Ireland supplies a strange jumble of documents,—reports of more assassination
and altar denunciation ; an epistle from St. Jarlatlfs, asserting widespread destitution, extenuating altar de-
nunciations, and rating Lord John Russell ; proclamations of more disturbed districts; and Lord Shrewsbury's letter to Dr. M`Hale, asking explicit disav3wals of the priestly incitements to murder. Dr. M‘Hale, who calls on Lord John Russell to aid the starving, transmits to the Repeal Association considerable sums of " rent" to agitate repeal of the Union. It will puzzle him to answer Lord Shrewsbury's letter, which insists on direct expla- nations touching some of these points. Again England supplies one of the great wants of Ireland—greater even than the want of food—outspoken truth. An all but universal habit of blinking the plain direct truth places the Irish at the mercy of knaves and quacks.
The Special Commission has been opened at Limerick, with an excellent discourse by Chief Justice Blackburne, in the shape of a charge to the Grand Jury. He supplies formidable corrobora- tion of the general belief as to the thoroughly disorganized state of society in the disturbed districts : the assassins he estimates as being "comparatively few " ; but they seem to have a numerous clientele, who hope to profit by the butchery. In short, the Chief Justice evidently regards assassination as a regular business car- ried on in Ireland by the few as agents for the many. He gave some useful exhortations, especially to the apathetic country gen- tlemen and the denunciating priests; and he brought to light some neglected laws—such as one for preventing "vagrancy "— under which the wandering of mercenary assassins may be checked. From the enforcement of the existing laws he pro- mises a restoration of peace and order: a bold promise, but we believe that it might be made good by the Executive.
