IRELAND.
The Government Corn measure creates little satisfaction in Ire- land. Belfast has petitioned for repeal of the Corn-laws. A large meeting, principally of working-men, at Newtownards, has sent in a petition, calling upon the House of Commons to expunge a law which raises the price of bread while the House confess that they can do no- thing to keep up wages. On the other hand, a leading Tory journal,
the Dublin Evening Mail, calls attention " to the serious, though no doubt unintended injury with which this country is threatened by the proposed change in the duties on foreign oats ' ; and the Limerick Chronicle says- " This is an awful prospect of impending ruin to the Irish landed proprietor and farmer ; and if it should come, must effect an entire revolution in the pre- sent scale of rents and other charges throughout Ireland : the consequence will be universal discontent, confusion, and distress, all of the most grievous cha- racter. We have to repeat our earnest persuasion, that Government will yet amend the proposed scale of duties so as to leave Irish agriculture some degree of protection. The shipment of oats from this port, at this period of the last year, was 100,000 barrels more and in advance of the present year."
The reports of Ribandism are revived. The correspondent of the Times gave a specimen of these stories on Friday- " The Erne Packet states that there is substantial reason for believing that the nefarious Riband conspiracy is at this moment widely spread through the county of Fermanagh ; and it adds, that not long since two persons from the county of Cork, who passed themselves off as pedlars, have traversed a consi- derable portion of the county, reestablishing in their progress Riband lodges. A highly-respectable gentleman got secret information of the fact ; but it was unfortunately after the completion of their mission, as the conspirators had decamped. It is reported that fifteen more of the Leitrim and Shgo Riband- men were arrested at Manorhamilton on Tuesday. A troop of dragoons is ordered to Sligo, and the military stations throughout that county are to be reinforced by detachments from the neighbouring districts ; in addition to which, the authorities are making most efficient preparations towards the sup- pression of the conspiracy ; and it havingitrecome known that Monday last was fixed upon for the arrest of several suspected persons, upwards of twenty masters of lodges and others holding offices in the Riband societies came in and surrendered themselves on the day appointed for their capture."
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