IRELAND.
The'' powder" has been " kept dry" in Dublin to some purpose. The statue of William the Third, in College Green, was blown up early in the morning of the 7th ; to the great surprise and alarm of all the Orangemen—who were not in the secret. The following is the account given of this awful catastrophe by the correspondent of the Morning Chronicle, writing from Dublin on Friday.
" About half an hour after one o'clock, the inhabitants of College Green were thrown into the utmost confusion by a violent explosion, which shook several houses in the neighbourhood. In a few minutes most of the inhale' • tants of the adjoining houses were out of their beds, and congregates' at the spot whence the noise proceeded; when it was discovered, that the statue of William the Third, of pious, glorious, and immortal memory, had been blown tip by gunpowder. This statue, which was an equestrian one, and re- presented King William mounted on a charger, was erected in the most con- spicuous part of College Green, almost in a central position between the Bank of Ireland and the College, and not more than ten yards distant from the Louses on the south side of the street leading from the Bank to the Castle. It stood on a pedestal about eighteen feet in height, surrounded by an enclosure of iron railing. The summit of the statue itself might be thirty feet from the level of the street. It appeared that for some time previous to the explosion, the street was pet fectly quiet ; and none but a few tavern frequenters, who in this city may be found at all hours, were seen passing hy. One of the watch- men near the place states that he had seen, at about half-past twelve, a lighted train burning up from the ground towards the figure; he endeavoured to drag it down with his pole, but did not succeed. A second watchman immediately came up, and told hint to leave the spot at once, as there was powder about the place. This latter, who warned his companion, had, he alleges previously seen an attempt made to blow up the statue, but it failed; and fearing that some- thing similar might have then been intended, thought proper to give the warning. Immediately after the watchmen withdrew, the explosion took place. The noise was tremendous, and is compared by several who heard it to that produced by the discharge of a piece of artillery. Most of the glass lamps from the College to Trinity Street were blown out by the explosion. The figure which was of lead, and weighed several tons, was thrown up several feet in the air, and fell on the south side a few paces distant from the railing. The pedestal is shattered at the edges in several places, and the horse appears disfigured and discoloured in the greater part from the gunpowder. The paint, of which in its time it must have received several hundred coatings, is .quite defaced ; and the orange and purple, in which it was but yesterday so hntastically bedizened, have clean disappeared, and given way to a monotonous and sooty black. The figure itself was dreadfully mutilated, and presented an appearance any thing but like ' the image of a king.' Both legs were broken
edi, the one from time tokimile of the thigh, the other titan a little below the knee. The title of the bead %Tali battered in by a contusion : and the shoulder,
like the tiete.g is which nourished its royal owner, ireadfully of joint.' At ahem tight this morning, the Peiliee were in attendance at the place its great numbers Its proteet the retimailis ' from In ther inffigniey ; sad soon after, the trunk and fragnteuts of what was Mier the Will of the lodges were it:moved to the 1'014m-tidiest its Colege cell. where an inque.t is just now holding tier the lasly. It appimts that a spuititi:y of paste of I'm is bad been so at- tached to the lower part of thc ti ttais- as to hate tt pouch-like ',Mow space be. tweeil it and the thighs, bt ea Lich hivons t th pository teas lot wed foil the recep.
lion of the I ler. I e. leis assert that the train was iutroburrd into the body
itself, Hoene!' an aperture mink in altar time late laird l'astl, would cud'
the fundamental Iv,tuures ' his !Ia", sty ; lint, from the shat ti
1)1 the rettiaMs, it weld.: ptietzle most experieuccd autimpsie'd m saminer to determine the true mazes quem;mili which led to the catastrophe. I hi thing only is remain, that the molten image is no some, and that the ilk! 01 ()range.. ism is dell:toned."
The Li rd. L;etitcffinit his issued a prellsmation tifferilig a reward of 1414. for the discovery of the ; mid the Dtmlilin ('orponition
have err, red another ot ; but, of remise red:eel, expecte that Pro-
testant but puverty stliele it body to pry a gloat. The Magistrates
late been °templed in wiling; Mittel ie.; uml it is said that the son of a rioted l)ratigienati is suspect, it of living the delinquent ; but he has decamped, his l lure ul ruuccnhucnt is 1111410 unknown to clic l'ulice — so they pretend.
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