The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-23 00:00:00

Jan. 23, 1844. IRELAND, THE STATE TRIALS. COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, DUBLIN. The Court opened at ten o'clock on Monday mornin g , and was immediately crowded in every pa rt. Preci se l y at ten, Chief Justice Pennefather, Mr. Just ice Berton, Mr. Justice Crampton, and Mr. Justice Perrin, entered the Court, and took their seats on the bench. Mr. O'Connell came in procession to the court in the Lord Mayor's private carriage, followed by carriages eontaining the other traversers and several of the alder men and town council in their robes. The Lord Mayor, who was also in his robes, was in the same carriage with Mr. O'C onnell. They were loudly cheered by the popu lace on their progress to the Court. The Judges having taken their seats, The traversers were then called, and on the name of the Rev. Mr. Tyrrel being called, Mr. Cantwell, with much solemnity, said—My lords, the rev. defendant has been called before another judg ment seat, and his soul an d b o d y are now a lik e b eyond the powe r of this court. The traversers were called on, and severally answered to their names. Mr. O'Connell appeared along with the counsel for the defendants, in his wig and gown. The names of the jurors were then called over. On Mr. James Collins Papworth being called, a juror said his name was James Papworth ; another juror said his name was Joseph Hamilton, and not James, as given in the list. The officer of the court then called on John Holmes, of William -street, merchant, to appear on pain of £5O. Mr. Frederick Stocken, physician, said he appeared on his behalf, and having been sworn, stated that Mr. Holmes Was unable to attend, having been confined to his bed by serious illness for the last five days. The next name called was Robert Smith Stubbs, linen draper, Dame-street. Doctor Leech also appeared on his behatiktniid handed in an affidavit to the effect that he was affected with asthma and other complaints of the chest, and consequently unable to attend. George Mitchell, 20, Lower Sackville-street, tobacconist, was next called ; and Mr. Carey, barrister, appeared for him, and handed in af fidavits from several medical men, certifying that, owing to asthma and severe cold he was unable to serve. Indeed, he had been ill very long, and there was scarcely a fort night but he was confined from the causes alluded to. A medical certificate and affidavit was handed in by Mr. Geo. Davis, solicitor, on the part of George Fowler, of Angle ssa-street, as a ground for having him excused. The Attorney-General then requested that the names of James Collins Popworth and James Hamilton might be called over. If there were such persons in the venire they should be called on fines, and if there was any rnis description it might be dealt with afterwards. The names of those gentlemen were then called. Mr. Moore requested that the service of the sum monses on those persons might be proved. Mr. George Fowler, Mr. John Holmes, and Mr. R 4 Smith Stubbs were excused attendance on the ground set forth in the affidavits of their respective medical attend ants. Mr. George Mitchell, of Sackville-street, was also ex cused attending as a juror. The deputy Registrar then called over the names of the traversers, and called their attention to the fact that the jury was about to be sworn. Mr. Moore said that as some of the jurors had not at tended, and as the Attorney-General had applied to have their names called over on fines, he wished that proof would be given of the notice served upon the jurors. David Ireland was then called, and he proved the ser vice of the notice on Mr. Papworth and Mr. Hamilton, who had not attended. In reply to Mr. Moore, he admitted !that the service was not a personal one. Sir C. O'Loghlen then rose and said, he challenged the array on the part of Daniel O'Connell. He then pro ceeded to read the challenge, which was to the effect that the jury panel from which the jury had been selected was defective, inasmuch as, when a revision of the jury list took place before the Recorder, who revised, corrected, and signed them, the Recorder did not cause to be made out a general list of the special jurors in order that such might be copied out by the Clerk of the Peace, but, en the contrary, omitted to do so; and that said list was illegally and fraudulently made out by some person not authorised to do so, and that fif•y-nine names that had been adjudged by the Recorder to be placed on the special jury list, were omitted f rom t h e general list so made out. The learned gentleman then read the names of the parties omitted from the list, and proceeded to say that the names before mentioned were also omitted from the specia jurors' book for 1844, as well as from the general list, and that said emission was injurious to him, said Daniel O'Con nell, who therefore prayed the judgmentof the court to set aside the jury panel made out in this case. The learned gentleman, in conclusion, said, that similar challenges were prepared on the part of the other traversers, and were then actually being engrossed. The Attorney-General said, that as it was the first time the counsel for the crown had been made acquainted with the intention of the counsel for the traversers to challenge the array, be hoped their lordships would give his learned friends and himself a short time to take the document handed in by the learned counsel into consideration. In the mean time he suggested that the other challenges should be ready, in order that they should be disposed of with that now before the court. Chief Justice.