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diff --git a/old/54509-0.txt b/old/54509-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 214bab1..0000000 --- a/old/54509-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1624 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 24, -December 12, 1840, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 24, December 12, 1840 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: April 8, 2017 [EBook #54509] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL, DECEMBER 12, 1840 *** - - - - -Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by JSTOR www.jstor.org) - - - - - - - - - - - THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL. - - NUMBER 24. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1840. VOLUME I. - -[Illustration: THE CASTLE OF DONEGAL.] - -The ruins of the old castellated Mansion of Donegal are not only -interesting as affording, to use the words of Sir R. Colt Hoare, “a -good subject for the pencil,” but still more as a touching memorial of -the fallen fortunes of a long-time powerful and illustrious family, -the ancient lords of Tirconnell. These ruins are situated on the north -bank of the little river Easky, or the fishy river, at the extremity -of the town to which, as well as to the county, it has given its name. -This name, however, which signifies literally the Dun, or Fort of the -Foreigners, is of much higher antiquity than the castle erected here by -the O’Donnells, and was, there can be no doubt, originally applied to a -fortress, most probably of earth, raised here by the Danes or Northmen -anterior to the twelfth century; for it appears unquestionable that the -Irish applied the appellations Gaill exclusively to the northern rovers, -anterior to the arrival of the English. Of the early history of this dun -or fortress there is nothing preserved beyond the bare fact recorded in -the Annals of Ulster, that it was burnt by Murtogh M’Loughlin, the head -of the northern Hy-Niall race, in the year 1159. We have, however, an -evidence of the connection of the Danes with this locality more than two -centuries earlier, in a very valuable poem which we shall at no remote -time present to our readers, addressed by the Tirconnellian bard, Flan -Mac Lonan, to Aighleann and Cathbar, the brothers of Domhnall, from whom -the name of O’Donnell is derived. In this poem, which was composed at -the commencement of the tenth century, the poet relates that Egneachan, -the father of Donnell, gave his three beautiful daughters, Duibhlin, -Bebua, and Bebinn, in marriage to three Danish princes, Caithis, Torges, -and Tor, for the purpose of obtaining their friendship, and to secure his -territory from their depredations; and these marriages were solemnised at -Donegal, where Egneachan then resided. - -But though we have therefore evidence that a fort or dun existed here -from a very remote time, it would appear certain, from a passage in the -Annals of the Four Masters, that a castle, properly so called, was not -erected at Donegal by the O’Donnells till the year 1474. In this passage, -which records the death of Hugh Roe, the son of Niall Garve O’Donnell, -at the year 1505, it is distinctly stated that he was the first that -erected a castle at Donegal, that it might serve as a fortress for his -descendants; and that he also erected as it would appear, at the same -time, a monastery for Observantine Franciscans near the same place, and -in which he was interred in the seventy-eighth year of his age, and -forty-fourth of his reign. From this period forward the Castle of Donegal -became the chief residence of the chiefs of Tirconnell, till their final -extinction in the reign of James I., and was the scene of many a petty -domestic feud and conflict. From a notice of one of these intestine -broils, as recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, at the year 1564, -it would appear that shortly previous to that period a tower, called “the -New Tower,” had been added to the older structure. This tower being at -that time in the possession of Hugh, the grandson of the builder of the -original castle, while the latter was inhabited by his fraternal nephews, -Con, the son of Calvarch, then Prince of Tirconnell, in the absence of -his father, attempted to get possession of both, and nearly succeeded, -when he was made captive by O’Neill. - -Towards the close of the great war with the Earl of Tyrone in 1601, -this castle, as well as the adjacent monastery, having been placed in -the hands of the Queen’s troops, through the instrumentality of Niall -Garve O’Donnell, it was besieged and taken by the celebrated leader, Red -Hugh O’Donnell, who afterwards blockaded the English in the monastery, -from the end of September till the end of October following. But though -the besieged were reduced to the utmost extremity, in consequence of -the explosion of their powder by some accident, which reduced the -greater part of the monastery to ruins, they maintained their position -with undaunted bravery, and O’Donnell finally raised the siege, and -passed into Munster to join the Spaniards. It appears, however, from -a contemporaneous poem, addressed to the ruins of this castle, a -translation of which we shall presently lay before our readers, that -O’Donnell did not depart from his native territory, never to return, -till he had reduced the proud castle of his ancestors to a ruined -pile, assigning as a reason, that it should never become what its name -indicated--a fortress for strangers! - -Whether this castle was subsequently repaired or reconstructed by Red -Hugh’s brother Rory, the Earl of Tirconnell, during the few years for -which he held his earldom previous to his flight to Rome, does not -appear from any document which has fallen under our notice, and we are -inclined to believe that he did not do so. But be this as it may, the -existing ruins retain no feature of a castle of the 15th century, but -on the contrary are in every respect characteristic of the castellated -residences of the reign of James I.; so that if it be of Rory O’Donnell’s -age, he must have rebuilt the mansion from its foundation. It appears, -however, at least equally probable that the present structure may owe its -re-erection to Sir Basil Brooke, to whom a grant of the castle was made -in 1610. But it is certain, at all events, that he repaired the castle -and resided in it until his death in 1633; and two chimney-pieces which -still remain are unquestionably of his time, as the arms on one of them -testify. These arms, which are sculptured on two shields, are, on the -first, those of Brooke impaling Leicester--the family name of Sir Basil’s -lady; and on the second, those of Brooke only. These chimney-pieces, -which are very splendid specimens of the architectural taste of the -age, are faithfully represented in wood-cuts in the second volume of -the _Dublin Penny Journal_, and are accompanied by an excellent notice -from the pen, as we believe, of Sir William Betham. In this notice it -is stated that the Castle of Donegal “was granted by patent, dated the -16th November 1610, to Captain Basil Brooke, for twenty-one years, if he -should live so long, with one hundred acres of land, and the fishings, -customs, and duties extending along the river from the castle to the sea. -Captain Brooke was knighted 2d February 1616, by Sir Arthur Chichester, -knight, Lord Deputy, and had a re-grant of twenty-one years, or his life, -of the castle by patent, dated 27th July 1620, and on the 12th February -1623, he had a grant of the fee of the castle for ever.” - -According to the same authority, this “Sir Basil Brooke was a scion of -the family of Brooke of Norton, in Cheshire, and his lady was Anne, -daughter of Thomas Leicester of Toft, in that county. Henry Vaughan -Brooke, Esq. Member of Parliament for the county of Donegal, was his -descendant and heir-at-law, who left the estates of his family to his -nephew Thomas Grove, Esq. who took the name and arms of Brooke by royal -sign-manual in 1808. He died without issue, and the estates of the family -went to Thomas Young, Esq. of Lough Esk, who also took the name of Brooke -by royal sign-manual, dated 16th July 1830, and is the present possessor.” - -During the troubles of 1641, the Castle of Donegal was garrisoned for -the king by Sir Henry Brooke, the son of Sir Basil; but was taken in May -1651 by the Marquess