IRELAND.

The arming of the peasantry has at length attracted the notice of the Government; and a circular, dated the 3d instant, has been addressed by Mr. Labouchere to the Magistrates calling their attention to the subject. It sets forth-

" Under 15 and 16 George IIL e. 21, s. 2, (the Whiteboy Act,) any person cs persons being armed with fire-arms, firelock, pistol, or any offensive wea who shall rise, assemble, or appear by day or by night to the terror of his ajesty's subjects, is guilty of a high misdemeanour, and punishable by fine and imprison- ment.

" This section is eta' in force; and there can be no doubt, that in a district where outrages have been committed of a Whiteboy character, any person so ap- pearing may be committed under this section, unless it be shown that he was out on a lawful occasion.

" j By the 6th section, every Magistrate or other peace-officer, within the lima it of his urisdiction,. is authorized to apprehend, disperse, or oppose any person or persons so appearing armed. " This section should be acted upon if there is reason to think that the parties are not in arms on some lawful occasion, and more especially at night, when there is less reason to suppose that such is the fact: but whenever the parties are distinctly known to the police, informations should be sworn against them, upon which they should be arrested, and, if the ease require it, be committed for trial,. If the person or persons so appearing armed are not known, or if, being known, there be an apprehension that he or they are engaged in the prosecution of same illegal act, the constables would be authorized to arrest them and bring them before a Magistrate. "His Excellency trusts that, by a vigilant and prudent application of these enactments, the proceedings to which he has referred may be effectually checked."

Meanwhile, the arming goes on bravely. The Warder has inserted a letter from Cavan giving an Recount of the progress of Ulster in this particular- " The peasantry are armed, or are arming, almost to a man. The stores of the armourer are more frequently exhausted than the provision-stores. Auctioneers, with carts laden with Birmingham arms, attend almost every fair or market in the county of Cavan and the adjoining counties. The rapidity with which they are sold is quite astonishing. A stranger would think the dread invader of our country was not famine, but a hostile armada. Yesterday, at the fair of Bally- jamesdnff, two competing auctioneers sold large quantities, at the following prices, in the open street, to the friese-coated peasantry— s. d.

Double-barrelled detonating guns, one barrel betng 2 0 0 Muskets, with bayonets 1 0 0 Carbines, with bayonets 0 12 0 Horse pistols 0 8 0

Pocket pistols 0 5 0 Gunpowder, from 8d. to 10,1. per pound. Dunet-moulds from 4,1. to 61. each.

"While standing at some distance from the place of auction, (for near it could not get for the crowd,) a Roman Catholic, who has some property to pee serve and is therefore a Conservative, came to me and said, 'Well, Sir, the femme is bad enough, but the arms will finish us; for Heaven's sake let the Government know of it before it is too late.' When I told him that both vendors and par- &seem of arms had the fall consent and permission of Government, he replied, Well, they'll rue it.' •

"Indeed, the effects of this arming ere mane are every day more manifest. • While I write this, vollies of shots are firing over the whole country; night and da'y the firing goes on with-little cessation. 'A few days ago, the son of a poor woman returning from the market of Old,.caftle, where he had purchased a carbine and bayonet, was met by his mother as

hetrotinded his arms at the door. Oh, Jemmy,' said she, 'why did you not bring home a hundredweight of meal for the poor children, instead of that gun? Nabocklish, mother,' said he; sure this is better than two hundredweight of "Another busy scene presents itself' in every gunsmith's and whitesmith's shop. While purchasing new arms the old are not forgotten. Quantities of rusty arms, which must have been secreted during the branding time, (for many of thee:: are not branded,) are now undergoing repair with the utmost expedition.

