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about two quarts of the blood, as she with a kind of passive contentedness said, "I have not been able to get so much to-day." Methinks, could my readers have seen the gratitude of that poor woman, as she dropped upon her knees in extasy, when I gave her a ticket for a little meal, and told her to come again; they would never forget it. This evening went to see a case in the suburbs of the town; in one corner of a large bleak field, was pitched a cabin not more than from two to three feet high. In this lay a poor woman in fever, together with her husband, and a second woman with two children.

Wednesday.In my rounds to-day called at a farmer's house (Protestants). This class of people, holding a small farm of from 12 to 15 acres, were until lately, very comfortably off. They had their cows, their sheep, their pigs, and their ponltry; with their fine-growing land, producing its abundant crops of barley, oats, but more especially potatoes. Now, in consequence of the entire failure of the latter, they can no longer feed their pigs; the cows have been sold, the poultry sent to market, and the sheep turned into money to pay the rent; for (l blush to own it) this has been demanded by many in a most peremptory way. Now, to infuse as it were new life and animation into this class—to induce them to till the ground, and furnish them with the means wherewith to purchase a little seed, I consider a most effectual mode of relief: for if the land be neglected-as in great part it is-bad as this year is, the next will far exceed it. The horrors of this winter will be multiplied tenfold next. For what England has done in 1846-7, it cannot do again in 1847-8. This fact I have endeavoured to impress upon the people, and at the same time strove to cheer them on in a prompt attention to the land.

[I cannot close these extracts without adding, that, though I by no means wish to make this Magazine a vehicle of fault-finding with "the powers that be," yet as an eye-witness of the calamities of Ireland, I fear there is too much reason to suppose that it is deemed a matter of policy to allow a very large portion of the hapless inhabitants of this hapless country to die off by famine! Through the kind sympathy of our Queen, a letter was read in the Churches of England-say two months ago. Where are the proceeds? Are they dispensed? Are the people of Ireland already invigorated by the fruits of that appeal? A law was passed-say two months since-for the immediate relief of the destitute in Ireland. Has that relief commenced? Is the condition of the people improved by the immediate, and at least partial adminis. tration of that law ? Nay. The contrary is the fact. The people meanwhile are dying by multitudes. One fifth part of the people are already taken off the public works, and a Government circular is issued, stating that, by the first of May, the whole are to be discharged! And here is a town, in the central part of Ireland, numbering, with its inmediate neighbourhood, upwaards of eleven thousand inhabitants, sustained for most part by private charity from England. In addition to a sum, amounting now to upwards of Six Hundred Pounds, which

my dear readers have sent me, Mr. Sandford has received several cone tributions from England, which he has distributed in bread, soup, clothes, and small sums of money to the sick. And, in addition to the whole of this, Mr. Ormsby (the Rector) has been enabled, through the kind sympathy of English friends, to dispense from £15 to £20 a week since the 1st of February last; having up to this date received nearly Four Hundred Pounds, for that purpose, from clergymen in England, who have had, during that time, a regular weekly collection in their churches. So that, whilst he, in different parts of the town and a part of the country district, exhausts, upon au average, a ton of meal per week, besides small sums of money, bread, and soup, I, in other parts of the town and in another country district, use an equal quantity of meal, besides money, soup, and bread. And but for this, the people must speedily have been conversant with all the horrors, which for years to come will be associated with the names of Scull and Skibbereen, We hear much of plenty in the land-of the ports being well stocked with ships of provisions; but the difficulty of obtaining those provisions here, and the price at which they are obtained by the expense of carriage, is lamentable. Of this I am certain, that unless these new Government measures are put in motion-and that most promptly—we shall be plunged into a state of things of the most fearful character.] Ireland, April 15, 1847.

THE EDITOR.

NOTES FROM IRELAND.

To several of my beloved readers, to whom I have unintentionally caused a degree of anxiety by the non-acknowledgment of their subscriptions to the Irish Fund, and to others who kindly forwarded several bales of clothing, during the last month, I have to offer the expression of my deep regret. Upon receipt of the April Magazine 1 was quite at a loss to account for the non-insertion of the list which I had prepared, and, as I thought, posted for England; but, some days after, the difficulty was solved: upon opening my pocket book, there was the letter, containing the list. I had taken it out with me for the purpose of putting it into the post; but such is the crowdand such the pressing claims of that crowd, immediately upon making my appearance, that, as in the instance referred to, I commonly forget everything whilst absorbed in the thought, "How shall I act? Where shall I go? Indeed, no English reader can imagine what it is to have a petitioning people either round your door-standing or crouched down in a line opposite your window-or following at

your heels wherever you go. But perhaps the most perplexing thing of all, is, the continued importunity of the people-their repeated solici. tations-their most resolute perseverance, after you have, in the firmest -the most decided terms, told them that you will not relieve them in the street. As I commonly say to them, “ Do you think I have no regard for my word? Do you think I will tell a lie? Under your mistaken system, you can get absolution for such practices, I cannot.

