SKETCH OF THE LATE MR. A. T. STEWART.

THE COTTON FAMINE OF 1862-'63

CHAPTER IV.

SUCH was the result of our application to the citizens of New York. But besides these sums so readily contributed, the princely munificence of Mr. A. T. Stewart (noted in another part of this little work) enabled the Committee to extend the operations of the charity far beyond anything they could have anticipated. In the meantime, the people of Philadelphia had not been idle. Mr. Thomas O'Neill, to whom the Secretary had written on the subject, called on several friends, and after some consultation it was arranged that a public meeting should be held, and the matter fully discussed there. The following extract from the Philadelphia Press gives the chief points of the proceedings on that occasion :-

" Yesterday, a meeting, under the presidency of Archibald Getty, Esq., was held in the Corn Exchange, to consider the best means of alleviating the distress that exists among the cotton operatives of Lisburn, Ireland. The first speaker was Doctor S. Mackenzie, who gave a full detail of the terrible state of poverty to which the weavers and embroiderers connected with the cotton trade in and around Lisburn had been reduced in consequence of the war then going on between the Northern and Southern States of America. He (the Doctor) had seen letters on the subject, and he believed that the people who had been brought up to the cotton trade in the part of Ireland to which he alluded, had borne in silence the greatest privations, in consequence of the stagnation of trade at the loom and the sewing hoop. Those who know the habits of the working classes in the North of Ireland, need not be told of their natural love of independence, and how severe must have been their distress when they let the world hear of its effects. At the time he was speaking, there were hundreds of families in that part of Ulster, which were on the very verge of starvation ; and it was only when fireless hearths and foodless homes could no longer be borne with, that their privations were made known."

"Mr. Thomas O'Neill said he did not intend to add much to what had been said by Dr. Mackenzie. Early in the week he had received a letter from Mr. M'Call, Secretary of the Relief Fund, and from that communication he would just read one passage:—'You will see by the reports in the papers I send with this that the war on your side of the Atlantic has created great distress among the cotton operatives in this quarter. Are there any other Lisburn folk beside yourself and Mr. Thomas Richardson in the city on the Delaware? If so, perhaps you could raise a few pounds for us.

Everything helps in such a calamity. All the suffering said to be endured by the Lancashire people would fall far short of that borne in this part of Ireland.' On receipt of this communication, which told so much in so few words, he (Mr. O'Neill) had called on some of his brother citizens, and each of them expressed himself gratified to hear that arrangements were being made for the purpose of doing something in the case. He was glad to see by the number of friends present that the subject had been taken up in a right spirit.

"Mr. E. G. James, of the firm of Messrs. Thomas Richardson & Co., said he felt much pleasure in attending the meeting. The senior partner of his house had been unable, from a prior engagement, to be present, but he had requested him to say he would gladly contribute to the fund about to be raised. He (Mr. James) had no doubt that, if a general call were made on the merchants of Philadelphia they would heartily respond, and he had no doubt that five thousand dollars could easily be raised. He, therefore, moved that a committee be nominated to take active measures for the carrying out of the project. The motion was unanimously agreed to, and the President accordingly appointed the following gentlemen:—Edward G. James, Geo. A. M'Kinstry, Hugh Craig, R. A. M'Henry, C. J. Hoffman, Dr. R. Shelton Mackenzie, Geo. Raphael, Charles Knecht, Edmund A. Souder, Joseph W. Millar, and Thomas O'Neill."

It will be seen by the annexed list of subscriptions raised in Philadelphia, how well the good citizens of that famous seat of commerce responded to the call of humanity on that occasion :

	dols.		dols.
John A. Brown	500	Mercer & Antelo	50
Peter Wright & Sons	100	Massy Collins & Co	50
George Bullock	100	And C. Craig & Co	50
Wray & Gillilan	50	David Graham & Co	50
Jacob T. Alburger & Co.	100	Booth & Kennedy	25
Edmund A. Souder & Co.	100	George A. M'Kinstry	25
Thomas Richardsen & Co.	100	Joseph Wm. Miller	25
Proprietors of Girard House	100	George Whitely	25
A. R. M'Henry	100	Josiah Bryan	25
Alex. G. Cattell & Co.	100	D. B. Kershaw & Co	25
J. A. Dogherty & Sons	100	Workman & Co	25
Cope Brothers	100	John Wood & Co	25
Henry Cope	100	J. H. Michener & Co	25
Alfred Cope	100	Angier Hugel & Co	25
Morris Tasker & Co	100	John Barnett	25
John Woodside & Co	100	William \W. Cookman	25
Henry Windsor	100	William Brice & Co	25
R. F. Lepper	100	Mackey & Hogg	25
James H. Orne	100	James Steel	25
R. Patterson	100	H. J. Adams & Co	25
Riddle & Leich	100	Morris Wain	25
John Gibson, Sons & Co	100	H & H. W. Catherwood	25
H. Craig & Co.	100	James A. Hull & Co.	25
W. S. Smyth & Co	100	James P. Perot & Brothers	25
S. & J. M. Flannigan	100	John Hartman	25
S. & W. Welsh	100	W. Taylor & Co.	20
Eliza P. Gurney	100	Robert Creighton	20
George Raphael & Co.	50	T. M. Apple	15
John R. Penrose	50	W. Sanderson & Son	10
Adam Moffitt	50	Captain James Snow	10
Robert Taylor & Co	50	W. Duke Murphy	10
Charles Kelly	50	J. B. Lippencott	10
Pritchett Baugh & Co	50	L. E. Ballard	10
Hay & M`Devitt	50	P. B. Mingle & Co	10
Samuel Riddle	50	Buzly & Co	10
James Graham	50	Cask	10
M'Cutcheon & Collins	50	Mrs. J. B.Vanosten	10
C. J. Hoffman	50	John M Smiley	10
Alexander Young	50	Malone & Co	10
William B. Thomas	50	A Lady	5
Charles Cummings	50	A Lady	5
Alexander Heron, jun.	50	Andrew Alleson	5
James Alderdice	50	Francis O'Connor	5
William M. Baird	50	Stephen Carr	5
Thomas Clyde	50	A. Groves, jun.	5
William P. Clyde	50	George Read	5
Wilmon Whilden	50	J. Agnew	1
William M'Kee	50	Joseph D. &Mary D. Brown, by Hands of Dilwin Parish	151
Thomas Sparks	50	Joseph D. &Mary D. Brown, by Hands of Dilwin Parish	151