"The result of many inquiries made to ascertain what description of persons are the principal purchasers of arms is not calculated to remove our apprehensions of danger. Servant-boys are the principal purchasers of pistols; farmers' sons, of muskets and fowling, pieces. The desire of having arms has seized the former like a mania. When the stock in the country armouries is exhausted, they grow impatient, and send to Dublin for a supply. "To mend matters, the farmers having no field-work have dismissed nearly all their servants; or the servants, wishing lobe independent, and expecting ern ployment on the public works, have left their masters. This hope is often disap pointed, as they have no families, and therefore cannot be put on class 1: in the bitterness of disappointment they arm."

We subjoin further extracts-

" This very day we heard that a tradesman was about to open a shop in the town of Cavan, for the purpose of selling Birmingham muskets, with the hope of realizing a fortune by the trade, although he expects to find his chief customers among the applicants for relief-tickets; men, be it remembered, who having no- thing to defend, can only purchase these instruments of death for aggressive pur- poses.' —Anglo-Celt. "Since the 3d of last month only 1,138 stand of arms have been disposed of Clonmel. The trade, it will be seen, is brisk, and the prices moderate. A man can procure a very handy gun for 183." "No less than seventy-one guns were sold in our town [Clonmel] the last fair- day. This is bad work. The Government should look to it in time: they have bad warning enough. A labourer entered our town a few days ago seeking for hire: he presented rather a formidable appearance; for, in addition to a spade and a flail, he had a handy gun strapped across his back. Every man has his gun. Where this will end, God only knows."

"Anything like the sale of tire-arms by the hard-ware merchants in Aughna- cloy, and the different country towns about here, LTyrone,] never was heard of in any country; and, almost without exception, the purchasers are of one per- suasion. I saw one of the cases, which would contain about one hundred stand, and examined some of its contents. They are Birmingham and London make—. I suppose only stamped London.' They are of quite good enough manufecture to do mischief; and range in price from 11. for single to 41. for double-barrels. Pistols from 7s. 6d. a piece upwards. A Roman Catholic ironmonger, from a neighbouring town, is gone from home to bring 501. worth of arms, and a quantity of gunpowder. How will this end?" The other evening, a party of armed men exercised themselves in the use of their weapons about a mile from the town of Moate. Some five or six went to the house of i fanner named Langap, demanding atbnittance; and on meeting with a denial, threatened to break down the door: it was oPened, and a mastiff running out was shot dead. The men asked for Langan; but, finding he Was not at home, they went away. Presently they returned, and -again demanded ad- mittance to see Langan: he was still absent, and the inmates refused to open the door. The ruffians then fired four times through the windows,--one shot severely wounding a brother of Langan —and decamped. The farmer could hardly have escaped murder had he teen at, home. On the night of the 28th, a party of armed ruffle& visited the hotute— Of a re Tic:e man named Davis, who resides at Lismore, three miles distant from , and demanded fire-arms: the old man of the house said, that his son had the gun out in the field, where he was watching some of his property; one of the ruffians said, that as they had come upon some other business besides that of procuring fire-arms, they might "kill two birds with one stone"; whereupon this "redresser of wrongs" told his comrades, that as the son was out they would pay the father with interest. On this the ruffian having dubbed his musket, struck the old man in the face with the stock of the gun, and literally made his nose as flat as the rest of his face; the old man dropped down almost lifeless; and his daughter, a mere child, having interfered to save her father, received a

=

ruffians then of a sword upon the head; she too fell over the body of her father; the

then decamp The old man is mending, but the girl is in a precarious state.—Galway Mercury.

On Saturday evening, Mr. M. W. Hennessy, of Clare in returning home from Ennis, accompanied by Mr. blIdabon, a friend, was fired at from behind a wall. Be was severely wounded all the right side of his body, and in the right arm, with shot of the sort known by the name of single duck; but he is expected soon to be convalescent. A local paper adds—" Mr. Hennessy is agent to the Dublin Steam-packet Company, and is also employed under the Board of Works on the roads now undergoing repair in the neighbourhood of Clare; and, in consequence of this attack upon his life, the public works in that neighbourhood are to be sus- pended today. There were three soldiers of the Seventy-third in company with Mr. Miclahon, and dose to Mr. Hennessy when the shot was fired; not one of whom made the least effort to apprehend the man who fired the shot." On the 5th instant, William Lindesay, a check-clerk on the new road at Pol- lock, parish of Croom, county Limerick, was fired at, and a book was offered to him with a demand that he should swear never again to return to the work. Rewards have been offered by Government for detection of the offenders in these two cases-1001. in Hennessy's case, 601. in Lindesay's.

