AN IRISH GRIEVANCE.

Western Star, Issue 1116, 15 January 1887, Page 4

AN IRISH GRIEVANCE.

A correspondent of the Liverpool “Weekly Post,” Oct. 23rd, relates the ; following amusing incident; —I was chatting with the captain of an Allen liner at sea a couple of years ago, when there approached a deputation of North of Ireland emigrants. They came to complain of an “ extraordinary mess” which that day had been served in the steerage for dinner. The spokesman was a voluble person, who interlarded (ho narrative with easy familiar allusions to the powers and terrors of the Board of Trade when these were exercised in the cause of the “ poor emigrants.” “Bring up the dish,” sal d the ciptain to the s' c mage steward. A large kid of boiled leg of mutton with caper sauce, still hot and apprising, was produced, “ What's the matter with this ?” asked the commander, evidently puzzled, as the Allen steamers rank deservedly high for the manner in which their steerage passengers are victualled. “What’s wrong hero?’ he added. “Shore, need ye ask ?” replied the head ot the deputation, pointing with an expression of horror to the little green berries in the succulent sauce. “Do you think emigrant passengers are haytbens and bastes . that you should give as mutton stewed with sous' pass ?" It took some time to explaiito the deputation that “sour peas” really formed a much-esteemed complement of boiled log of mutton ; but the spokesman, though evidently conscious that he and his friends had incontinently come to cut a “ quare caper” of their own, retired with dignity from the conflict. “ A caper, ye call it ?” he saiti ; “ be jab era, captain, ye can kape it for the saloon. We’ll have our mutton clane in future.” But the story told against, the deputation in the steerage; where a moiety of th,e emigrants voted the dinner Al, and the malcontents were known for the rest of the voyage as “ sour pasc.”