition in 1792--The Relief Act of
1793--Population of Ireland at this time--the Forty-shilling
Freeholders--Why they were created--Why they were abolished--the cry
of over-population, 1

CHAPTER II.

The Potato Blight of 1845--Its appearance in England--In
Ireland--Weather--Scotland--Names given to the Blight--First
appearance of the Blight in Ireland--Accounts of its progress--The
Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland--Its action--The
Dublin Corporation--O'Connell--His plan for meeting the
Crisis--Deputation to the Lord Lieutenant--How it was received--Lord
Heytesbury's Reply--It displeases the Government--The _Times_'
Commissioner--His suggestions--Mr. Gregory's Letter--Mr.
Crichton's--Sir James Murray on the Blight--Action of the
Clergy--the Mansion House Committee--Resolutions--Analysis of five
hundred letters on the Blight--Partial cessation of the Rot caused
by the Blight--Report of Professors Lindley and Playfair--Estimated
loss--Query Sheets sent out--Corporation Address to the Queen--Her
Reply--Address of the London Corporation asking for Free Trade--The
Potato Blight made a party question--Dean Hoare's Letter--Failure of
remedies, 48

CHAPTER III.

Lord Heytesbury and Sir Robert Peel--The Potatoes of last year!--Is
there a stock of them?--Sir R. Peel and Free Trade--Strength of his
Cabinet--Mr. Cobden proposes a Committee of Inquiry--His speech--Its
effect--Committee refused--D'Israeli's attack on Sir R. Peel
(_Note_)--Sir Robert puts forward the Potato Blight as the cause for
repealing the Corn Laws--The extent of the Failure not
exaggerated--Sir James Graham and Sir R. Peel--Appointments of Drs.
Lindley and Playfair to investigate the Blight--Sir R. Peel
announces that he is a convert to the repeal of the Corn
Laws--States his views, but does not reason on them--The Quarterly
Review--Special Commissioners--Mr. Buller's letter--Sir James Graham
and the Premier--Proceeding by Proclamation instead of by Order in
Council--Sir James's sharp reply--Agitation to stop
distillation--County Meetings proposed by the Lord
Lieutenant--Cabinet Council--The Premier puts his views before it in
a memorandum--The Corn Laws--Some of the Cabinet displeased with his
views--On the 6th November he submits another memorandum to the
Cabinet--Lord Stanley dissents from the Premier's views--The Cabinet
meet again next day and he concludes the memorandum--On the 29th
November he sends to each of his colleagues a more detailed
exposition of his views--Several reply--Another mem. brought before
them on the 2nd December--The Cabinet in permanent session--On the
5th of December Sir Robert resigns--Lord John Russell fails to form
a Government--The old Cabinet again in power--Mr. Gladstone replaces
Lord Stanley, 75

CHAPTER IV.

Meeting of Parliament--Queen's Speech--The Premier's speech on the
Address--Goes into the whole question of Free Trade--The
protectionists--Lord Brougham's views (_Note_)--The twelve nights'
debate on the Corn Laws--No connection between it and the
Famine--Stafford O'Brien's speech--Sir James Graham's reply--Smith
O'Brien's speech--His imprisonment (Note B.)--O'Connell's
motion--His speech--Sir Robert Peel replies--Substantially agrees
with O'Connell--Bill for the protection of life in Ireland--Its
first reading opposed by the Irish members--O'Connell leads the
Opposition in a speech of two hours--Mr. D'Israeli mistaken in
calling it his last speech--His account of it--He misrepresents
it--The opinions expressed in it were those O'Connell always held.
Break up of the Tory party--Lord George Bentinck becomes leader of
the Protectionists--Their difficulty in opposing the Coercion
Bill--Ingenious plan of Lord George--Strange combination against the
Government--Close of Debate on Coercion Bill--Government defeated by
a majority of 73--Measures to meet the Famine--Delay--Accounts from
various parts of the country--Great distress--"Are the Landlords
making any efforts?"--Notice for rent--The bailiff's reply--Number
of Workhouses open--Number of persons in them--Sir Robert Peel's
speech on his resignation--Accident to him--His death--The
Peels--Sir Robert's qualities and character--His manner of dealing
with the Famine--His real object the repeal of the Corn Laws, 93

CHAPTER V.