The "cases of starvation" multiply. The May Constitution publishes the reports of no fewer than eight inquests on the bodies of poor people, all of whom, according to the evidence and verdicts, perished for want of the common necessaries of life. The state of that county is represented to be appalling; and, as with other districts similarly circumstanced, the greater the extent of poverty, the greater the amount of agrarian outrage. The Name paper which tells the tale of starvation has a long catalogue of crimes A clergyman of the Established Church residing in Galway gives the following account of the state of things in that county- " All things going on here in pretty much the same way, I fancy, as in most other places,—much destitution, much misery, and great dissatisfaction amongst the people with all connected with the works now partially in progress. Many are placed on these works who ought not, and those who ought are not. The people are doing about 94 a day value of work, and are fast acquiring the habit of regarding foul play as fair play. It is not difficult to foresee several unpleasant results of such a system."

The Cork Examiner gives some extracts of letters from West Carbery and Skibbereen, mentioning the prevalence of "famine fever" in those places— 'In short, if wages are not raised, or food lowered in price, and the weak and aged preserved by some system of gratuitous relief, half the population at least mast be swept away. The only source of consolation there is, is the belief that we are worse off here than in any other part of Ireland."

Complaints are made that the provision of silver is insufficient to pay tlas labourers.

There has been a correspondence between the Reverend Robert Hume, on behalf of the Urney Relief Committee, and Sir Randolph Routh. Mr. Hume proposed to give weekly tickets for food to destitute labourers whose families are so largetluit their weekly earnings would not Provide sufficient subsistence.. This proposal is discountenanced by Sir Randolph, as in- volving the pernicious "aid of wages system," which produced so much

• evil in England under the old Poor-law. It is recommended, instead, that the Committee should devise the means of enabling the labourers to earn more wages by task-work.

The Guardians of the Castlerea Union, in the county of Roscommon, have recently rebelled against the authority of the Poor-law Commissioners. They have been affording out-door relief, in the shape of food, to those of the destitute for whom there was not accommodation in the workhouse. It is said that the Commissioners wrote an angry letter to the offending Board; that thereupon the Chairman (the O'Conor Don) threatened to resign; and that the Commissioners, alarmed at the prospect of publicity, hushed the matter up.

The Dublin correspondent of the Times mentions that the Government have at length decided on giving encouragement to the Irish fisheries— "Measures have been taken to establish four fishing-stations on the coast of Ireland: one at Roundstone, in the eounty of Galway; two in the county of Done- for the North-west; and the fourth at Kinsale, in the county of Cork, for the South. At these stations or depats Government mean to lay in stores of salt, barrels, and all the necessary requisites for curing and preserving fish. Com- petent persons are to superintend the operations, and every facility will be afforded for supplying the most distant markets with abundant stocks of this nutritious article of food."

In some parts of the North the landlords have adopted Mr. Labonchere's circular, and presented for drainage works, in order to prevent taxation under the Labour-rate Act. At the second Presentment Sessions of Pa- trick's Well in the county of Limerick, however, the Magistrates and cess- payers determined, on Friday last week, to reject productive works, and to fall back upon the Labour-rate Act.

