IRELAND.
Lord Palmerston has replied to a letter from Mr. Lucas M.P., stating his intentions with regard to making provision for the spiritual instruction of Roman Catholic convicts, by enclosing a copy of a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Directors of Convict Prisons. A register of the re- ligious faith of each convict is to be kept ; and a Roman Catholic chap- lain is to be appointed to each prison, to have equal facilities for visiting Roman Catholic convicts with those enjoyed by Protestant chaplains, and to be paid by an annual sum proportioned to the average number of Ca- tholic convicts.
Mr. John O'Connell, in a triumphant address to his constituents, thus characterizes the "newspaper-triumvirate" who have "taken upon them- selves to rule the country, and lecture prelates, priests, and people, upon their duties"—
"This ominous and heterogeneous conjunction of a Protestant advocate of high Catholicity, an English teacher and expounder of Irish rights and Irish feelings, and a Catholic plagiarist from the wild and half-heathen Carlyle, and panegyrist of the anti-Catholic Kossuth, the anti-Christian Mazzini, and their Red Republican and murderous abettors, decided that you, who were ever true to Ireland and her religion, required to be lectured upon your duty."
We presume this choice sentence is intended to describe Mr. Lucas, Mr. Duffy, and Dr. Gray.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam has addressed a letter to the " martyr " Archbishop of Freiberg, expressing warm sympathy with him in the " fierce persecution" raised against him and his faithful clergy for their undaunted defence of the rights of Episcopacy and the Holy See.
As a contrast to the high poor-rates in the county of Clare, in one parish 7s. 8d. in the pound, we may mention those of the union of Banbridge in the County of Down. In its sixteen electoral divisions, thirteen strike a rate of 4d., two of 5d., and one of 6d.
The weather has been as severe in Dublin as elsewhere this week.
In the trial of Dowling versus Lawler, before the Dublin Court of Ex- chequer, the Jury found a verdict in favour of Dowling, the effect of which releases him from prison, frees him from all liability as far as the two bills in dispute are concerned, and leaves him at liberty to take any legal course he pleases towards those whom he considers instrumental in bringing about his imprisonment.
An interesting young lady, ward of the Court of Chancery, being in pos- session of a handsome income, was lately called on to surrender about two- thirds of her property to a young gentleman connected with her family, who suddenly appeared from a distant land. Having clearly proved his rights at law, the lady was obliged to yield; but immediately on his being successful he popped the question, was accepted, and the broad acres, as well as the loving hearts, became at once united. The parties belong to the county and were married in the city of Cork.—Cork Cbustitution.
A young woman was seduced in the North of Ireland by a man who proposed to marry her ; but the match was delayed by a dispute about the lady's dowry. She was a teacher in a school, and feared her apparent approaching maternity would cause her to be discharged. She induced her sister to don male cloth- ing, cover the lower part of her face with flannel, and personate the swain ; and in his name she was married by the registrar to her sister. When the se- ducer heard this, he refused to marry his victim—he was not going to com- mit bigamy. The powers of the law will probably be invoked to wring da- mages from Lim for the seduction.
Lieutenant-Colonel Brownlow Villiers Layard, formerly Member for Car- low, has committed suicide in Dublin. For some little time past lie had shown symptoms of mental derangement, talkine' of his pecuniary affairs as if they were much worse than they were. He had formerly an income of 8001., which had latterly been reduced to 400/. Colonel Layard bad been advised to remove from the suburbs into Dublin; he and his wife took lodg- ings in the city. At the Coroner's inquest, the lady gave this account of the shocking particulars of the suicide—" When I awoke this morning about eight o'clock, he seemed very much excited. He asked me to give him some laudanum which I had in my dressing-box. I said I would not give him any then, as Dr. Carroll would soon come and set him all right. I went into an anteroom, and fearing lest he might press me to give him the laudanum, I poured it into a basin. After the lapse of about two minutes, I returned to the bedroom, and saw the bed full of blood, and then I saw him brandishing a razor and gashing at himself. I rushed upon him, but I was unable to pre- vent him, and he kept doing so notwithstanding my exertions. I shrieked for help ; and the people of the house came and put me out of the room, and did all they could to get the razor from him. I returned to him soon after, and, clasping me by the hand, he said something like 'God bless you!' I
am confident he was out of his mind. He was a man of ardent tem- perament, and authoritative in his manner, but very affectionate to us all. He had been in very low spirits for some time." Verdict—" Temporary de- rangement."
On the morning of Wednesday, a large ship foundered in the Irish Chan- nel, about twenty-fire miles East of Kiugetown harbour...The Dubliksteamer Prince saw the vessel sinking, and the master hastened to the aid of the crew ; but when he arrived near the spot the ship was gone. Some twenty unfortunate creatures were seen floating iu the icy-cold water of a boisterous sea, clinging to bits of wreck. The master of the Prince ordered out his boats ; by some mismanagement, one got adrift, and the other was capsized : all was confusion. It is said that the people of the steamer teould not aid their perishing fellow mariners. However that may be, they did not. A fishing-smack came up, and two men put off in a little boat and saved six men: the rest were drowned.
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