HG, g
267 NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY
FROM
OXFORD TO SRIBBEREEN
DURING THE YEAR
() F THE
I R IS H F A M I N E.
BY Mr. * t *
y PA Frederſ. k Temple Hamden-Terºl-
ag Aº,
LORD purrents'ANB TÉÉ HöN. G.3F. BóYi E.
\.
The proceeds of this Work to be sent to Skibbereen.
OXFORD,
JOHN HENRY PARKER.
1847.

ł
BAXTER, PRINTER, oxfor D.
PR E FA C E.
THIS Letter was written for the satisfaction of
our own immediate friends and relations.
It is merely an account of what was seen and
heard by two Gentlemen during a stay of twenty-
four hours in a small town in the south of Ireland,
at a fearfully interesting period. There will be
found but few original observations, no censures,
no suggestions, our only object being to give an
accurate narrative.
Our names have been attached to the publi-
cation in hopes that they will be a sufficient
guarantee for the truth of every thing related from
“personal” observation. For almost every other
assertion our authorities have been given.
CH. C.H. March 1, 1847.
* *
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O3:/ord, March 1, 1847.
DEAR
WE have just returned from a visit to Ireland,
whither we had gone in order to ascertain with
our own eyes the truth of the reports daily
publishing of the misery existing there. We have
found every thing but too true ; the accounts are
not exaggerated—they cannot be exaggerated—
nothing more frightful can be conceived. The
scenes we have witnessed during our short stay at
Skibbereen, equal any thing that has been recorded
by history, or could be conceived by the imagin-
ation. Famine, typhus fever, dysentery, and a
disease hitherto unknown, are sweeping away the
whole population. The poor are not the only
sufferers: fever is spreading to every class, and
even the rich are becoming involved in the same
destruction. *
A detailed account of our expedition will probably
afford you some satisfaction. We left Oxford on
Friday evening, and reached Dublin late on Satur-
day night. Our time being limited, we had
originally determined to go no farther than to
some of the counties near the capital; but upon
6
mentioning our intention to an Irish friend, we
were advised to proceed at once to Skibbereen, in
the county of Cork, which was reported to be the
very nucleus of famine and disease. Finding, how-
ever, that the Cork coach did not start till eleven
o'clock on Monday, we thought it would be as
well to run down early in the morning to a village
about 45 miles distant from Dublin, where the
coach would overtake us later in the day. The
name of this village was Åthy “. Upon our arrival
there, we proceeded through the principal streets,
and learning that a Soup kitchen had been recently
established, we determined to visit it. Here we
ascertained that the population of Athy has been
divided into districts, to the poor of which tickets
are issued, entitling them to two meals of Soup in
the week. Above a thousand poor persons mainly
look to this kitchen for support. Had we stopped
at Athy, one would have brought back to England
sorrowful intelligence enough, but not so bad as is
usually represented in the newspapers. There
were misery and hunger it is true, some deaths too
had occurred, but still the village seemed brisk and
lively, more distressed than famished. Perhaps
the tenfold deeper misery which succeeded, has
thrown a more cheerful aspect over this spot. By
the time we had finished our enquiries and visited
the different districts, the coach had arrived ; and
* We hoped by this means to have an opportunity of learning
the state of things in the less afflicted districts,
7
at two o'clock we were crossing the bridge out of
Athy. It was six on Tuesday morning before we
reached Cork; nothing very particular had oc-
curred during the journey; we had passed several
places where the roads were very much cut up,
and gaunt, sickly men were languidly hammering
stones by the way-side; these were the public
works. At the end of every stage, the coach was
surrounded by crowds of wretched creatures
begging for something to eat, wan little faces
thrusting themselves in at the window, praying
“ the kind gentleman just for one ha'penny to buy
a penn'orth of bread.” -
We had not a moment to stop in Cork, for the
Bantry Mail calling at Skibbereen started directly
after the arrival of the Dublin coach. The only
stranger in the coach was a Roman Catholic
Priest, from whom we learnt many particulars of
the state and prospects of the country. He fully
corroborated all that we had previously heard,
adding that he scarcely saw how the population
could survive the next three months, unless the
most effective measures were taken for their relief.
