Our home news is scanty and trivial. Appetite has been
palled by the mass of exciting matter with which the newspaper-reader has been crammed for the last year. Even the plotting at Clon- mel, which created "hopes," last week, of something terrible in that quarter, have come to nothing. The marching of soldiers to collect poor-rates, and the renewal of murderous assaults on indivi- duals, are familiar traits which indicate that Ireland is returning to its normal condition.
The writ of error against the result of John Martin's trial has been argued in Dublin, but not yet decided. The list of dis- putable points looks formidable. Official laches have defeated the Government proceedings in one of the Chartist trials in Scotland. The subordinates of the Lord-Advocate had confounded a prisoner with his brother, and it was found necessary to abandon the indictment. Some few election matters are in progress. Anticipating the Chid death or spontaneous retirement of Mr. Smith O'Brien from public life, Mr. Fitzgerald, son of the Knight of Glin, has come forward as candidate for Limerick : he is almost a Repealer—not quite. In West Yorkshire a strange coquetting goes on between the county Liberals and Mr. Charles Wentworth Fitzwilliam, son of the Earl. Mr. Fitzwilliam is young, undecided on many points, decided on others, half-and-half on more. He was "born a Free- trader," and is in favour of endowing the Roman Catholic priest- hood, but does not think that he could be brought to pay them out of English taxes. In short, Mr. Fitzwilliam is quite decided on matters already settled, but open to conviction on matters that remain open with the Whig Government. The Yorkshire Libe- rals do not like their man, but dare not combat the Fitzwilliam interest ; so they have been to him begging that he will withdraw. The young Whig aspirant is obstinate in soliciting their suffrages. In vain they ask him to wait till another turn—although it is a large constituency, he may, like a little boy in clothes measured by maternal foresight, grow up to it. No, he will be elected now. And they seem to admit, like Polly in the Beggar's Opera, that if he is very pressing the constituency must yield. Rumours are revived respecting the tender state of Lord John Russell's health, and the probability of his being obliged to retire is freely canvassed. Contradictory reports also circulate ; and in the absence of a medical certificate announcing the judgment of the stethoscope, it is impossible to know which is correct. We hope that Lord John will survive his Ministry, and delight the Commons, or the Lords, for many a year, with a continuation of those excellent constitutional speeches for which he has been so distinguished in Opposition.
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