"On last Sunday, the 1st February, a meeting of the principal inhabitants of Fore was held in the Chapel, at which meeting they adopted resolutions, three in number, the substance of which I will give you: The first was, as to the necessity of forming a Committee to collect funds to relieve the distressed poor; the second, asking Father Farrelly, P.P., and myself to appeal to the Mansion House Fund for some relief for the helpless poor here; and the third, that the Committee should consist of the Chairman, Christopher Halpin, P.L.G., the clergymen of all creeds, and the principal farmers of the place.

"I can assure you, from sad experience, that fearful distress prevails here amongst the labourers and very small farmers. The potato crop was so bad that many did not even dig them; the oats crop was very indifferent; the turnips failed altogether; and the unfortunate people have no fuel. I could give innumerable cases of fearful distress, but, as I know that your time is occupied with too many communications of a similar nature, I will confine myself to one. On Saturday last, a poor starving widow came to me. Her story, which, unfortunately, is too true, was—'Father, my husband is dead for the last ten years. I have seven children. Out of half acre of oats I had only one half-hundred of meal, which is gone. Since before Christmas I have not had one potato. In the name of God, what will I do? I would rather die than give up my little place from my poor orphans.'

"I could give you many such heart-rending cases. The land in this part of the country is very poor, the holdings are small, and even those who have pretty large farms cannot afford to give employment. I implore of your Lordship and the members of the Committee to take this poor locality into consideration, and you will ever have the blessings of the poor whom you will have helped.