26 JANUARY 1856, Page 5

IRELAND.

Lord Carlisle held his first levee for the season, in Dublin Castle, on Wednesday. It is remarked, that while there was a very large attend- ance of all classes, only one dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church was present—Dean Meyler, the parish-priest of Westland Row. Dr. Cullen has pronounced a ban upon" Castle Catholics."

Lord Lifford has been elected a Temporal Peer of Ireland, in the room of the late Lord de Vesci. There was no opposition.

In 1853, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland appointed three Chaplains—a Roman Catholic, a Presbyterian, and an Episcopalian—to the Belfast Lu- natic Asylum. The Governors resisted the right of appointment, and re- fused to pay the salaries. The Chajalairui applied to the Court of Queen's Bench for a mandamus; but the return stated that the appointments were illegal. The applicants demurred to this return ; the matter was argued ; and on Monday the Lord Chief Justice pronounced judgment, overruling the demurrer and refusing the mandamus. It appears that the acts of Par- liament relating to those asylums—with an exception as to criminal lunatics —required that everything should be done by the Lord-Lieutenant and the Privy Council, and not by himself personally. It was contended, that by the right of his prerogative authority, the Lord-Lieutenant, independently of the act of Parliament, could nominate chaplains; but the Court could not say, unless they saw his Excellency's patent, whether he had all the powers of the Crown vested in bun; but even assuming that he had, the Crown could not appoint persons to an office whieh involved a charge upon the subject, without the authority of the Legislature. It is very doubtful whether the Legislature ever intended to have paid chaplains in theme asy- lums; the names of the officers being very specifically enumerated who were to be paid, and no mention of chaplains once occurring. In a doubt- ful matter the Court would not grant a peremptory mandamus.