IRELAND. 407 



appease their hunger by eating fallen cattle and even grass. Some died quietly 

 in their cabins ; others, wandering aimlessly about, fell down by the roadside, 

 never again to rise ; even in the towns starving men and women sank down 

 exhausted, bvit the passers-by, accustomed to the sight, sought not to raise them 

 lip. They waited for the police to remove the obstruction. In many districts the 

 dead were no longer buried ; it was deemed sufficient to pull their cabins down 

 upon the corpses to serve as a sepulchral mound.* About 3,000,000, or nearly 

 one-third of the entire population, appealed to public charity for assistance ; but 

 what availed ordinary means of relief in so unparalleled a disaster ? Entire 

 districts, more especially in the west of the island, were almost desolated, 

 and the population sank from nearly 9,000,000 to 6,500,000. The famine 

 carried off many more victims amongst Celtic Catholics than amongst Anglicans 

 and Presbyterians, most of whom are of Scotch or English descent. These latter 

 were rich enough to emigrate, t whilst at the same time the embroidery of muslin, 

 carried on in most of the cabins of Ulster, the least Irish of the provinces of 

 Ireland, saved the lives of many of the inhabitants.+ 



In the course of last century only Protestant Irishmen emigrated to the 

 United States, whilst Catholics remained at home, and appeared to have almost 

 taken root in their townships ; § but after the great famine. Irishmen, of whatever 

 religion or race, readily found their way to a country which appeared to offer them 

 better chances of succeeding in life than did their own. Encouraged by England, 

 which thus got rid of a starving multitude, and by the United States, anxious to secure 

 labourers to till their uncultivated fields, emigration soon assumed the dimensions 

 of an exodus. In 1871, notwithstanding the great mortality which afflicts the new 

 arrivals during the early years of their residence, there already dwelt in the United 

 States 1,850,000 natives of Ireland. At the present time the American citizens of 

 Irish origin cannot be less than six or seven millions, and the enemies of England 

 have often looked to this multitude when desirous of provoking a war between 

 her and the American Republic. The Irish Americans maintain relations with 

 their fellow-countrymen in the old country, even after they have become citizens 

 of the United States, and during the seventeen years which followed the great 

 exodus they sent no less a sum than £13,000,000 in order to enable their relatives 

 to join them in their new homes. 



Irishmen unable to emigrate can at least periodically migrate to the neighbour- 

 ing island, where they assist in the harvest and other agricultural operations. 

 During certain seasons of the year their help can hardly be dispensed with, and 



* Sullivan, "New Ireland." 



f Decrease of the population of Ireland, 1834 — 1871 : — 



Total Populaf on. Calholics. Anglicans. Presbyterians. 



1834 7,954,100 6,436,060 833,160 643,058 



1841 8,175,125 6,614,000 874,000 652,000 



1861 5,798,967 4,505,165 693,357 523,291 



1871 5,412,377 4,150,867 667,998 558,238 



Decrease per cent, since 1834 . . 32-0 38-6 21-7 13-0 



X Dufferin, "Irish Emigration and the Tenure of Land." 

 § Arthur Young, " Tour in Ireland." 