The lists of contributions from the benevolent and generous citizens of New York and Philadelphia tell in language easy to understand how much real charity may be found in all lands. If the right chord be only touched, a hearty response to any appeal made on behalf of those who are bowed down by sorrow and suffering is rarely refused. Ireland owes much to America, but in few instances had the people of the wide land of Columbia shewn the depth of their kindness to the small Isle of the West so promptly as during the Cotton Famine.

At the general meeting of the Relief Committee, held on Tuesday, the loth of February, 1863, Sir JAMES MACAULEY HIGGINSON, C.B., in the chair,

The Rev. EDWARD KELLY, P.P., gave some sketch of a visit he had paid to the homes of some of the people in Chapel Hill) Long Stone, and the lanes leading from those streets. He said there was great want of bed-clothing in the houses of many families, and he would suggest that members of the Ladies' Committee should be requested to look after these people. It was well known how much good had arisen from the exertions put forth by that Committee; in fact, it had done work which could hardly be said to be in the way of their other friends doing; and if the matter to which he alluded were placed in the hands of the ladies, he was certain the poor people would have their wants fully attended to.

The SECRETARY said that his friend Father Mooney had that morning called his attention to the subject alluded to by the Rev. Mr. Kelly ; and as that gentleman had special opportunities of forming correct opinions on the matter, he felt assured the Committee would attend to it.

Mr. GEORGE PELAN bore testimony to the great exertions made by the Catholic curate. He said Mr. Mooney's attention to the poor—not only of his own Church, but of all other creeds—was worthy his character as a Christian minister. More than one gentleman in town had spoken to him on the subject; and he (Mr. Pelan) was glad to have the opportunity of alluding to the promptitude and energy displayed by the Rev. Mr. Mooney in furthering the objects of the Relief Committee.

Ordered, that the Secretary write at once to the Ladies' Committee on the matter brought forward by the Rey. Mr. Kelly.

The Secretary here handed in a letter from the Rev. Beauchamp Stannus, Rector of Woodbury, Salterton, Exeter, and in which was enclosed a cash order for £17 9s 2d, amount of subscriptions which that gentleman had collected from the good people of his parish as their contributions to the Relief Fund.

Mr. MILLAR said that much satisfaction and no little grateful feeling had been expressed out of doors at the liberality with which their friends in England had strengthened the hands and increased the funds of the Relief Committee. Contributions from many sources had been sent to them, and he was glad to see that in not a few of these instances old associations were not forgotten, and that was especially the case with the Rev. B. Stannus. That gentleman was born and had been brought up in Lisburn ; and though many years had passed since he left for England, he had not lost any of his early attachment to his native place. He begged to propose the following resolution :—

"That the best thanks of the Lisburn Relief Committee be given to the Rev. Beauchamp Stannus, not only for his own liberal contribution to our Fund, but also for his kindness in collecting subscriptions in his own neighbourhood. And we gratefully acknowledge the benevolence of those ladies and gentlemen of Woodbury and its neighbourhood who have so readily responded to the call of their rector."

The Rev. DAVID J. CLARKE said he could only express his entire concurrence in all the Treasurer had stated respecting the kindness of the Rector of Woodbury, Salterton, and those benevolent friends of charity who had contributed their subscriptions. The fraternal feeling displayed in that trying time would not, he hoped, soon be forgotten. All difference of creed and country seemed to have been cast aside, and nations had joined in sheaving how much good there is in the world, after all that may be said to the contrary. He had great pleasure in seconding the resolution.

Sir JAS. M. HIGGINSON said that, as Chairman of the meeting, he had great pleasure in putting the question. But, independent of his position on that occasion, he was really proud to observe how fully the very kindly spirit in which the Rev. B. Stannus had taken up the subject, had been recognized by the Committee. He would just add a request, that the Secretary should send a copy of the resolution to the proper quarter.

Passed unanimously.

Mr. JOHN SLOAN, of Plantation House, said he could hardly state how very much gratified he felt in thinking of the readiness with which the generous-hearted people of that and other countries had entered into the good work of aiding the poor weavers. England had, indeed, been very kind. He, himself, had been engaged in manufacturing muslins as agent for a leading house in Glasgow during a period exceeding thirty years, and never recollected such a season of suffering among the working ranks as that through which they were then passing. In his own neighbourhood the people had been nearly lost for want of both food and clothing before the Committee commenced operations. He understood from the Secretary that nine hundred families, comprising about four thousand people of different ages, had received rations of food and coal in the previous week. That fact alone was sufficient to call forth the practical sympathy of all who had means to bestow on their suffering brethren.