The Chief Secretary has written a letter to Mr. Bullen, the Secretary to the Royal Agricultural Improvement Society, in answer to a me- morial from that body praying that town-lands might be substituted for electoral divisions in promoting draining and other reproductive works under the Labour-rate Act. Mr. Labouchere assures the Society, that the Lord-Lieutenant has given to the memorial the consideration due to the importance of the subject. However, partly "from an apprehension of the

S CAMS practical difficulties" in the way of such an attempt, he cannot, "consistently with his duty, adopt the course which is proposed." One effect would be, in many cases, that it would lead "to the greatest ex- penditure where the amount of destitution to be relieved was least." The members of the Society are then exhorted to lend their aid in their va- rious relief committees to prevent the employment on public works of persons "by no means in a destitute condition," to the exclusion of the TM really distressed."

At a meeting of the Galway Relief Committee, on the 4th,instant, a letter was read from the late Superintendent of Relief Works, Mr Henry Clements; who resigned his charge on the 29th of November, because be could not

conscientiously retain it any longer. Mr. Clements requests the secretary to communicate to the Committee his declaration, in these words—" It was at all times my desire to cooperate with them; and my resignation was to avoid the pain and responsibility of witnessing the heavy and lavish outlay of the public funds, under a system that was impossible for me to contra.'

An extraordinary Presentment Sessions was held at Corolla, in the county of Clare, on Monday week. The Chairman, Mr. Cornelius O'Brien, one of the County Members, proposed that presentments should be made for the tillage of the land. The suggestion was opposed by several gentle- men; and Captain Wynne' the officer of the Board of Works, pointed out that it was impossible such a presentment should be sanctioned by the Government. Nettled by the opposition, the Chairman drew Captain Wynne into an angry altercation : he asked if the Captain meant to lecture him ?—because he would not submit to be lectured in such a manner by any person; and he then tried to fasten a personal quarrel on his opponent, but without success. The proposal seems to have fallen to the ground.

At the second Presentment Sessions of Patrick's Well, County of Limerick, on Friday last, the Magistrates and cess-payers determined to reject pro- ductive works, and again proceed under the Labour-rate Act. Lord Clarinet recommended drainage; but no one could answer for Colonel Hodder and other proprietors. The following conversation occurred in the course .of the proceedings—

Lord Clarina— 'If Longhmore could be drained, it would give employment." (Laughter.)

Sir David Roche—" It would not answer to commence it this season—road- works would be much better."

Reverend Mr. D'Arey—" Water-works at this time would never answer. The people, who are now half-starving, would perish of cold." Sir David Roche—" It would kill them entirely."

Mr. Kearney—" Ire are almost at a loss to know where to provide road-works; but the poor people could not be employed at drainage."

Lord (Marina (to Sir David Roche)—" Would you consent to drainage?"

Sir David Roche—"Some are of opinion we will never have to pay all air money we are getting. Whatever I do, will be done upon my own account; but I will not sign any guarantee which would make me liable. If I want to make roads or drain lands, it will be at my own expense."

The Clare Aurnal contains some comments on the general neglect of cultivation. It is suggested that the relief committees should make every possible effort to secure a supply of food for the ensuing year. The diffi- culty is this- " Three-fourths probably more, of the small eottier farmers who have small por- tions of tillage-land are of necessity obliged to seek employment upon the public works to enable them to live. If their lands are left unfilled, (and they will he unless the relief committees assist the owners,) we again reiterate that the people will be in a worse condition next year than they are even now. There is not one field of stubble in twenty at this time turned up: in other Reasons it would be far otherwise."

The course indicated is, that each committee should apply for a suffi- cient supply of seed-barley for their entire district.

"Having provided the seed, they should form one large central depot, and ad- vance, upon proper security, sufficient to each farmer to provide for the tillage of his land, either the whole or in part. They should not alone provide the seed, but secure the sowing also; and this expense should be added to his bill for seed. For this purpose, they can easily procure gangs off the public works, and pay them."

