quarto, 3 ½ pages, plus stamp-less address leaf, neatly inscribed in ink, very good.
An interesting letter with content regarding the Great Famine or as it
has been called, usually outside of Ireland, The Potato Famine. The famine,
which claimed about one million lives and induced a million more to emigrate
from Ireland, lasted from 1845-1849. The worst year of the famine, 1847, was
known as “Black 47”.
“… whilst multitudes are homeless, houseless and literally famishing for
lack of food – companion of my seat in the West Chester Car, appeared to be an
Irish Emigrant who said he resided near Boraugh, and that he was on his way to
Philada in order to remit Fifty Dolls. to his sister in consequence of the
extremes of misery which abounded in Ireland to that extent as he informed me,
the starving people would resort to the Poor Houses in order to secure coffins
for their burial when dead, but so great is the distress it was decided rather
that their burial should be cut off indeed by way of preserving their
inadequate means for benefitting the survivors – whose poverty was so excessive
that after selling the blanket by which they were covered, some of the poor
creatures would next dispose of their kettle, and then their skillet to procure
a little food …”