Having given a pretty full statement of the subscriptions raised in America, we shall now take the list of names and contributions of the friends of the Fund in Lisburn and other parts of Ireland,
as well as those of Great Britain and the Continent. In the first edition of this little work only the names of those who subscribed five pounds and upwards were published ; but Mr. Millar having suggested that it might be well to give the entire list, and that gentleman having made out a complete copy of the whole, a full statement is now annexed :—

Leeds Relief Fund (per Mayor of Leeds)	£200	0	0
J. N. Richardson, Sons, & Owden	£20	0	0
John D. Barbour, Fort House	£50	0	0
Friends' Committee, Manchester	£50	0	0
S. & T. harbour, Hilden	£25	0	0
Jonathan Richardson, J. P., Lambeg	£50	0	0
Thomas Bateson, Belvoir	£25	0	0
J. J. Richardson, J.P., Kircassock	£20	0	0
Captain Ward, Lisburn	£20	0	0
Sir J. M. Higginson, K. C. B. Brookhill	£20	0	0
J. N. Richardson, Lissue.	£20	0	0
Joshua P. Richardson,' Wilmont	£20	0	0
Robert Barbour, Hilden	£20	0	0
Yates, Brown, & Howat, Glasgow	£20	0	0
Barkley & M'Gregor	£20	0	0
John Owden, Seapark	£20	0	0
Richardson, Spence & Co., Liverpool	£20	0	0
W. Inman, do.	£20	0	0
Samuel Martin, do.	£20	0	0
Brown, Shipley & Co., do.	£20	0	0
David Malcolmson, do.	£20	0	0
David Stewart, do.	£20	0	0
Segar & Tunnicliffe, do.	£20	0	0
Contributed by Hilden Operatives	£19	0	0
Collected at Woodbury, Salterton, Exeter, by the Rev. B. Stannus	£17	9	1
Contributed by Glenmore Operatives	£14	19	2
By Island Mill Operatives	£12	15	0
The Dean of Ross, Lisburn	£10	0	0
T. R. Stannus, do.	£10	0	0
Rev. Hartley Hodson	£10	0	0
Joshua Pim	£50	0	0
William Charley, J.P., Seymour Hill	£10	0	0
Richard Bell, Belfast	£10	0	0
J. & R. Workman, do.	£10	0	0
Workman & Sons, do.	£10	0	0
The Earl of Portarlington	£10	0	0
William Malcomson, Portlaw	£10	0	0
John Malcomson, Waterford	£1	0	0
Black & Wingate, Glasgow	£10	0	0
Paterson, Jamieson & Co., do.	£10	0	0
Anderson & Gray, do.	£10	0	0
R. C. Aiken & Co., do.	£10	0	0

Miss Wakefield	£10	0
Admiral Sir George Seymour, London	£10	0
Rev. Alexander Orr, Salehurst, Hurst Green	£10	0
R. L. Chance, Birmingham	£10	0
"In Memoriam," Paris	£10	0
W. G. Malcomson, Liverpool	£10	0
Andrew Malcomson	£10	0
Operatives of Messrs. Bell & Calvert's Mill, Whitehouse	£7	11
George Fairley, Paisley	£6	0
R. Workman & Co., Belfast	£6	0
A. Meinnollf & Co., Hamburg, through W. Barbour, J.P.	£5	12
Rev. B. Stannus, Woodbury, Salterton.	£5	0
William Gregg, J. P., Derrievolgie.	£5	0
W. T. Stannus, J.P., Manor House, Lisburn.	£5	0
J. W. Fulton, J.P., Braidjule.	£5	0
Mrs. Carleton, Rosevale	£5	0
Matthew J. Smith	£5	0
David Beatty	£5	0
John Sloan, Plantation House	£5	0
A. Macartney	£5	0
David Carlisle	£5	0
Robert Stewart	£5	0
John Millar	£5	0
Hugh M'Call	£5	0
Robert Alister	£5	0
James Millen	£5	0
W. Thompson	£5	0
Hugh Seeds	£5	0
William Nicholson	£5	0
John Roberts, J.P.	£5	0
Mr. Hamilton, Woodbury, Exeter	£5	0
A. Mohnlman, Hamburg, by William Barbour, J.P.	£5	0
Wakefield, Nash & Co., Liverpool.	£5	0
William Gardner, do.	£5	0
Mrs. Smyth, Clifton, Bristol	£5	0
A Foreign Friend	£5	0
Forster Green, Belfast	£5	0
Mr. Corbet, do.	£5	0
R. Macauley & Sons, do.	£5	0
Dr. Andrews, do.	£5	0
William Brown, Holywood.	£5	0
Mrs. Malcomson, Lisnagarvy House.	£5	0