You can,

as you think, get forgiveness from your priest; I am obliged to go to GOD, and that with mourning and deep sorrow of heart." Alas! the lying expedients to which these poor deluded people will resort-the system of falsehood and deception in which they are reared, is most awful to contemplate. Hence the necessity of seeing cases in order to believe them, and hence the great additional labour that is entailed. It is but a short time since, a man called--a most distressed, pitiable object certainly. He had been relieved a few days before; his wife, he then stated, had left her home in quest of relief, and was found the next morning dead in a ditch! This was true. But he now, with bitter weeping stated, that his eldest child, about eleven years of age-she who had taken her mother's place in tending the house, and minding the children-was dead; that some neighbours had come the night previous and stolen the very bedclothes from the side of the corpse; and that a kind friend, having given the boards, he wanted the price for making the coffin. Mr. Sandford stood by and heard the story; and so truthful did it seem—so earnest, and at the same time so touching, and so simple was the man's manner, that we were both completely overcome by by the statement. We gave him a little temporary aid, and promised further assistance. We set off immediately to the place-a distance of four or five miles; and there, to our utter astonishment, found (with the exception of the death of the mother, who certainly was discovered dead in a ditch) the whole to be a fabrication! Though there was great want, there was no sickness; so far from having had bed-clothes stolen the night previously, they had had none in the place for months; and, instead of the child of eleven years of age being the eldest, there were two daughters grown-up women.

Such, I repeat, is the deceit-such the easy mode of coining lies-to which any system that can so readily pacify conscience, by obtaining the forgiveness of man, will lead its adherents. And, as I often say to them, how unnecessary such lying expedients. Surely, their poverty-their want-their all-but actual starvation, is too plain to every beholder, to need falsehood and fraud to give it additional colouring.

But another feature in this soul-ruining system of Popery, is a selfishness, that places anything like gratuitous services beyond the comprehension of its poor deluded votaries. They do not uuderstand about care for souls-a so-to-speak voluntary anxiety about the welfare of the immortal spirit. They have had to do from earliest training with a pounds-shillingsand-pence salvation. The priest's compulsion of the poverty-stricken widow to sell the dung-heap from her door in order to pay his half

crown fee for the "holy day,*" is what the poor Romanists would far better know the meaning of, than deep anxiety for their spiritual welfare, apart from any earthly or temporal compensation. And surely, but for the deadening influence of Popery-but for the venomous gripe with which it has seized its victims, they would long ere this have discovered the mere mercenary motives by which its abettors were actuated.

I have been prompted to these latter remarks by the effort which is now making to nullify the good that has been effected in this town, through the generous sympathy of my kind readers, by a statement that has been set afloat (I will leave them to imagine from what channel) to the effect, that I am the well-paid agent of certain parties in England, who have sent me over here to distribute their funds, and make proselytes. Hence, while many express unbounded thankfulness, and say that but for these funds, and their prompt distribution, multitudes in this town must have fallen victims to famine, others there are who come, and in the most peremptory way, demand assistance.

Well paid, forsooth! If the sacrifice of three-fourths of one's time, and an unceasing tax upon one's energies, be payment, I am well paid. If ceaseless interruption throughout each day, and nervously-agitated, sleep-broken nights be payment, I am well paid. If to listen to heartrending appeals-relieving the destitute-attending the sick-and administering to the dying, be payment, then am I-then indeed are the clergy of Ireland-well paid. But am I not recompensed? Ah! I recollect myself. Again I take my stand beside the dying bed of one, and gaze upon that look of love, sincerity, and gratitude; I see that face lighted with a joy-a transport, that no language can pourtray; I listen to those bursts of thanks-that parting blessing-I feel again the pressure of that death-cold hand-and I say I am paid; in thee, M'Gill, I have my wages. 1 occupy afresh my place in yonder mountain cabin; and when the love of Jesus flows warmly through the heart-and I am privileged to tell it out to others -I say, I have my wages. But, when I stand prospectively on the dawning of a brighter day, and behold the summing up of all; when the welcome "Come up higher," shall be followed by the soul-reviving language, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," then indeed shall I exclaim, "It is enough! I am well paid."

Ireland, April, 1847.

THE EDITOR.

If any doubt this fact, I am ready at any moment to quote my authority. I had it from the lips of an eye-witness but a few days since, who declared that the priest would not give the so-called "holy day," which is deposited in the deceased's coffin, without his fee, which he compelled her to sell her store of manure in order raise.

CITY PRESS, 1, LONG LANE, W. H. COLLINGRIDGE.

THE

GOSPEL MAGAZINE.

"COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE, MY PEOPLE, SAITH YOUR GOD." "ENDEAVOURING TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND OF PEACE." "JESUS CHRIST, THE SAME YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND FOR EVER.

WHOM TO KNOW

VOL. VII.]

IS LIFE ETERNAL."

JUNE, 1847.

[No. 78.

BROTHERLY LOVE.

"See that ye fall not out by the way."-Gen. xlv. 24.

We intended, dear readers, to have addressed you upon a very different subject this month; but the death of a dear-a very dear-friend, has taken that subject away, and in its place supplied the above. Oh that the Lord may give knowledge and grace so to touch upon it, as to make it profitable to each of our souls.

It is a dying world, brethren; and passing from cabin to cabin-from sick-bed to sick-bed, we feel it to be so indeed! To forget for a moment the death-scenes by which one is so commonly surrounded herethe scenes more immediately introduced by the famine which has so destructively arrested the land-there are other visitations of so frequent occurrence, even in this small town, as to keep alive the remembrance of the sovereignty of the will and pleasure of Jehovah. It was but a very few weeks since the leading man in these parts was taken away as in a moment; last night we followed to the grave a lovely and talented young friend, whom disease suddenly arrested in the midst of a course of most interesting study, his so diligent application to which was of the most promising kind; and this day's post has brought tidings of the departure of one-the closest, dearest companion of our early days. Bereft of his parents deprived in a few short hours of his only brother

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