IRELAND.

Dr. Murray, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, has issued a "Pastoral Address to the Roman Catholic Clergy and Laity of the diocese of Dublin," on the subject of the Charitable Bequests Act; vin- dicating the conduct of those Prelates who have accepted it. He de- plores the variance of opinion between himself and some of his most respected and beloved brethren ; but pleads that his conscience will not permit him to throw away the opportunity afforded by the act, imper- fect as it is, of guarding the treasury of the poor. He deplores its de- fects; but they leave it still a measure of substantial value. At all events, the law must take effect from the 1st of January 1845; and if through want of information the Crown should be forced to appoint professing Catholics at random, how could a bad choice be justly censured ? It might, however, be asked, who called for any new act on the subject ? The assembled Roman Catholic Pre- lates of Ireland did so, in a memorial which they addressed to Lord Morpeth in February 1840: they pointed out evils in the existing law, especially the subjection of Roman Catholic be- quests to an exclusively Protestant Board; and (in their own words) they "entreat that the Board of Irish Charities may be made more ge- nerally useful and popular by the introduction to it of Roman Catholic Cotnmissioners, or by some other measure which may have a tendency to place their charities upon the same footing as those of their Protestant fellow-countrymen." "Their prayer," says Dr. Murray, "could not then be heard; but the recent act appears to have been intended to grant all that we then sought." The act had also a second object—to enable Roman Catholics to invest property in perpetual security, for the pur- pose of procuring glebes for their clergy. A bill with that object was introduced into Parliament last session, by "the most distinguished member of the Roman Catholic body"; but, unfortunately, "through afflicting circumstances which are too well known, it failed"; and "the Charitable Bequests Act became a very important substitute for it." Hitherto, no question had arisen on behalf of any but the secular clergy (priesthood); but in the progress of the bill it was discovered that its terms might extend to the provision for the regular (conventual) clergy, for whom no concession had been contemplated or even solicited. Re. course was therefore had to the unfortunate expedient of excluding them by name from a participation in it; and that too by a form of expression which at first sight was calculated to alarm. But that no new restriction was sought thereby to be imposed upon them, is quite clear, from an explanatory clause to that effect. It is not true that the act confers any power of enforcing any of the penal laws ; nor would any Bishop or any one deserving the name of Catholic accept such a power. Indeed, since attention has been called to the degraded position of those meritorious men the regular clergy, it is not too much to hope that the Legislature may restore them to civil rights which they have done nothing to forfeit. Dr. Murray deplores the limitation of time as to

bequests of land which has been introduced into the act, [and which renders a bequest of the kind invalid unless executed three months before the death of the testator]—

. Had it been confined, as it was in the original form of the bill, to bequests for the service of our Church, I would never utter a word of objection against it, because I do not desire that our Church should be enriched by the possession of extensive lands. But when I find it extended also to bequests for the poor, I cannot but consider it as an undue interference with the dominion of God over his own gifts—an attempt to limit the operation of his command to 'give alms,' (Luke, xi. 41.) and an unholy instrument for disturbing the peace of a penitent soul, when about to render an account of its abused stewardship be- fore the Throne of Justice. It is true, we have been taught how to obviate the injurious effects of this mischievous clause, by charging lands, to any amount they may be worth, with bequests for charitable purposes in money. But this does not remove my objection to it. For besides the embarrassment and the danger of litigation which might arise from this circuitous mode of conveyance, I hold it to be unwise to leave on the statute-book a law which has the appearance of contravening the law of God, and which, therefore, a vir- tuous Christian might consider it a conscientious duty to endeavour to evade.

"But notwithstanding the partial blemishes which tend to render this act unpopular, who can look into it with an unprejudiced eye and not perceive that it confers on us advantages of the very highest value ? It places our charities precisely in the state in which we ourselves wished to have them placed four years ago ; and it gives us the power of vesting property, without trouble or expense, in perpetual security, for procuring glebes for our clergy, and for build- ing, enlarging, and upholding or furnishing our places of religious worship. The same privilege, it is true, has not been extended to the religious orders. This is to be lamented ; but it had not been solicited for them. They remain, however, as they were before. A limited mortmain act, which cramps in some measure the bestowing of landed property for charitable purposes, has, it is true, been established ; hut it affects Protestants as well as us, and is much snore limited than that which affects the Protestants of England. Means too have been pointed out by which its effects may be counteracted. In cases of doubt as to who is the authorized priest for whom a donation or legacy may be intended, the usages and discipline of our Church are, for the present, placed under the guardianship of your own Bishops; who will be able, with the blessing of God, to have a rule established, whereby, in all such cases, the certificate of the diocesan Bishop shall be taken as conclusive evidence. "Thus have you obtained, by this abused act, important benefits, compared with which its defects are of but little moment."