John Russell Prime Minister--He confers important offices on some
Irish Catholics--His address to the electors of London--Its
vagueness--Addresses of some of the other new Ministers--The Irish
difficulty greater than ever--Young and Old Ireland--The _Times_ on
O'Connell and English rule in Ireland--Overtures of the Whig
Government--O'Connell listens to them--The eleven measures--Views of
the advanced Repealers--Lord Miltown's letter to
O'Connell--Dissensions in the Repeal Association--The "Peace
Resolutions"--O'Connell's letters--He censures the _Nation_
newspaper--Debate in the Repeal Association--Thomas Francis
Meagher's "Sword speech"--The Young Ireland party leave Conciliation
Hall in a body--Description of the scene (_Note_)--Reflections--Sir
Robert Peel's speech after his resignation--Lord John Russell's
speech at Glasgow--His speech on the Irish Coercion Bill--His speech
after becoming Prime Minister--The Potato Blight reappears--Accounts
from the Provinces--Father Mathew's letter--Value of the Potato Crop
of 1846--Various remedies, theories, and speculations--State of the
weather--Mr. Cooper's observations at Markree Castle--Lord
Monteagle's motion in the House of Lords for employing the
people--Profitable employment the right thing--The Marquis of
Lansdowne replies--It is hard to relieve a poor country like
Ireland--Lord Devon's opinion--The Premier's statement about
relief--The wonderful cargo of Indian meal--Sir R. Peel's
fallacies--Bill for Baronial Sessions--Cessation of Government
Works--The Mallow Relief Committee--Beds of stone!--High rents on
the poor--The Social Condition of the Hottentot as compared with
that of Mick Sullivan--Rev. Mr. Gibson's views--Mr. Tuke's account
of Erris (_Note_)--Close of the Session of Parliament, 131

CHAPTER VI.

The Labour-rate Act passed without opposition: entitled, An Act to
Facilitate the Employment of the Labouring Poor--Its
provisions--Government _Minute_ explaining them--Heads of
Minute--Rate of wages--Dissatisfaction with it--Commissary-General
Hewetson's letter--Exorbitant prices--Opinion expressed on this head
by an American Captain--The Government will not order food as Sir R.
Peel did--Partial and unjust taxation--Opposition to the Labour-rate
Act--Reproductive employment called for--Lord Devon's
opinion--Former works not to be completed under the Act--Minute of
31st of August--Modified by Mr. Labouchere's letter of 5th of
September--People taxed who paid a rent of L4 a year--In many cases
a hardship--Barren works the great blot of the Labour-rate
Act--Arguments against the Act--Resources of the country should have
been developed--Panic among landowners--Rev. Mr. Moore's
letters--Level roads a good thing--Food better--A cry of excessive
population raised--Ireland not overpeopled--Employ the people on
tilling the soil--Sir R. Routh takes the same view--Relief Committee
of Kells and Fore--Reproductive employment--Plan suggested--Address
to the Lord Lieutenant--True remedy--O'Connell on the Famine--Writes
from Darrynane on the subject--Money in the hands of Board of
Works--Compulsory reclamation of waste lands--Drainage Bill--Mr.
Kennedy's opinion--Who is to blame?--The Government, the landlords,
or the people?--O'Connell for united action--Outdoor relief will
confiscate property--Proposed Central Committee--Several Committees
meet in Dublin--Mr. Monsell's letter--His views--Against
unproductive labour--Money wasted--Appeal to the Government--Cork
deputation to the Prime Minister--His views--He _now_ sees great
difficulties in reclaiming waste lands--Platitudes--Change of
views--Requisition for meeting in Dublin--Unexpected publication of
the "Labouchere Letter" authorizing reproductive works--Verdict of
the Government against itself, 167

CHAPTER VII.

