The Highland Lady In Ireland. Elizabeth Grant
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by Jesus Christ. To me it has always appeared that we have changed names not habits. We are pagan idolaters still, have misunderstood the doctrines of our divine teacher, profaned His name, disobeyed His precepts and dishonoured the religion we only pretend to. But if the world continues to enlighten at the rate of its progress during the last five and twenty years, superstition will vanish in a few generations. Another startling kind of book I am reading is full of sublimities amongst its oddities. Carlyle on the French Revolution.
10. Tom Darker has entered with his accounts and I have Monday’s work to do before settling them, he is selling about thirty pounds worth of old potatoes and the two calves we parted with immediately after their birth, brought one nine the other eighteen shillings. Went to school and found matters improved, twenty-six pupils, more coming. Father Germaine been to visit them, the first time for near a twelvemonth. All very orderly and children doing very well. The removal of Mr. Rickard will certainly do good, he was a vile political agitator, ignorant and violent and bigotted, two years ago the people would never have complained of their priest had he half murdered them, they are grown bolder now and I am glad they see their Landlord will stand by them and that they find he can get a priest removed.
11. This is the road meeting and there are fears that Mr. Fenton’s party is so strong that poor William Murray may not be made Treasurer, perhaps no loss to him, the little fifty pounds a year might encourage him to sit still with the brother in his curacy as in this cheap country it would keep him alive in a chimney corner, when if he is outvoted he will be thrown on his own exertions for his bread.
I must not forget to set down all Mr. Verschoyle’s political news. A letter from Mr. Evans, the member for Dublin, reports that the Queen is inconsolable at the thoughts of losing her ministers, that Lord Melbourne has over and over again entreated to resign, assuring her they had lost the confidence of the country but tears, screams, claspings of hands was her answer to which absurdities of a headstrong girl he weakly yielded.
Poor girl she has many a hard lesson to learn and was called too early to such dangerous distinction She may hereafter turn out a fine character when tamed and one don’t dislike her attachment to the first set of people she ever had to deal with, who escorted her from a rigorous obscurity to the throne and first made her feel she was somebody.
Thirty people at the road meeting and Mr. Fenton was elected by a majority of three votes.
20. The news is that there is a majority against ministers of thirty-six upon Lord Landon’s motion on the sugar duties. We shall see by the evening papers. Vans [Hornidge] says he dined at Baron de Robeck’s yesterday where he heard that all the Officials are packing up. Lord Ebrington [Lord Lieutenant] said he should be a very few days here now and they are hurrying the Queen’s birthday, making its celebration take place tomorrow instead of Tuesday as otherwise it could not in the hurry be kept.
I read aloud Sir Robert Peel’s splendid speech all of which is masterly, one or two passages quite beyond the eloquence of these days and there is a fairness, a sobriety, an honest open English air pervading the whole of his business details and his censures of the present management and his exposition of his own intentions, which like cooling waters to the thirsty soul actually invigorate the brains which have so long been wearied by expediency.
27. John had the tenants in the hall for coolness, they paid well, two-hundred pounds and upwards in cash, a few begged for a short delay, but on the whole John don’t think there is above a hundred pounds of arrears on the property, the people all thriving too, visibly, how different was the state of things when Hal and John began their management. And then they say no matter about Absentee landlords, it may be fine theory but it don’t stand the test of practice.
I had to go to School to meet the Inspector, thirty-two children, very neat in their appearance, no parents, no visitors, no priest, only Mr. Foster and towards the end Judy Ryan, Tom Kelly stood at the gate for half an hour but never had the curiosity to look in. The children answered well, they looked clean, happy and up to their business, the Inspector was much pleased and said ‘this is a very nice school, it is a pity it is so small. I really do think now it will get larger, these publick examinations must have a good effect.
TUESDAY JUNE 1. Miss Gardiner came for thread, in such spirits about our school, three more pupils, twenty-nine in attendance yesterday. I think we shall conquer the priest and I hear Mr. Germaine is to be sent off after his Curate as his conduct has by no means pleased his Bishop. He has been threatening Pat Farrell and talking very indiscreetly about denouncing him from the Altar etc. Farrell answered him very stiffly and at last told him he had better be quiet for very little would rouse him to take the same course with him he had done with his Curate. And on telling the business to Tom Darker he declared that if Father Germaine ever attempted to strike him he really will summon him for the assault before the Magistrates. Would any one of them have said this or half of this, or made any sort of a complaint of their priest two year ago, indeed no; there is a wonderful change coming over them.
6. We were forced to unpack the cart though it was Sunday morning, the young ladies requiring their clothes and beef and fish and other stores having to be looked after, and the religion of this household not being at all of a ceremonious cast we had no difficulties about it. Mr. Cooke was here to-day to settle about papering the nurseries—the better day the better deed, the Roman Catholicks in this country make Sunday their great day of business.
7. Busy filling up the Census papers which are very complete as to information, the use I don’t exactly know, the poor people here are all terrified that they were to have been kidnapped or pressed or murdered on the night of the 6th. Half of them were not to go to bed and had barricaded their doors.
9. My Lord and my Lady in London, he at his Clubs and his races, she alone in that great crowd of which she forms too insignificant a unit to be even noticed. The most melancholy of all solitudes, her name was among the mob at the drawing room, but at none of the parties, not even at those few where by rights she should be.
THURSDAY, JULY 1. Elections, nothing but Elections, the papers full of them and the post full of them and the people full of them, though here we are quiet being remote from any polling places and most of us busy with wiser things.
7. I went over to call on Mrs. Gore [wife of Lord Downshire’s new Agent] and think her rather a foolish woman, pretty, nice looking, but a great deal too talking and by no means satisfied with a house in which the windows look on the street of a village and which has neither a conservatory nor a flower garden. There was a great fuss about education too but it may be mere manner, acting fine from the town of Kilkenny. An old mother of Mr. Gore’s lives with them, above eighty, a papist, the protestants are scandalised at her being allowed to go to Mass, while the papists rejoice in an Agent who has so near a connexion in the true Church. She has one daughter a nun and another married to Mr. Rowe the great Methodist preacher, of course converted by him from the errour of her former ways. Mrs. Gore talked a great deal about religious impressions, Sunday schools etc., in short it seems very difficult to stop her upon any subject, I could hardly get away.
8. Drove to Russboro’—My Lady had just come in from her drive, the carriage was turning away from the steps and she was standing on them, most graciously descended to meet us, invited in the children and Miss Cooper and poured forth all her wrongs and her injuries and her distresses of various kinds with her usual passion and insincerity. Poor woman! She makes herself very miserable and there is no help for her, she cannot cure her unhappy temper and nobody else will put up with it, so alone she must live. My Lord wheeled in and kept me another half hour, such a wreck! Who would be a gambler. So noble looking as he was, younger than me and broke down completely and they affect to hold every one so cheap, he quietly, she outrageously treating all as dirt but themselves and their clique. While those they despise merely laugh at the despisers and leave them there alone in their arrogance to fret at it. What they might have been had either of them been better brought up.
11. Mrs. Haughton writes there were great fears yesterday that the radicals would after all head the poll; the same news was brought to Blesinton by the car which comes in late; this will be sad. Hal off about one for Dublin to vote for the County