He spoke very favourably of the patience and
fortitude of many of the sufferers, and expressed
his belief, that in this part of Ireland there is little
chance of any outbreak, so long as the famine is
confined to the lower ranks; that they are likely
to suffer in patience. There was not wanting now
and then the strongest confirmation of what he
8
had advanced, for we were constantly passing
carts of meal and other provisions, attended even
in these most destitute parts by a single man or
boy. This is strongly contrasted with the state
of other districts, in which the protection of the
military or police is necessary, an instance of
which we witnessed in returning through the
county of Tipperary. In some parts of the
country in which the distress is less keenly ex-
perienced, outrages are of far more frequent
occurrence. Our conversation turned on the
efforts of England in behalf of Ireland; he as-
sured us they are most gratefully acknowledged;
“ that in many places, whatever may have been
the former feeling of the people toward England,
it is now very different.” As he continued his
account, the general aspect of the country became
a sad comment to his evidence, for the fields on
either side lay barren and uncultivated, the roads
frequently interrupted by public works, the horses
more wretched at every change, in the towns and
villages through which we passed, the proportion
of hovels still increased, while occasionally a new-
made deal coffin standing up on end against the
side of a house plainly indicated that we were
rapidly approaching the head quarters of the Irish
Famine. At Clonakilty, a small town about twenty
miles from Skibbereen, a Government vessel had
that morning arrived with provisions. After this
the scenery became even still more wild and
9
desolate, the road wound through barren bleak
mountains, no vestiges of labour or cultivation,
while occasionally pools of stagnant bog water
stretched out on either side the way. Soon,
however, the cottages became more frequent,
clustering together in greater numbers, and at
length the coach drove into the ill-fated village
which we had come such a distance to see.
Skibbereen was till this year a “comparatively.”
flourishing place; the shops were good, and the
tradespeople very respectable; but now its wealth,
trade, and prosperity, are completely prostrated,
Almost the first thing we saw on entering the
town were nine or ten deal coffins, of which before
we had occasionally observed single specimens,
ranged on end against the side of a house, just
turned off from the maker's hands. Round the
inn door were crowded numbers of the most
wretched beings one had ever beheld, not so much
clamouring for alms, as looking on in listless in-
activity. As soon as we had seen our luggage
safely bestowed, we set off for the residence of
Mr. Townsend, the clergyman of the place. By
this time it was three o'clock, and a drizzling rain
which had begun to fall made every thing look
still more dismal. It was with some difficulty we
made our way through the dense crowd which
loitered in the streets, principally composed of
women and children. Nothing seemed doing,
there was no stir and bustle of business, and the
10
shop-keepers from lack of customers stood idle at
their doors. On enquiring for Mr. Townsend, we
were told he was engaged at the Relief Committee;
but presently meeting him on his return, we ac-
companied him to the Parsonage. On our way we
introduced ourselves, and explained the object of
our visit, begging of him to give us an account of
how matters stood in his parish. To our enquiries
he replied, that nothing could be worse; that the
whole population was being destroyed ; that the
typhus fever had broken out, that two of his maid-
servants had died from it; that from the frequency
of deaths and the necessities of the dying, it was
found impossible any longer to perform the accus-
tomed rites of the Church, and that even the pro-
viding of coffins became a matter of difficulty.
Having arrived at his house, he begged us to
step in for a few minutes. In the drawing-room
we found a lady working at a table, with a
quantity of limen on the floor beside her ; this
was Mrs. Townsend, who during the absence of
her husband was employed at home in preparing
shrouds for the dead. In the quiet of his house
we could more attentively listen to particulars.
We learnt, that the population of the parish is
about 20,000; that the proportion of deaths had
risen from 3 to upwards of 100; that the Union
was crammed with far greater numbers than it
was ever intended to contain; that generally there
were three and four in each bed, a man recovering
11
lying between two others in the height of raging
fever; and that even still they were compelled to
suffer multitudes to lie on the damp mud floor of
their own cottages, the only alleviation being, that
the frequency of deaths made continual room for
new inmates. Some had even died in this uncared-
for condition, and their dead bodies had lain putrify-
ing in the midst of the sick remnant of their families,
none strong enough to remove them, until the
rats and decay made it difficult to recognise that
they had been human beings. His expectations
for the future were equally desponding. August
must come before the soil itself could contribute
any thing to the support of its inhabitants; but
even then little could be expected, for seed-time
was rapidly passing away, and in all directions
the land lay unsown and untilled. The cause of
this is quite apparent ; the small farmer, upon the
annihilation of his only support, unable to
cultivate his patch of ground for want of im-
mediate subsistence, is forced to resort to the
public works, where he can at least earn 10d.
