IRELAND.

A Treasury minute, dated the 7th of December, sanctions a modifica- tion of the system originally laid down for the drainage of the land. After a review of all the enactments, and in accordance with a suggestion con- tained in a communication from Mr. R. More O'Ferrall, the minute sets forth, that the most advantageous mode of applying the Drainage Acts is that Government should undertake all heavy drainage works applicable to large tracts of country, such as the deepening or removing of obstruc- tions in rivers, their tributary streams, or the larger water.courses. Drain- ing in detail, such as laying down draining-tiles, pipes, or stone-draining, in each field, can be far better performed by each individual proprietor.

A supplementary letter from Mr. Trevelyan, bearing date the 15th in- stant, explains more fully the details of the plan. Bills will be submitted to Parliament for extending the objects of the Drainage Acts. The 1,000,0001. fund is to be rendered available for the general improvement of land, including drainage. Repayment to be made by equal half-yearly instalments of 31. 5s, each, distributed over twenty-twoyears, or such shorter time as may he agreed on; the interest to be 3f per cent. The bill will contain a provision for apportioning among the various parties deriving benefit from any improvements, a proportionate contribution towards the repayment of the loan. Loans made to the Board of Works for general drainage purposes will be repayable by half-yearly instalments according to the award of the Commissioners, with interest at 4 per cent instead of 5 per cent as heretofore.

"My Lords are further of opinion, that with the view both of providing security for the repayment of the advances from the public purse, and of relieving entailed estates from the evil of accumulated charges, two powers should be conferred by the measures which it is proposed to submit to Parliament. First, a power to the proprietors of an entailed estate to sell for the purpose of repaying the ad- vances for improvements made by the Board of Works; or, if made by himself with the aid of Government money, under the inspection of the Board of Works, any part of the estate so improved, or of other estates settled to the same uses, in the same manner as a power exists in this country of selling for the redemption of the land-tax. Secondly, a power to the Government, of selling, in default of payment of two consecutive instalments, so much of the land improved, or of other estates settled to the same uses, which the proprietor might prefer, as would repay capital, interest, and expenses of sale. "My Lords desire it to be clearly understood, that in thus laying down the conditions on which they are prepared to make advances on any applications made subsequently to the 1st instant, they have no intention of interfering with any works or arrangemeat for works now in progress under any existing act, or with such as have been undertaken, or as may be undertaken, until Parliament shall otherwise provide, under the Poor Employment Act, as extended by Mr. Labouchere's letter of October 5."

The late severe weather having caused the suspension of many public works, provisional regulations have been issued from the Boards of Works to mitigate the sufferings of the labourers during the forced idleness. The system is laid down as follows- " 1. On such occasions, the labourers are to attend at roll-call in the morning; and all who attend will, if it be impossible to set them to work then, be entered on the pay-list for half a day's daily pay. "2. If the weather be fine, they will be expected to commence work immediately: if at or before nine o'clock, they will be paid for the whole day; if at or after twelve o'clock, for as many hours as they may be entitled to between that and half a day. If they don't come to work as soon as the day is fine, they will re- ceive no pay. "In order to guard against abuse, the inspecting-officers or engineers will be careful that this system of relief is never resorted to when there is any work to be performed, in breaking stones, scraping snow off the roads, &c. Those cases to be entered in separate lists, beaded Special Belief'; a supply of which will be for- warded to you immediately."

The Irish landlords, who have been meeting in Dublin to consider the state of the country, are now a constituted body, and have assumed the title of the "Reproductive Employment Committee." Their first act has been to issue a circular forwarding a paper of suggestions for the consideration of practical men in various districts; and also a copy of the resolution passed by the meeting at which the committee was appointed.