of Clanricarde, who was joined by the Ulster forces -under Sir Phelim O’Neill, when the O’Reillys and the MacMahons joined -with him. But the castle was shortly afterwards abandoned by him, on -receiving intelligence of the advance of Sir Charles Coote, into whose -possession it then fell. Since that period the Castle of Donegal has -never we believe been used as a residence, and no care has been taken to -save it from the ruined state in which it now appears. It is, however, -to the credit of its present possessor that he has taken every care to -delay as much as possible the further ravages of time on a structure so -interesting in its associations with the past. - -It is indeed impossible to look on this venerable pile without carrying -our minds back to the days of its proud but unfortunate chiefs; and in -our feelings of pity for their fate, indulging such sentiments as one -of their last bards has attempted to express in the following poem, -addressed to its ruins, and of which we give a literal translation. It is -the composition of Malmurry Mac-an-Ward, or the son of the bard, and was -written on the demolition of the castle by Red Hugh O'Donnell in 1601. - - -ADDRESS TO THE RUINS OF DONEGAL CASTLE. - - O, solitary fort that standest yonder, - What desolation dost thou not reveal! - How tarnished is the beauty of thine aspect, - Thou mansion of the chaste and gentle melodies! - - Demolished lie thy towering battlements-- - The dark loam of the earth has risen up - Over the whiteness of thy polished stones; - And solitude and ruin gird thee round. - - Thy end is come, fair fortress, thou art fallen-- - Thy magical prestige has been stripped off-- - Thy well-shaped corner-stones have been displaced - And cast forth to the outside of thy ramparts. - - In lieu of thy rich wine feasts, thou hast now - Nought but the cold stream from the firmament; - It penetrates thee on all sides, - Thou mansion like Emania the golden. - - Thy doorways are, alas! filled up, - Thou fortress of the once bright doors! - The limestones of thy top lie at thy base, - On all the sides of thy fair walls. - - Over the mouldings of thy shattered windows, - The music that to-day breaks forth - Is the wild music of the birds and winds, - The voices of the stormy elements! - - O, many-gated Court of Donegal, - What spell of slumber overcame thee, - Thou mansion of the board of flowing goblets, - To make thee undergo this rueful change? - - Thou wert, O, happy one of the bright walls, - The Fortress of the Meetings of Clann-Connell, - The Tara of Assemblies to Conn’s offspring, - O, thou resplendent fount of nobleness! - - Thou rivalledst Emania in Ulster, - Thou wert the peer of Cruachan in Connaught, - Or of the mansion over the bright Boyne, - Thou Rome of all delight for Erin! - - In thee, thou fair, capacious dome, - Where Ulster’s tributes prodigally spent, - And Connaught’s tributes were poured into thee, - Deserted though thou art this night! - - From thee have we beheld--delightful sight!-- - From the high pinnacles of thy purple turrets, - Long lines of ships at the approach of May, - With masts and snow-white sails. - - From the high pinnacles of thy white watch-towers - We have seen the fleetness of the youthful steeds, - The bounding of the hounds, the joyous chase, - Thou pleasant fastness of unnumbered plains! - - Within thee at the festive board - We have seen the strong battalions of the Gael, - And outside on thy wide green court, - After the meeting and the feasting. - - Alas for this event, O Dun-na-Gall! - Sad is the lethargy that trances thee, - It is my grief to see thee thus deserted, - Without thy nobles, without mirth to-night! - - Although thy ruins now bestrew the soil, - There have come of the race of Connell - Some men who would have mourned thy downfall, - O, thou fair fortress of the smooth-clad nobles! - - Manus O’Donnell’s noble mind, - Had he but heard of thy disasters, - O, fortress of the regal towers, - Would suffer deepest anguish for thee! - - Could Hugh, the son of Hugh, behold - The desolation of thy once white walls, - How bitter, O, thou palace of the kings, - His grief would be for thy decline and fall! - - If thus thou couldst have been beheld - By Hugh Roe, who demolished thee, - Methinks his triumph and delight would cease, - Thou beautiful, time-hallowed house of Fertas! - - O, never was it dreamed that one like him, - That one sprung from the Tirconnellians, - Could bring thee to this woeful state, - Thou bright-streamed fortress of the embellished walls! - - From Hugh O’Donnell, thine own king, - From him has come this melancholy blow, - This demolition of thy walls and towers, - O, thou forsaken fortress o’er the Easky! - - Yet was it not because he wished thee ill - That he thus left thee void and desolate; - The king of the successful tribe of Dalach - Did not destroy thee out of hatred. - - The reason that he left thee as thou art - Was lest the black ferocious strangers - Should dare to dwell within thy walls, - Thou fair-proportioned, speckled mansion! - - Lest we should ever call thee theirs, - Should call thee in good earnest _Dun-na-gall_, - This was the reason, Fortress of the Gaels, - That thy fair turrets were o’erthrown. - - Now that our kings have all been exiled hence - To dwell among the reptiles of strange lands, - It is a woe for us to see thy towers, - O, bright fort of the glossy walls! - - Yet, better for thee to be thus destroyed - By thine own king than that the truculent Galls - Should raise dry mounds and circles of great stones - Around thee and thy running waters! - - He who has brought thee to this feebleness, - Will soon again heal all thy wounds, - So that thou shall not sorrow any more, - Thou smooth and bright-walled mansion! - - As doth the surgeon, if he be a true one, - On due examination of his patient, - Thy royal chief has done by thee, - Thou shield and bulwark of the race of Coffey! - - The surgeon, on examining his patient, - Knows how his illness is to be removed, - Knows where the secret of his health lies hid, - And where the secret of his malady. - - Those members that are gangrened or unsound - He cuts away from the more healthy trunk - Before they mortify, and so bring death - Without remead upon the sufferer. - - Now, thy disease is obviously the Galls, - And thy good surgeon is thy chief, O’Donnell, - And thou thyself, thou art the prostrate patient - O, green-hued mansion of the race of Dalach! - - With God’s will; and by God’s permission, - Thy beauty shall yet put to shame thy meanness, - Thy variegated courts shall be rebuilt - By that great Chief who laid thee low! - - As Hugh Roe, king of the Connellians - Was he who laid thy speckled walls in ruins, - He will again renew thy greatness, - Yes, he will be thy best physician! - - P. - - * * * * * - -Wickedness may well be compared to a bottomless pit, into which it is -easier to keep oneself from falling, than having fallen into, to stay -oneself from falling infinitely.--_Sir P. Sydney._ - - * * * * * - -If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American -patriot, signing resolutions of independence with the one hand, and with -the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves.--_Day._ - - - - -OUR SENSATIONS. - -FIRST ARTICLE. - - -Man has been somewhere described as a “bundle of sensations;” and -certainly if ever sensations were capable of being packed together, they -would make a bundle, and a good large one too. I am not a physiologist, -or even a doctor, so cannot pretend to speak very learnedly on this -subject: but as we all in common have “our sensations,” he must be rather -a dull fellow, I should think, who would have nothing to say when they -were laid upon the table for discussion. Even if he were a Jew, he might -repeat with Shylock, “Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, -dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” and so on. - -When one considers the amazing number and variety of the feelings, or -perceptions arising out of impressions on the senses, of which we are -capable, we discover a new and interesting proof that we are indeed -“fearfully and wonderfully made.” I was struck by this fact the other -day, on hearing a young medical student say that he had been reading a -“descriptive catalogue” of “pains,” which had been made out with great -care for the use of the profession. People, when going to consult a -physician, are often at a loss to describe the manner in which they -are affected, and particularly the nature and character of the painful -sensation that afflicts them. To assist them in this respect, and the -physician in obtaining a correct idea of the case, this catalogue was -made out, and highly useful I think it must be for the proposed end. -The patient may thus readily meet with something answering to his own -case, and lay his finger on the classification that suits him. I am -sorry I have not the list by me, for I am sure it would be a curious -novelty to many. There are however in it the “dull, aching pain,” the -“sharp pricking pain,” the pendulum-like “going-and-returning pain,” -the “throbbing pain,” the “flying-to-the-head and sickening pain,” the -hot-scalding or burning pain, the pins and needles or nettle pain, pains -deep seated and pains superficial, and, in short, an infinite variety, -made out with nice discrimination, and all taken, I dare say, from life. -None indeed could have drawn it out but one who had studied in some -lazar-house, wherein, as Milton describes, - - “were laid - Numbers of all diseased; all maladies - Of ghastly spasm, or racking torture; qualms - Of heart-sick agony, all feverous kinds; - Convulsions, epilepsies, fierce catarrhs-- - Intestine stone and ulcer, colic pangs”--&c., &c. - -There is a variety in _pain_, then, as well as in every thing else; -but it is a variety in which few, I believe, ever found a “charm” -experimentally. But there is a special wonder in the matter which forces -us to exclaim, “What a piece of workmanship is man!” We are here speaking -of sensations, or of perceptions arising from our bodily structure; and -to these perceptions it is plainly necessary that there should be a -chain of communication between the part of the body affected, and the -sensorium, or seat of perception in the brain. I remember being amused -with the surprise of an intelligent little girl, who complained of a sore -finger, and a pain “in the finger,” on hearing for the first time that -the pain was _not_ “in her finger,” but in _her own perception of it_. It -seemed a contradiction to her immediate experience; but on being shown -that the pain she felt ceased when the nervous communication between -the finger and the brain was interrupted, which could be easily done by -a ligature placed above the part affected, she readily understood the -distinction sought to be conveyed to her mind, namely, the difference -between a diseased action in any part of the body, and our painful -perception of its existence. There must be a “nerve” to “telegraph” the -fact to the mind, otherwise the fact would not be consciously known. -Well, then, this being the case, only consider what an infinite number -of these nerves there must be in the human body, merely for the purpose -of conveying _disagreeable_ impressions, or what I may call _bad_ -news, to _head_-quarters! They are very useful, it is true; but like -other messengers of unpleasant intelligence, not much in favour. It is -dangerous, however, to do them any harm. My readers have heard perhaps -of the farrier who used to cure lame horses so rapidly, that he was -the astonishment of all who consulted him. A horse would be brought to -him scarce putting his toe to the ground, limping and shambling in a -miserable manner, and, as if by magic, this veterinary artist would send -him trotting off to all appearance quite cured. His secret consisted -in dividing the nerve, or, as I may say, slaying the messenger of evil: -the consequence of which was, that the poor horse, no longer conscious -of the malady in his hoof, leaned heavily upon it, and ultimately became -incurably lamed for life. - -So much as to our sensations of _pain_. But fortunately for us there -is another class, and this comprising, according to some, a family -very nearly if not altogether as numerous--I mean our sensations of -the pleasurable kind. “Man,” saith the Scripture, “roasteth roast, and -is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I -have seen the fire.” This includes the comforts of a good dinner, and -a cheerful fire-side on a winter’s evening, and most people will agree -with me these are no bad things, especially with a group of happy smiling -faces about us. The inlets to our agreeable perceptions are certainly not -so numerous as those to the opposite kind, as we are approachable by pain -from every part of the body without exception, but it is otherwise with -our “notions of the agreeable.” However, they can reach us in tolerable -abundance through the eye, the ear, the taste (including the smell), -and the touch. It may be as well to record here, for the benefit of -posterity--as with the rapid increase of railroads, and other improved -modes of travelling and living in these days, it stands a chance of being -forgotten hereafter--that to one who has been up all night in a close -coach, “four inside,” or has dined at a Lord’s Mayor’s inauguration -dinner, partaking largely of the good things, the warm bath is a highly -agreeable and efficacious restorative, and that he is indebted in this -case to the entire envelope of his epidermis, and not to any one part -in particular, for the pleasing sensation he experiences. There are -other modes of exciting the pleasurable on this wholesale plan, such as -shampooing, as it is practised in the east, and suddenly plunging into -the snow after stewing in vapour, as they do in Russia, and so on; but -as I have never myself been “done” by any of these processes, I do not -take upon me to recommend them. I am not an advocate for tickling. The -laughter which it excites is one to which we give way with reluctance, -and its pleasure is equivocal. I have seen poor children tickled nearly -to death, and feel a great horror of that mode of making my exit from all -the consciousnesses that belong to this mortal coil. - -As to the innumerable sensations of agreeableness which we may receive -through the eye, including all that may be seen--the ear encompassing -all the concords of sweet sounds--the warbling of birds--the voice of -the beloved, and all the melody of song--through the taste, with all its -varieties--what gives to the peach its melting richness?--to generous -wine its elevating gentlemanliness of flavour?--to meats, soups, and -sauces, all their delicious gusto?--to the rose its sweetness?--to the -cinnamon tree and the orange grove their spicy fragrance? Whence come -all the delightful visions of the opium-eater? He lives whilst under the -influence of the drug in a world of ecstacy: his soul teems with the most -pleasing fancies; all around him is soft and soothing; whatever he sees -or hears, ministers to delight. - -If you have never lit your cigar as you sallied forth with dog and gun on -a fine December morning, let me tell you, gentle reader, that you have -missed a sensation worth getting up to enjoy. But not to lose ourselves -in a wilderness of sweets, or to forget our great argument, what is -the immediate cause of all these so agreeable effects? Why, a peculiar -organization of our bodies, fitted to receive every imaginable impression -from without, whether of the painful or the agreeable kind, and to -transmit that impression, when received, to the seat of perception within. - -We call it the nervous system; and what I would beg my readers to -consider is, how wonderful, how curious, above all comprehension or -explanation, that apparatus in our construction must be, to which we owe -such an infinite variety of sensations, and those of the most opposite -kinds! It baffles the skill of the anatomist to unveil its mysteries: no -needle can trace its ligaments; yet it is a real, substantial thing, of -whose existence we have perfect assurance by the very palpable effects -which it produces. - -Thus much for our different and various sensations arising from outward -impressions; but there is yet a third class, in which, by a sort of -reflection, our nerves perform an important function, and transmit the -action begun in the _mind_ to the _seat of emotion_, or the soul. Hence -the joy of the mathematician at the discovery of some important problem, -or of the poet at hitting upon some long-sought-for rhyme with answering -metre. In such cases the mind, or pure intellect, _originates_, and the -body “takes the signal” from it. There is a reciprocity between them, -and it is well