THE FINE ARTS IN CORK.

163

search for something that would give me information concerning the people and the country, I found that I was not disappointed in my expectations.

The painters of every country, especially at present, when tableaux de genre are so much the order of the day, represent in their pictures so much that is descriptive of their nation, of the geography and the climate of their country, and so much that is characteristic of the manners and habits of its people, that any one who has made these his study must every where use picture galleries as one of the chief sources from whence to draw his information, and should not despise even the most insignificant exhibitions. Thus, at the Cork exhibition were displayed the busts of the Mayor of Cork, of last year's Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daniel O'Connell, and of Father Mathew. Then there was an emigration scene, of poor Irish leaving their beloved Erin for America; besides various Irish fishermen, and several views of wild mountains and turf-bogs. The best thing a painter can do is to represent the scenes and incidents of his own country, for in them men of the slightest talent may be certain they have a subject they understand, and that they will produce a picture which, if it is at all tolerable, possesses the merit of being a copy of something, and therefore likely to be of some use to the world. Even the greatest genius can, perhaps, only produce a masterpiece when he remains within the horizon of his nationality, and can only attain extraordinary excellence by embodying in his pictures the national scenes or national habits characteristic of his country. The greatest painters, like the greatest poets, have ever been eminently patriotic, and their best creations have invariably sprung from the inmost depths of their own souls, and illustrate the life of their nation or the nature of their fatherland.

But the chief strength of Cork lies in other things than the fine arts. This city is well known as the principal port for the exportation of the raw produce of the whole south of Ireland. I therefore hastened to the store-houses of the town-to the slaughter-houses, packing-cellars, and to its butter weigh-house, salting establishments, &c., in order to acquire information respecting those particular branches of industry in which the greater part of the population is employed.

In the neighbourhood of Cork are some of the greatest dairies in Ireland. Kerry, and other cattle-grazing districts, are also not very distant; so that here the largest quantities of butter, bacon, hams, meat, and cattle are brought together. In the same manner, the principal export of Dublin is grain, the produce of the arable districts by which it is surrounded. Butter is one of the chief

articles of export from Cork, and the butter market and firkia crane is almost a curiosity. To this the butter is brought in little barrels or "firkins," and the weight and quality of each firkin is ascertained by an inquest of butter inspectors, who are under the direction of a general weighing-master. The quality thus determined is branded on every firkin; and in this way the butter trade of Cork, which is very extensive, is kept in good repute. As Cork butter is often intended for very distant markets, it is made very salt. The Kerry mountain butter is praised as being particularly "firm in body."

At the cellars of the provision merchants are to be seen immense quantities of "life stores." Masses of hams and sides of bacon are arranged in long rows, like octavo and folio volumes. In the suburbs are extensive slaughter-houses for pigs, in which thousands of the inmates of the Irish cabins and rent-payers yearly lay down their lives. I would like to know with what feelings hungry Paddy studies these folios of bacon! It is lamentable to think that the poor Irishman must hand over to others such vast quantities of what he himself so much stands in need. Ireland is to the English, in some measure, what Sicily was to the Romans, and is to the Neapolitans at the present day. That lovely island was always, in like manner, tyrannized over and plundered by Italy. Were Paddy only a little more industrious, he could, I am certain, keep a flitch in his own chimney for festive days. As it is, however, he must first become a soldier of her Majesty, and sail away thousands of miles after the bacon he has fattened in his cabin, and then, in the East or West Indies, he may perchance be allowed to partake of it, as large quantities of provisions are made up in Cork for troops on foreign service.

SECTION II.-PRESERVATION OF PROVISIONS.

PRESERVED FRESH PROVISION TRADE-ADVANTAGES OF THIS PRESERVATION-THE QUAYS OF CORK-THE QUICKEST STEAMBOAT.

Very interesting in this town are the establishments of those merchants who deal in fresh provisions, which they know how to preserve in their original freshness by some peculiar process of their own. These merchants are called " preserved fresh provision merchants." This branch of trade has been established in Ireland within the last twenty years, and has lately been considerably extended. Things of this kind can only be seen in Great Britain, because it is the only country which has so great an interest in being able to send all kinds of provision to every

PRESERVED FRESH PROVISION TRADE.

165

quarter of the globe in an uninjured condition. I visited the largest establishment of this description, that of Mr. Gamble, "patent preserved fresh provision merchant to her Majesty's navy, and to the Honourable the East India Company." In this establishment is to be seen almost every kind of food you can think of, packed up in so wonderful a manner, in tin or pewter cases, that most of them will keep perfectly fresh for years. Even milk and cream are so well preserved, that if one were to take the cases with him on a voyage round the world, and open them in the South Seas or the Indian Ocean, he would find the contents as sweet and fresh as if just milked from the cow. The principal points to be attended to are, the preparation of vessels perfectly close and air-tight, the selection of articles of the best quality, and the complete exhaustion of the air, as well out of the provisions themselves as from the vessels in which they are contained. Fresh vegetables of every description are also preserved in this

way.