The Measures of Relief for 1846-7--Difficulties--Shortcomings of the
Government--Vigorous action of other countries--Commissary General
Routh's Letter on the state of the depots--Replies from the
Treasury--Delay--Incredulity of Government--English Press--Attacks
both on the Landlords and People of Ireland--Not the time for such
attacks--View of the _Morning Chronicle_--Talk about
exaggeration--Lieutenant-Colonel Jones--Changes his opinion--His
reason for doing so--Mr. Secretary Redington's ideas--Extraordinary
Baronial Presentments--Presentments for the County Mayo beyond the
whole rental of the county!--The reason why--Unfinished Public
Works--Lord Monteagle--Finds fault with the action of the
Government, although a supporter of theirs--Expenses divided between
landlord and tenant--Discontent at rate of wages on public works
being 2d. per day under the average wages of the district--Founded
on error--Taskwork--Great dissatisfaction at
it--Combination--Attempt on the Life of Mr. W.M. Hennessy--True way
to manage the people (_Note_)--Stoppage of Works--Captain
Wynne--Dreadful destitution--Christmas eve--Opposition to Taskwork
continues--Causes--Treasury Minute on the subject--Colonel Jones on
Committees--Insulting his officers--Insult to Mr. Cornelius O'Brien,
M.P.--Captain Wynne at Ennistymon--A real Irish Committee--Major
M'Namara--His version of the Ennistymon affair (_Note_)--Charges
against the Gentry of Clare by Captain Wynne--Mr. Millet on
Ennistymon--Selling Tickets for the Public Works--Feeling of the
Officials founded often on ignorance and prejudice--The Increase of
Deposits in the Savings' Banks a Proof of Irish Prosperity--How
explained by Mr. Twistleton, an official--Scarcity of silver--The
Bank of Ireland authorized to issue it--The Public Works of 1845-6
brought to a close in August, 1846--The Labour-rate Act--Difficulty
of getting good Officials--The Baronies--Issues to
them--Loans--Grants--Total--Sudden and enormous Increase of
Labourers on the Works under the Labour-rate Act--How distributed
over the Provinces--Number of Officials superintending the Public
Works--Correspondence--Number of Letters received at Central
Office--Progress of the Famine--Number employed--Number seeking
employment who could not get it--The Death-roll, 196

CHAPTER VIII.

Operations of the Commissariat Relief Department--Not to interfere
with Mealmongers or Corn Merchants--Effects of this Rule--Deputation
from Achill (_Note_)--Organization of the Commissariat Relief
Department--Reports on the Potato Crop--The Blight in
Clare--Commissary-General Hewetson's opinion--Commissary-General
Dobree's Report--Depots--Universality of the Blight--Rules with
regard to Food Depots--Fault of the Treasury--Scarcity of
Food--Depots besieged for it in the midst of harvest--Depots to be
only on the West Coast--What was meant by the West Coast--Coroner's
Inquests at Mallow--Rev. Mr. Daly--Lord Mountcashel--Famine
Demonstration at Westport--Sessions at Kilmacthomas--Riot at
Dungarvan--Captain Sibthorpe's Order--Mr. Howley's Advice--Attempt
to rescue Prisoners--Captain Sibthorpe asks leave to fire--Refused
by Mr. Howley--Riot Act read--Leave to fire given--People retire
from the town--Two men wounded--The carter's reason for
fighting--Lame Pat Power--Death of Michael Fleming, the
carter--Formidable bands traverse the country--Advice of the
Clergy--Carrigtuohill--Macroom--Killarney--Skibbereen--March on that
town by the workmen of Caheragh--Dr. Donovan's account of the
movement--The military, seventy-five in number, posted behind a
schoolhouse--Firmness and prudence of Mr. Galwey, J.P.--Biscuits
ordered from the Government Store--Peace preserved--Demonstration at
Mallow--Lord Stuart de Decies--Deputation from Clonakilty to the
Lord Lieutenant--Ships prevented from sailing at Youghal--Sir David
Roche--Demonstrations simultaneous--Proclamation against food
riots--Want of mill-power--No mill-power in parts of the West where
most required--Sir Randolph Routh's opinion--Overruled by the
Treasury--Mr. Lister's Account of the mill-power in parts of
Connaught--Meal ground at Deptford, Portsmouth, Plymouth, and
Rotherhithe; also in Essex and the Channel Islands--Mill-power at
Malta--Quantity of wheat there--Five hundred quarters purchased--The
French--The Irish handmill, or quern, revived--Samples of it
got--Steel-mills--Mill-power useless from failure of
water-supply--Attempt to introduce whole corn boiled as food, 221

CHAPTER IX.