Dr. Murray concludes with a general exhortation to an unprejudiced and dispassionate view of the subject.

In a postscript, he adds the copy of a resolution adopted at a general meeting of the Roman Catholic Prelates, on the 16th November last-

" That, as the Prelates have taken different views of the New Charitable Bequests Act, it is the opinion of this meeting that every Prelate be left at perfect liberty to act according to the dictates of his own conscience respecting

that measure."

Mr. O'Connell unexpectedly left Merrion Square, on Friday after- noon, to pass the Christmas at Darrynane Abbey with his family ; in- tending to leave the Abbey again on the 6th January, for Dublin.

The business at the usual meeting of the Association was barren of interest. Mr. Smith O'Brien presided, and was very "determined" in his language. The rent was 1791.

The funeral of the Earl of Limerick, which took place on Monday at Limerick, was marked by most disgusting behaviour on the part of the populace. The Limerick Chronicle thus describes it- " Such disgraceful conduct as took place was never witnessed in a civilized country. The yelling of the mob was terrific ; and the tenantry who attended to pay the last tribute of respect to their landlord were assaulted, and their scarfs torn to atoms. The relatives of the deceased, in their carriages, received similar treatment ; having been pelted with stones, and compelled to take refuge in the houses adjoining the cathedral. Lord Monteagle and Sir Aubrey De Vere were among those who were so treated. Lord Monteagle is son-in-law of the late Earl; Sir Aubrey De Vere, nephew."

The man whose obsequies were thus treated left 5001. to be distributed among the poor of Limerick : but he was one of the Peers through whom the Union was carried ; hence the present disgusting "demon- stration."

The "Dublin Protestant Operative and Reformation Society" have been lecturing Lord Londonderry and Mr. John Wilson Croker'; and have been duly rebuked. The subject in dispute with Lord London- derry was his interrogative remark, why should he scruple to follow his father's example in granting sites for Roman Catholic chapels, or even acting as collector in those places of worship ?—" idolatrous mass- houses," as the Dublin 8cc. Society call them. The Marquis replied thus-

" Monnt Stewart, 14th December 1844.

"Sir—It would be well if the Committee of your Society were aware of the facts, before they presume to lecture me on my duty towards my God and my iberty of action.

"I never contemplated going or collecting at the Catholic chapels. It is true that a deputation waited upon me to solicit my attendance ; but I at once excused myself, and peremptorily declined. Subsequently, I publicly stated that my revered parent had collected in former times; and I saw no grounds and no reason, if I thought fit, not to follow his example, more especially since the passing of the Dissenters Chapels Bill. "You are at perfect liberty to make your appeal and my answer public, if you so choose. "I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, VANE LONDONDERRY." -What Mr. Croker was lectured about does not appear in the papers before us ; but he retorted with a lecture on the impolicy of using offen- sive language.

A long list of agrarian outrages in Tipperary, King's County, Li- merick, Westmeath, and Longford, appears in the Irish journals this week. The crimes vary in atrocity from attempted murder to simple intimidation.

-A man at Thomastown, to injure a miller with whom he quarrelled, put a quantity of vitriol in the miller's flour, which when made into bread injured those who partook of it. The fellow has confessed his crime.

The Tipperary Vindicator narrates a striking instance of female intre- pidity— "" On the night of Friday the 20th instant, the house of a respectable farmer named Joseph Mull:all, residing in the parish of Kennitty, was attacked by a party of armed men; three of whom entered the dwelling, and finding Mulhall at home, one of them presented a gun at his breast, intending to murder him with it, contents. Mulhall's eldest daughter, a girl of noble spirit and intrepid daring, perceiving the object of the assassin, and actuated by an intense feeling of filial love, immediately sprang forward, at the hazard of her own life, and inter- posed her person between her father and his intended assassin. Seizing the gun, the poor girl endeavoured to wrench it from the hands of the ruffian. She con- tinued to struggle with him for some time; but at length he fired, sweeping off two fingers from her left hand, and lodging part of the contents in the face and eyes of a younger sister! Though wounded, she did not desist in her efforts to oppose the atrocious designs by which the ruffians were actuated; who, foiled in their object, shortly after left the house, declaring vengeance on Mulhall and all his family. An alarm was immediately given, and the police were quick17 in attendance ; though to little advantage, since the scoundrels had made their escape. Mulhall's daughters were then removed to the hospital at the Birr, and placed under the care of Dr. Woods. The heroism displayed by the elder is a theme of praise in the mouth of every one in the neighbourhood."

Three brothers of the name of Clancy have been arrested for the murder of Heffernan ; one of them was to have been ejected by the murdered man.

The report that Mr. Carden, of Barnane in Tipperary, had been shot, is contradicted.