12 NOVEMBER 1853, Page 5

IRELAND. Some time a g o, a person named Smith, employed by

certain zealous Protestants in Dublin to distribute controversial handbills, gave one to a Mr. Brennan, a Roman Catholic schoolmaster. Highly irritated, Mr. Brennan gave the distributor into custody, and stated before the Police magistrate, Mr. O'Callaghan, that Smith had " thrust " the bill into his bad, and thereby rendered imminent a breach of the peace. Smith said that ,be " offered " the bill, and that Brennan took it. Mr. O'Callaghan decided, that " if a paper put into a person's hand contain anything likely to make him angry or disturb his feelings," such conduct is calculated to occasion a breach of the peace • that Smith had provoked a breach of the peace, and therefore he must find bail for good behaviour, or go to prison. Bail was found. The Dublin Protestants thereupon held a held in the Ro- tunda, and resolved to demand from the Lord-Lieutenant the dismissal of the Police Magistrate. On Monday last a deputation from the meeting, headed by Mr. Martin, waited on Lord St. Germans, and presented a me- morial denouncing the conduct of Mr. O'Callaghan, as audacious, daring, insolent, and unconstitutional, and averring that he had " bigotedly lent himself to the intolerance of a bigot and to crush the rights of British subjects." In a temperate reply, Lord St. Germans expressed his regret that they had used language inconsistent with Christian charity ; and told them that if the charges preferred against Mr. O'Callaghan were well-founded, the Queen's Bench was the competent legal authority to correct such errors and punish such offenders. Mr. Martin said, they had been advised that the Queen's Bench was not the proper place. But, backed by the opinion of the Attorney-Genera], Lord St. Germans re- peated his advice ; and the deputation retired. Dublin is said to be much agitated by this absurd affair.

The representation of Clonmel is now vacant by the death of Mr. Cecil Lawless, second son of the late Lord Cloncurry. It is stated that Mr. Lawless never recovered from the shock of his father's death,

e A society has been formed in Dublin for the purpose of securing to the people of Ireland a permanent exhibition of ancient and modern art in that city, and of eventually establishing a national gallery in Ireland.

Lady Langford, the sister of Mr. Conolly M.P., has been drowned in the sea near Balbriggan. She was on a visit to Colonel Taylor, at Ardgillan Castle ; accompanied by a maid she went to bathe in the sea—her usual practice, no matter what the state of the weather : the tide was high, the sea very rough; and Lady Langford was carried away from the shore, and perished. The maid-servant, Charlotte Bates, made a courageous effort to aid her mistress, wading into the sea up to her neck; but she could not get near enough. She then called some men ; but no one could swim ; and a long time elapsed before the corpse was recovered. Dr. Bull, the most eminent surgeon in Cork, has committed suicide ; hanging himself by a sash to the branch of a tree in his garden. He had suffered lately from aberration of intellect; and though a watch was kept over him, he managed to elude the vigilance of those about him.