IRELAND.
The proceedings in the Dublin Court of Queen's Bench in the case of the Queen versus O'Connell and others, have closed with the de- spatch of the writ of error to London : it was allowed last week, without opposition from the Crown.
The authorities of Richmond Penitentiary have put some restrictions upon the wholesale admission of Visiters : they are no longer allowed to inscribe their names in a book for publication ; and deputations to pre- sent addresses to Mr. O'Connell are not admitted. The Freeman's Jour- nal notifies, that those visiters who wish to have their names published, have only to leave a card at the office of the newspaper for every one sent in to Mr. O'Connell.
Several meetings have been held about the country. One of the most respectable was that at Belfast, on Friday ; which comprised "Liberals" of all shades. Some of the speakers avowed political differences with Mr. O'Connell, but protested against the prosecution as unjust. One of the most ludicrous meetings was that of the Dublin law-clerks, on Sunday : they address Mr. O'Connell as "beloved Sire," and "great beloved Sire "; declare that " with a nod " he could have "uprooted the foundation of society "; but they undertake to obey his injunction to peace, or to die for him if required.
Dublin Corporation met on Thursday last week, to consider an ad- dress to the Queen on the subject of Mr. O'Connell's imprisonment ; praying her " to vindicate the constitution, and protect the rights and liberties of her Majesty's subjects, which have been violated in his per- soa." An address in that spirit was proposed and advocated in several heated speeches. Alderman Butt opposed it ; and, in some temperate strictures, he pointed out one inconsistency of the Repealers—that while they professed hatred to England, they cried that if they had hut had English judges and English jurors they would have had better justice! One warm supporter of the address was Mr. Fitzpatrick, who was on the Jury-panel and was among the forty-eight drawn by ballot, but he was not on the Jury : Mr. Bu:t bantered hint on the unbiased verdict that he would have given ! The address was carried, by 40 to 6.
The Repeal Association met on Monday. In taking the chair, Lord Ffrench stated that he had come up to town for the sole purpose of pre- senting the Liberator and his fellow-martyrs with two addresses from parishes in his county, the inhabitants of which were boiling with in- dignation at O'Connell's unjust and unmerited conviction, and had re- solved, "come weal, come wo," that on their parts there should be no shrinking. Mr. Henry Grattan, handing in a subscription of 51., ex- plained why he had not attended in the House of Commons—because abusive language bad been applied to the Irish people, (and he read passages from the Morning Herald that called them savages,) and be- cause Parliament had passed the Arms Act, and he had pledged himself that while he lived no Englishman should brand himself or his arms— Ile had locked up in a chest, in an English county, the arms which his father carried in 1782, and had transmitted to him, accompanying them with a note in the following terms : " These are the arms of Henry Grattan, placed here because an English Government directed a brand to be placed on them. Never! —Henry Grattan." For these reasons alone, his intention—firm as if be had taken an oath—was, that he would never enter the House of Commons unless driven there by the injunction ot his constituents.
Mr. M'Nevin, a barrister, vituperated the Emperor of Russia ; whom he described as brought over from Russia by the gaolers of O'Connell, from his occupation of fetter-forging and peopling Siberia, to enjoy a bear-bugging with Prince Albert in a lobby. Mr. Smith O'Brien read an address from the Complete Suffrage Union of the people of England, signed "Joseph Sturge," and expressing indignatioa at the imprison- ment of OConnelL He mentioned a rumour that Government were about to issue a proclamation to forbid the meeting of the Association; the Committee were determined to try the legality of such a proceeding; on the issue of the proclamatiou the Association would meet ; and he requested to be chairman on that day. The rent for the week was 3,200/.
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