a day"; while many of the larger farmers, the
men who make the exports which astonish every
one, and by the sale of their corn have alone
flourished in the midst of the general calamity, are
hoarding up their money in the Savings' Bank, with-
holding his due from the impoverished landlord, in
* Half a stone of meal costs ls. 8d, and is barely sufficient to
afford a daily meal to a moderate family.
12
order that they may on the first opportunity
escape from the famine-stricken island to the
unblighted harvests of America.
Mr. Townsend then proposed to take us the
round of his parish; and having quitted the Par-
Sonage, our conversation naturally continued on
the same subjects. He deeply lamented the de-
moralization among the inhabitants, and the
loss in some of the spirit of independence, for
the Relief Committee had occasionally de-
tected persons on the public works whose real
circumstances did not entitle them to this means
of support. But if he was able to instance cases
of this kind, he could bring forward some, on the
other hand, in which respectable tradesmen had
been literally reduced to be dependent upon
public charity ". He evinced his anxiety to meet
such cases in a distinct manner, by mentioning an
attempt of his to induce the Relief Committee to
grant the sale of a small quantity of Indian corn
on favourable terms to a poor tradesman, rather
than to suffer him to be immediately treated like
the other destitute persons.
Conversing on these subjects, we reached a
most miserable portion of the town ; the houses
were mere hovels, dark and dismal in the inside,
damp and filthy to the most offensive degree. So
* One man having been refused relief at a private house on
account of his respectable appearance, was found dead near the
door a quarter of an hour afterwards.
13
universal and virulent was the fever, that we were
forced to choose among several houses to discover
one or more which it would be safe to enter. At
length, Mr. Townsend singled out one. We stood
on the threshhold and looked in; the darkness of
the interior was such, that we were scarcely able
to distinguish objects; the walls were bare, the
floor of mud, and not a vestige of furniture. The
poor have pawned nearly every article of furniture
which they possess, in order to obtain food ; the
number of tickets at the brokers is almost in-
credible ; many have thus parted with the means
of future subsistence, as in the case of some
fishermen, who have pawned their boats and nets,
and so deprived themselves of the power of deriv-
ing benefit from the fish, which abound along the
coast. We entered another at no great distance:
over a few peat embers a woman was crouching,
drawing her only solace from their scanty warmth;
she was suffering from diarrhoea: there seemed
scarcely a single article of furniture or crockery in
any part of the hut. The woman answered the
enquiries of Mr. Townsend in a weak and de-
sponding voice; and from what we could gather,
there appeared to be several other human beings
in different corners of the hovel, but in the darkness
we were totally unable to distinguish them.
This case is cited, not as an instance of extreme
destitution, but as a proof of the miserable con-
dition to which some, who were once in flourishing
14
circumstances, have been reduced; for the woman,
we were told, was the wife of a respectable trades-
man, who but two months before was carrying
on a thriving business; and the same reverse of
fortune had been experienced by others likewise.
Mr. Townsend assured us, that in each of the
surrounding huts we should witness the same or
similar scenes, aggravated, perhaps, by the pre-
vailing epidemic.
