Again:  “I much regretted leaving, and but for the circumstance of some imperative engagements recalling me to London, my intended sojourn of two or three months, which I originally named to the Commissioners, would probably have been prolonged even beyond what it eventually was, amongst a people whom I saw no reason to fear, even when using necessary severity, but on the contrary every reason to admire, from their strongly affectionate dispositions and resignation in deep suffering:  they treated it as the will of God, and murmured, ’Thy will be done.’”—­Ibid. p. 18.

[148] “In cases where disturbances arose in any one district, the works of the whole barony were suspended, inflicting injury upon all, the guilty and innocent indiscriminately.”—­Ibid. p. 93.

[149] See Note p. 203, from Mr. Smith’s valuable book, A Twelvemonth’s Residence in Ireland.

[150] Board of Works Series, vol.  L, p. 53.

[151] On the 8th of February, 1847, during the debate on the “Poor Relief (Ireland) Bill,” in the House of Commons, Lord Duncan said, “He found it stated in the Blue Book he had referred to, that the two members for Clare had put tenants upon the relief-rate who were paying them considerable rents.  He trusted that they would be prepared to deny this serious imputation.”

Major M’Namara rose and said:—­“Sir—­As one of the members for Clare, I beg to say, that every sentence in Captain Wynne’s letter is a malicious falsehood. (Some sensation, amid which the hon. member resumed his sat).”

[152] He thus complains in italics:  “None of the gentry will take our part except one.”  Board of Works Blue Books, vol.  L, p. 352, Appendix.

[153] “The works under 9 and 10 Vic., c. 107, are sanctioned for sake of the relief and not for sake of the works themselves.”  Mr. Trevelyan to Lieut.-Colonel Jones, 5th October, 1846.

[154] The duty of check clerks was to visit the works frequently, to count the labourers, and prepare the pay lists.

[155] Memorial to Lord John Russell, Dec. 14, 1846.

[156] Letter to Lieutenant-Colonel Jones, 28th October, 1846.

[157] Board of Works’ Series of Blue Books, vol.  L (50), p. 352.

[158] Another account makes it only 376,133.  It is easy to see that perfect accuracy with regard to the number of persons employed on the works at any given time was, for obvious reasons, not to be attained.  The figures given above from the official returns are, therefore, only an approximation to the truth, but they may be accepted as substantially correct.

CHAPTER VIII.