John Richardson, jun	£5	0
William Graham	£5	0
William Coulson	£5	0
Bennett Megarry	£5	0
Colonel Garrett ...	£5	0
John Birney	£5	0
Mrs. Whitla	£5	0
Richard Niven	£5	0
Employés of Black & Wingate, Glasgow	£5	0
Joshua P. Richardson	£4	0
Mrs. Charrington, Surrey	£4	0
Major General Boyd, Bath	£4	0
Snowden Corken .	£3	0
Miss Batt, Kingstown	£3	0
Robert Neill, Mossvale	£3	0
Michael Andrews, jun.	£3	0
Rev. Dr. M'Kay	£3	0
Lagan Navigation Company	£3	0
Dr. Musgrave	£3	0
Rev. Maurice M'Kay	£3	0
Mrs. Maxwell, High Riding	£2	0
H. & W. Seeds, Belfast	£2	0
Captain Allan Millar, R. E	£2	0
Dr, James Patton	£2	0
Mrs. Henry Hunter, Bath	£2	0
John Bradbury	£2	0
Henry J. Garrett	£2	0
Mrs. Edgar	£2	0
James Mussen	£2	0
Captain Bolton, R. N.	£2	0
Mrs. Vaughan	£2	0
F. D. Finlay, Northern Whig	£2	0
William Bullick	£2	0
Adam Blackburn	£2	0
Mrs. Eliza Richardson	£2	0
Lindsay Brothers, Belfast	£2	0
Rev. James Hall, Limerick	£2	0
Richard Allen, Dublin ..	£2	0
Mrs. Mussenden	£2	0
Miss Cupples ..	£2	0
A Friend	£2	0
James Frazer	£2	0
John Richardson, jun.	£2	0
William Graham	£2	0
William Coulson	£2	0
Bennett Megarry	£2	0
Colonel Garrett	£2	0
John Birney	£2	0
Mrs. Whitla	£2	0
Richard Niven	£2	0
Employés of Black & Wingate, Glasgow	£2	0
Joshua P. Richardson	£2	0
Mrs. Charrington, Surrey	£2	0
Major General Boyd, Bath	£2	0
Snowden Corken	£2	0
Miss Batt, Kingstown	£2	0
Robert Neill, Mossval	£2	0
Michael Andrews, jun.	£2	0
Rev. Dr. M'Kay	£2	0
Lagan Navigation Company	£2	0
Dr. Musgrave	£2	0
Rev. Maurice M'Kay	£2	0
Mrs. Maxwell, High Riding	£2
H. & W. Seeds, Belfast	£2	0
Captain Allan Millar, R. E	£2	0
Dr, James Patton	£2	0
Mrs. Henry Hunter, Bath	£2	0
John Bradbury	£2	0
Henry J. Garrett	£2	0
Mrs. Edgar	£2	0
James Mussen	£2	0
Captain Bolton, R. N.	£2	0
Mrs. Vaughan ...	£2	0
F. D. Finlay, Northern Whig	£2	0
William Bullick	£2	0
Adam Blackburn	£2	0
Mrs. Eliza Richardson	£2	0
Lindsay Brothers, Belfast	£2	0
Rev. James Hall, Limerick	£2	0
Richard Allen, Dublin ..	£2	0
Mrs. Mussenden	£2	0
Miss Cupples	£2	0
A Friend	£2	0
James Frazer	£2	0

Mrs. Mitchell, Whiteabbey	£2	0
William Gilbert, Belfast	£2	0
Joseph Magill, do	£2	0
Edward Charley	£2	0
William John Magee	£2	0
Mrs. Campbell, Cheltenham	£2	0
Mrs. Dr. Pirrie, Belfast	£2	0
Dr. George Whitla, R.A	£2	0
H. & W. Barcroft, Tyrone	£1	10
Rev. William Breakey	£1	10
George Duncan	£1	10
Collected at Tottenham School, by Fred. C. Richardson	£1	7
Henry T. Higginson, J.P	£1	0
W. Irving, Workington	£1	0
Dr. Neilson Hancock, Dublin	£1	0
Alexander O'Rorke, Belfast	£1	0
H. & J. M 'Cavana, do	£1	0
Rev. E. Kelly, P.P	£1	0
Rev. J. Mooney, C. C.	£1	0
Rev. Robert Lindsay	£1	0
Dr. M 'Haig	£1	0
Joseph Turner	£1	0
W . S. Darkin	£1	0
Thomas M'Creight	£1	0
George Wilson	£1	0
George Stephenson	£1	0
Dr. Campbell	£1	0
William Young	£1	0
Alfred Millar	£1	0
George Pelan	£1	0
Samuel Kennedy.	£1	0
George Thompson	£1	0
David black	£1	0
John Finlay	£1	0
Rev. D. J. Clarke	£1	0
Redmond Jefferson	£1	0
Thomas Swan	£1	0
Thomas R. Pelan	£1	0
James Megarry	£1	0
Samuel Graham	£1	0
John M'Bride	£1	0
James Savage	£1	0

