IRELAND.

His Excellency the Grand Master held a chapter of the Order of St. Patrick at two o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, in Dublin Castle. The Earl of Clare and the Marquis of Ormonde were installed Knights with the usual formalities. There are not two of the Irish nobility upon whom this honour could have been more appropriately conferred: both are ex- cellent landlords, and, as far as practicable, constant residents in their native country.—Tines.

The " concursus" for the election of candidates to the vacant Profes- sorships in Maynooth College, which commenced on the 8th instant, closed on the 12th. For the fourth chair of Theology, created under the enlarged grant, there was no contest; and the Reverend Thomas Furlong, who had been successively Professor of Humanity and Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, was elected. For the two other vacant Professorships there were seven candidates, and the struggle was very severe. The Reverend Mr. Behan, of the diocese of Meath, who had only just completed the ordinary course of the College, was elected to the chair of Logic; and the Reverend Mr. Gargau, of the diocese of Meath, Professor of Philosophy in the Irish College at Paris, was elected to the chair of Humanity. A number of distinguished literary men, unconnected with the College, were present during the concursus.

By direction of the Lord Chancellor, a supersedeas was forwarded, on Tuesday. to Mr. Robert Caldwell; who has been removed from the com- mission of the peace for the county of Fermanagh, at his own request.

The subjoined resolutions were adopted at the meeting of gentlemen representing the Orangemen of Ulster, held in the Town-hall of Ennis- killen on the 27th August, " for the purpose of taking into consideration how far a union of all those who are ready to make common cause in up- holding the religion of the Reformation would ho formed in strict sub- serviency to the laws." The Earl of Enniskillen presided. " That the circumstances of the times render it absolutely necessary that a closer union should be formed among all classes of her Majesty's loyal and at- tached subjects in this country, in order to preserve inviolate the Legislative Union, and the blessings of civil and religious liberty; and especially is combination and union necessary among all those who are ready to make common cause in uphold- ing the religion of the Reformation.

That in order that any union formed among us should be firmly established and productive of beneficial and lasting results, we are persuaded it must be formed on that precept of the Bible, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake'; and therefore, taking this precept as our guide, our union shall be fanned in strict subserviency to the existing laws of the realm. " That inasmuch as the existing laws render the Orange Institution, as originally constituted, illegal, we do hereby appoint a Committee for the purpose of considering under what appellation the society shall be designated, and upon what legal principles such a union can be formed, and for the drawing up rules and regulations for the conduct of such union; and that the said Committee be em- powered to submit such rules and regulations to eminent counsel for their direction and opinions as to their strict legality and conformity to the law, and take such steps as may be necessary to carry out these resolutions. That the Committee appointed to carry out the foregoing resolutions consist of Reverends S. Smith, George W. Welsh, H. Hamilton junior; and Messrs. N. Arch- dale S. Y. Johnston, and J. Wood, whose exertions are to be confined to the county of Fennanagh; and that Mr. William Dane be requested to act as Secretary to said Committee.

" That we look with the greatest confidence to obtaining the cooperation of all classes, from the highest to the lowest, in carrying out the principles of these resolutions."

Subsequently this resolution was adopted by the Committee- " The Committee appointed at the aforementioned meeting having met, it was resolved that the ancient appellation of ' Orange' is the best by which any union of all classes of loyal Protestants can be designated, and that certain rules and regulations, suggested and agreed to by the Committee for the proposed union, should at once be submitted to eminent counsel."

" Grand Orange Lodges" are in full operation in the counties of Lon- donderry, Fermanagh, Antrim, Monaghan, and Cork.

The Dublin Evening Mail intimates, in rather a jocose style, as if the writer could not keep his countenance, that Mr. James Watson, the Orange martyr, is about to-canvass the county of Antrim as a Parliamentary can- :didate !

At the meeting of the Repeal Association, on Monday, a letter was read from Mr. O'Connell, in which he made another sally against Mr. John Reynolds; promising to refute that gentleman's charges against the Cor- poration of Dublin. He announced that he should be in Dublin on Satur- day next, and that he should first attend three monster-meetings in Tip- perary, Mayo, and Kerry. Among other business, was a long commentary, by Mr. John O'Connell, on the Commissioner of the Times; in whose letters he did not fully concur, but he promised to that gentleman the lasting gratitude of Irishmen if he should succeed in raising in England a cry of execration against the heartless landlords of Ireland. The rent for the week was 2391.