On quitting the cottage, one could not help
thinking of its cheerless aspect even by day, and
could form some picture of what it would be by
night; how slowly and drearily the hours would
pass away; how little the comfort, as far as this
world is concerned, in looking to the future; how
Small the ground of hope that their existence
could be protracted through the five months yet
to come, before the soil can yield them subsistence,
even if they have strength and energy to cultivate
it ! In addition to this, the ravages of typhus
among their immediate friends and neighbours, the
dismal visits of the funeral cart, the call to the
inmates to bring forth their dead, serving daily to
realize to them the sad results, would leave but
little ground of hope, that if they escaped the
famine, they would avoid the fever! **
Our next visit was to the churchyard; it was
the burying place to an ancient abbey, the ruins of
which still remained mouldering away in the midst
of the surrounding tombs. There was nothing
15
picturesque or beautiful about it, no ivy, no
columns, no ornamented arch; loose walls and
bare stones were the only vestiges of the ancient
structure. It was a very large grave-yard, and
most of the graves had evidently long since been
made; but in one corner there was about an acre
of uneven and freshly-turned earth. This was the
portion allotted to the late victims of famine and
disease; by these graves, no service had been per-
formed, no friends had stood, no priest had spoken
words of hope, and of future consolation in a glorious
eternity The bodies had been daily thrown in,
many without a coffin, one over another, the upper-
most only hidden from the light of day by a
bare three inches of earth, the survivors not even
knowing the spot where those most dear to them
lay sleeping. In one place, the ground had been
hollowed out to the depth of two feet, where
several coffins were piled up in layers one above
another, with but a sprinkling of earth between
them, the ends protruding into that part of the
shallow trench which still remained unfilled.
When Mr. Townsend remonstrated with two men
we found in another part of the churchyard, for
leaving their work thus incomplete, they excused
themselves on the ground, that six more bodies
were expected in the course of the evening;
mentioning at the same time, that they had buried
six on the previous morning from the workhouse,
and four more in the evening of the same day,
16
and that some days no less than eleven bodies
were brought to be thus interred. Upon returning,
We passed over a portion of the yard where no
mounds indicated that bodies had been interred
beneath. “Take your spades, and dig there,” said
Mr. Townsend to the two men. “I dare not, Sir,
I dare not,” said one of them. “What are you
afraid of 7" said Mr. Townsend, as he took the
Spade into his own hands, and began by shovelling
away a little of the earth. He had not proceeded
far, before a portion of a white shroud appearing
above the mould stopped his further progress.
The most fearful anticipations are entertained
of a pestilence breaking out, as soon as the hot
weather shall set in, from the effluvia that must
necessarily arise from bodies decomposing so near
the surface", and a pestilence once begun, who shall
say how far its ravages may extend It is found
impossible to induce the people to dig to any
depth, so feeble and languid are they become. At
first a man was placed in the churchyard to see
the bodies properly interred; but this precaution
was found worse than useless, for the poor wretches
used then to bury their dead in the garden behind
their cottages, scraping a hole for them during the
night. All these cases are the more shocking, from
the fact, that this people are very particular in
* The authorities have taken measures to remedy these abuses
for the future, by preparing a deep pit for the reception of the
dead.
º
º
§ {
-

17
paying due honour to the dead, and conducting
the burial ceremonies with all the magnificence
their poverty will admit.
On quitting the churchyard, we returned
to wards the town; at a spot where the road
diverged into two different directions, we
came to a small cottage, built as usual of mud
and loose stones, and raised a little above the
level of t' road; there was only one window,
and that almost blocked up, the door was shut,
and the hut had every appearance of being
deserted. At this moment, the funeral cart with
its attendant came towards us; it stopped opposite
the cottage ; a deal coffin of a large size, in order
to suit the dimensions of all persons, lay jolting at
the top. With some difficulty the man backed
the vehicle up the ascent. In the mean time, the
clergyman beckoned us to one side, and we pre-
pared for one of those scenes of which we had
often heard, but never expected to witness. We
learnt that the coffin was for a woman who lay dead
in that house, and that four others of the same
family lay sick of the fever, unable even to assist
in removing the body of their relation. The man
with the cart called to another, the same whom we
had seen in the churchyard, bidding him assist in
carrying out the corpse; and upon his refusal,
began to curse and swear in the most awful
manner, unchecked by the very presence of death,
and the almost visible manifestations of the judg-
1S
ment of God. At last, however, the man con-
Senting, both disappeared within the shadow of
the door way. Presently they returned, bearing
between them the dead body, over which a scanty
tattered yellow rag had just been thrown, not
sufficient however to cover the whole length of
the figure, or to prevent one's seeing the livid life-
less arms as they hung down swinging and knock-
ing against the ground. They hastily flung it into
the shell, the cart drove off, and the remains were
hurriedly consigned to the earth without a coffin,
and without the offices of religion | Who was
most to be pitied ? the Pastor, thus compelled
to witness the destruction of his flock; the men,
who most probably enacted but a rehearsal of
their own burying; the fever-stricken wretches, who
were left helpless and hopeless in the darkness of
their cottage; or the human soul, just borne by
death far beyond the dominion of famine and
disease ? Such is an instance of the scenes hourly
occurring in the western provinces of Ireland
Surely no sacrifice would be too great by which
they could be alleviated. If ever a prudential
foresight for future competence is to be sacrificed
to the urgent necessities of our fellow-creatures,
this is the occasion. Depend upon it, none will
hereafter suffer from a present simple and trustful
generosity.