when, like some loving couples, they dwell on good terms -together. When, happily, this is the case, there is much peace “at home:” -the senses do not seek for gratifications which the mind disapproves, and -the mind does not apply to them for pleasures which are forbidden. - -However, I shall not enter upon this further disquisition--highly -interesting though it be--at present, but shall reserve it in order that -we may resume it with due deliberation, and do it that justice which it -so well deserves, at another opportunity. - - F. - - - - -IRISH SUPERSTITIONS--GHOSTS AND FAIRIES. - -THE RIVAL KEMPERS. - -BY WILLIAM CARLETON. - -(Second Article.) - - -In a former paper we gave an authentic account of what the country folks, -and we ourselves at the time, looked upon as a genuine instance of -apparition. It appeared to the simple-minded to be a clear and distinct -case, exhibiting all those minute and subordinate details which, by an -arrangement naturally happy and without concert, go to the formation -of truth. There was, however, but one drawback in the matter, and that -was the ludicrous and inadequate nature of the moral motive; for what -unsteady and derogatory notions of Providence must we not entertain when -we see the order and purposes of his divine will so completely degraded -and travestied by the fact of a human soul returning to this earth again -for the ridiculous object of settling the claim to a pair of breeches! - -When we see the succession to crowns and kingdoms, and the inheritance -to large territorial property and great personal rank, all left so -completely undecided that ruin and desolation have come upon nations and -families in attempting their adjustment, and when we see a laughable -dispute about a pair of breeches settled by a personal revelation from -another life, we cannot help asking why the supernatural intimation was -permitted in the one case and not in the other, especially when their -relative importance differed so essentially? To follow up this question, -however, by insisting upon a principle so absurd, would place Providence -in a position so perfectly unreasonable and capricious, that we do not -wish to press the inference so far as admission of divine interference in -such a manner would justify us in doing. - -Having detailed the case of Daly’s daughter, however, we take our -leave of the girl and the ghost, and turn now to another case which -came under our own observation in connection with Frank Martin and the -fairies. Before commencing, however, we shall by way of introduction -endeavour to give our readers a few short particulars as to fairies, -their origin, character, and conduct. And as we happen to be on this -subject, we cannot avoid regretting that we have not by us copies of two -most valuable works upon it from the pen of our learned and admirable -countryman, Thomas Keightly--we allude to his Fairy Mythology and his -History of the Transmission of Popular Fictions; two works which cannot -be perused without delight at the happy manner in which so much learning -and amusement, so much solid information, and all that is agreeable in -extensive research, are inimitably combined. We are sorry, we repeat, -that we have them not by us; but we trust that we may on some early -occasion be allowed to notice them at greater length, and to give them a -more formal recommendation to our countrymen. - -With the etymology of the word fairy we do not intend in a publication -like this to puzzle our readers. It is with the tradition connected -with the _thing_ that we have to do, and not with a variety of learned -speculations, which appear after all to be yet unsettled. The general -opinion, in Ireland at least, is, that during the war of Lucifer in -heaven the angels were divided into three classes. The first class -consisted of those faithful spirits who at once and without hesitation -adhered to the standard of the Omnipotent; the next consisted of those -who openly rebelled and followed the great apostate, sharing eternal -perdition along with him; the third and last consisted of those who, -during the mighty clash and uproar of the contending hosts, stood timidly -aloof and refused to join either power. These, says the tradition, were -hurled out of heaven, some upon earth and some into the waters of the -earth, where they are to remain ignorant of their fate until the day of -judgment. They know their own power, however, and it is said that nothing -but their hopes of salvation prevent them from at once annihilating the -whole human race. Such is the broad basis of the general superstition; -but our traditional history and conception of the popular fairy falls -far short of the historical dignity associated with its origin. The -fairy of the people is a diminutive creature, generally dressed in -green, irritable, capricious, and quite unsteady in all its principles -and dealings with mankind. Sometimes it exhibits singular proofs of -ingenuity, but, on the contrary, is frequently overreached by mere mortal -capacity. It is impossible to say in dealing with it whether its conduct -will be found benevolent or otherwise, for it often has happened that its -threats of injury have ended in kindness, and its promises of protection -terminated in malice and treachery. What is very remarkable too is, that -it by no means appears to be a mere spirit, but a being with passions, -appetites, and other natural wants like ourselves. Indeed, the society -or community of fairies appears to be less self-dependent than ours, -inasmuch as there are several offices among them which they not only -cannot perform, but which render it necessary that we should be stolen -and domiciled with them, for the express purpose of performing for them. -Like us they are married and given in marriage, and rear families; but -whether their offspring are subject to death, is a matter not exactly -of the clearest. Some traditions affirm that they are, and others that -they are as immortal as the angels, although possessing material bodies -analogous to our own. The fairy, in fact, is supposed to be a singular -mixture of good and evil, not very moral in its actions or objects, often -very thievish, and sometimes benevolent when kindness is least expected -from it. It is generally supposed by the people that this singular class -of fictitious creatures enjoy as a kind of right the richest and best of -all the fruits of the earth, and that the top grain of wheat, oats, &c., -and the ripest apple, pear, &c., all belong to them, and are taken as -their own exclusive property. - -They have also other acknowledged rights which they never suffer to be -violated with impunity. For instance, wherever a meal is eaten upon the -grass in an open field, and the crumbs are not shaken down upon the -spot for their use, there they are sure to leave one of their curses -called the _far gurtha_, or the hungry man: for whoever passes over -that particular spot for ever afterwards is liable to be struck down -with weakness and hunger; and unless he can taste a morsel of bread, he -neither will nor can recover. The weakness in this instance, however, is -not natural, for if the person affected but tastes as much meal or flour -as would lie on the point of a penknife, he will instantaneously break -the spell of the fairies, and recover his former strength. Such spots are -said to be generally known by their superior verdure: they are always -round, and the diameter of these little circles is seldom more than a -single step. The grass which grows upon them is called in the north and -parts of the north-west _hungry-grass_, and is accounted for as we have -already stated. Indeed, the walks and haunts of the fairies are to be -considered as very sacred and inviolate. For instance, it is dangerous to -throw out dirty water after dusk or before sunrise, lest in doing so you -bespatter them with a liquid as unsavoury to the smell as it is unclean -to the touch: for these little gentry are peculiarly fond of cleanliness -and neatness, both in dress and person. Bishop Andrews’s Lamentation for -the Fairies gives as humorous and correct a notion of their personal -habits in this way, and their disposition to reward cleanliness in -servants, as could be written. - -We shall ourselves relate a short anecdote or two touching them, before -we come to Frank Martin’s case; premising to our readers that we could if -we wished fill a volume--ay, three of them--with anecdotes and legends -connected with our irritable but good-humoured little friends. - -Paddy Corcoran’s wife was for several years afflicted with a kind of -complaint which nobody could properly understand. She was sick, and she -was not sick; she was well, and she was not well; she was as ladies wish -to be who love their lords, and she was not as such ladies wish to be. In -fact, nobody could tell what the matter with her was. She had a gnawing -at the heart which came heavily upon her husband; for, with the help of -God, a keener appetite than the same gnawing amounted to could not be -met with of a summer’s day. The poor woman was delicate beyond belief, -and had no appetite at all, so she hadn’t, barring a little relish for a -mutton-chop, or a “staik,” or a bit o’ mait, anyway; for sure, God help -her! she hadn’t the laist inclination for the dhry pratie, or the dhrop -o’ sour butthermilk along wid it, especially as she was so poorly: and -indeed for a woman in her condition--for, sick as she was, poor Paddy -always was made to believe her in _that_ condition--but God’s will be -done! she didn’t care. A pratie an’ a grain o’ salt was as welcome to -her--glory be to his name!