t it was their
opinion that if the Government of the country should persevere in its
determination of refusing to use the means available to it, for the
purpose of lowering the price of food, so as to place it within the
reach of the labouring poor, the result would be a sacrifice of human
life from starvation to a fearful extent, and endangerment of property
and the public peace. This remonstrance was committed to writing, and
signed E. O'Sullivan, foreman; Samuel Hutchins, J.P.; Richard White,
J.P.

One of the five cases was that of Catherine Sheehan, a child two years
old. She had been a strong healthy child, never having complained of any
sickness till she began to pine away for want of food. Her father was
employed on the public works, and earned ninepence a day, which was
barely enough to purchase food for himself, to enable him to continue at
work. This child had had no food for four days before her death, except
a small morsel of bread and seaweed. She died on the evening of
Christmas day.

The case of Richard Finn was another of the five. He went into a house
where they were making oatmeal gruel. He begged so hard for a little,
that the woman of the house took up some of it for him, when it was
about half boiled. The food disagreed with him, and he was able to take
only a small portion of it. He soon got into a fainting state, and was
lifted into a car by four men, in order to be carried to the Workhouse.
One of the priests, Rev. Mr. Barry, P.P., was sent for. He was at the
Relief Committee, but left immediately to attend Finn. In his
examination before the coroner, he said he found him in a dying state,
but quite in his senses. He would not delay hearing his confession till
he reached the Workhouse, but heard it in the car. Finn was then removed
to the House, and laid on a bed in his clothes, where he received the
sacrament of Extreme Unction. "I feared," said the Rev. Mr. Barry, "the
delay of stripping him." And the rev. gentleman was right, for he had
scarcely concluded his ministrations when Finn expired.

Every Catholic will understand how severely the physical and mental
energies of priests are taxed during times of fever, cholera, small pox,
and the like; but all such epidemics combined could scarcely cause them
such ceaseless work and sleepless anxiety as the Famine did, more
especially in its chief centres. To those who are not Catholics, I may
say that every priest feels bound, under the most solem