The Young Ireland ," section of the Repeal party has sustained a great loss in the premature d ath of Mr. Thomas Davis, a principal writer in the Nation newspaper; deeply regretted not only by his immediate political friends, but by all who were acquainted with his personal worth and abilities. The Dublin Pilot finis pays tribute to a departed coadjutor, with whom that steady organ of the " simple Repeaters" once had some serious dif- ference—

" We may with truth say that Thomas Davis perished in the service of his country. His labours were incessant: they extended into every field—eolitics,

literature, science, history, art, social reunions; and wherever they were employed;

one object '

cheered and stimulated them, one sole guerdon was sought as their reward—the elevation of Ireland. His last labour—suspended by his illness, and' now left for ever unfinished by his death—was The Life of Wolfe Tone intended to be published as the November number of Duffis Library of Ireton; The earlier part of the manuscripts hould have been in the printer's hands in the first week of the next month: he was smitten with sickness—fever--in the middle of this. After a few days' struggle, he partially shook off the first rude grasp of disease. He believed that he had conquered it, and he resumed a labour that ha loved. He wrote the dedication, which is to the Irish People, of a second edition of his collection of Curran's Speeches. The manuscript of this dedication was forwarded to his publisher so late as Saturday evening. But he had long over- tasked himself; Ins overwrought energies sunk in the last conflict, and he died for the country which he served while living, and which he perished in endeavour.: ing to exalt. " He was a native of Mallow, in the county of Cork, but had been for many years a resident of Dublin. His death, though it has come on the public by sur- prise, was scarcely of a sudden character. He was first taken ill on Monday week. On Thursday, his struggle with disease was so far successful that he was out for a few hours; but he was conscious that his constitution had no longer its wonted powers. Meeting John O'Connell on that day, he expressed his conviction that his work was telling against him.' That evemng he relapsed; but was still so hopeful of recovery, that on the following day, in wntin" to a friend, he spoke cheerfully of his anticipated restoration to health, and added a wish that his ill- ness should not be publicly mentioned, for he hoped to be in a few days once more at work for Ireland.' But the disease proved too strong for him; he gradu- ally sunk under it. At half-past six yesterday [Tuesday] morning, the struggle terminated; and Thomas Davis, with all that Nature had given him of gifts and that labour had accumulated of knowledge and accomplishments, had ceased to exist, at the early age of thirty-one."

At an extraordinary meeting of the Repeal Association, on Wednesday, Mr. John O'Connell delivered a long speech on the mournful event, an proposed an address to the Repeaters recommending their attendance at Mr. Davis's funeral; which was unanimously agreed to.

The Eighty-two Club have also resolved to attend the funeral, in uni- form, with crape round the left arm. [Even at such times, harping on military millinery I]

The first of the Times Commissioner's letters this week, on the condi- tion of the people of Ireland, is dated from Dunfanaghy, in Donegal; and is a critical examination of " the tenant-right " of Ulster, its nature, merits and demerits. Early in the letter, he says- " In parts of Ulster to the East, it is founded chiefly on improvements made by the tenant on his farm, which the outgoing tenant claims the right to sell. About the centre of Ulster, it is founded chiefly on the competition value of the land over and above the rent demanded. To the West of Ulster, it is founded chiefly on the right of possession, or peaceable possession, or on the good-will' of the farm, as it is termed. In various parts of Ulster, it is affected by the character of the landlord, and by the amount of rent exacted: it also depends in amount on agricultural prosperity, on a supposed interest in the:soil, and on locality. But more or less in all parts it has some foundation on each of these considerations. I shall, however, give you an authority for each of these views, as it is very pree bable that most of them will be contradicted."