--as the best roast an’ boiled that ever was -dressed; an’ why not? There was one comfort: she wouldn’t be long wid -him--long throublin’ him; it matthered little what she got; but sure she -knew herself that from the gnawin’ at her heart, she could never do good -widout the little bit o’ mait now and then; an’, sure, if her own husband -begridged it to her, who else had she a betther right to expect it from? - -Well, as we said, she lay a bedridden invalid for long enough, trying -doctors and quacks of all sorts, sexes, and sizes, and all without a -farthing’s benefit, until at the long run poor Paddy was nearly brought -to the last pass in striving to keep her in “the bit o’ mait.” The -seventh year was now on the point of closing, when one harvest day, -as she lay bemoaning her hard condition on her bed beyond the kitchen -fire, a little weeshy woman, dressed in a neat red cloak, comes in, and, -sitting down by the hearth, says, - -“Well, Kitty Corcoran, you’ve had a long lair of it there on the broad -o’ yer back for seven years, an’ you’re jist as far from bein’ cured as -ever.” - -“Mavrone, ay,” said the other; “in troth that’s what I was this minnit -thinkin’ ov, and a sorrowful thought it is to me.” - -“It’s yer own fau’t, thin,” says the little woman; “an’ indeed for that -matter, it’s yer fau’t that ever you wor there at all.” - -“Arra, how is that?” asked Kitty; “sure I wouldn’t be here if I could -help it? Do you think it’s a comfort or a pleasure to me to be sick and -bedridden?” - -“No,” said the other, “I do not; but I’ll tell you the truth: for the -last seven years you have been annoyin’ us. I am one o’ the good people; -an’ as I have a regard for you, I’m come to let you know the raison why -you’ve been sick so long as you are. For all the time you’ve been ill, if -you’ll take the thrubble to remimber, you’ve threwn out yer dirty wather -afther dusk an’ before sunrise, at the very time we’re passin’ yer door, -which we pass twice a-day. Now, if you avoid this, if you throw it out -in a different place, an’ at a different time, the complaint you have -will lave you: so will the gnawin’ at the heart; an’ you’ll be as well as -ever you wor. If you don’t follow this advice, why, remain as you are, -an’ all the art o’ man can’t cure you.” She then bade her good-bye, and -disappeared. - -Kitty, who was glad to be cured on such easy terms, immediately complied -with the injunction of the fairy; and the consequence was, that the next -day she found herself in as good health as ever she enjoyed during her -life. - -Lanty M’Clusky had married a wife, and of course it was necessary to -hire a house in which to keep her. Now, Lanty had taken a bit of a farm, -about six acres; but as there was no house on it, he resolved to build -one; and that it might be as comfortable as possible, he selected for the -site of it one of those beautiful green circles that are supposed to be -the play-ground of the fairies. Lanty was warned against this; but as he -was a headstrong man, and not much given to fear, he said he would not -change such a pleasant situation for his house to oblige all the fairies -in Europe. He accordingly proceeded with the building, which he finished -off very neatly; and as it is usual on these occasions to give one’s -neighbours and friends a house-warming, so, in compliance with this good -and pleasant old custom, Lanty having brought home the wife in the course -of the day, got a fiddler, and gave those who had come to see him a dance -in the evening. This was all very well, and the fun and hilarity were -proceeding briskly, when a noise was heard after night had set in, like a -crushing and straining of ribs and rafters on the top of the house. The -folks assembled all listened, and without doubt there was nothing heard -but crushing, and heaving, and pushing, and groaning, and panting, as if -a thousand little men were engaged in pulling down the roof. - -“Come,” said a voice, which spoke in a tone of command, “work hard: you -know we must have Lanty’s house down before midnight.” - -This was an unwelcome piece of intelligence to Lanty, who, finding -that his enemies were such as he could not cope with, walked out, and -addressed them as follows:-- - -“Gintlemen, I humbly ax yer pardon for buildin’ on any place belongin’ to -you; but if you’ll have the civilitude to let me alone this night, I’ll -begin to pull down and remove the house to-morrow morning.” - -This was followed by a noise like the clapping of a thousand tiny little -hands, and a shout of “Bravo, Lanty! build half way between the two -Whitethorns above the boreen;” and after another hearty little shout of -exultation, there was a brisk rushing noise, and they were heard no more. - -The story, however, does not end here; for Lanty, when digging the -foundation of his new house, found the full of a _kam_ of gold: so that -in leaving the fairies to their play-ground, he became a richer man than -ever he otherwise would have been, had he never come in contact with them -at all. - -There is another instance of their interference mentioned, in which it -is difficult to say whether their simplicity or benevolence is the most -amusing. In the north of Ireland there are spinning meetings of unmarried -females frequently held at the houses of farmers, called _kemps_. Every -young woman who has got the reputation of being a quick and expert -spinner, attends where the kemp is to be held, at an hour usually before -daylight, and on these occasions she is accompanied by her sweetheart -or some male relative, who carries her wheel, and conducts her safely -across the fields or along the road as the case may be. A kemp is indeed -an animated and joyous scene, and one, besides, which is calculated -to promote industry and decent pride. Scarcely any thing can be more -cheering and agreeable than to hear at a distance, breaking the silence -of morning, the light-hearted voices of many girls either in mirth or -song, the humming sound of the busy wheels--jarred upon a little, it is -true, by the stridulous noise and checkings of the reels, and the voices -of the reelers, as they call aloud the checks, together with the name -of the girl and the quantity she has spun up to that period; for the -contest is generally commenced two or three hours before daybreak. This -mirthful spirit is also sustained by the prospect of a dance--with which, -by the way, every kemp closes; and when the fair victor is declared, she -is to be looked upon as the queen of the meeting, and treated with the -necessary respect. - -But to our tale. Every one knew Shaun Buie M’Gaveran to be the cleanest, -best-conducted boy, and the most industrious too, in the whole parish -of Faugh-a-balla. Hard was it to find a young fellow who could handle a -flail, spade, or reaping-hook, in better style, or who could go through -his day’s work in a more creditable or workmanlike manner. In addition -to this he was a fine, well-built, handsome young man as you could meet -in a fair; and so sign was on it, maybe the pretty girls weren’t likely -to pull each other’s caps about him. Shaun, however, was as prudent as -he was good-looking; and although he wanted a wife, yet