The Marquis of Conyngham writes a letter to the Times, in which he ad- mits that the statements recently made as to the lamentable condition of his property in Donegal are quite correct. • It is his misfortune, not his fault. The estates are heavily encumbered: he says, "it is totally out of my power to make the outlay required for the improvement of the pro- perty, having no command whatever of capital. I trust to your candour to insert this short explanation of a state of things which I deeply deplore, but. have no power to remedy."

One district in Ireland exhibits an honourable instauce of independent self-reliance. At a recent meeting in the town of Ballymena, in the county of Antrim, it was resolved to adopt a system of relief for the present destitution by means of voluntary assessment, in order to escape " the un- avoidable delay and expense" resulting from extraordinary presentment. sessions.

The sale of the Blessington estates was closed on Monday, to be re- sumed in April. The gross sum produced was about 180,0001. On putting up each lot, Master Litton stated the lowest sum that would be taken; and when that sum was not offered he went on to another. As he throughout adhered strictly to the upset price, the purchasers felt certain that no smaller sum would be taken ; and in many cases after the lot was passed over, they requested the Master to put it up again, as they would give the sum agreed on.

The meeting of the Repeal Association on Monday was letter attended, and was signalized by some novelty. Mr. Stritch, a barrister, occupied the chair; and took occasion to hint, that at such a time there ought not to be dissension in the Repeal camp— He was wholly in favour of the" moral force" policy of the Association; tat still he was willing to give credit for integrity to some of the seceding party. ("Hear, hear!" from Mr. O'Connell) Ile spoke from his knowledge of some of the Young Ireland party, and he knew that their ardent wish was that the disunion between them and the Association should be healed. (" Hear, hear!" and cheers.)

Mr. Arkins, handing in money, attacked the speakers at the late meet- ing of the Young Ireland party, and especially Mr. Doheny, who gave the lie to the Liberator. Mr. Arkins said, he had a stone in his sleeve for Mr. Doheny, and he would not go to heaven or to hell with him until lie had thrown it. Mr. O'Connell hero interrupted: was he fallen so low, he asked, as to be compared with Mr.Doheny? Mr. Atkins was silenced. " Captain " Broderick, presenting a report, also attacked the seceders. Mr. Stritch said he differed with Captain Broderick's sentiments as to the Young Ireland party. Mr. O'Connell—" And I, Mr. Chairman, do not agree with him on that subject."

Mr. O'Connell afterwards touched upon the same matter, in his main speech, with a long and remarkable preface— He declared his determination to continue at his post, although his physician prescribed repose: he would do anything to serve Ireland. He saw in Govern- ment the greatest anxiety to afford relief, and he was willing to continue to set as solicitor to the Brant of Works. He called on England to listen to him while he described the wretched state of the country. It was known to every one: the harvest was lost, and what was not altogether lost was expended; the poor-houses were overflowing; the fever hospitals were filled; and there was a sullen discontent amongst the people, who, be regretted to say, had in many cases taken their re-

venge against the officers of the Board of Works—their best friends. Such was the state of Ireland; and yet the Government had not the means of meeting the .emergency, in consequence of their having been deceived as to the actual amount of distress; for it would take four or five times the relief to supply the demand • Aar it. As a proof of the scarcity of provisions, he would mention one fimt—which Jams, that on Friday last be could not gets ton of Indian corn for 201. The people