This is made out by documentary evidence, mainly from the Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons in 1844, on the Town-land Valuation of Ireland. Among strong objections which the writer urges against the tenant-right, is the fact that it discourages improvement by this landlord. It also neutralizes the advantage to the tenant of having a good landlord—

"Suppose the tenant of ten acres of land gives for a farm under the first land- lord 101. an acre for the tenant-right, or 100/. The interest on 100/. at 51. cent is Si. per annum; which in Ireland the farmer could at least obtain for use of his money. He therefore sacrifices 5/. a year interest; which added to his rent of 101. makes him pay 131. a year for the use of his land. But 151. a year is just 30e. an acre, the amount which the hard landlord screws out of his tenants: but under the hard landlord the tenant-right is, perhaps, worth little or nothing; thus the tenant-right tends to equalize the position of the tenants to that condition which the hardest landlord imposes on them. A good landlord, therefore, sees it is of no use to have low rents, for the tenant-right equalizes the rents; and he is induced to increase his rents to keep down the value of the tenant-right, which consumes the capital of his tenants to no advantage. It must be borne in mind that there are two sides to every bargain; and, though it may be very pleasant to the outgoing tenant to receive a high value for his tenant-right,it is just ruin to the incoming tenant, who perhaps borrows money to pay it, and who is consequently steeped in poverty for the rest of his life." The Commissioner insists on the practical influence of race in the social aspect of Ireland-

" It is the nature of the men on the East coast of Ireland, by their activity, their enterprise, their intelligence, and their industry, to rise to wealth and to prosperity —to push themselves—to accomplish greatness. It is their history in every quarter of the known world where they have been placed. It is the nature of the men on the West coast to cling with strong affection and prejudice to old habits, to their land, to their kindred. Enterprise is forced upon them; they do not seek it as one of the pleasures of existence. The middle classes live by subletting, and subletting, and again subletting the land at increased rentals. This is the extent of their enterprise. My letter is already too long, or I would quote several amusing instances of this. The poorer classes, who have to pay all these rentals, cling to the land, and to one another. As they increase, they divide and sub.- divide the patch of land they possess; they submit to live on poorer and poorer food; still they cling to the land, and subdivide it with their children, till rent no longer exists, the land will not keep them, and all starve together. Their highest ambition and enterprise is to obtain ' a blanket and a shelter for Sally, and potatoes for themselves and children. This was positively the fact at Taniwilly, near Killybegs, in this county, on a property belonging to the Board of Education. The people being left to themselves, subdivided their land till they could pay no rent, and at length it would not keep them; and they were found a year or two ago by the Poor-law Commissioners lying in their huts with- out food or clothes, all starving together in the most frightful state of destitution. There are numerous instances of the same result when the inhabitants of the West coast are left to themselves. Leave the people on the East coast to them- selves, and they are sum to prosper: they only want leaving alone, and they will fight their own way. Not so those of the West. Now, is it or is it not more states- manlike to face these facts, than to shirk them? By facing them, we may hope to know how to apply help and guidance where they are needed. By shirking than, we have Ireland that mass of difficulties' which it has always been. I are far from praising one race of people or blaming the other for that which is the nature, and which they cannot help. This is not the part either of honesty or wisdom. Knowing the qualities of the men on the Rest, we may safely leave them to take care of themselves; they canrun alone. It is the men on the West who, when we find them and ourselves no longer deceived by ill-judging friends, will require our aid, our instruction, our guidance, our example—who will maim to be urged on, praised on, shamed on, led on, and, if necessary, forced on. Un- fortunately for them, and for the country, the very opposite course has been taken—they have been oppressed, kept back, and left to themselves, and they

stave." • His remedy is a legislative encouragement of twenty-one years leases. ' The next letter is on the estates in Londondery belonging to the London Corporations ; whose benevolent and liberal system of management is re- flected in the tranquillity and comparative prosperity of the district.