John Kain	£1	0	0
Horatio Doggert	£1	0	0
Robert Blythe	£1	0	0
George Carliste	£1	0	0
George Walker	£1	0	0
Joshua Lamb	£1	0	0
Rev. William Pounden	£1	0	0
Frank Dymond	£1	0	0
Rev. Mr. Hall	£1	0	0
JohnK. Green	£1	0	0
Robert Mussels	£1	0	0
William Gardiner	£1	0	0
Bernard Jefferson	£1	0	0
J. & W. Brownlee	£1	0	0
Arthur Gamble	£1	0	0
R. R. Houghton	£1	0	0
Cornelius Johnston	£1	0	0
Robert M'Knight	£1	0	0
Russell Kennedy	£1	0	0
Matthew Mussen	£1	0	0
Harry Major	£1	0	0
James Alister	£1	0	0
Robert Thomson	£1	0	0
William Hanna	£1	0	0
James Maze	£1	0	0
Mrs. Alderdice	£1	0	0
M.N.	£1	0	0
James Clarke	£1	0	0
James Crossin	£1	0	0
Rev. W. M'Call, London	£1	0	0
J. W. S. M`Cance, Suffolk	£1	0	0
J. P. Richardson	£1	0	0
Jane S. Pim, Dublin	£1	0	0
Andrew Munce, Belfast	£1	0	0
William Sherrie, do	£1	0	0
Anon., per Joshua Lamb	£1	0	0
Lieutenant W. Whitla	£1	0	0
Robert Morrow	£1	0	0
Samuel Hill	£1	0	0
E. B. Martin, Connecticut	£1	0	0
J. W. M'Alester, Alabama	£1	0	0
William Clibborn, Belfast	£1	0	0

Mrs. Ruth Clibborn	£1	0	0
Henry Calwell, Monkstown	£1	0	0
Mrs. Donaldson, Cavanamore	£1	0	0
Miss Annie Maine	£1	0	0
Professor James Thompson	£1	0	0
Rev. Samuel Dunlop	£1	0	0
Lieutenant Roney	£1	0	0
John Frazer	£1	0	0
William Kelsey	£1	0	0
Second Lurgan Presbyterian Congregation	£1	0	0
W., per Messrs. Richardson, Spence & Co.	£1	0	0
George Thompson	£1	0	0
Dr. M'Cartney	£1	0	0
Directors Northern Bank :
Hugh Montgomery	£2	0	0
James Bristow	£2	0	0
James T. Bristow	£2	0	0
William Valentine	£2	0	0
W. S. Crawford	£1	0	0
Collected by Mrs. Clibborn :
The Misses Rowley, Dublin	£2	0	0
Victor Coates, Belfast	£2	0	0
Mrs. Ebenn Pike, Cork	£1	0	0
Laura and Alice Pimm	£0	15	11
A Friend on the Coal Quay	£0	13	0
W. Wilson	£0	10	0
John Flynn	£0	10	0
Robert Culbert	£0	10	0
George Briggs	£0	10	0
Malcoms0n Greeves	£0	10	0
James Murray	£0	10	0
An Englishman's Wife	£0	10	0
Arthur Tinsley	£0	10	0
Alexander M'Cann	£0	10	0
Edward Higginson	£0	10	0
John Stevenson	£0	10	0
David M'Blain	£0	10	0
Joseph Hall	£0	10	0
Robert Mulholland	£0	10	0
George Wilson, Belsize	£0	10	0
William Foote	£0	10	0
R. & W. Reid	£0	10	0

James Phillips	£0	10
Samuel Young	£0	10
Rev. Mr. Rich, Brighton	£0	10
Mercer Rice	£0	10
Alexander Boyd	£0	10
Thomas Silcock	£0	10
Joseph M'Clure	£0	10
Robert H. Neill	£0	10
Mrs. Watson	£0	10
Gregg Brothers	£0	10
Mrs. Armstrong	£0	10
Adam M'Clure	£0	10
J. & R. Turner	£0	10
Deane C. Taylor	£0	10
William Clarke	£0	10
William M'Comb, Belfast	£0	10
John Connor	£0	10
Robert Reid	£0	10
Rev. J. Brown	£0	10
Ralph Jefferson	£0	10
Robert Jefferson	£0	10
Patrick Fleming	£0	10
Joshua Corkin	£0	10
Thomas Nuckle	£0	10
John Corkin	£0	10
John Major	£0	10
John Simpson	£0	10
John Connor	£0	10
W. J. Murdoch	£0	10
David M'Lean	£0	10
Robert M'Murray	£0	10
George Carson	£0	10
Thomas Carson	£0	10
Richard Murdoch	£0	10
William Mussen	£0	10
John Gilliland	£0	10
David Boal	£0	10
John Douglas	£0	10
Jacob Green	£0	10
Abraham Green	£0	10
Isaac Bell	£0	10
John Turtle	£0	10

Samuel Duffield	£0	10
Richard Fair	£0	10
James Hutchinson	£0	10
David Brahwaite	£0	10
Thomas Dunlop	£0	10
Thomas Hickey	£0	10
Joseph Scandrett	£0	10
John Anderson	£0	10
James Murray	£0	10
William Gray	£0	10
Thomas Quin	£0	10
Governor and Female Pupils at Friends' School	£0	8
John Smith	£0	7
James Braithwaite	£0	5
Miss M`Kee	£0	5
M. & J. AI 'Cloy	£0	5
Peter Cannery	£0	5
William Dunwood	£0	5
Samuel M'Connell	£0	5
John Heaney	£0	5
G. A. R. (per Newsletter)	£0	5
William Fleming	£0	5
John Kelly	£0	5
James Hunter	£0	5
Miss Wright	£0	5
Aaron Watson	£0	5
Abraham Lamb	£0	5
Thomas Tate	£0	5
Sundry smaller sums	£0	6

NOTE.—This list contains all subscriptions made up to the Autumn of 1863. At the commencement of the following year, Mr. Robert Hart, Collector of Customs at Hong Kong, sent over the handsome gift of one hundred pounds, which was not included in the account.