The resolution calls upon the landed proprietors of Ireland to cooperate in adopting the provisions of the Million Drainage Act, rather than avail themselves of the provisions of the Labour-rate Act as modified by Mr. Labouchere's letter. By this means, they would be able to dispense with the Labour-rate Act, and its attendant mischiefs. This act has, on the one hand, the advantage of assessing all landed property, according to its value, for the purpose of giving employment to the destitute poor; but on the other hand, the disadvantage that it applies only to unprofitable works. This defect was partially modified by Mr. Labon- chere's letter; but through the operation of that letter the only advantage of the original enactment was lost, namely, that of taxation in proportion to value; "for, instead of simply allowing each proprietor to have his proportion of the electoral assessment expended either in reproductive or unproductive works, at his option, it has introduced a plan which inflicts a species of double taxation on the reproductive employer, in cases where all the proprietors in an electoral di- vision do not agree that the assessment should be applied to reproductive works." The requirement of an "assent" or "undertaking, too, has the effect of pre- venting unanimity, by inducing proprietors negligent of their properties, or governed by more unworthy motives, to dissent or withhold their undertakings from the reproductive class of presentments at sessions, "as by so doing they either wholly escape all taxation, or stiffer one greatly diminished in amount— diminished in proportion to the quantity taken by the more enlightened and

liberal proprietors." In addition to this objection, another obvious one presents itself to Mr. Labouchere's letter, viz, that as it only allows works of 'drainage,' and subsoiling in connexion with drainage,' it is inapplicable to a great part of the country—parts where drainage is not wanting, and parts where drainage can- not take place till the main outlets are cleared and deepened, which can only be a work of time."

The remedies suggested are these-

" 1. That the ' undertaking ' required by Mr. Labouchere's letter should be dis- pensed with. 2. That each proprietor, consenting to take his proportion of the sum assessed on his electoral division, to be applied in reproductive works, under the superintendence of the Board ofWorks, should thereby be exempted from all further taxation in relation to that particular assessment. 3. That such repro- ductive works should not be confined to drainage, but should include clearing land of stones, subsoiling unconnected with drainage, and other permanent works of a reproductive nature. 4. That two or more proprietors should have the power of uniting, and of having the proportion assessed on such proprietors spent on any particular work. 5. That after the primary assessment, the Sessions should ad- journ for a limited period; and that if any part of the money assessed upon the electoral division be not applied for by a proprietor for reproductive works before the reassembling of the Sessions, the same shall be applied in public works. 6. That the money to be expended under the amended act, and also the money ex- pended under Mr. Labouchere's letter, shall be repayable in the same manner as

money advanced under the Million Act, in twenty-two annual instalments, to be collected by the quit-rent collectors. 7. That powers should be given to the Board of Works to advance money, by way of loan, to railway companies that have obtained their acts; such money to be laid out in making the earth-works of the railway, and to be expended before the 1st of August 1847."

At a subsequent meeting, the Committee determined on the issue of a second circular, containing their views in reference to the present supply of food. This document, it is said, will contain suggestions for the sus- pension of the Navigation-laws, so far as to allow of the importation of food in foreign bottoms, the employment of men-of-war for the• convey- ance of food, and permission for Relief Committees to sell provisions under cost price, or give food to the impotent poor.

Mr. Ralph Osborne has renewed his appeal to the resident owners of small estates in Ireland. He waxes more and more energetic. This is no time, he says, for playing at meeting-

" Gentlemen, if you wish to continue proprietors of the land, you must show that you are willing and able to take your own parts. I therefore once more earnestly entreat you immediately to sign requisitions in your respective counties, calling together the members of your body, and then and there entering into arrangements for a meeting of the owners of property in the Irish metropolis." And he asks, "Should the Labour-rate Act continue in operation for two months longer, how are mortgages to be disbursed, brothers' and sisters' portions to be paid?" He closes in these oracular words—" If you wish to ride out the storm, your only harbour of refuge is combination, or else —" A circular, bearing the signature of the Very Reverend Dr. Newland, Dean of Ferns, has been addressed to the owners of property in the barony of Gorey, urging upon them the advantage of undertaking for drainage- works at the forthcoming Presentment Sessions- " Many of the landlords in this division of the barony have determined upon applying, under Mr. Labouchere's letter, for the drainage of their respective pro- perties. It is not only the interest of every landlord to combine in a similar re- solution, but it will tend to the simultaneous advantage of the whole district. A general combination will reduce the expense on all, as the officers and all the necessary machinery for such an undertaking will be vastly diminished by an entire district being under the operation of one general system."

