Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (2 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)Hurlbert, William Henry
History
Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (2 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)
Hurlbert, William Henry
Ireland -- Description and travel; Ireland -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901
"Did you ever read it? This Mr. Trench, the father, was a kind of
Napoleon among agents in his own time, and the son, you see, thinks it
ought to be understood that he is quite as great a man as his father.
Did you never hear how he found a lot of his father's manuscripts once,
and threw them all in the fire, calling out as he did so, 'There goes
some more of my father's vanity?'"
About his people, and with his people, Father Maher said he "felt most
strongly." How could he help it? He was himself the son of an evicted
father.
"Of course, Father Maher," I said, "you will understand that I wish to
get at both sides of this question and of all questions here. Pray tell
me then, where I shall find the story of the Luggacurren property most
fully and fairly set forth in print?"
Without a moment's hesitation he replied, "By far the best and fairest
account of the whole matter you will get in the Irish correspondence of
the London _Times_."
How the conflict would end he could not say. But he was at a loss to see
how it could pay Lord Lansdowne to maintain it.
He very civilly pressed me to stay and lunch with him, but when I told
him I had already accepted an invitation from Mr. Hutchins, he very
kindly bestirred himself to find my jarvey.
I hastened back to the lodge, where I found a very pleasant little
company. They were all rather astonished, I thought, by the few words I
had to say of Father Maher, and especially by his frank and sensible
recommendation of the reports in the London _Times_ as the best account
I could find of the Luggacurren difficulty. To this they could not
demur, but things have got, or are getting, in Ireland, I fear, to a
point at which candour, on one side or the other of the burning
questions here debated, is regarded with at least as much suspicion as
the most deliberate misrepresentation. As to Mr. Town send Trench, what
Father Maher failed to tell me, I was here told: That down to the time
of the actual evictions he offered to take six months' rent from the
tenants, give them a clean book, and pay all the costs. To refuse this
certainly looks like a "war measure."
But for the loneliness of her life here, Mrs. Hutchins tells me she
would find it delightful. The country is exceedingly lovely in the
summer and autumn months.
When my car came out to take me back to Athy, I found my jarvey in
excellent spirits, and quite friendly even with Mr. Hutchins himself. He
kept up a running fire of lively commentaries upon the residents whose
estates we passed.
"Would you think now, your honour," he said, pointing with his whip to
one large mansion standing well among good trees, "that that's the
snuggest man there is about Athy? But he is; and it's no wonder! Would
you believe it, he never buys a newspaper, but he walks all the way into
Athy, and goes about from the bank to the shops till he finds one, and
picks it up and reads it. He's mighty fond of the news, but he's fonder,
you see, of a penny!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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