On our way home, the Clergyman gave us new
instances of misery; each story possessed some hor-
19
rible feature which rendered it more monstrous than
the preceding; witnessing how moral depravity is
the invariable concomitant of physical want. “Do
you see that man?” said he ; and he pointed to a tall
thin figure, whose white face was rendered still
more ghastly by the black hair with which it was
overgrown. “Yes,” said we, as our eyes rested on
the wretched creature, cowering and crouching
against a door; “what of him tº “ It is only a
week ago since that man dragged the dead body of
his father by the heels across the road, through all
the mud and mire, in order that he might fling
him into the coffin " After this we separated,
he to attend some fever patients, and we to the
temporary refuge of the hotel, promising however
to pay him another visit in the evening.
At dinner there were three other gentlemen beside
ourselves. A good deal of the conversation was
occupied in enquiries after different persons suf-
fering from typhus; for, as we said before, the upper
classes, and especially those charitable persons who
superintended the distribution of soup, &c. were be-
ginning to succumb to its attacks; and on that very
evening, the principal gentleman in the town, a clever
man too, and one who had distinguished himself at
the University, lay delirious with the fever.
Our tea at the Parsonage was sad and gloomy
enough. Desirous of diverting the poor man's
attention from the thoughts which were constantly
preying on his mind, we tried a little general con-
20
versation ; but though partially succeeding, we too
often involuntarily returned to the pressing topics
of the place. He told us, he was obliged to
keep his outer gate locked, to prevent the
influx of applicants whom he could not relieve,
and who might bring with them the infection.
He distributes daily large supplies of bread, much
of which is given to those found by the road
side, unable from debility to proceed, or apply
themselves to their work. One poor woman, some
time after the rest of the applicants had dispersed,
was found lying on the ground in a pool of water
before the windows, for when they have reached
a certain stage of hunger, food is often of no
avail, and even fatal. After bidding good bye to
the poor Clergyman and his wife, we returned to the
inn for the night. On our way, we called on Dr.
Donovan, the zealous and indefatigable Physician
of the place; he is might and day employed in
ministering to the poor, and although he has visited
every scene of death, and incurred every risk of
infection, that merciful protection has been hitherto
extended to him, which so often shields the priest
and the physician in the execution of their duties
to the sick. He corroborated all Mr. Townsend's
statements, and added an anecdote from his own
knowledge. At some distance from Skibbereen
there was a cottage, in which lay a man and his
• We have since learnt, that the servant stationed at the gate for
this purpose has himself caught the ſever,
21
wife both sick of the fever; the woman died, and
the husband had just sufficient strength to crawl
out and bury the body in his garden. During the
night he distinctly heard dogs scratching and
howling over what he but too well knew was the
lately made grave ; he sent out his little girl to
drive them away, but they only bit at her, and
frightened her back into the cottage. The follow-
ing day one of the neighbours brought back the
head of the unfortunate woman, saying, “ that his
dog had brought it home !”
Immediately before breakfast the next morning,
we set off for the dwelling of the Roman Catholic
priest. Nothing could be more civil than our re-
ception, and he most obligingly answered all our
enquiries. It was the same story over and over
again. “Frequently,” said he, “poor destitute crea-
tures flocking in from the country, have knocked at
my door at eleven o'clock at night, beseeching for
a little shelter; and I not able to let them in, but
obliged to send them away into the streets; and
even during the day time I am forced to employ a
man to keep off the infected crowd from my
visitors, and from those with whom I have to
transact business.”
The coach was to pass through Skibbereen at
ten o'clock, but upon its arrival we found it full;
however, we determined to hurry on by any con-
Veyance which could be procured, as we had seem
quite enough to satisfy us, and a further stay would
2.
