IRELAND.

Mr. Valentine Maher, one of the Members for Tipperary, died sud- denly, at his seat of Turtulla, on Monday, from disease of the heart. This of course makes a vacancy in the representation of the County.

The Honourable Henry Caulfield, brother to the Earl of Cherie- mont, has declared in favour of a Federal Union.

In a long letter to the Reverend Thaddeus O'Malley, Mr. Smith O'Brien explains his reasons for preferring absolute Repeal of the Union ; but is "unwilling to bind himself by an irrevocable pledge against acquiescence in a Federal constitution," as preferable to the present state of things.

At the weekly meeting of the Repeal Association, on Tuesday, Mr. John O'Connell read a correspondence, in which he had asked the Earl of Devon on the part of many persons desirous of submitting evidence tothe Landlord and Tenant Commissioners, whether the Commis- sinners intended to publish the evidence with their report ? In reply, Lord Devon declined to pledge the Commissioners as to the course which they should pursue with the evidence ; remarking that "any uncertainty on the point cannot possibly impede or embarrass the pro- duction of any evidence which it may be thought right to submit for Our consideration " ; and stating that the Commissioners [after adjourn- ing for the holydays] would sit again in Dublin on the 8th of January, and- intended "to take evidence in different parts of Ireland in the cpnrse of the next autumn"! Mr. John O'Connell observed, that the Commissioners evidently intended to burke the evidence ; and the Com- mission was attacked at great length and with much vehemence by him, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. John Augustus O'Neill, and Mr. O'Neil Daunt. The Repeal rent for the week was announced to be 474/.

The opposition to the registry of fire-arms by persons of the Liberal party threatened to go to strange lengths : since the scene at Macroom, notices of opposition have been served upon Mr. Hugh Morgan Tuite, M.P. for Westmeath, a Protestant of large fortune, and on Sir Richard Nagle, a Catholic. Government, however, have interposed to stop the scandal, by the issue of this circular-

" Dublin Castle. 234 December 1843.

'My Lord—Circumstances connected with the registration of arms have

recently been brought under the notice of the Lord-Lieutenant, which make his Excellency desirous of calling the attention of the Magistrates to the subject. His Excellency has accordingly :directed me to make to you for the infor- mation of the Magistrates of the County of —, the following comtnuni- Cation.

"The object which her Majesty's Government bad in view- in framing a bill to amend the laws which regulated the keeping of arms in Ireland, was to check the clandestine use of arms, rather thou to impose nese restrictions on their unconcealed possession. His Excellency is aware that the law has vested in ttte- Magistrates a. discretionary power of refusing or of granting licences; ad his Excellency is far from wishing to discourage the employment of due caution in the exercise of that power. His Excellency thinks it right, how- ever, to observe, that the Arms Act has no reference to political or religious distinctions; and that, in making them a ground for .ranting or withholding licences, the Magistrates would he acting inconsistently with the intention of the Government which proposed and the Legislature which sanctioned the re- newal of the Arms Act. His Excellency conceives, that the proper course for the Magistrates to take would be, to consider fully the character and condition of each applicant, but not to inquire what political party and what religious communion he belongs to. His Excellency relies with confidence on the dis- position of the Magistrates to admiuister the law in the spirit in which it was fanned; and he is therefore persuaded that the foregoing observations will not be disregarded by them.

"I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's most obedient humble servant, ELIOT. "The Lieutenant of the County of —."

Some gentlemen at Cork suppose that they have discovered an at-

tempt to revive the "Paddy M'Kewism " of 1798. On the 19th in- Mane a merchant in Cork received a letter which was delivered to him by mistake for another person of his name. It was dated on the same day ; appeared to be written by a person in the Constabulary, and pro- fessing to act on authority ; and it contained such phrases as these- ' I like your plan of operations, and have received authority to exercise my discretion in giving you such support and encouragement as you may require "—" Some of the persons you have named have been taken." The writer enclosed half a five-pound note, telling the other that "he will be rewarded in proportion to his usefulness." The gentleman who received the letter communicated with the Mayor ; who caused it to be resealed and sent to the Post-office, with orders to detain any one who should apply for it. It would appear, however, says the Reporter, "that the Postmaster, on the first intimation of the affair being made to him, communicated with the writer of the letter, the official whom we first referred to ; and it is remarkable that, up to the present time, no appli- cation had been made for the letter by the party to whom it is addressed, or by any one on his behalf; a circumstance suggestive of grave con- siderations." The Reporter says that it has much more to tell respect- ing the "secret organization" thus disclosed ; but for the present it re- serves further particulars.