There were also to be added to this list the large gifts of flour and Indian corn, received through Mr. James, of Liverpool, from the International Relief Committee, and which were value for about one thousand pounds.

At the conclusion of the second month of the Relief Committee's labours, there had not been any diminution of demands on the Fund ; but the great cry of the people by that time was for clothing.
On the 3rd of March, 1863, there was a full Board in attendance, Dr. CAMPBELL in the chair.

Dr. MUSGRAVE said he had been over a great portion of the Maze district some days before, and he had recommended that five-and-twenty pairs of blankets be handed over to the Sub-Committee of the Maze for distribution. Agreed to.

Mr. JAMES N. RICHARDSON having some time ago stated that he intended to make an application to the Friends' Committee of Manchester, for a share of the breadstuffs sent them from America, reported that he had received a reply to the effect that one hundred barrels of flour would be granted to the Lisburn Committee.

A vote of thanks having been passed to Mr. J. N. Richardson, that gentleman was requested to convey the hearty acknowledgments of the Committee, to the " Friends" of Manchester.

Mr. Beatty handed in a cheque for 23, from Thos. Bateson, Esq.; and £10 each was reported as the subscriptions of Messrs. W. G. Malcomson and A. Malcomson, of Liverpool.

While this abundance of gifts was being poured into the treasury, and while the generously-disposed of far distant lands, as well as those in our own country, on whom Lisburn had no claim, save that of poverty, were displaying the very spirit of generous fraternity, not a word of reply had been received to the letter sent the lord of the soil. Much complaining was heard out of doors on the subject, and very frequently the inquiry, " What has Lord Hertford contributed to the Relief Fund ? " was made in the Committee-room. But to all such questions there was only the one answer to be given.

In course of that meeting, some pointed remarks were made relative to this matter, and several members complained of the great want of common courtesy displayed by the Marquis. After much discussion, however, and in the charitable hope that his lordship had not received the letter sent him, the following resolution was passed :—

" That, having heard that Mr. Joseph Richardson is about to visit Paris, and that while there he may have occasion to call on the Marquis of Hertford, we request our Secretary will make out a copy of the letter as posted to his lordship on the 13th of January last, and also write a second communication on the same subject, and that he will beg of Mr. Richardson to lay the two letters before Lord Hertford, and respectfully to urge on his lordship the strong claim the Lisburn Relief Fund has on his liberality."

In accordance with this order of Committee, the following letter was written :—

" Lisburn, March 3rd, 1863.

"MY LORD MARQUIS,—On the 1 3th Jan. last, and at the request of the Cotton Operatives' Relief Fund Committee here, I had the honor of writing your lordship to solicit your aid on behalf of the numerous sufferers who have been reduced to the greatest distress by the cotton famine. As I wrote you on that ocasion, a great proportion of these poor people were reared either in this immediate neighbourhood or in the town that forms the capital of your estate. The Committee would, therefore, respectfully hope that you will respond to that appeal ; and they feel certain, that if your lordship had only one day's experience of the great distress that exists here, you would require no further influence to lead you to give liberally in support of the great destitution.

" I enclose a copy of the letter alluded to as having been posted to your lordship's address some weeks ago; and as we have not had a reply to it, the Committee fear it has been mislaid in course of transmission.

" I have the honour to be, my Lord

" Respectfully your obedient servant,

"HUGH M`CALL.

" To the Most Noble the Marquis of Hertford,K. G.,

Bagatelle, Paris."

This second letter, as well as a copy of the former one on the same subject, was enclosed in an envelope and Landed to Mr. Richardson, for presentation to the Noble Marquis. During that gentleman's visit to Paris, he had an interview with Lord Hertford, in course of which he introduced the subject connected with the cotton famine, referring especially to the distress that had fallen on the weavers of Lisburn and the surrounding districts, most of which localities were on his lordship's estate. The envelope containing the letters was then handed to him, Mr. Richardson adding that he trusted he would respond to the appeal. In reply, his lordship merely remarked that "he had received the first communication addressed to him by the Secretary of the Lisburn Relief Committee, but as his agent (Mr. Stannus) was then giving work to many labourers there, he did not see that any further aid should be required of him."

Here we have Lord Hertford's own testimony relative to what he considered to be the duties of a landlord who owned an estate of sixty-seven thousand acres. He had been informed that all but direct starvation prevailed in many parts of his property, and that great numbers of the operatives connected with the cotton manufacture were suffering from want, but not a line of reply had he the courtesy to send the Lisburn Relief Committee, nor did he contribute a 7 single shilling towards alleviating the distress of the destitute people. He said his agent was employing people as common labourers, but for every one person Mr. Stannus had at work, the Messrs. Barbour, and the different firms of the Messrs. Richardson, and other large houses, employed fifty; yet all these flax-spinners and manufacturers contributed liberally to the Relief Fund. Lord Hertford's conduct in this case adds another to the many illustrations of the evils entailed on Ireland by absenteeism. Had he been even an occasional resident on the magnificent property that owned him for its lord, and had chanced to look upon the scenes that so frequently came before the Relief Committee, he could not have withheld his hand nor refused his sympathy for the sufferers who, next to the members of his own household, had the greatest claim on his generosity. According to the liberal laws of our country, every man has a right to live where he pleases. But if the owner of a princely property gratifies his tastes by residing in foreign lands, and if, in seasons of sorrow and suffering, when thousands of the people who live on that property have been stricken down by poverty, he closes his ear against every appeal made to him for assistance, then the State should step in and give some local authority power to tax that selfish landlord in such an amount as would be an equivalent for the public loss sustained as well by his absence from the seat of distress as by his want of charitable feeling. At the time to which we refer, the Noble Marquis had for nineteen years been in possession of one of the finest estates in Ireland, an estate which included some of the best land in the Counties of Antrim and Down ; and during that period his lordship had drawn upwards of half-a-million, in the shape of annual rental, from that splendid property. In the meantime, his contributions
to the charities and other funds connected with Lisburn were miserably trifling. Of course, he had a just claim to his income, large as it was ; but there are duties attached to all such rights, and his moral obligation to make certain returns for the hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling he had received from his Irish estate was just as incumbent on him as were the legal covenants of his tenants to pay him rents for the lands they cultivated.