A meeting to consider the lamentable distress of the poor in Dublin was held on Wednesday, in the Music Hall. Alderman Staunton presided. Archbishop Murray moved the first general resolution, that the distress claimed sympathy and should have relief. The High Sheriff moved the second resolution, for a committee. Mr. Classon was dissatisfied that the committee was to be local and not for the provinces generally: he ac- cordingly moved an amendment. A discussion followed, and the amend- ment was withdrawn. Subsequently, Mr. O'Connell contended for the appointment of a central committee for all Ireland, as well as a local committee: he would subscribe 501. to each. Mr. O'Connell was proceed- ing to speak of the thirty millions loan, when a voice from the body of the meeting called on him to "give them the Repeal rent." Great con- fusion ensued, and the proceedings were entirely interrupted for a time. The hubbub being calmed, Alderman Egan said he thought it most im- portant to repudiate the calumny that the people were arming for rebellions purposes. He suggested a national bazaar, under the immediate patronage of the Queen, as a means of raising "immense sums" of money. Mr. Delmedge, of Clare, said, he was an Irishman, but not a supporter of Mr. O'Connell. Though no Repealer, Conservative principles showed him that domestic legislation was necessary for the country: a national committee ought to be formed at once. Mr. O'Connell, in compliance with Mr. Delmedge's suggestion, moved that the landlords of Ireland should meet on the 6th of January; which was carried. The names of the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of Dublin, Archbishop Murray, the Lord Mayor, the High Sheriff, and the Dean of St. Patrick, were at the head of the list of the committee that had been appointed, followed by those of the most respectable bankers and merchants of the city.

A meeting of the Liscannor Relief Committee was held on the 17th in stant, in order to investigate certain charges against Mr. Cornelius O'Brien, M.P., and other influential members of the committee, for partiality in selecting persons for employment on the public works. A Mr. G. West ropp was the accuser, on behalf of the tenantry of Dean Stackpool; but he did not attend in person. For some time no witnesses came forward, and the few who appeared had no complaints to allege. So the Chairman declared Mr. O'Brien entirely exonerated from the accusations. In the course of the inquiry, an altercation was revived between Mr. O'Brien and his Corofin opponent, Captain Wynne; but it ended amicably, each dis- claiming all personal imputation. The meeting subsequently proceeded to relief business; and strong re- presentations were made as to the necessity for increased works. Mr. Gamble [apparently an officer under the Board of Works] promised that he would extend the works as far as practicable, and would give immediate directions for the employment of sixty more men. On this, one of the committee, Mr. J. Macnamara, exclaimed—" By Godl Fil resign tomorrow: there should be at least three hundred put on the works at once: I can't stand this, and I won't!"

A curious scene is reported in the Cork Constitution as having occurred last week at an extraordinary Presentment Sessions held in Fermoy, for the barony of Condon and Clongibbons. After the usual preliminaries, it was determined to proceed under Mr. Labouchere's letter authorizing "reproductive works." Lord Kingston having announced that he wanted to get presentments for drainage to the amount of 20s. in the pound on the Poor-law valuation in the electoral division of Mitchelstown, it was moved after some discussion, that 5s. in the pound should be presented to provide for the next two months.

Earl of Kingston—" I won't be a party to such an arrangement." Secretary—" The Poor-law valuation of the barony is 63,1731. 13s. 3d., and 5.r. will be the fourth of that."

Earl of Kingston—" I wrote to Mr. Redington and Mr. Labouchere, statin that I considered the destitution of the people such that I would not be a part to anything less than the entire valuation." Chairman—" But if we grant that to Blitchelstown, we are bound to gra. the valuation to places that don't want it."