The Landlords and the Government--Public Meetings--Reproductive
Employment demanded for the People--The "Labouchere"
Letter--Presentments under it--Loans asked to construct
Railways--All who received incomes from land should be
taxed--Deputation from the Royal Agricultural Society to the Lord
Lieutenant--They ask reproductive employment--Lord Bessborough
answers cautiously--The Prime Minister writes to the Duke of
Leinster on the subject--Views expressed--Defence of his Irish
Famine policy--Severe on the Landlords--Unsound principles laid down
by him--Corn in the haggards--Mary Driscoll's little stack of
barley--Second Deputation from the Royal Agricultural Society to the
Lord Lieutenant--Its object--Request not granted--The Society
lectured on the duties of its Members--Real meaning of the
answer--Progress of the Famine--Deaths from starvation--O'Brien's
Bridge--Rev. Dr. Vaughan--Slowness of the Board of Works--State of
Tuam--Inquest on Denis M'Kennedy--Testimony of his Wife--A
fortnight's Wages due to him--Received only half-a-crown in three
weeks--Evidence of the Steward of the Works; of Rev. Mr. Webb; of
Dr. Donovan--Remarks of Rev. Mr. Townsend--Verdict--The _Times_ on
the duties of Landlords--Landlords denounce the Government and the
Board of Works--Mr. Fitzgerald on the Board and on the
farmers--Meeting at Bandon--Lord Bernard--Inquest on Jeremiah
Hegarty--The Landlord's "cross" on the barley--Mary Driscoll's
evidence; her husband's--_Post-mortem_ examination by Dr.
Donovan--The Parish Priest of Swinford--Evictions--The _Morning
Chronicle_ on them--Spread and Increase of Famine--The question of
providing coffins--Deaths at Skibbereen--Extent of the Famine in
1846--Deaths in Mayo--Cases--Edward M'Hale--Skibbereen--The diary of
a day--Swelling of the extremities--Burning beds for fuel--Mr.
Cummins's account of Skibbereen--Killarney Relief Committee--Father
O'Connor's Statement--Christmas Eve!--A visit to Skibbereen twenty
years after the great Famine, 243

CHAPTER X.

The Landlords' committee--A new Irish party--Circular--The "Great
Meeting of Irish Peers, Members of Parliament and Landlords" in the
Rotunda--The Resolutions--Spirit of those
Resolutions--Emigration--great anxiety for it--Opening of
Parliament--Queen's Speech--England on her Trial--Debate on the
Address--Lord Brougham on Irish Landlords--Lord Stanley on the
Famine--Smith O'Brien's speech--Defends the Landlords--Mr.
Labouchere, the Irish Secretary, defends the Government--The Irish
Agricultural population were always on the brink of starvation, and
when the Blight came it was impossible to meet the disaster--The
views of the _Morning Chronicle_ on the Government of Ireland--Mr.
Labouchere quotes the Poor-law Enquiry of 1835 and the Devon
Commission--Change of the Government's views on the
Famine--Griffith's estimate of the loss by the Blight--Extent of
Irish Pauperism--Lord George Bentinck points out the mistakes of the
Government--The people should have been supplied with food in remote
districts--He did not agree with the political economy of
non-interference--Mr. D'Israeli's manipulation of Lord George's
speech--Letter of Rev. Mr. Townsend of Skibbereen--Fourteen funerals
waiting whilst a fifteenth corpse was being interred--Quantity of
corn in London, Liverpool and Glasgow--Lord John Russell's
speech--He regarded the Famine as a "national calamity"--Absurd
reason for not having summoned Parliament in Autumn--Sir Robert
Peel's view--The Prime Minister on the state of Ireland--His
views--His plans--Defends the action of the Government--Defends
unproductive work--Reason for issuing the "Labouchere
Letter"--Quotes Smith O'Brien approvingly--Mr. O'Brien's letters to
the Landlords of Ireland (_Note_)--Confounding the questions of
temporary relief and permanent improvement--Fallacy--Demoralization
of labour--The Premier's "group of measures"--Soup
kitchens--Taskwork--Break down of the Public Works--Food for
nothing--Mode of payment of loans--L50,000 for seed--Impossibility
of meeting the Famine completely--The permanent measures for
Ireland--Drainage Act--Reclamation of waste lands--Sir Robert Kane's
"Industrial Resources" of Ireland--Emigration again--Ireland not
over-peopled--Description of England and Scotland in former times by
Lord John Russell--His fine exposition of "the Irish question"--Mr.
P. Scrope's Resolution--A count out--Bernal Osborne--Smith
O'Brien--The good absentee landlords--The bad resident
landlords--Sir C. Napier's view--Mr. Labouchere's kind
words--Confounds two important questions--Mr. Gregory's quarter-acre
clause--Met with some opposition--Irish liberals vote for it--The
opponents of the quarter-acre clause--Lord George Bentinck's attack
on the Government (_Note_), 280