~"
have been both painful and unnecessary. After a
delay of three or four hours, we succeeded in hiring
an outside jaunting car, to which an extra horse
was attached. While this was being prepared, we
sent out for an immense basket-full of loaves, intend-
ing to distribute them to the occasional starving
beings we were sure to meet with by the way; but
some of the people of the town had learnt our
intention, and collected in a great crowd under
the window to the number of 100 or 200, mostly
women. It was a frightful sight to see those pale
eager faces staring up at us, uttering all manner of
entreaties. Of course there was no hope of carrying
off the bread, indeed it would have been cruel to have
made the attempt; the only question was, how
to divide it. At first we sent it down to the door,
but the rush was so great, that that scheme became
impracticable; and it only remained, to throw it out
of the window. One can never forget what followed;
the fighting, the screaming, the swaying to and fro
of the human mass, as it rushed in the direction of
some morsel, the entreaties and gestures by which
each one sought to attract our attention to herself,
and above all the insatiable expression of the
crowd as it remained unsatisfied and undiminished
at the exhaustion of our loaves—for what were they
among so many | By two o'clock they announced
the car to be ready, and it was with some
difficulty that we got to our places amidst the
crush and noise. At last, however, we were fairly
23
- off, the horses careering about in all directions,
and the strongest of the multitude running by our
side, still asking for bread. We soon, however,
cleared the outskirts of the town ; and as we
rattled along on a hard dry road, for the wind had
changed, and the sun shone brightly, we wondered
whether we should ever return to the village of
Skibbereen, and what legislation and what in-
fluences could soonest make Ireland happy and
cheerful, and its poor people industrious and in-
dependent. We got to Cork at half-past twelve
o'clock that night, and thence next night to Dublin,
and so by Holyhead to Oxford, where we arrived
on Saturday afternoon, having been exactly eight
days absent.
We remain, dear
Your affectionate friends,
DUFFERIN AND CLANEBOYE.
GEORGE FREDERICK BoyLE.
A P P E N D I X.
SINCE the preceding pages went to the press,
Mr. Townsend has furnished us with more ample
details, and further statistical returns. In de-
scribing the present condition of the town, he
mentions the increase of fever, and the further
stagnation of trade; that one poor family has been
reduced to the necessity of lying on some straw in
the market place, another has made an old boiler
by the side of a narrow lane their temporary shelter,
to such an extent is the place crowded, and so
scanty the means for obtaining a lodging. Though
not desirable for Skibbereen itself, it is not unna-
tural that the destitute persons from the adjacent
villages and hamlets, where there are no relieving
staff, should crowd into a neighbouring town which
is the head-quarters of the local committee, and
where they know that a soup kitchen has been
established. Mr. Townsend gives in his letter
another instance of the frightful scenes daily oc-
curring in these wretched districts, but we have
thought it too revolting to be inserted.
• 26
The state of the Workhouse, he informs us, is
most deplorable ; nearly half the inmates are
diseased ; and the deaths during the last week
were declared to be 65. The place is found almost
intolerable by the visitors; it is crowded to excess,
and has been closed against further admissions.
The building was constructed to accommodate
800 persons, and is reported at present to contain
as many as 1449 inmates. .
With reference to the mortality in the parish,
Mr. Townsend assures us that the Local Com-
mittee estimate the number of deaths every day at
from 35 to 40, exclusive of those in the Work-
house. The manager of the public, coffin alone
received payment for the interment of 65 bodies in
three weeks.
In reply to an enquiry on our part, as to the
adequacy of the wages received from the public
works to support the labourer and his family, we
have been furnished with the following statement.
“The price of meal per quart (9 quarts to the
stone of 14 pounds) is 5d. by retail.
Now, for a labouring man, 13 quarts,
for a woman, 1 quart,
for a boy of fifteen; 1 quart,
for an infant, i pint,
are computed as the quantity required for their
daily food.”
27 .
This of course excludes the price paid for milk,
and for the means of cooking. The wages at the
public works vary from 8d. to 10d., broken days
and time of sickness being deducted. Taking
then the case of a family of five, (a moderate
average,) 1s. 10d. would be required for their daily
maintenance
BAXTER, PRINTER, ox For D.