Earl of Kingston—" Then I move, that we propose for the entire valuation the barony; and if that be not agreed to, let the responsibility rest on the ( vernment."

Chairman—" Is there any one to second his Lordship's motion?" ("No, no!' Earl of Kingston—" Then I will be no party to any other arrangement. The Parliament will soon assemble, and II1 take care to get satisfaction: for ru move—I'll get a friend in the House of Lords to move—for copies of my letters to Mr. Labouchere and Mr. Redington."

Reverend H. Disney—" And will you let the poor starve until then?"

Earl of Engston—" I say let them starve." (" Oh! ")

Having left the meeting, Lord Kingston sent in a written protest against the proceedings; but he was at length prevailed on by his agent, Mr. &oi- lier, to apply for a proportion of the valuation.

In contrast to the foregoing is an example cited by the Northern Whig. "A number of landowners, who met on Thursday last at Kirkcubbin, in the county of Down, to deliberate upon what they ought to do, came to a resolution to provide useful employment for all the unemployed labourers upon their respective estates."

The Derry Sentinel reports the proceedings at a recent meeting of the tenantry of Sir Robert Bateson, in the Cross Roads Meeting-house, near Derry-

" The object was to relieve any destitution that might exist on the estate. Sir Robert Bateson was in the chair; and amongst other resolutions passed, was one, that a voluntary assessment of sixpence in the pound on the poor-rate valuation should be levied for present purposes; and that a committee should meet weekly at Sir R. Bateson's farm, and consider all cases submitted to them, in order to relieve those requiring and deserving aid. The idea was suggested by the tenantry themselves; who are the first, or among the first, who have set an example worthy of imitation."

The demand for fire-arms can scarcely be said to diminish with the in- creasing destitution. According to a statement in the Fermanagh RepJrier- " The sale of guns is going on in Enniskillen as rapidly as in Tipperary. Men who, it would be supposed, required every shilling they could muster for meal to exist on, are buying guns." The Drogheda Conservative says— "At our fair on Friday, two cart-loads of fire-arms were sold by auction; and a spirited competition took place for guns, pistols, bullet-moulds, &c., for midnight practice ! . . . Every town in Ireland has its depots of arms, accessible to the haters of Saxon legislation, where fire-arms, bullet- moulds, powder, &c., may be obtained on most reasonable terms. There are only four of them in this town, all of whom are driving a profitable trade."

Many persons, however, and their number is increasing, insist on a dif- ferent explanation of the arms-buying. By these it is alleged, that the purchasers are principally comfortable farmers, having a small store of food which they are desirous of protecting from plunder. It may be true that the buyers of arms include many persons of this class; but surely they do not constitute the midnight practisers at targets and old hats?

The most lengthy of Lord JO-lin Russell's public correspondents, if not the most reasonable and temperate, is "John Archbishop of Tuam"; who 'assails the Premier for the difference between his professions and his prac- tice. Agricultural improvements and scientific modes of rearing and feed- ing cattle are denounced, as leading to a false cry of "Irish prosperity." - The only parties benefited are the English consumer and the Irish land- lord—