Another very serious charge against Mr. Alexander O'Driscoll has been brought into strong light by a correspondence which has passed between Mr. Daniel Dineen, a small farmer near Skibbereen, and the Lord Chancellor, published by the Cork Reporter. Mr. Dineen seems to be an uneducated man, for he signs with a mark ; and his share of the correspondence is probably written by a friend, or by his lawyer. His case is. stated in a memorial. When the seizure of potatoes and other things, for rent due to Mr. O'Driscoll, was made upon the farm of the Sullivans, on the 4th November, some cows belonging to their neighbour, Dineen, which had strayed through a broken fence, [how rlitch has that broken fence cost Mr. Dineen ! were seized among the rest; but a man, " who is as yet unknown," prevented the driver from

taking the cattle away. Dineen was summoned by Mr. O'Driscoll: to appear before himself! and when he appeared, Mr. O'Driscoll endea- voured to make him "swear against" the man who had rescued the cows. He refused. Mr. O'Driscoll then took. him to the Polies- barracks, procured the presence of two other Magistrates, and again tried to make him swear ; but he again refused : on which Mr. O'Driscoll, with some Police, took him to Skibbereen gaol ; and, without oommite ment or reason assigned, left him in custody of the gaoler. He re- mained there till the 8th, when he was brought before the bench of Magistrates. For some time, in spite of the objection of two Magis- trates, Mr. O'Driscoll kept his seat on the bench, from which he exa- mined witnesses ; then he went down to the table, and argued for an indictment ; which the Magistrates did not feel justified in granting. The prosecutor said that he did not care, as he would grant one him- self! Eventually, Dineen was remanded to the prison, whence he wrote his memorial. He had just signed it, on the 13th, when, without- application on his part, he was liberated by order of the Magistrates who had remanded him. Dineen reminds the Lord Chancellor, that Mr. O'Driscoll was some years ago struck out of the commission, but re- stored ; and two years ago he was severely reprimanded by order of Government. The Lord Chancellor, through his Secretary, replied' thus, on the 7th instant—" He does not think that Mr. O'DrisooH- should have acted as a Magistrate stall in his own case; but, under alt the circumstances, he thinks it is not a case in which be is called upon. to act. Mr. O'Driscoll is, of course, liable to an action, if he acted illegally towards you." In a letter dated on the 13th instant, Dineen points out the important fact, as overlooked by the Lord Chancellor, that on the 4th November he was committed to prison, in a most illegal manner, without information or warrant ; refers to Mr. O'Driscoll's sault on the boy Dempsey ; and calls for the dismissal of so ill-conducted. a Magistrate. In answer, on the 18th instant, Mr. Secretary Sugdea merely refers to his former letter ; adding—" The Lord Chancellor is already in possession of the information as to Mr. O'Driscoll's conduce in the other matter; but his Lordship does not consider it necessary to communicate with you on that subject." There the matter rests.

Certain Protestants of Drumholme, described by their Chairman, Mr. George Mowbray, as "seven hundred brave young men," recently met and voted an address to the Lord-Lieutenant, thanking him for "the. careful watch he has kept—the prompt and praiseworthy preparations made to protect the lives and liberties of her Majesty's loyal subjects., and defend the brightest diadem in our Sovereign's crown—to maintain inviolate that happy union which is the true source of our greatness ends England's glory." In a letter forwarding this address, Mr. Mowbray added- " Your Excellency will believe me, we duly appreciate the proud distinction conferred on us, as a Protestant province, by the absence of a great military force, such as we regret to see is necessary in other quarters. Should your En- cellency at present, or at any future period, deem a local organization requisite to maintain public order and to enforce obedience to your Excellency's com- mands, doubtless, under such circumstances, the honourable tender now made will receive your Excellency's distinguished consideration."

In reply, through his Secretary, Lord De Grey "trusts that the loy- alty and patriotism of the great majority of her Majesty's subjects, to- gether with the measures already taken by her Majesty's Government, will suffice to preserve the peace of the country under any emergency."

The Dublin correspondent of the Times copies an award given in the Arbitration Court at Maryborough, to which one of the amateur Ma- gistrates, Mr. Thomas Quinton, had appended his mark!

The Roscommon Journal, a Repeal paper, narrates a severe conflict between some "Billy Smiths," the Ribandmen of that quarter, and- some peasants whom they had attacked, at Fairy Mount, on the 18th instant. The rioters, forty in number, and bearing fire-arms and other weapons, forced their way into a house occupied by a family named. Gibbons. The Gibbonses mustered seven men, who armed themselves with pitchforks. They barricaded the door ; and, the assailants having effected an entrance, the little party retreated, still fighting, to a loft. The Ribandmen satisfied themselves with demolishing every thing in the house ; but three of the party were dangerously wounded ; and' subsequently, fourteen of them were arrested.

Mr. John Sherlock, a respectable farmer near Trine in Meath, was, returning from Navan with his wife, on Saturday, and had got down. from his car to walk, on account of the cold, when a man came up and shot him dead. The crime is imputed to Ribandism.