ere totally destitute of food—and were, he regretted to say, procuring arms. Now he would implore of them to be cautious, and to remember that an out- Jacek would rain the country inevitably: it might, no doubt, give food for twenty- four hours, but would finally insure starvation. It was therefore his desire, that NS influence which still existed notwithstanding the opposition he had met with, should spread through the country, to warn the people against a breach of the peace: to tell them that any attempt at riot or violence would leave them wholly destitute, and that the only chance they had was to be submissive, and not to for- get his advice—the advice of the man who had never deceived them. The state of the small farmers was horrible: they had no food; they had no seed for next year, and if they had they would eat it. What then was to be done? Mr. Cornelius .P., had written to the Government some time back, say- ing that they should O'Brien,Le up the matter, and sow the crops for those poor people far the next year: several others approved of the plan, and he approved of it. Ile approved of it under the circumstances. There was no doubt but it would be a ridiculous proposition to make in ordinary times; but at such a time it was an excellent suggestion, and one which should be considered and acted upon by the filovernment. Again, the pecuniary means of the larger farmers were exhausted, and the proprietors themselves were in a bad way, by creditors pressing upon them and the rents not coming in; and for them also the Government should do some- thing. An attempt had been made to rescind the rule of the Agricultural Society which forbade the discussion of political subjects; but the Duke of Lobster and other leading members retired: the Society proved incapable of doing the desired good— eked so Mr. O'Connell took his leave of it.

Ile would propose a meeting in Dublin of the landed proprietors, composed of such men as Sir Arthur Brooke turd Sir William Verner, from the North, Lord 'Stuart de Decies and Sir Richard Musgrave from the South, Lord Clancarty and Mr. St. George from the West, and Lord Cloncurry and Sir Thomas Esmoude from this East; and then something powerful would be done which would materially assist the Government. There was nothing which any human being could do which he would not do, and which such a meeting could not do; and he would tell the Irish people what such a body of gentlemen and noblemen could suggest to the Government. They could suggest the raising of a sum of 30,000,0001. of money to provide for the distress in the country, and to provide for the future crops. Be would propose to have this sum borrowed, and propose the formation of com- mittees in each county to regulate and apply the specific sum appropriated to each according to its population and distress—to regulate its expenditure, so that every Amin, woman, and child in the country should be fed, and those who could work got employment. By adopting this plan, they would be repaid 30,000,0001. of the 110,000,0001. owed by England to Ireland. filet was the measure he proposed; and if it was carried out, the people of Ireland would say that the man who got them Emancipation also procured them food when they wanted it, and employment to pay for that food. There was, however, a great impediment to carrying out such a measure—he alluded to the dissension which had taken place among the &peelers. He did 41sot say who caused it; all he would say was that he did not cause it. (Loud *ries of "Hear, hear!") It was most deplorable to think of it, for never was • hen3 a moment when unanimity was more desirable. As long as physical force

was forward he could not attempt to offer a reconciliation; but a better spirit had

come among them; and, from what he had heard and read of their late meeting— although he was well abused—he would not object to a reunion, or to their again joining the Association. He would not object to it if the moral force doctrine

was acquiesced in as at the late meeting; and, in order to bring about matters, he would propose a conference between seven selected from both parties. He

would mention the names of those he would suggest to meet on this subject. ifinuelf, Mr. Smith O'Brien, Sir Coleman O'Loughlin, Mr. Oliagan, Mr. O'llea, -Mr. Dillon, and another, who could assemble and discuss the real question at isene bleeder to effect the reconciliation he now openly proposed. The Mail and Packet would, no doubt, say he had truckled to the seceders. Now, he admitted that he made some sacrifice of pride when he came forward with such a proposition; but if he did so, he was happy to have it in his power to make another sacrifice for the people of Ireland. (Tremendous cheers.)

Mr. John O'Connell wished to say that lie was the cause of the division among the Repeal party, and to express his satisfaction that there was a prospect of a reconciliation.

Rent, 1161.

In a letter to Dr. John Shell of Ballyshannon, dated Alton Towers, 30th elelovember, Lord Shrewsbury comes to the rescue of Mr. O'Connell against ,the charge that he has sold his services to the Government for an equivalent einpatronage. His Lordship is one of those who desire that the Agitator essay live to see the triumph of the great principle on which he has toiled, " though differing widely in opinion on the details of those arrangements by which that principle is to be carried out." In Lord Shrewsbury's opinion, Mr. O'Connell's "character and reputation!' never stood so high before the public in England as now, particularly from his unwearied exertions during Use present crisis in the cause of humanity.

