IRELAND.
The reports of the potato crop that reach Dublin from all parts of the country are of the very worst kind. The disease seems to have attacked the growing plant in all quarters, and it makes rapid progress in the work of decay, placing the final destruction of the crop beyond question. Such is the general prospect. The alarm is universal. Meetings have been held in many places to devise means of relieving or employing the people, and to petition fora continuance of Government aid. In some parts the eottiers have held meetings, and talked of offering to give up their rotting potato-grounds in lieu of paying rent. All Ireland may be said to be again in a state of panic at the approach of absolute destitution.
The following is an abstract of a statement "of the total expenditure for purposes of relief in Ireland since November 1845; distinguishing final payments from sums which have been or are to be repaid"—
Purchase of maize and oatmeal, freight, grinding, &c £185,432 7 7 Donations In all of local subscriptions 67,91I 10 0 Public Works for the relief of urgent distress [Act 9 VicL ). c. 2. • 452,727 14 8
Sums advanced under the Act 9 Vic c 2 .... 133,536 8 3 Employment In cases of great emergency, not otherwise provided for 2,210 0 0
Office and other expenses of the Relief Commission 2,823 9 Paid to Board of Works for local inquiries and inspection 7,840 0 0 The total quantity of Indian corn and oatmeal which has been provided for this ser- vice is 98,810 quarters, or 790,4841 bushels, or 44,121,5741 pounds ; which, at the rate -of one pound per diem for each person, would support 490,240 persons daily for three months.
Conciliation Hall was rather thinly attended on Monday; an unusual Circumstance, seeing it was known that the Liberator was to be present. A good deal of substantial business was transacted, in so far as the recep- tion of rent was concerned. Two new Members were enrolled—the Honourable Cecil Lawless, a younger son of Lord Cloncurry, who sent 51.; and Master Thomas Maher, who was born that morning! Mr. O'Connell, in proposing the young Repealer, remarked, that "he was not old, to be sure, but he was not a Young Irelander! " Mr. Lawless avows his recent conversion. Letters accompanying money, and expressing approval of O'Connell's moral force policy, were received from several parish-priests, and from Manchester. , Mr. Steele read the following address to Mr. O'Connell from the Confer- ence of County Monaghan-
" We, the clergy of the district of Clones, in Conference assembled, beg leave to lswsent to you this joint address of grief and abiding confidence. The recent un- happy dissensions of the Repeal Association have filled us with sorrow and alarm. We grieve for the public cause, which is injured; we fear for the safety of the Repeal Association, which is imperilled by the rash speeches and reckless impe- tuosity of some sullen and sulky spirits, who have neither wisdom to lead nor virtue to obey. We sympathize in your afflictions. Others may secede from you, we shall never desert you: sixty thousand men speak through us: you have the priests—yon have the people with you; you have the glorious cause of creed and
country to sustain your ; you have a faithful people to stand by you in all your cent exertions. Accept this solemn offering of our unchanged and unal- terable confidence. In the political concerns of Ireland we know no leader and recognize no guide but you. All other parties, and all other pretenders, that au- daciously dispute your legitimate authority, and treacherously thwart your wise councils, we disown, we distrust, we repudiate. Young Ireland has appealed to the country: that is our answer—we disown them, we distrust them, we repu- diate them. We approve your just denunciation of those silly slaves of ambition, who, with professions of patriotism have been causing discord among the people; and, with the lofty pretensions of 'ridding Ireland from the stranger, have, like Brian Borhoime, by usurping the authority of our acknowledged chief, retarded our hopes, weakened our organization, and given courage and strength to the foe and the oppressor. - "Ever faithfully and devotedly yours, " Faaxers Maocsszus, Parish Priest of Clones. . [The address was signed by thirteen other clergymen.] On the motion of Mr. O'Connell, a Committee was appointed to prepare a petition to Parliament, praying that the Arms Bill might not be renewed; and Mr. John O'Connell, iu reference to the Liberator's intended Repeal motion in the next session of Parliament, moved that a Committee be ap- pointed for the purpose of preparing documents for the use of Repeal Members during the discussion.
In the course of the day, Mr. O'Connell alluded to a variety of topics—
He commented on the extreme folly and wickedness on the part of the Roman Catholics of the North to enter into collision with the Orangemen. He would have had the Repeal long since if he could have worked in safety with the people; which, however, could not be as long as they encouraged the infernal Riband system. He fully concurred in the wishes expressed by some parties in Limerick, that Mr. Smith O'Brien would return to the Association. Whenever that gentleman brought his mind to join the Old Ireland party, he would be enthusiastically re- ceived in that hall.
It was said that the English Parliament was ready to assist the Repeaters in ameliorating the condition of the Irish people. The Repeaters were ready to give Parliament a trial. If the English Parliament meant to do Ireland good, the Repeaters were ready to participate in the struggle to obtain those ame- liorations, and to enjoy them after they got them. The Times newspaper had
recently condescended to speak of him more favourably. There was a great deal of good sense in what that paper said. It said that he ought to assist the Ministry in carrying out their promises to Ireland. He admitted that he ought, and that he was ready to do so, and to tender his services in London in assisting
Total 852,481 9 7 Of this sum, 494,8511. is to be repaid, and 357,6301. not to be repaid.
the Ministry in the efforts to do good to Ireland. As to the Nation newspaper, Mr. O'Connell read a report from a Committee recommending the Association to refuse countenancing in any way the circulation or sale of that newspaper. Rent 3351.
In the county of Clam, parties of men are going round at night ordering that labourers shall not cut down hay at a less rate of wages than five shillings a day. There were two violent thunder-storms at Belfast on Saturday: one in the morning, which lasted three hours; and another in the evening, of less duration. The rain fell in torrents. The lightning struck Mr. Ferguson's bleach-works, about two miles from the town; killing two men, and injuring two others, one dangerously. It is feared that the wet will injure the oats, as well as the already infected potato crop.
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