"In consequence of the amount of destitution existing in this parish, the Rev. D. Monahan, P.P. for Drumconrath and Meath Hill formed a Relief Committee in connection with your Fund, and requested me to take the position of chairman. This I consented to do, as I considered, from my position, as by far the largest proprietor, having property exclusively in this parish, that I ought to do my utmost to further his charitable work. I wish to say that since last November I have given a large amount of labour, not only to those on my own property, but to those of others, including, I believe, some from the County Louth; but I could not be expected to find work for all, neither could I employ people residing two, three and four miles from where I could find work for them. The parish, also, is very much divided into small properties; the whole of the landlords, except myself, being non-resident, and in very many cases they have given abatements of rent, and I believe in many cases, also, their tenants have been unable to pay their last half-year's rent.

"The Rev. D. Monahan and myself have written to and asked subscriptions from nearly all the landlords and large tenant-farmers, as a supplement to your Fund, and have received up to the present over £80; but when we asked for this money, we distinctly stated that it was to be used as a supplement to your Fund, and not in lieu of it. We wished it to be expended on clothes, labour, seed potatoes, and the like; but we expected to get from your Committee the food.

"The Townlands of Cloughreagh, Kells Union; Drumgill, Ardee Union; Meath Hill, Kells Union; and Ardagh, Kells Union, are wretchedly poor, the inhabitants nearly all very small farmers, and the soil either a heavy, wet, cold clay, covered with rushes, where laid down to grass, or having the rock close to the surface, as in Ardagh, Ballyhill, and Carrickcleck, and in many cases having both, as in Cloughrea and Meath Hill. The land being utterly unfitted for fattening cattle, the inhabitants used to graze and rear a few calves; but in consequence of the failure of the turnip crop in Scotland last year they had to sell them for nearly half their usual price. Again, from the constant wet last summer and autumn the cattle did not thrive, their corn stagged, their potatoes rotted in the ground, and the price of hay was also under that of late years. During the previous prosperous years, when cattle brought good prices in the Autumn, I have no doubt that the small farmers found that they could pay their rent and live with a certain degree of comfort without taking much trouble with their lands, but I am afraid that last season has completely broken them down. The district, which I believe to be the poorest in Meath, and as poor as that in any part of Ireland, commences on the verge of Louth with the townland of Breslanstown, keeping the verge of the Counties Louth, Monaghan and Cavan from east to north and north-west, and bounded on the south by the valleys of the Dee and Blackwater; or, to be more explicit, the northern portions of the Baronies of Lower Slane, Morgallion and Lower Kells, excepting, of course, Cabra Castle Demesne. I wish further to state, that my own property is exclusively in the Barony of Lower Slane, and that I have no interest in the Townlands of Cloughrea, Drumgill, Meath Hill, or Ardagh. The latter is owned by a namesake, but he is no relation of my own, nor have I ever seen him in my life, to my knowledge.

"I hope that you will excuse this long letter, but I feel that your Committee must be unacquainted with the circumstances of this district, or we would not have received the reply we had from you to our application for relief.