The Soup-kitchen Act—­The harvest of 1847—­Out-door Relief Act—­Great extension of out-door relief—­Number relieved—­Parliamentary papers—­Perplexing—­Misleading—­Sums voted—­Sums expended—­Sums remitted—­Total Treasury advances under various Acts—­Total remissions—­Sum actually given as a free gift to meet the Famine—­Charitable Associations—­Sums collected and disbursed by them—­Two Queen’s Letters—­Amount raised by them—­Assisting distressed Unions—­Feeding and clothing school children—­Feeling about the Irish Famine in America—­Meetings throughout the Union—­Subscriptions—­Money—­Food—­Number of Ships sent to Ireland with Provisions—­Freight of Provisions—­Ships of War—­The “Jamestown” and “Macedonian”—­Various Theories about the Blight—­The Religious Theory—­Peculiar—­Quotations—­Rev. Hugh M’Neill—­Charles Dickens—­The Catholic Cantons of Switzerland—­Belgium—­France—­The Rhenish Provinces—­Proselytism—­Various causes for Conversions assigned—­The late Archbishop Whately’s Opinions—­His Convert—­He rejects the idea that Converts were bought—­Statement of the late Archdeacon O’Sullivan—­Dr. Forbes on the Conversions in the West—­Mr. M’Carthy Downing’s Letter—­The Subscription of L1,000—­Baron Dowse—­Conclusion 505

(NOTE A.)—­Absenteeism:  Mr. M’Culloch’s defence of it examined, 522

(NOTE B.)—­Smith O’Brien’s refusal to serve on a Committee of the House of Commons, 556

(NOTE C.)—­Treasury Minute, dated August 31st, 1846 541

(NOTE D.)—­The “Labouchere Letter,” Authorizing Reproductive Employment, 549

THE GREAT FAMINE OF 1847,

ETC.

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