POSTSCRIPT.

SATURDAY NIGHT.

The Dublin " Mansionhouse Committee" on the potato disease have adopted the draft of a memorial to the Queen. They assert that one-third of the potato crop has been destroyed by the disease, that famine is immi- nent, and that unless it be prevented pestilence must follow; and they angrily impeach the Corn-laws and the Government. They go on to say-

" That the people of Ireland, in their bitter hours of misfortune, have the strongest right to impeach the criminality of the Ministers of the Crown, inas- much as it has pleased a merciful Providence to favour Ireland in the present season with a most abundant crop of oats. Yet, whilst the Irish harbours are defied against the importation of foreign food, they are left open for the exporta- tion of Irish oats and grain; an exportation which has already amounted in the e.sent season to a quantity nearly iadequate to feed the entire people of Ire-

land. • " That the people of Ireland should particularly arraign the conduct of the Ministry in shrinking from their duty to open the ports for the introduction of Provisions by Royal proclamation, whilst they ha .. d the inhumanity to post- pone the meeting of Parliament to next year.

" That we behold in this conduct of the Ministry the contemptuous disregard of the lives of the people of Ireland; and that we therefore do prepare an address to her Majesty, most humbly praying her Majesty to direct her Ministers to adopt, without any kind of delay, the most extensive and efficacious measures to arrest the progress of famine and pestilence in Ireland."

The schism in the Irish Roman Catholic Church widens. A

of the Bishops was held in Dublin on Wednesday; and some of the Repoul papers had accounts which were meant to convey the impression that the Prelates had unanimously condemned the Colleges Bill, even in its altered form, that the matter had been referred for a final judgment to the Pom and that probably Dr. Kirwan would be suspended from his ecclesiastical functions for accepting the Presidency of the Galway College. The facts, however, were very different; as we find by the following transcript of the formal record, in the Freeman- " The Most Reverend Dr. Crony in the chair.

"It was moved by the Most Reverend Dr. M'Hale, and seconded by the Right Reverend Dr. M'Nally-

" ' Resolved, That the Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland having resolved that the measure of Academical Education proposed by the Government was dan- gerous to faith and morals, while the securities which they required for the re- moval of those dangers were refused by the Government and the Legislature; we, as guardians of the faith in Ireland, and anxious to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace, lay before the Holy Father our former resolutions, and their application to the act in its present form, together with the grounds oft which those resolutions were founded, in order that we nifty all receive the de- cisions of his Holiness, and recognize the voice of Peter in the person of his successor.'

" Dissentient- " Because we consider that the following resolution, proposed and supported by us, is a more accurate statement of the case, and more respectful to the Holy See.

" Resolved, That the bill for Academical Education in Ireland, proposedby the British Government, together with the memorial of the assembled Prelates in May last, and the bill in its amended form, be submitted to the Holy See for its con- sideration and decision.'

"+ W. CROLIX. + P. MGETITGAN.

"1- D. MURRAY. 4. J. BROWNE (Emmet).

"-I- J. RrAx. + C. DENYIR."

[The previous motion was carried by the majority.]

"Proposed by the Right Reverend Dr. Kincpla, and seconded by the most Reve- rend Dr. Crony- " Resolved unanimously, That our resolutions, adopted at different period?, oat- demning a state provision for our clergy, be now republished, in order to inform our people that our opinions on the subject are unchanged and unchangeable.'

" Most Reverend M. SLArrenr, Chairman.

"-j- Right Reverend V. L. ODortantra,, Secretary.'

It will be observed, that the Prelacy are divided into two sections, said to be headed respectively by Dr. Crolly of Armagh and Dr. IPHale of Tuam; that the whole repudiate a state provision for the clergy; but that when it was proposed to record an explicit condemnation of the Colleges Bill, a considerable minority dissented. Dr. M.Gettigan is a recent adherent to that minority; and the opponents of the bill are excessively annoyed at his defection.

An attempt was made to shoot Sir Francis Hopkins, at the door of his , mansion near Mullingar, on Monday night. Seeing two men with a gun and pistol, Sir Francis pursued them; but they knocked him down and escaped. One Seery has been arrested on suspicion. What crime against the Riband-laws the Baronet has committed is unknown; unless it is the recent purchase of his estate, formerly the residence of the Rochfort