The subject of Mr. Smith O'Brien's third letter is "Drainage and Re- elamation of Waste Lands." The landed proprietors, he says, having, with some unworthy exceptions, undertaken the cost of providing for the present exigency, they owe it to themselves to provide an escape from the universal ipauperism which the present system must inevitably produce. Through a .Emitation in the law, which applies only to holders in fee simple, a large ,ausijority of the proprietors cannot avail themselves of the assistance of the ;Million Drainage Fund. If the Government were to advance money on Joan under the provisions of the first Public Works Act of last session (9 -and 10 Victoria) upon the terms contemplated in the Million Loan Act- aarnely, that for every 1001. lent an annuity of 61. 10s. (to cover interest and instalment) should be paid during a period of twenty-two years—every class of proprietors would be enabled to borrow money for the reclamation of their estates upon the most advantageous terms, whilst the state would .retain an unquestionable security for the loan; it being a charge prior to all other incumbranixue Mr. O'Brien acknowledges the zeal with which Mr. Poulett Scrope has urged the cultivation of the waste lands. He considers it not very creditable to the Irish Representatives that the Parliamentary agitation of this subject should have been appropriated by an English Mem- ber. Reducing the quantity of available unreolaimed lands to 1,000,000 aeres, from 300,000 to 500,000 persons might be located on them. This would require 10,000,0001. The British Legislature would hardly consent to so large an advance " Let us imagine, however, that • soilkeitatasihig would be chewfuliyaepeaded, by way of experiment, in such reclamation. An annuity of 55,0001. per minim paid during a period of twenty-two years, would, according to the provisions pf the Million Loan Act, indemnify the State for the outlay. The payment of this annuity, therefore, by the tenants in occupation, would enable them to acquire the fee-simple of the lands reclaimed. Assuming that 100,000 acres can be purchased and reclaimed at an expense not exceeding one million sterling, and that upon this land 5,000 families may be planted, does any one doubt that they would be able to pay with cheerfulness an annuity, during twenty-two years, at the rate of 131. for every twenty acres? By this undertaking, 5,000 peasant proprietors might be it once transferred from the catalogue of those who have little to gain by maintain- ing the rights of property, to that of those who had everything to lose by their violation."

Mr. Poulett Scrope's letters to Lord John Russell are now repeated (wow week. In the present epistle, Mr. Scrape deems some apology necessary for his "pertinacity," which though " intrusive " he hopes will not be re- garded as "offensive." He returns to the necessities of the "impotent poor," and to the substitution of productive employment for labour on " use- less public works "; and insists upon the "town-land assessment." hit Scrope offers a solution of the mysterious "popular armament"—

" May not the farmers of the three provinces have heard that their brethren in Ulster owe much of their comparative comfort, and especially their valuable tenant-right, (or joint ownership of the soil with their landlord,) to the musket that there hangs over each mans fireplace? May not the general impression be thatetriey of tenure would be advanced by the suspension of a similar instrument over the hearths of the half a million of farmers who rent farms under fifteen acres throughout the country?"

A very atrocious murder has been committed in Galway. Mr. John Browne Lynch, of Clonkeely, near Tnam. was assailed in his own avenue, on Monday evening, on returning from a fair; his assaesins fired, and wounded him, and then finished their work by slashing his body with a reaping-hook. He appears to have struggled with his assailants. The firing was heard in his own house, aud his horse galloped into the yard riderless. The deceased was a large landed proprietor, and a very benevolent and inoffensive man.

The papers report a murder in Armagh. One brClean, a Protestant, a man of excellent character and respected by all parties, was waylaid on his return frem the fair of Crossmaglen' by a number of men who beset and slaughtered hips. Robbery seems to have been the motive. The criminals have not been fully iden- tified; but three individuals are in custody, whose clothes and hands were bloody. It is stated that a great many people were passing along the road at the time, but not one of them returned to alarm the police of the town.