IRISH RELIEF FUND.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1935, 7 May 1880, Page 3

IRISH RELIEF FUND.

The following letter has been forwarded from Melbourno to his Worship the Mayor, in accordance with tho requcßt of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, by lettor, to the chairman of the Melbourne committee, Sir John O'Shnnassy : " Mansion Houbo Fund for the Relief of Distress in Ireland, 6th March, 1880.

" Dear Sir, —In sending you a list of subscriptions to this fund, I find it impossible adequately to express my sense of gratitude to the people of Australia for their unbounded munificence towards this country. When I reflect that from the Australian continent and the isles, the subscriptions up to this reach the sum of £54,070, it is little to say that the memory of such generosity will never be effaced from tho mind of tho Irish nation. The generosity becomes still more remarkable when it is remembered that all tho informathat has reached your country was contained in a few mejgro telegrams, and that without pausing for detailed information, regardless of every consideration save that Ireland was in distress, the hearts of your people wore opened, and the tide of generosity which set in in a few hours after the first communication was sent from this committee has continued to flow uninterruptedly to the relief of a Btrickon land. So rapidly have the contributions come, so little did any consideration of self weigh with your generous people, that I have not received sufficient information to enable me to thank the committees by the names of their chairmen or secretaries. I postponed from time to time making this acknowledgment in hope that some information of that nature would reach me, but as yet it has not arrived. One of our Melbourne communications bore the respected name of John O'Shanassy, and I have asked him to be the medium of making this communication to the other cities and places from which contributions have so bounteously come. According to the entries in the books of this committee, tho contributions from Australia stand as follows : Victoria— Melbourne £19,000 Ballarat 1,000 New South Wales— Sydney 18,000 Queensland — Charters Towers ... 600 Brisbane 7,500 South Australia— Adelaide 4,500 Tasmania — Launceston ... ... 500 Now Zealand— Wellington 200 Dunedin 1,200 Invercargill 300 Ohristchurch 600 Oamaru 200 Hokitika 470 Making a grand total of £54,070, and this, as I have said, in response to a few meagre telegrams.

" Our hearts are filled with admiration for such a people. I would ask, as a favor, that lists of your committees and of the subscriptions to your fund be sent us here, that they may be preserved with the records of this committee, as a bright example of generosity to succeeding generations. Our entire fund now amounts to £100,647. Of this we have distributed through local committees up to this date the sum of £50,432. These local committees are now Bpread over twenty-nine out of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, so you will see that the area of our operations is not limited to any part of the country. Wherevor distress of an exceptional nature exists, we have endeavored to relievo it. Of course, t'ho distress is greatest in the counties along the western and north-western coasts, but in some of our midland counties and in wide portions of the north and south, the pressure of famine is keenly felt. A list of the grants made out in counties accompanies this letter. The local committees—of which over 600 are now working comprise (with very rare exceptions) the clergymen of the Oatholio and Protestant churches, the dispensary doctors, and guardians of the poor. Wo can refer with prido to the testimony recorded in onr favor on a recent occasion by the Oatholio Hierarchy of Ireland, and by his Grace the Protestant Archbishop of Dublin, to whoso constant cooperation we are much indebted. This testimony, coupled with that borne by clergymen and laymen from all parts of the country to the worth of our organisation, enables me to assure you that your contributions have not failed to answer the noble purpose for which you, I am confident, wish them applied, viz , the relief of distress without distinction of creed or party. This has been and will continue to be the aim and object of this committee.

" The total of the persons who are depondent for weekly supplies on this committee, according to the returns of the local committees, numbers considerably over 300,000. But this committee fears the worst has not yet come. During the period that has elapßed since the formation of our committee the inclemency of- the weather, and tht absence of all employment in the fields and in the farmyard, necessarily intensified the people's suffering, and they domandod our constant and most generous attontion. We have spared neither labor nor money in relieving the afflicted. Thank God, we have succeeded in saving hundreds—thousands of lives. The funds now in hands will enable us to continue our work during the months of March and April. "But we are painfully convinced that tho most trying period of this year of bittor trial for our people will be that comprised in the summer quarter (May, June, and July), when field work will not bo required, and tho harvest 13 ripening. Such has been the history of former famines. Many persons in Austialia will remomber the expression so familiar in the mouths of our peasantry, ' the year of the dear nummer.' We have, however, great confidence that the generous friends of humanity throughout tho world sympathising with our poor people will enable us to continue our operations to tho end.

"In my own name, and in that of the Mansion House oomirittee, and in the name of a country not unmindful of its benefactors, I thank you and all the people of Australasia —And have tho honor to bo, yours faithfully, "E. DwrEE Gbay, " Lord Mayor, Dublin."

"Sinco writing I have received the following Rdditiocal subscriptions, not included in the lists before given : Molbourne £3OOO Sydney 2500 Hobart Town 1000 Ge?long ... ... ... 650 Wellington 500 Ohristchurch 400 WLimate... ... ... 315 Kapunda and Light Belief Fund, South Australia 300

" Tho last Melbourne subscription included the munificent donation of tho Victorian Bailway employes of £llOO. " This makes the total subscriptions from Melbourne £22,000, and from Sydney £20,500, and the entire sum received up to date from Australasia £62 735. " March Btb, 1880." DUBLIN MANSION HOUSE BELIEF FUND. Grants made up to and including Saturday, March 6th, 18S0. Ulstor.—Antrim, £SO ; Armagh, £165 ; Cavan, £2,125 ; Donegal, £3,395 ; Dawn, £3O; Forniamigh, £6lO ; Monaghan,£64s ; Tyrone, £IBO. Total—£7,s3o. Connaught G-alway, £8,045 ; Leitnm, £2 260 ; Mayo, £8,270 ; Boscommon, £3,620; Sligo, £3,110. Total -£26,230. Mur.s'er—Clare, £3,405 ; Cork, £4,900 ; Kerry, £3,485 ; Limerick, £1,410; Tippo ary, £1,710 j Watorford, £9SS. Total—£ls,B7B.

Leinstor—Kildaro, £59 ; Kilkenny, £lO5 ; King's County, £as ; Longford, £<>3o ; Lonth £80; Moath, £110: Queen's County, £2-15 ; Wootmeath, £570 ,- Wexford, £2O ; Wicklow, £165. Total—£2,l29. Total for provinces £51,759 0 0 Special grants ti> charitable institutions in Dublin ... 650 0 0 Special grants for meal, shoos, &c. ..* 823 9 2 Grand total ... ... £53,232 9 2