The perfection which this art has attained is best proved by the testimony which Captain Ross has presented to this establishment. He certifies that in the year 1824 he bought here various cases of vegetables for his north-western expedition. Many of these remained in the stranded ship Fury till August, 1833, nine years afterwards, when they were again found and opened; and although during this time they had been exposed to all the injurious influences of that northern climate-in winter to a cold 52 degrees below zero of Fahrenheit, and in summer to a heat 80 degrees above zero-yet all the cases were found uninjured, and their contents in a state of perfect preservation, and fit for use.

Every thing connected with this branch of trade is remarkably complete. Thus, for instance, a quantity of cases are in readiness, each of which contains as much cream as is requisite for twelve cups, and others for twenty-four or thirty-six cups. The captain of a ship who wishes to supply himself here, has therefore only to state the number of his officers or passengers, to be provided with cases containing exactly the portions required for his daily consumption. Thus he wastes nothing, and even more regular economy is practicable than if there were cows on board. In like manner, the portions of meat and vegetables in each case are suited for a certain number of persons; and there is this further advantage, that most of the articles are already cooked, and both trouble and fire are alike saved. Sauces and soups, of every possible kind, prepared after the best rules of cookery, are also packed up in the same way, so that it is only necessary to give the article to the nearest sailor to warm, and

receive from his hands delicacies as excellent as if he were the best of cooks.

The quays of Cork present much that is interesting in the shipping of all these varieties of merchandize, especially the embarkation of the live stock, pigs, oxen, cows, &c. The shipping of the pigs is the most amusing, and hundreds of the idle strollers of Cork stand looking on, delighted with the scene. It is an inexhaustible source of entertainment to behold this humorous Paddy, this "queer fellow" as he calls himself, who makes so much noise in whatever occupation he may be engaged, and who, as a " readywitted" Cork lady said to me, "is always allowed to say every thing twice," this talking, shrieking, gesticulating Irishman, bidding farewell to his "rent-payers," and busied about them there for the last time, and at last hoisting them into the ship which is to waft them away from Erin's soil. One ship is being laden with firkins of butter for foreign lands, where Ireland must be thought one of the richest countries in the world, or she would not export these whole cargoes of fat. Another is receiving sacks of flour, and the poor porters are almost sinking beneath a load of bread-stuff, of which not a morsel will fall to their share. third is being provided with ships' biscuits, which have been baked in the great "steam-mill bakeries" of Cork, dried and prepared to keep for years. Strange it is that this poor hungry Ireland, in which so many actually die of hunger every year, and in whose bills of mortality and hospital books "starvation" is as regular a heading as any other cause of death;-strange it is, I say, that this country should, above all things, be destined to feed so many strangers to her soil.

A

During my stroll about these quays, I saw lying at them three of the quickest of English steamboats-the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, and the Fire-King. The Princess Royal is generally allowed to be the swiftest of all the steamboats which ply between the British Isles. On an average, including good and bad weather, she proceeds at the rate of twelve miles and a half an hour. The Prince of Wales was once considered the quickest, but its speed is now exceeded by the Princess Royal by two minutes in six and thirty miles. I am here speaking of sea-boats only, for on the Thames there are steamboats which can make twenty miles an hour. The Princess Royal is a beautiful vessel, and her saloons and cabins are fitted up quite in rococo style. She has now taken her station in Cork, and aids in bringing Ireland into closer connexion with England. All the vessels in this trade must, above all things, be constructed for animal passengers, and accordingly this elegant Princess has on her deck peculiar arrangements for

DECREASE OF CRIME.

167

the reception of oxen, cows, and pigs. By these rapid modes of conveyance Ireland is ever falling more and more into the hands of England, the two islands being thus, as it were, drawn 100 miles nearer to each other. Now that the railroads and steamers render it possible at any moment to transport troops from any part of England to Ireland in less than twenty-four hours, the latter is chained to the former more firmly than ever.

SECTION III.-THE COUNTY GAOL.

DECREASE OF CRIME IN

IRELAND-CRIME IN TIPPERARY-CRIME IN IRELAND NEGLECTED YOUTH-JUVENILE OFFENDERS THE BLACK HOLES THE BRIDEWELL PADDY'S DWELLING-HOUSE-WORKING CUBBITT.

BY

One of my most interesting and instructive visits in Cork was to the county gaol built here some years ago, both for debtors and criminals. The governors of English prisons are liberally instructed at all times to give every information to strangers respecting their arrangements; and the promptitude with which they answer the inquiries of all foreigners is deserving of high praise they appear to have no secrets whatsoever. To the visitor who is properly introduced, their books are opened; he is not only permitted, but invited, to put any questions he pleases to the prisoners; and he is supplied with books, documents, and papers, from which he can derive farther information more at his leisure. The most gratifying information I gained from the papers lent to me in Cork, in so friendly a manner, was the extraordinary decrease of crime in Ireland since the first year of the temperance movement; and as I think this great phenomenon cannot be too generally known, I will here state the facts which appear it.

to prove

The total number of criminals of all kinds brought to trial in Ireland, was

In the year 1839

1840

1841

26,392

23,833

20,790

being a diminution, in three years, of upwards of 22 per cent. in the number of criminal trials. That class of crimes which appears so very numerous on the Irish lists, the "riots," was also evidently decreased. The numbers of these were—

In the

year 1839

3409

3201

2855