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