" The English Legislature was not ungrateful to the Irish landlords for those exporting services, so beneficial to the English population; and in return for the increased quantity of the nobler food, which alone they would condescend to make use of, it furnished them with facilities of seizure of crops and ejectment of tenantry, never known before the Union • so that if any of the peasantry should become too fastidious for the use of potatoes, or aspire to the interdicted food of flesh, meat, or flour, destined to swell the rent-rolls of the one and feed the petted population of the other, they were sure to be summarily driven from their tene- ments for not raising further food for export, and reproached with utter ignorance of the very elements of agriculture. On the expulsion of the tenantry to the skirtings of the moor, cattle-shows;became all the rage in Ireland; and meetings were held to witness and applaud the successful zeal with which Irish graziers could supply with still laTer quantities of beef, and pork, and mutton, the in- creasing demands of the English people. The animals were exhibited: not such an exhibition, however, as when the animals passed in review before him who was constituted by their common Creator the lord of the earth as well as of all its animal productions. In these exhibitions, this order appeared reversed; and whilst the neglected condition of the poor peasantry showed the estimation in 'which they were held, the unnatural dimensions of these pampered brutes would indicate that they were looked on as the beings which shared to the greatest ex- tent the kindred sympathies of their owners. Such, with a few benevolent ex- ceptions, was the spirit that guided those cattle exhibitions." The Union then comes in for its share of blame; and the right of Ire- land to demand pecuniary aid without being accused of "begging" is in- sisted on. Sir Randolph Routh is honoured with a savage notice; and the lavish expenditure of public money on "hands of officers without employ- ment" is deprecated. The Roman Catholic clergy are lauded as sole pre- servers of the peace of the country. The Archbishop is very sore because "those sacred edifices," &c., are excluded in so marked a way from the benefit of the public works. After an abuse of the landlords, the letter concludes by throwing the whole responsibility for the state of Ireland upon the Prime Minister.

A letter, addressed by Mr. N. Cummins, a County Magistrate of Cork, calling upon the Duke of Wellington, invoking his intervention to obtain aid for the famishing Irish, has attracted general notice for the horrors of its recital. We extract the descriptive part-

" I went on the 15th instant to Skibbereen; and, to give the instance of one town-land which I visited, as an example of the state of the entire coast district, I shall state simply what I there saw. It is situated on the Eastern side of Castlehaven harbour, and is named South Been, in the parish of Myron,. Being aware that I should have to witness scenes of frightful hunger, I provided myself with as much bread as five men could carry; and on reaching the spot, I was surprised to find the wretched hamlet apparently deserted. I entered some of the hovels to ascertain the cause; and the scenes that presented themselves were such as no tongue or pen can convey the slightest idea of. In the first, six famished and ghastly skeletons, to all appearance dead, were huddled in a corner 00 some filthy straw; their sole covering what seemed a ragged horse-cloth, their wretched legs hanging about, naked above the knees. I approached with horror, and found, by a low moaning, they were alive: they were in fever, four children, a woman and what had once been a man. It is impossible to go through the de- tail. Suffice it to say, that in a few minutes I was surrounded by at least two hundred of such phantoms, such frightful spectres as no words can describe. By far the greater number were delirious, either from famine or from fever. Their demoniac yells are still ringing in my ears, and their horrible images are fixed upon my brain. My heart sickens at the recital, but I must go on. In another case decency would forbid what follows, but it must be told. My clothes were nearly torn off in my endeavour to escape from the throng of pesti- lence around; when my neckcloth was seized from behind by a gripe which coat-

pelled me to turn. I found myself grasped by a woman with an infant just born in her arms, and the remains of a filthy sack across her loins—the sole covering of herself and babe. The same morning, the Police opened a house on the adjoining lands, which was observed strut for many clays; and two frozen corpses were found, lying upon the mud floor, half devoured by the rats. A mother, herself in a fever, was seen the same day to drag out the corpse of her child, a girl about twelve, perfectly naked, and leave it half covered with stones. In another house, within five hundred yards of the cavalry station at Skibbereen, the dispensary doctor found seven wretches lying, unable to move, under the same cloak. One had been dead many hours, but the others were unable to move either themselves or the corpse."

There was a very thin attendance at the last weekly meeting of the Repeal Association. Mr. John O'Connell, bringing up a report on " the money question between England and Ireland," found a new argument for joining the Repeal Association, in the fact that the English people intend to confiscate the lands of the Irish proprietors under the Labour-rate Act, "and to purchase them up and keep them themselves."

