IRELAND.
The Lord-Lieutenant arrived at Dublin from London on Saturday evening.
The following statement of the course which the Government means to take in reference to the famine loan annuities was prominently given by the Dublin Beetling Mail of Monday—
"We have reason to believe that the Ministry have at length arrived at a determination as to the course they will adopt in reference to the forty years' annuities impost. They will not consent to a general postponement of the claim ; but they will take into consideration the means and circum- stances of the individual unions respectively, and in those in which they know an attempt to levy the money would not produce enough to pay the -cost of making it, they will remit altogether a portion of the sum domed. The details have, we understand, been submitted to the consideration of Mr. Power, the chief. Poor-law Commissioner; and upon his report a Treasury minute will be framed."
Emigration continues with an unshrinking flood ; yet the provincial journals concur in marking an increased activity in retail trades and in the great fairs. At the great fair at Tuam, second to Ballinasloe in im- portance, the stock was numerous and good, and brought rising prices.
The first public meeting of the Roman Catholic Defence Association, ninee the inauguration of the body in August, was held in Dublin yester- day sennight. The affair does not seem to have been very successful. Lord Gormanstown took the chair. Mr. William Keogh M.P., Mr. Sadleir M.P., Mr. Nicholas Maher M.P., Mr. Joseph Blake M.P., and Mr. John Reynolds M.P., an honourable or two, two knights, and Mr. Sergeant Shoe of the English bar, were the notabilities: the rest of the company seem to have been chiefly Roman Catholic secular and regular clergy. At the be- ginning of the meeting, one writer states that not more than fifty or sixty were present ; another correspondent says, "I pledge my word" that there were "at no time more than two hundred." None of the Roman Catholic prelates were present at the beginning of the proceedings, but the Times haying suggested the probability that the Roman Catholic hierarchy are hesitating whether they shall continue to take so promi- nent a part as at first in the movement, a detachment of the bishops made their entry while the meeting was in progress; and this practical refutation of the London journal was prominently placed before the audience by Mr. Keogh M.P. The speeches were of no interest to the English reader. Mr. Reynolds repeated, as a new assertion, his declara- tion that "before the Government would be permitted to touch the hem of the Primate's sacred garment, they would require to double their army and to walk over the dead bodies of the people." He admitted that the interest of the people in the new movement is slack. Sonic had said to him, " Don't move in this matter' the people are sick of agitation." He admitted the people are so, but he would move in it, "because he would have the support of nine millions of the Catholics of the United Kingdom, and those of the whole world besides." Mr. Sergeant Shee gave the antidote of more practical counsels ; admitting that the Roman Catholics alone are powerless to effect the objects of the Defence Asso- ciation.
"They should bear in mind, in arranging their plans of operation, that while there are but 106 Members of Parliament for this country, there are upwards of 600 Members for England in the House of Commons; and that unless they so shaped their course in that association as to deserve the sups port of a very considerable portion of that English representation, all their talk and all their work would be utterly and entirely useless."
It was announced that the total receipts of the Association have been 7881. 12s.
The Galway Vindieator communicates the hopeful fact, that the num- ber of fresh students who have entered the Queen's College there is twenty-eight,—more than double the entries of the corresponding term last year. An increase was expected, but such an increase as this is hailed as equally delightful and surprising. The Vindicator is now cer- tain "that all attempts to arrest the progress of sound mixed educa- tion will prove utterly abortive in this country. The experience of each succeeding day strenthens us in this opinion. In Galway, where the whole strength of the opponents of mixed (Amts.:on was put forth, the now College is completely triumphant."
Mr. Gibbons, a young barrister, was shooting on the grounds of Mr. Hut- ton, in the county of Cavan ; the keeper interrupted his sport, and attempted to take away his gun. A struggle ensued ; the gun went off, and the charge entered the keeper's thigh, causing his death in a few hours. A Coroner' Jury pronounced the death "accidental."
Another gun accident happened in the same county, near Killeshandra. Dr. George Hinds was on a visit to his brother at Ramtield ; he took down a gun from a rack, and playfully presented the butt-end to the breast of a gentleman named Baker ; Mr. Baker struck it aside with his cane ; the gun was charged, the blow caused it to go off, and Dr. Hinds was shot dead.
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