IRILAND.

• The Home Secretary has made the following reply to the address of seventy-one Peers and Membeis.of Parliament, urging strenuous courses spinet the Irish Clubs, an abstract of which appeared; in last week's Spectator.

"'Whitehall. 111h.dely 1848.

"My Lord—In compliance with the wish expressed by the deputation' oT noble- men and gentlemen whom I had the -honour tO receive 'on the 7th instant, that I should give a written answer to the memorial which on that occasion your Lord- ship placed in my hands,! beg to inform you that I have brought the memorial under the consideration of my colleagues; and that I have transmitted a copy of it and of the signatures attached to it, to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland: "Her Majesty's Government are fully aware of the dangerous character of the Clubs which have been lately organized in Ireland.

"They trust that by a firm exercise of the powers which the law affords, aided by the support and cooperation of the loyal subjects of her Majesty in Ireland, the authority of law and order will be vindicated, and the peace and security of that portion of the United Kingdom be preserved. "The important Subject, however, to which the memorial relates, constantly occupies the earnest attention of her Majesty's Government. - "I have the honour to be, my Lord, yoarleirdship's obedient servant, "G. GREY."

Government is laying hold of the sedon-wiongers in all directions." Mr. Martin surrendered on Sunday, and, was committed for felonious 'writings in the Irish Felon. He explained in the Felon his motives for keeping out of the way till Sunday. Mr. Martin and his friends took council with each other under these circumstances- " We understood that 'the Crown' had provided itself with a panel of even attrer 'loyalty' than the one you [Lord Clarendon] packed for the conviction of John Mitchel; that the most ferocious of your partisan judges, Chief Justice Blackburne, occupied the bench; that your convict ship the Shearwater lay in Kingstown Harbour; that, in short, you had all your arrangements ready-made fiir ' trying' me, convicting me, and robbing me—putting me in irons and sending me off, likes burglar or murderer, to live and die among burglars andmurderers- all within twenty-four or at most forty-eight hours; Millet could have no time or opportunity for preparing my legal defence or my moral vindication—no means of exposing to the world the iniquities of your packing—your contrivances for malting crown," government,' and law,' abominations to all honest men—your official meanness, lying, and malignity." By keeping at large till Sunday, they counted that Martin's trial would be put off till October. The interim might be spent by Government in

packing the jury and instructing "the benignant Blackburne " and the other esteemed lawyers; and in securing themselves against every chance of Martin's escape—" in setting the speakers and writers of their faction to slander and vilify him in the same way as they slandered and vilified John Mitchel—representing him as a Communist, a Socialist, an advocate of pil-

lage and massacre, a fiend whose delight is in tempests of anarchy and civil war,. and in torrents of human blood," so as to have him morally as well as legally convicted. But, on the other hand, that interval would be employed by Martin himself in Newgate Gaol, and by his friends outside, in preparing the "trial of the Government "- - - - - in preparing to expose your practices in the jury-packing department of 'government ' to the contempt and detestation of the world, and to propagate ' felo- nious ' sentiments as extensively as we can among those of our countrymen whom their ignorance and bigotry and the arts of your faction keep away from the na- tional ranks,—as the Orangemen of Ulster, the demented landlords, who arerush- ing upon their own destruction; and the misguided men of your Army and Police force. I can reasonably calculate upon a moral triumph in the eyes of the world by October next. And I have good hope that by October next my countrymen

will be so armed and organized—so cured of their terror of policemen's batons and soldiers' bayonets—so strong in their sense of right—so bold and determined, that they will not permit you to lay your insolent hands upon the meanest of the six million Irish felons' that in their heart of hearts curse your impious 'Crown and Government.'"

It is stated, however, that Mr. Martin has fallen into a considerable mis- take. The trial Commission he so dreads will still lay its hands upon him; for it is only adjourned, it has not expired; and it will resume its sittings on the 8th of August, most likely with the trial of his case.

Mr. Charles Gavan Duffy was arrested on Saturday, Mr. Thomas Francis Meagher and Mr. Michael Doheny on Tuesday. The charge against Duffy was the publication of six articles in the Nation of last Saturday, having the object and tendency of depriving the Queen of her dignity, and levying war against her Majesty to force her to change her counsels and measures. The charge against Meagher is founded on a speech made to a club at Rathkeale on the 5th instant: two policemen were present, and depose that Mr. Meagher called on his hearers to obstruct the execution of the law if a similar case to that of Mitchel should arise, and strike a blow against the law. Doheny, the most active of the Confederate Club pro- pagandists, was charged with a seditious speech lately uttered at Roscrea. Duffy has been committed to Newgate, to abide trial on the 8th of August. Meagher, who was arrested at Waterford, where he was paying a farewell visit before starting to America on a political mission, was by some blunder brought to Dnblin, instead a taken to Limerick, whence the writ was issued: by good luck, the Magistrate who signed the warrant happened to be in Dublin and at the Police Court when Mr. Meagher's case came on, and so the blunder was rectified. Mr. Meagher was let out on bail; and he can delay his trial till the Spring Assizes of 1849. Mr. Doheny has been committed to Nenagh Gaol, and will be tried at the present Assizes.

Attempts at rescue were made in the case both of Meagher and Doheny. Mr. Meagher addressed the crowd who took his part, and induced them, though with difficulty, to cease their violence. Mr. Doheny's arrest was resisted with such vigour that some persons were maimed in the fight by the police, and two soldiers who helped them were sorely beaten. Mr. Dennis Hoban, the printer of the 7ra72une, and Messrs. Williams and O'Doherty, its proprietors, were arrested on Saturday, for publishing sedi- tion in their paper of the let and 8th instant. They were sent to prison to await trial in August; bail refused. On Monday, Mr. Meany and Mr. Brenan who are connected with the publishing-offices of the Tribune and the Felon, were arrested for obstruct-. ing the police in seizing the Tribune after the arrest of Mr. Martin. They had gathered a crowd and urged it by exciting harangues to expel the po- lice from the newspaper-office. Brenan was committed for trial: Meany was allowed to find securities to keep the peace.

The Repeal Association last week took a step that seems to be in effect a rejection of the proposed League. At a special meeting.of the Committee, on Friday, it was resolved that the alliance might be formed on these con- ditions—.

"That the League be specially and distinctly pledged to the use of peaceful, legal, and constitutional means, to the exclusion of all other. That the Club Or- ganization be entirely abandoned, and the Clubs finally dissolved; and that any local organization to be created or used hereafter shall be strictly on the above principle, and entirely under the control of the League."

The Nation of Saturday declares these conditions to be "a sudden and hitter disappointment "; and it sees in them the paramount influence of 'Mr. John O'Connell over the Committee. It clings desperately to the Clubs; saying, "On them, singly, the destiny of our venerable cause has nevi been flung: may they prove fit to bear it!"

Twenty-hoe of, the Catholic clergy of the rural deanery of Tnam, in- cluding three of the professors of St. Jarlath's, have declared their entire disapproval of the proposed League; and have adhered to "the Loyal Na- tional Repeal Association—the movement of the Liberator's mighty genius, which has stood the test of proseeutions." They will take no part in any but constitutional agitation, wherein "they sincerely desire the cotiperation of all honest Repealers."

The Irish League held its first meeting, in the Music Hall, Dublin, on Tuesday night. The attendance was numerous, but consisted chiefly of persons not prominent as Repeaters or Confederates. The Committee of the League was appointed; and after some guarded and uninteresting speaking, the proceedings ended.