Mr. O'Connell denied the accuracy of a statement made by a "little Orange rag in Kerry, called the Kerry Evening Post," that sonic of his, tenants from Raynard were engaged in a recent outrage committed in that county. After the reading of a letter, he proceeded to make the speech of the day—

Ile must first refer to the horrible state of the country. They had all read Mr. Comyn's " awful " letter from Skibbereen, which detailed a most disgusting state of wretchedness: the corpses of two men half devoured by rats; the newly-de- livered woman rushing out to get a few pence to support her child; and five human beings lying in fever, and no one tolielp them; things never yet equalled in a Christian country. Now, a remedy they should have for this state of things; and he would at once tell the Government what the remedy was he re- quired: he wanted 30,000,0001. of money to be lent to Ireland, to be repaid out of the revenues of the country, and not out of the pockets of the landlords.

A national committee ought to be advocated by every one who desired the welfare of his country. The question of reconciliation was all over—there was an end of it. He had nobler and more engrossing matters to attend to than the by- battles of Young Ireland, The Association would work on its way as well a.s it could. He totally disregarded (not to use a harsher term) the paltry machina- tion of the Little Ireland gang in this country. He would set them at defiance. He had done all he could do to put an end to the dissensions; he did so boldly and manfully; but all his overtures and offers of reconciliation were rejected. He had been assailed by his friends for condescending to notice the Young Ireland party; he was told they had a triumph over him, and hostile newspapers echoed the cry: but he was proud of the part he had acted, as it must have proved to the country what sort were the persons he was dealing with. To effect a re- conciliation, he was ready to sacrifice his feelings, his pride, derived from the consciousness of having served Ireland for fifty years--everything, in fact, but principle. Mr. O'Connell adverted at considerable length to the original cause of the secession, and to the circumstances attending the overtures for reconciliation; but with no novelty of statement. Mr. J. A. O'Neill proposed a plan for settling the difference between Old and Young Ireland— Each party should select fifty names; ten of which should be members of the Mum Committee of the Association, and that of the remaining forty on each side fifteen should be selected by let; by which means,. they would have twenty-five gentlemen on each side to discuss the legal question in dispute. (Cheers and hisses.) Mr. O'Connell was indignant at the "impropriety" of this suggestion.; and levelled some insinuating questions against Mr. O'Neill—

He was sure Mr. O'Neill had no consultation with the Young Ireland party

Mr. O'Neill—" Certainly not." (Cheers and hisses.) Mr. O'Connell—" Nor was he a 'Young Inlander." (Loud cheers.) Mr. O'Neill—" Clearly not." ("Hear!" and great confusion.) Mr. O'Connell proceeded to say, that he was sure Mr. O'Neill had no such con- sultation, and was himself an Old Icelander; yet he could not but protest against his proposition of being brought to trial before twenty-five Young Irelanders- before twenty-five tailors all in a row. (Cheers.) If Mr. O'Neill had no ob- jection, he would almost laugh at the proposition. (Laughter.) It was a ridicua Ions one if carefully considered. After some further colloquy in a similar strain, Mr. J. Smith handed in 11.; and asked, why Mr. O'Neill should walk through the streets arm-in-arm with Mr. Meagher? (Great confusion.) Mr. Arkins—." Because he is a paid Young Inlander." (Awful uproar.)

Mr. O'Neill explained, that he was only seeking a reconciliation. Mr. O'Connell announced that the Association must now be economical, and should discontinue their newspapers and drawbacks to club-rooms.

A vote of thanks was passed to Dr. Gray, for undertaking to print the reports in the Freeman's Journal gratuitously.

Rent, 88/.

Mr. O'Connell's answer to Mr. Smith O'Brien's letter on the conference solemnly warns the leader of Young Ireland against making light of the "physical force" question. Without a disavowal of physical force, the Association would not be a legal assembly; and it was to ascertain "this point, and this alone," that Mr. O'Connell proposed a legal conference- " You will of course perceive, that your refusal to hold the conference on the legal question, in the first instance, precludes me from the possibility of carrying out any amicable adjustment. Till the point of legality be decided, no further arrangement is possible."