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.

To have met the Potato Famine with anything like complete success, would have been a Herculean task for any government.  The total failure of the food of a nation was, as Mr. Monsell said, a fact new in history; such being the case, no machinery existed extensive enough to neutralize its effects, nor was there extant any plan upon which such machinery could be modelled.  Great allowance must be therefore made for the shortcomings of the Government, in a crisis so new and so terrible; but after making the most liberal concessions on this head, it must be admitted that Lord John Russell and his colleagues were painfully unequal to the situation.  They either could not or would not use all the appliances