ent. A man died of starvation on the public
works in Limerick. At a meeting in Newry for the purpose of taking
measures against the scarcity, and whilst some were denying its
existence in that locality, the Right Rev. Dr. Blake, the Catholic
bishop, said, that since he had entered the meeting, a letter had been
handed to him stating that a person had just died of starvation in High
Street. In April and May potatoes had risen to a famine price in the
provinces. They were quoted in Galway and Tuam at 6d. a stone, but in
reality, as the local journals remarked, the price was double that, as
not more than one-half of those bought could be used for food.

The humane and philanthropic, who went about endeavouring to save the
lives of the people, often asked, as they travelled through the country,
"Are the landlords making any efforts? "The common answer was, with very
rare exceptions, "None whatever." The correspondent of a Dublin
newspaper,[96] writing from Cashel, quotes a notice he had copied in
Cahir, which was posted all about the town.

It ran thus:--"The tenantry on the Earl of Glengall's estate, residing
in the manor of Cahir, are requested to pay into my office on the 12th
of May, all rent and arrears of rent due up to the 25th of March,
otherwise the most summary steps will be taken to recover same.

"JOHN CHAYTOR,

"1st April, 1846."

The same correspondent, in a letter from Templemore, informs his readers
that a certain noble proprietor was just after paying a visit to his
estate in that locality, and he had no sooner taken his departure, than
notices were served on his tenantry to pay the November rent. The
tenants asked time, saying they had only a few black potatoes left. The
bailiff's reply was characteristic, and no doubt truthful:--"What the
d---- do we care about you or your black potatoes?--it was not _us_ that
made them black--you will get two days to pay the rent, and if you don't
you know the consequence."[97]

When the relief depots, the local committees, and the public works got
into gear, much was done during the summer months to alleviate the
terrible distress; but as soon as the Government advances and
subscriptions to the committees began to be exhausted, the cry for food
was again heard from many parts of the country.[98]

At this time there were one hundred and twenty-three workhouses open,
and great as the people's aversion was t