Some days after the appearance of the first letter on the condition of the cotton operatives of Lisburn and its neighbourhood, in the Times, the Secretary received the following :—

" Paris, Feb. 20, 1863 " DEAR SIR,—I have read with much interest, and considerable sorrow, the account given in the London Times of the state of poverty and suffering that now exists in your town and the surrounding districts. Having many old and cherished associations with Lisburn and its people, the story of the distress existing there has affected me more than I can well express to you. I enclose a bank order for five pounds, and shall feel greatly indebted should you be good enough to give me such information respecting the present state of the sufferers as you may be disposed to communicate.

" Truly yours,

"T. GRAHAM SMYTH.

" Hugh M'Call, Esq.

" P. S.—Please keep my name secret, and let the subscription appear in your list as that of ` In Memoriam.' "

[In the previous editions of this volume the name of our respected friend was kept secret, but now that so many years have passed since the time of the cotton famine, it cannot be considered as any breach of confidence to give that name in full.]

To this communication the Secretary wrote an immediate reply, of which the following is a copy :—

'' Lisburn. Feb. 25, 1863. "DEAR SIR,—Many and hearty thanks for your letter and its enclosure of five pounds. I shall, of course, keep your name out of print, and yet regret being obliged to do so. The depth of poverty to which the people connected with the cotton manufacture in this section of Ulster have been reduced through want of employment would appear almost incredible to those who know little of the Irish people's power of endurance We hear much about the American Indian, and how long he can bear up against semi-starvation, but assuredly I have heard about whole families that, for weeks before their distress was made known, could only muster means sufficient to procure one meal of porridge in the twenty-four hours. And yet such is the feeling of independence that prevails in many circles of workpeople that their wants were only made known through some of their more fortunate neighbours. We purpose sending a number of the younger people either to America or some of the British colonies, as, in the present state of trade, there seems little prospect of employment, at least for some time to come. I send with this a Whig and a News-Letter, in which full reports appear of last week's proceedings, as noted in Committee. " Very truly yours,

" HUGH M'CALL.

" T. G. Smyth, Esq."

It will be seen by the date of the next letter—a copy of which we give here—that our benevolent contributor did not permit a single day to pass before he forwarded a further donation.

" 43, Rue des Faubourg St. Honore,
Paris, " March 2nd, 1863. •

" DEAR SIR,-The papers came to hand, and I feel grateful that you acceded to my request of keeping my name secret. Allow me to thank you for your letter and the kindly spirit that dictated it. I once heard of an epitaph to this effect-

" What I have spent I lost.
What I have lent I lost.
But what I gave I have."

Believing, then, that the Almighty ever repays, and with good interest, what.ever is given in His cause, and being well satisfied with the security, I enclose you another five pounds. This, I propose, should be employed in aiding the poor people to emigrate, should your Committee so decide in applying a portion of the funds. If not, you can place it to the credit of the general relief. Still desirable of preserving my signature, ' In Memoriam.'

" I am, dear Sir,

" Faithfully yours,

" IN MEMORIAM.

" H. M'Call, Esq."

The supplies of cash, breadstuffs, and blankets sent in to the Lisburn Committee continued on the most liberal scale, but the drain on their resources became very great. It was well known to them that the assistance given to each family fell far short of that which had been the average in Lancashire ; but even taking the rate of distribution then going on in their own district there was no doubt that the means at the disposal of the Committee would not admit of the same ratio of relief from that time to the end of Summer. While this question was being discussed in Committee, the constable who attended the weekly meetings, and was at other times engaged in making inquiries respecting the actual requirements of persons seeking relief, came into the room to announce that a deputation from the weavers of Bridge End, Lisburn, had a memorial to lay before the Committee.
The deputation was introduced by Mr. John Sloan, of Plantation House, and after a few words from an exceedingly intelligent member of the Weavers' Society, the memorial was read. It was stated in that document that there did not appear to be any well-founded hope that the existing state of depression would soon pass away. The weavers did not wish to continue as recipients of relief; for, however grateful they felt to the gentlemen that had so opportunely come forward to aid them in that time of poverty and privation, they respectfully begged that their benefactors would devise some means of sending, say, two dozen families to any of the colonies. In that case, the people who would get out to a land where their labours would support them might ultimately rise to comparative independence, and so far the field of employment at home would be lightened of a number of competitors for work when trade improved.

After some remarks from the Chairman, to the effect that the subject would be considered, the deputation withdrew.

