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 Dublin to-morrow and County Wicklow Tuesday.5 Shocking work in Carlow and the priests as busy as bees everywhere. Mr. George Moore told the Doctor that everywhere the prospects of the Conservatives are most encouraging; the Carlton Club reckon on a majority of seventy. I would divide this by half and still be satisfied. Mrs. Ogle Moore has a son, a fine baby; she suffered much more than usual, but she got over her dangerous time better though she was for two hours in great peril, so exhausted at last that she said: ‘Shall I live, Doctor?’ He says some day she will slip through, poor thing. How curious it is that to some women the very purpose of their being should be in the fulfilment so fraught with danger. Other animals give birt h of their young with an ease one should suppose natural to an occurence in the course of nature, but women almost always peril their lives when producing their children. It must be from the artificial lives we lead. Too little exercise to develop the strength of our bodies, and too many luxuries which further enervate them. The poor Doctor is still a prisoner Mrs. Kilbee hourly expecting her trial, then Mrs. Foster and Mrs. Gore,—population encreasing well.
14. Doctor called and had a long gossip for us of election news, priest interference etc. Lady Milltown also called, in a gracious mood with me but sadly out of sorts with the rest of the world. She really is totally deserted by everyone. No wonder they should both fly to Baden or any where else where they are not known, the mere change of place is consoling to those who have neither friends nor occupation. My Lord is gone to some races, my Lady goes after him on Saturday. Miss Sçavoy is gone too, the new governess, poor thing, arrives to-day little knowing the misery before her and the mother leaves the children with a stranger. She has begged of me to look after them which so far as calling occasionally I will do with pleasure but I decline all other charge.
16. Fine day, riding, walking, driving nearly the whole of it. Hal took a great drive, ride I mean about sixteen miles I am sure, called on half his acquaintance heard from Mr. Gore that in the Agent’s accounts there is a regular entry against Lord Downshire for the expenses of his visits to the Murrays. Hal was quite taken aback, so opposite from all he had ever heard. At Edenderry Mr. Gore said it was the same and that in the little intercourse he had