The Dublin Evening Mail publishes a good deal of correspondence, in which Mr. Henry &mama, Dr. Martin, Rector of Killesandra and a leader of the Orange party, and other gentlemen, take part; the matter being incriminations and recriminations, personal and political. In the course of it, however, Mr. Southwell gives some explanation as to the circumstances which led to the recent misunderstanding and disturbance. " My estates," he says, " were brought to sale during my absence from this country, in direct violation of an agreement, by frau- dulent contrivances, and in had faith, at a moment when a loan had been nego- tiated, which a few weeks would have brought to completion, for the discharge of the family incumbrances and other liabilities to which the property was subject. The tenantry of the estates, hi my absence, unsolicited and unknown to me or to any one connected with me until their plans were far advanced, came to the sin-

ter and noble determination, that if Mr. Hamilton, who had become the pur- chaser of part of the estates, would consent to relinquish the same, they would subscribe and solicit aid throughout the country to repurchase the property for me. Soon after my return to Ireland, last month, Mr. Hamilton, upon my appli- cation, agreed to relinquish his purchase in my favour; and all arrangements are far advanced to carry the agreement into execution. One would suppose that a transaction of this nature might have been carried out without the intervention of the public press: but that would not have suited the purpose of the parties who have furnished materials for your comments; and the public are left to infer that a creditable and handsome act of Mr. Hamilton's good feeling and free-will arises from no higher motive than fear and apprehensions of personal danger in conse- quence of some anonymous threatening letters which lie received. As far as I can learn, this sort of communication has been pretty general in this vicinity; and Iran answer for a due portion having reached myself and Mrs. Southwell, which we treat with the contempt they merit. Thus much as to my private concerns." In a subsequent letter, he says—" I assert that from the moment it was ascertained that I had agreed with Mr. Hamilton for the repurchase of my family property, a conspiracy was formed to prevent my so doing, by some few persons to whom I was personally and politically obnoxious. I assert that the ' notice,' anonymous and without date, purporting to be that of the 'Loyal Protestants' of the county of Cavan, was really the production of those conspirators; of whose nefarious proceedings in this matter I am on the trace, with a fair prospect of being able, I trust, before long, to obtain such proof as will enable me to bring the parties to the bar of justice." " It has been reported to us," says the Enniskillen Reporter, "that the of- ficiating priest at Killesandra, last Sunday, stopped short m the middle of his sermon, and commenced a tirade of abuse against the Protestants; saying, It was the bloody, bloodthirsty Protestants who had put a stop to their meeting.' We also learn that Mr. Grattan, the officer in charge of the military, ordered them opt; when the priest said, If you wait, boys, I'll finish the sermon now.' "

The son of a farmer named Kenny, residing at Clinderlaw Bay, in Clare, has been murderd as he was returning to his father's house; a pistol having been fired at him. A verdict of " Wilful Murder" against persons unknown has been returned by a Coroner's Jury. It is suspected that the murderer was one Sexton, who had been turned out of a farm which Kenny had taken.

One James Steel has been held to bail at Cullaville, Armagh, for discharging two pistols loaded with ball from the road, where he was passing, among a num- ber of reapers in a field of corn belonging to Mr. O'Callaghan, one of the Dublin divisional Magistrates; saying at the same time that he would shoot them like dogs.

The Reverend Mr. Williams, a Protestant clergyman, died lately, at Tramore, in Waterford, from the effects of gun-shot wounds, inflicted by some person or per- sons unknown, eleven years ago, in the county of Cavan. The unfortunate gen- tleman had been in a state of suffering throughout the whole period. No trace of the murderers was ever discovered.

A number of incendiary fires have lately taken place in the neighbourhood of Kinagad, county Westmeath; no fewer than five having occurred in the last week, without the least clue to the perpetrators.

The town of Carrick on-Suir was visited with a severe thunder-stormron Sunday last. The lightning was most vivid, and set fire to a large hay- rick belonging to a Mr. Feehan. The chapel-bells were rung to collect the people for the purpose of extinguishing the fire, and added much to the alarm which prevailed. The storm passed over the tract of country lying between lioscrea, in the county Tipperary, and Ballacolla and Mowitrath, in the Queen's County: it was accompanied by heavy rain and hail ; the latter, in many instances, being as large as a moderate-sized hazel-nut. It is feared that the crops suffered severely, as very little corn had been reaped in the greater part of the district.

The Tiraterford Chronicle states that the fish in several of the fisheries in that part of the country have been poisoned by some infamous persons, who used roach lime for that purpose.