The tone of the memorial, and the manly spirit of self-reliance it exhibited, caused many expressions of pleasure on the part of the Committee, and it was immediately resolved to accede to the prayer of the weavers, so far as the funds would permit. Mr. MILLAR expressed the great satisfaction he felt at the care which had been taken in distributing the funds. Those poor families that were in their suffering most unobtrusive, and concealed rather than paraded their wants, had been sought out and attended to, and the relief in such cases was so given as not to hurt that feeling of delicacy which should ever be cherished. He was glad, therefore, to find that the distress existing in the ranks of the workpeople connected with the cotton trade had not affected the virtue of self-reliance among them ; and as the application to Mr. Jordan, the London Emigration Agent, had failed, he would suggest that a letter be sent to the Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of State for the Colonies, and that probably his Grace might be able to do something for them.

Sir JAMES M. HIGGINSON said there had been no end of what he considered as very romantic tales told about Queensland being superior as a colonial home for redundant population to any other isle of the far South, but had little faith in such imaginative stories. He preferred Canada to any of all her Majesty's distant possessions. Some of the most successful settlers in that section of British North America were Ulstermen. Having resided there in an official capacity for many years, he could, therefore, speak with some degree of confidence, not only as to the fertility of the soil, but respecting the great facilities that were to be found there for industrious immigrants. But as Mr. Millar had proposed that the Duke of Newcastle should be applied to, he thought that course might be taken in the first instance.

The following letter was, therefore, written to the Colonial Secretary: —

" Lisburn, March 3rd, 1863.

"MY LORD DUKE,—I have been requested by the Committee of the Cotton Operatives' Relief Fund to write to your Grace on the distress suffered here by the weavers, many hundreds of whom have been thrown out of employment by the cotton famine. We have raised money for their relief, and are at present giving food and clothes to many hundreds of families. But as little hope exists of any immediate improvement of trade in that manufacture, it has been suggested that a number of the younger operatives should be sent either to Canada or some of the isles of Australia. I presume your Grace may be aware that in this part of Ulster it is quite usual for the hand-loom weavers in the rural districts to assist at outdoor work in the fields, at certain seasons when ordinary hands are not able to do the work, and, consequently, that most of these weavers would be able to do farm labour. The object of our Committee in taking the liberty of writing to your Grace is, therefore, to inquire whether the Government would assist them in sending to Canada or Queensland say from four to five hundred of these poor weavers. It is melancholy to think that such numbers of people, able and willing to work, should be suffering from semi-starvation at home, while millions of acres of Britain's colonial lands lie idle and useless from want of hands to cultivate them. The Committee desires me to add that should your Grace require more detailed information on this subject, they will feel pleasure in sending it forward.

" I have the honour to remain, my Lord Duke,

" Your Grace's very humble servant,

HUGH M`CALL, Secretary.

"To his Grace the Right Hon. the Duke of Newcastle,

Colonial Office, London."

In course of post, a reply to this letter was received, couched in the stereotyped phraseology of Downing Street literature, the Chief of the Colonial Department winding up his curt communication with an expression of regret that " Her Majesty's Government was not prepared to undertake the responsibility of sending Irish emigrants to Canada."

As a rule, the people of Ulster owe little to the Imperial Powers, no matter by what party such powers may be wielded. Throughout all the destitution, disease, and death that followed in the wake of the famine season, we not only supported our own poor, but sent contributions towards the alleviation of distress in the Western provinces. And in order to chew his appreciation of the self-reliance and benevolent spirit of Ulstermen, Lord John Russell, then Prime Minister, saddled the ratepayers here with an additional tax, known as a "Rate in aid," for the people of Connaught. A more disgraceful act of injustice was never perpetrated than the passing of that law. If it had been an actual truth, and not a mere Governmental fiction, that the West of Ireland had the honour of being an integral part of the United Kingdom, the people of Lancashire and York, of Devon and of Warwick, should have borne their just proportion of assisting in the support of Connaught-men, and Ulster ought only to have been called upon to contribute her own share of the tax, In a somewhat similar spirit to that shewn towards the North of Ireland by Lord John Russell was an appeal to the Duke of Newcastle treated, by that pompous politician. For more than a century the people of Ulster had never sought such favour of the British Government ; but, trifling as was the request of the Lisburn Relief Committee, the ducal Minister could not think of the great " responsibility of sending Irish emigrants to Canada."

At that time the Imperial Government was flinging away immense sums in building the unsightly sea monsters called ironclads. Four-inch plates and six-inch planks were considered by my lords of the Admiralty as quite sufficient armoury to resist any cannon ball. The gunner's art, however, was next tried, and Sir Wm. Armstrong produced a piece of ordnance that sent its shot through iron and timber as easily as though the combination had been no stronger than the side of a coal barge. Then commenced the war between the manufacturers of armour plates and the gun makers, until, at length, nine-inch steel and fourteen-inch teak were found unable to resist the increased power of cannon. In that play at projectiles some millions of money were spent, and not a, few nautical abortions which (as was said in a discussion in the House of Commons, were "built to swim as a duck, but might go down like a diver") were launched from the Royal dockyards. The mere cost of the internal fittings of any one of these ships would have paid the outlay incurred in sending many thousands of the cotton weavers to Canada and settling them there on Government lands; but on the part of Ministerial Bumbledom that would have been rather too practical in its policy ; and hence, those who expected little at the hands of the British Cabinet were not disappointed.

03/02/2012

Telephone Directories

THE COTTON FAMINE OF 1862-'63

CHAPTER IV.