the sorrow one -of him but preferred taking a well-handed, smart girl, who was known to -be well behaved and industrious like himself. Here, however, was where -the puzzle lay on him, for instead of one girl of that kind, there were -in the neighbourhood no less than a dozen of them--all equally fit and -willing to become his wife, and all equally good-looking. There were two, -however, whom he thought a trifle above the rest; but so nicely balanced -were Biddy Corrigan and Sally Gorman, that for the life of him he could -not make up his mind to decide between them. Each of them had won her -kemp; and it was currently said by them who ought to know, that neither -of them could overmatch the other. No two girls in the parish were better -respected, nor more deserved to be so; and the consequence was, they had -every one’s good word and good wish. Now, it so happened that Shaun had -been pulling a cord with each; and as he knew not how to decide between, -he thought he would allow them to do that themselves if they could. He -accordingly gave out to the neighbours that he would hold a kemp on that -day week, and he told Biddy and Sally especially that he had made up his -mind to marry whichever of them won the kemp, for he knew right well, as -did all the parish, that one of them must. The girls agreed to this very -good-humouredly--Biddy telling Sally, that she (Sally) would surely win -it; and Sally, not to be outdone in civility, telling the same thing to -her. - -Well, the week was nearly past, there being but two days till that of -the kemp, when, about three o’clock, there walks into the house of old -Paddy Corrigan, a little woman dressed in high-heeled shoes and a short -red cloak. There was no one in the house but Biddy at the time, who rose -up and placed a chair near the fire, and asked the little red woman to -sit down and rest herself. She accordingly did so, and in a short time a -lively chat commenced between them. - -“So,” said the strange woman, “there’s to be a great kemp in Shaun Buie -M’Gaveran’s?” - -“Indeed there is that, good woman,” replied Biddy, smiling a little, -and blushing to the back of that again, because she knew her own fate -depended on it. - -“And,” continued the little woman, “whoever wins the kemp, wins a -husband?” - -“Ay, so it seems.” - -“Well, whoever gets Shaun will be a happy woman, for he’s the moral of a -good boy.” - -“That’s nothing but the truth, any how,” replied Biddy, sighing for fear, -you may be sure, that she herself might lose him; and indeed a young -woman might sigh from many a worse reason. “But,” said she, changing -the subject, “you appear to be tired, honest woman, an’ I think you had -better eat a bit, an’ take a good drink of _buinnhe ramwher_ (thick milk) -to help you on your journey.” - -“Thank you kindly, a colleen,” said the woman; “I’ll take a bit, if you -plase, hopin’ at the same time that you won’t be the poorer of it this -day twelve months.” - -“Sure,” said the girl, “you know that what we give from kindness, ever -and always leaves a blessing behind it.” - -“Yes, acushla, when it _is_ given from kindness.” - -She accordingly helped herself to the food that Biddy placed before her, -and appeared after eating to be very much refreshed. - -“Now,” said she, rising up, “you’re a very good girl, an’ if you are able -to find out my name before Tuesday morning, the kemp-day, I tell you that -you’ll win it, and gain the husband.” - -“Why,” said Biddy, “I never saw you before. I don’t know who you are, nor -where you live; how then can I ever find out your name?” - -“You never saw me before, sure enough,” said the old woman, “an’ I tell -you that you will never see me again but once; an’ yet if you have not -my name for me at the close of the kemp, you’ll lose all, an’ that will -leave you a sore heart, for well I know you love Shaun Buie.” - -So saying, she went away, and left poor Biddy quite cast down at what she -had said, for, to tell the truth, she loved Shaun very much, and had no -hopes of being able to find out the name of the little woman, on which it -appeared so much to her depended. - -It was very near the same hour of the same day that Sally Gorman was -sitting alone in her father’s house, thinking of the kemp, when who -should walk into her but our friend the little red woman? - -“God save you, honest woman.” said Sally; “this is a fine day that’s in -it, the Lord be praised!” - -“It is,” said the woman, “as fine a day as one could wish for; indeed it -is.” - -“Have you no news on your travels?” asked Sally. - -“The only news in the neighbourhood,” replied the other, “is this great -kemp that’s to take place at Shaun Buie M’Gaveran’s. They say you’re -either to win him or lose him then,” she added, looking closely at Sally -as she spoke. - -“I’m not very much afraid of that,” said Sally with confidence; “but even -if I do lose him, I may get as good.” - -“It’s not easy gettin’ as good,” rejoined the old woman, “an’ you ought -to be very glad to win him if you can.” - -“Let me alone for that,” said Sally. “Biddy’s a good girl, I allow; but -as for spinnin’, she never saw the day she could leave me behind her. -Won’t you sit an’ rest you?” she added; “you’re maybe tired.” - -“It’s time for you to think of it,” _thought_ the woman, but she spoke -nothing; “but,” she added to herself on reflection, “it’s better late -than never--I’ll sit awhile, till I see a little closer what she’s made -of.” - -She accordingly sat down and chatted upon several subjects, such as young -women like to talk about, for about half an hour; after which she arose, -and taking her little staff in hand, she bade Sally good-bye and went her -way. After passing a little from the house she looked back, and could not -help speaking to herself as follows:-- - - “She’s smooth and smart, - But she wants the heart; - She’s tight and neat, - But she gave no meat.” - -Poor Biddy now made all possible inquiries about the old woman, but to -no purpose. Not a soul she spoke to about her had ever seen or heard -of such a woman. She felt very dispirited and began to lose heart, for -there is no doubt that if she missed Shaun, it would have cost her many -a sorrowful day. She knew she would never get his equal, or at least -any one that she loved so well. At last the kemp day came, and with it -all the pretty girls of the neighbourhood, to Shaun Buie’s. Among the -rest, the two that were to decide their right to him were doubtless the -handsomest pair by far, and every one admired them. To be sure, it was a -blythe and merry place, and many a light laugh and sweet song rang out -from pretty lips that day. Biddy and Sally, as every one expected, were -far ahead of the rest, but so even in their spinning that the reelers -could not for the life of them declare which was the best. It was neck -and neck and head and head between the pretty creatures, and all who were -at the kemp felt themselves wound up to the highest pitch of interest and -curiosity to know which of them would be successful. - -The day was now more than half gone, and no difference was between them, -when, to the surprise and sorrow of every one present, Biddy Corrigan’s -_heck_ broke in two, and so to all appearance ended the contest in favour -of her rival; and what added to her mortification, she was as ignorant -of the red little woman’s name as ever. What was to be done? All that -could be done was done. Her brother, a boy of about fourteen years of -age, happened to be present when the accident took place, having been -sent by his father and mother to bring them word how the match went on -between the rival spinsters. Johnny Corrigan was accordingly dispatched -with all speed to Donnel M’Cusker’s, the wheelwright, in order to get -the heck mended, that being Biddy’s last but hopeless chance. Johnny’s -anxiety that his sister should win was of course very great, and in order -to lose as little time as possible he struck across the country, passing -through, or rather close by, Kilrudden forth, a place celebrated as a -resort of the fairies. What was his astonishment, however, as he passed a -whitethorn tree, to hear a female voice singing, in accompaniment to the -sound of a spinning-wheel, the following words: - - “There’s a girl in this town doesn’t know my name; - But my name’s Even Trot--Even Trot.” - -“There’s a girl in this town,” said the lad, “who’s in great distress, -for she has broken her