Hereupon Mr. Dillon at once set to work to renew
the agita• tion. On Thursday, a great meeting was held at Loughrea to urge it forward, at which Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Brien delivered vehement speeches in favour of the course of action which the Court of Queen's Bench had just decided to be illegal. They then proceeded, in pursuance of their own advice to the people of Loughrea, to offer them the means of paying in their rents, less the per-centage determined on, to the officers of the National League, and opened two offices for that purpose; whereupon District-Inspector Davis took into custody Mr. Dillon, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Mat. Harris, and Mr. Sheehy,—all of them Members of Parliament,—and not only arrested these gentlemen, but seized the account-books, receipts, and other documents, as well as the cash-boxes and papers. The energy of the Government produced great excitement,—the more that it was not expected, for the general opinion was that they had no stomach for their own policy. But the breach with the National League is now complete. We shall watch with interest and curiosity how far the English Home-rulers will now go in the way of identifying themselves with the National League.
