Permission to go ashore, Sir.

Irishmen in the Fleet at Cove.

To the Editor of the Cork Examiner - Cork Harbour, Sept. 9th. 1845.


Sir,
You will very much oblige me if you insert the following in your very valuable journal: There are great numbers of us belonging to the different ships now in Cove, that are natives of the different little towns about the harbour, and we cannot get leave to go ashore to see our friends. When we were in England, Englishmen got plenty of leave on shore, and when the ships that fitted out at Plymouth went to Portsmouth, these persons that belonged to Portsmouth got plenty of leave on shore; in fact went every night at supper time, and now that, by chance almost, we had a run into Cove, we that live there cannot go to see our old fathers and mothers- perchance we may never see them again, - Can it be possible that our Admiral, Sir Hyde Parker, thinks that we Irish are not possessed of as fine feelings as Englishmen? Officers can go- those that have no relation here whatever. Even the boy Midshipmen can go where they please: but we, common fellows, men before the mast, must not even look through the ports at our friends. Is this English justice? Is this English equality Irishmen have always shed their blood as freely as Englishmen, and I am sure that if a war occurred tomorrow, Sir Hyde would be very sorry to dispense with our services.