6 JANUARY 1844, Page 12

At Dublin Crown-Office, on Thursday, commenced the process of "

striking the Special Jury " for the trial of Mr. O'Connell and the other " traversers " in the State prosecutions. A protest was handed in on behalf of the traversers against the panel generally ; upon the ground that the names of a number of persons properly qualified to serve as special jurors, including the names of sixteen Roman Catho- lics, had not been placed upon it. Several of the names which were drawn gave rise to sharp contests of objection and defence by the law- yers on either side. The Sheriff's list, which contained 77 names, was reduced to 48, of whom 11 are said to be Repeaters ; and next day the list was to be further reduced to 24.

The Freeman's Journal mentions an attempt to " swamp the Jury- panel" by " emisssaries of the Tory party " ; and the correspondent of the Times says that there is some ground for the tale. A spurious requisition, made to look as if issued by the Repeal Association, ad- dressed to the Lord Mayor, for a meeting to protest against the legality of the trials, was handed about among those on the panel supposed to be favourable to the traversers, in the expectation that if they signed it it would disqualify them from acting on the Jury.