heck and lost a husband. I’m now goin’ to Donnel -M’Cusker’s to get it mended.” - -“What’s her name?” said the little red woman. - -“Biddy Corrigan.” - -The little woman immediately whipped out the heck from her own wheel, and -giving it to the boy, desired him to bring it to his sister, and never -mind Donnel M’Cusker. - -“You have little time to lose,” she added, “so go back and give her this; -but don’t tell her how you got it, nor, above all things, that it was -Even Trot that gave it to you.” - -The lad returned, and after giving the heck to his sister, as a matter -of course told her that it was a little red woman called Even Trot that -sent it to her, a circumstance which made the tears of delight start to -Biddy’s eyes, for she knew now that Even Trot was the name of the old -woman, and having known that, she felt that something good would happen -to her. She now resumed her spinning, and never did human fingers let -down the thread so rapidly. The whole kemp were amazed at the quantity -which from time to time filled her pirn. The hearts of her friends began -to rise, and those of Sally’s party to sink, as hour after hour she was -fast approaching her rival, who now spun if possible with double speed -on finding Biddy coming up with her. At length they were again even, and -just at that moment in came her friend the little red woman, and asks -aloud, “is there any one in this kemp that knows my name?” This question -she asked three times before Biddy could pluck up courage to answer her. -She at last said, - - “There’s a girl in this town _does_ know your name-- - Your name is Even Trot--Even Trot.” - -“Ay,” said the old woman, “and so it is; and let that name be your guide -and your husband’s through life. Go steadily along, but let your step be -even; stop little; keep always advancing; and you’ll never have cause to -rue the day that you first saw Even Trot.” - -We need scarcely add that Biddy won the kemp and the husband, and that -she and Shaun lived long and happily together; and I have only now to -wish, kind reader, that you and I may live longer and more happily still. - - * * * * * - -Men no more desire another’s secrets, to conceal them, than they would -another’s purse, for the pleasure only of carrying it.--_Fielding._ - - - - -WHAT ARE COMFORTS? - -BY MARTIN DOYLE. - - -A few months ago I had the honour of passing a day in England with a -gentleman of considerable property, who took the trouble of showing me a -very extensive park and tillage farm near his manor-house, around which -every thing indicated good taste and abundant wealth in the possessor. - -It has rarely been my good fortune to view more beautiful scenery than -that which the demesne of F---- possesses within itself, or a place in -which it would be more difficult to find a want, either in the nature or -extent of the landscape: yet as we walked along, and were admiring some -undulating land, about six miles distant, Mr F---- suddenly stopped, and -remarked “that he had long wished for that hill, in order to plant on it -a clump or two of trees, as a picturesque termination to his prospect: it -would be such a comfort to have it! I have offered forty years’ purchase -for that land,” said he; “but the possessor is an obstinate fellow, and -won’t part with it.” - -I ventured to suggest that he should endeavour to prevail upon the owner -of the hill to plant the desired clumps; but to this he gave a decided -negative, saying, that it would be very uncomfortable indeed to be -indebted to such an unaccommodating person for any thing. - -At dinner, the lady of the house, after asking me if I had been pleased -with Mr F----’s farming, and proposing some other questions of that -nature, which she considerately accommodated to my capacity, in order -to relieve me if possible from the embarrassment natural to a man of my -station in life when sitting at table with his betters, and surrounded -with luxuries quite new to him, inquired with great suavity of manner if -I did not think that the owner of the hill property was very “tiresome” -in refusing Mr F---- the little comfort on which his heart was fixed; and -in the course of the dessert informed me that the governess was a very -“comfortable” person to have about children: that the King of the French -had no “comfort” in his ministers, and must find the attempts upon his -life very “tiresome” indeed. - -Having got over the dinner business, during which _I_ had been really -uncomfortable from the dread of doing something very awkward, I became -composed and familiar by degrees, and asked questions in my turn; and -was assured that there is very little comfort to be had in a mere -country life without a first-rate bailiff and gardener, newspapers, new -publications, a billiard table, and society of a certain class within -visiting distance; that hot baths are indispensable comforts within the -house, and that one adjoining the stables is also a great comfort to a -hunter after a hard day’s work. - -It was also among their comforts to have the nursery in a remote wing, -where the cry of a child could not reach the seniors of the family in -their apartments, and a _very_ great comfort to have a pew in the church -with a fireplace in it. - -My host, who would not allow me to leave Castle F---- that night, passed -much of the evening in reading the papers of that day, standing at -intervals with his back to the fire, which comfort he seemed to enjoy -extremely, while I threw in a word now and then to him or his lady, to -whom I detailed the receipt for making catsup from nettles, as it appears -in my Cyclopædia of Agriculture. “This economical method of making -catsup,” she was pleased to say, “would be a great comfort to the poor;” -and so it would, as I ventured to observe, if they had any thing to eat -that required such sauce. - -I was conducted at night to a bedroom, with large mirrors, a pair of wax -candles on the dressing-table, a luxurious chair placed opposite the -fire, and an immensely high bedstead, curtained with damask satin. Being -subject to the nightmare, I mounted this (by a step-ladder) with fear and -trembling, lest I should roll out in the night; and the apprehension of -this calamity in a strange house, and among great people, kept me from -sleeping all night, and rendered me extremely uncomfortable. - -I could not help thinking what Mrs Doyle and the children would say if -they saw me tucked under such fine bed-clothes, and stretched under such -a grand canopy; and to tell the truth, I wished myself safely out of it, -and in my own crib at Ballyorley. Yet to the obliging inquiries of my -entertainers, on the ensuing morning, “if my bed had been comfortable?” -I was unable to say No. But what _are_ comforts? thought I to myself all -the time. Indeed, the consideration of this question has occupied my mind -a good deal since, for I find the notions attached to the term “comfort” -are infinitely varied. - -When I left Castle F----, the weather was cold; I mounted, however, the -roof of a coach, and proceeded with many other passengers for Salisbury. -We had not gone far when rain fell in torrents, driven by a piercing -blast; umbrellas and coats were not waterproof, and when we alighted at -the inn-door at Salisbury, there were none of the _outsides_ who were not -more or less wet and miserable. - -Four of us determined to remain at the inn all night; and as we threw off -dripping cloaks and mufflers, and approached a blazing fire in a small -snug parlour, where a cloth, and knives and forks, and a plate-warmer, -gave indications of a hot dinner, we all agreed that this was true -comfort; nor was this opinion changed when soon afterwards we sat in dry -clothes by a fire, with--but let no one mention this to Father Mathew--a -hot tumbler of brandy punch before each of us. - -But though we were unanimous on this occasion, I soon found that the -utmost difference of opinion prevailed on other points, as to real -comfort. One of the gentlemen, who sat at my right hand, whispered to me -in confidence that there was no comfort in a single life, that his house -was cheerless, his servants great plagues from want of a mistress to keep -them in order, and his furniture going to destruction. My companion on -the other side, whose wife I understood to be a virago, gave a groan, -shook his head two or three times, and whispered to me, “If the gentleman -wishes to enjoy comfort, he