IRELAND.
The Irish legal world has lost one of its most illustrious members, in the Right Honourable Charles Kendall Bushe, late Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench. He died on Friday, at the house of his son, Ir. Thomas Bushe, Furrey, Rahney.
During the past week, the Irish General Assembly of the Presby- terian Church held its annual meeting in Belfast. The most interesting portion of its proceedings related to the state of the Church of Scotland, and the warmest sympathy with the new Secession was expressed. On Friday night, Mr. Makgill Crichton delivered an address on behalf of the " Free Church "; a subscription-list was opened, and upwards of 2,0001. contributed.
The decision of the Judges affirming the invalidity of mixed mar- riages performed by Presbyterian ministers has produced the expected consternation in the North of Ireland. In the General Assembly, on Monday, a Committee was appointed to draw up a series of resolutions, and petitions to both Houses of Parliament on the subject : next day the resolutions were adopted, and a deputation was appointed to proceed to London and take active steps to procure redress.
There was another multitudinous meeting on the hill of Ballybrichen, at Waterford, on Sunday, of the usual kind. The numbers are esti- mated by a local paper at 600,000, by the Freeman's Journal at 300,000. Dr. Foran, the Titular Bishop of Waterford, was present, and took an active part in the proceedings. The vote in favour of the Arms Bill by Mr. Villiers Stuart, the Member for Waterford, furnished a little variety for Mr. O'Connell's animadversion. At the meeting of the Repeal Association on Monday, the Repeal rent was reported at 1,6901. Mr. O'Connell gave notice, that in conse- quence of the dismissal of the Repeal Magistrates by the Government, and in pursuance of the practice followed in the Catholic Association, be should move at the next day of meeting-
" That they would adopt measures for the appointment in each district of arbitrators, instead of going, as heretofore, to hostile Petty Sessions-courts, and paying fees to the clerks of bigoted Magistrates : and that the Association would have legal instruments prepared, authorizing the persons to act as arbi- trators." (Loud and prolonged cheers.)
The following story in the Leinster Express is a painful but interest- ing illustration of " the state-of-Ireland question "-
" Some short time since, J. R. Price, Esq., agent to the Marquis of Laos- downe in the Queen's County, being impressed with the good effects which would be derived from a well-directed course of draining upon his Lordship's estate at Luggacurren, besides giving employment at a period of unprecedented distress, obtained a grant from his Lordship of 1,0001. to be expended on the land for these purposes ; and, the more effectually to carry out the objects in- tended, he secured the services of an eminent agriculturist, Mr. M'Cletchie, to superintend the work. The work was proceeding most satisfactorily and bene- ficially, when, last week, Mr. M'Cletchie received, through the Stradbally post-office, a letter bearing the Athy post-mark, ordering him to quit the country within four days, or he would be shot as dead as a dog in the noonday light '; and also stating that a bait had been laid for that Orange Tory Jack Price, and one that would not miss the hand of the assassin.' The letter was apparently the production of some person of better education than those who are generally the writers of such missives, and for malice of purpose and mis- chief in effect was never exceeded by any of those disgraceful productions. We hear that nothing could induce Mr. M'Cletchie to remain ; and we regret to say that his loss will be severely felt by the entire country, no less than by the immediate tenants on the Luggacurren estate."
The Brighton Gazette gives specific instances of the injurious effects of the present agitation on the material interests of Ireland-
" The town of Mullingar, being in want of money for theurpose of effecting certain local improvements, had entered into negotiations fopr a loan ; and the treaty was so far advanced that the money was actually on the eve of being _paid over to the authorities of the place, when the length to which the Repeal agitation was carried alarmed the capitalists who had engaged to advance the money. The result was, that they declined to proceed further in the matter ; and the town of Mallingar remains without its projected improvements. Cases have also occurred, within our own knowledge, of mortgages being called in, solely on account of the alarm produced by what is going on at this moment in Ireland."
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