will leave matrimony alone.” - -Having occasion to hire a good brickmaker to bring over with me to teach -my workmen how bricks ought to be made, I went into several cottages -inhabited by labourers in Shropshire. In the first into which I went, and -this was very well furnished, were a man and his wife at breakfast. They -had tea and sugar, a large white quartern loaf, and some crock butter. -Very good, said I to myself; these people are exceedingly comfortable. -The man was a common field labourer, and earned twelve shillings a-week -the year round. They had a piece of meat every day at dinner with their -greens or potatoes, and bread into the bargain, and bread and butter in -the evening. - -There stood a little boiler in a back kitchen, which I understood was for -brewing small beer occasionally; and nothing seemed wanting in the way of -comforts to this couple. - -I was not offered a chair, nor did either of them ask me to sit down, but -they answered such questions as I put to them. - -“I’m glad to see you so comfortable,” said I. “May I ask if you have any -others in family?” - -“No, we’re only ourselves. We ha’n’t no children, boys nor girls,” said -the woman in rather a dissatisfied tone. - -“Well, then,” I rejoined, “you have the less cause for anxiety. Children -are uncertain blessings, though certain cares: and depend upon it, you -are much better off than many parents who have them.” - -“That is very true,” replied the woman; “but still a child or two would -be a great comfort to us in our old age.” - -Their next-door neighbours had four noisy children and the same weekly -wages. Here I was told by the parents, who were also at a tea breakfast, -that their childless neighbours were far better off than they, as they -had comforts beyond their own reach. “We can’t drink no beer,” said the -man--(this was a lie, by the way, for he spent a shilling every week in -the jerry-shop, to the real discomfort of his family), “nor eat no good -wittals, nor have nothing comfortable.” - -In short, in every house into which I went there was something wanting to -constitute comfort. - -In the dwelling of an artizan it was the want of a hot joint and a -pudding on Sundays, or the substitution of an occasional dish of potatoes -for bread or meat; and sometimes it was the _house_ itself which was -uncomfortable from some cause or other. One or two of the very poorest -families which I visited were disposed to think they would have comforts -in the Union house which they could not afford under their own roofs, -although those who were within that establishment declared that they had -no comforts at all. - -An old woman in one of the cottages complained to me that John Snook -had stolen one of her geese when it was just ready for the market, and -that it would be a great comfort to her if John Snook could be taken and -transported. - -A parish schoolmaster assured me that he had no perfect comfort except in -vacation time; the boys when at school were so unruly that he had little -peace or comfort except by flogging them. The boys, on the other hand, -derived no comfort from being flogged. - -A sick man told me that a bowl of wine whey would be of the greatest -comfort to him; and a woman recovering from fever, whose bed linen had -been just changed, spoke within my hearing to her sister of the comfort -which she felt in consequence. - -I hired a brickmaker in the course of that tour, and set off with him -for Ireland. When I reached Liverpool, a steamer was about to leave for -Wexford. Into this I entered. The steward showed me a comfortable berth, -in which I was dreadfully sick during a passage of twenty hours, loathing -the sight and smell of food; yet he often came to ask me if there was any -little comfort in the way of meat and drink that he could supply. - -A few days after I had reached home, I went into the cottages of my own -workpeople, and there the distinction between them and those of the -corresponding class in England in their estimate of what is comfortable, -struck me very forcibly. - -Although the principle which leads most of us to desire something more -than we possess in the way of comforts, as they are called--but of -extreme luxuries in many instances--operates in the Irish labourer as -among nine-tenths of his fellow men, _his_ notions of what is comfortable -are truly moderate. - -One of my ploughmen was at breakfast as I walked into his house. He -and his family were seated round a table--it had no cloth I must -admit--helping themselves at pleasure from a dish of stirabout, and -dipping each spoonful into a mug of milk. This I thought a far more -suitable breakfast for them than weak and adulterated tea and white -bread, at a much greater expense than an oatmeal diet. - -I asked Pat what he would think of bread and tea every morning and -evening, to which he very sensibly replied that it wasn’t fit for him -nor the likes of him! but that a cup of tea and some bread would be very -agreeable to them every Sunday evening, especially so to his old mother, -who would think a little tea now and then a great comfort. As to meat, he -would like that once or twice a-week, but was not so unreasonable as to -wish for it oftener. As long as the potatoes and the milk stood to him, -he had no reason to complain! - -Then what _are_ comforts? I again asked myself. - -Returning home, I called at the house of a dying widow whose character I -had long respected. She was very poor, but always contented, though she -could hardly be said at any time to have enjoyed what are considered the -blessings of this life. I asked her if she wanted anything that I could -send her--any little comforts. The word excited her languid spirit. “I -have wanted for nothing,” said she, “that was really needful for me; and -now, O God! ‘_thy_ comforts delight my soul.’” After a little time she -said, “Blessed be the God of all comfort;” and again, “I am filled with -comfort.” - -These words gave another turn to my thoughts: the subject was placed in a -new point of contemplation. Let my reader now in his turn, entering into -the widow’s application of the term comfort, ponder upon the question, -“What is comfort?” and I am much mistaken if he does not discover that it -is something which the world cannot give. - - * * * * * - -MALARIA.--It is not a mere theory, but a well-founded opinion, that all -the destructive epidemics that have afflicted this globe have had their -origin in malaria, which in a cold climate has produced typhus fever, -in a more temperate one plague and yellow fever, and within the tropics -cholera, each modified according to the idiosyncratic state of the -sufferers. A few examples may be enumerated. Ancient Rome was subject to -frequent epidemics, generally caused by inundations of the Tiber; but in -the year 81 of the Christian era, after a severe rainy season succeeded -by intense heat, the mortality was so great as to carry off 10,000 -citizens daily. It is narrated by historians that the year 1374 was -marked by a comet, by excessive rain and heat, and succeeded by the most -dreadful mortality that we have any record of, and by which two-thirds of -the human race were destroyed in a very brief period; many places were -entirely depopulated; 20,000,000 died in the east in one year, 100,000 -perished in Venice, 50,000 were buried in one graveyard in London, grass -grew up in the streets of cities hitherto most populous, and people fled -in boats and ships to sea, regardless of property and friends. - - * * * * * - - Printed and published every Saturday by GUNN and CAMERON, at - the Office of the General Advertiser, No. 6, Church Lane, - College Green, Dublin--Agents:--R. GROOMBRIDGE, Panyer Alley, - Paternoster Row, London; SIMMS and DINHAM, Exchange Street, - Manchester; C. DAVIES, North John Street, Liverpool; J. DRAKE, - Birmingham; SLOCOMBE & SIMMS, Leeds; FRAZER and CRAWFORD, - George Street, Edinburgh; and DAVID ROBERTSON, Trongate, - Glasgow. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. -24, December 12, 1840, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL, DECEMBER 12, 1840 *** - -***** This file should be named 54509-0.txt or 54509-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/5/0/54509/ - -Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by JSTOR www.jstor.org) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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