-oh, c3rtainly. Let me have the act of parliament that applies to this question. The act was handed up to the bench, and the counsel for the c rown then retired at a quarter-past eleven o'clock, to consult together respecting the nature and forms of the challenge. The counsel for the traversers also retired at the same lime. At about traverser s retur ned int o court, when the Attorney-General said he wished t o h ave the challenges of all the traversers handed in. Thirs. Moore, was a after some demur on the part of Mr. Lord Chief Jgustic t , and after some little delay the t omp i aining that the addressed Sir Colman O'Loghlan, nary d elay, and that bad been a g pared with all rest deal of unneces he should have come into court pre- After the rettubenchaltlhenegceost; General demurrerd of counsel to court, the Attorney iument ensued, i to the challenge, and a lengthened ar _Fitzgibbon, and n which Sir Colman O'Loughlin, Mr. versers, and the Mr. Moore spoke on behalf of the tra ,kttorney-General and Solicitor-General O behalf of the crown. The Lord Chief Justice was about to deliver ' d plication was mradjen gment, when a very singular ap by Mr. Moore. lie stated that I t he,, traversers were willin g to go at once to trial, L ae jury lists were sent back to the Recorder for revision, in order that the 59 names alleged to have been omitted fro The Attorne Genln the panel might be placed thereon. ground that s Y u - ch a General resisted the application on the Poceeding was altogether illegal, and would have the proceedings instituted effect throughout vitiating all the judicid The Lord Chief Justice rnughout the present year• ened judgment, on then which the delivered a very length the majority of the court eoncurred,) to the effect that " the demurrer must be allowed, arid, consequently, the challenge overruled. Mr. Justice Perrin nions of th e other e xpressed his dissent from the opi• judges on the point. On Tuesday the Court opened at ten o'clock. urs put in Aftervarious some discussion, in the c ourse of which severa• a nd which w ja pleas rious to be excused from serving, Cour t , the er ollowin g in e s ome instance s h e ld to b e val i d by the f as composin g the jury : James Hamilton, foreman, Edwa r d R oper Henry Tho m p son . . Edward Cl arke Anston Floyd. Francis F aulkner. John Rigby- Robert Han na . John C roker. Henry Fl ynn William Lo ng fi e ld. • am Ord. T he gentlem en who were not s W worn illi having left the box. The Clerk of the Crown said,—Gentlemen of the jury, the traversers at the bar Daniel O'Connell, John O'Con nell, Thomas Steele, Thomas Matthew Hay, Charles Gavin Duffy, John Gray, Richard Barrett, and Thomas Tierney, stand indicted for having, on the 13th of Fe ?nary last, in the parish of St. Mark, in the City of Dublin, entered into a conspiracy in the manner as set out in the indictment. The traversers have severally pleaded " not guilty." The ATTORNEY -GENERAL then rose to address the jury, and said th ey had been impannelled onthon present up 'occasion to perf orm the important duty of deciding the guilt or innoc ence of upon this indictm en t. It was theseveral traver sers arra i gne d not necessary for hi m (th e Attorney-General) to impress on their minds the neces lity of giving th e i r anx i ous and undivided attention to the momentous questions which would be brought before them. His Learned Friend, Mr. Napier, had already stated the charge which had been brought forward against the several traversers ; but in order to impress it upon their minds, and that they might be enabled to understand the case as it proceeded, be would take leave again to call their attention to the nature of the charge brought against the defendants. In the words of the indictment, the traversers stood indicted of having " conspired and con federated together to raise and create discontent and dis affection amongst Her Majesty's subjects, and to excite them to hatred and contempt of the overnment and Constitution of the realm, as by law established, and to unlawful and seditious op Position to the said Govern ment and Constitution ; and P to stir up hatred, jealousy, and ill-will betw een differ ent c l asses of her Majesty,s and ; and especially to promote amongst Her Majes tY's 'ssubjects in Ireland, f ee li ngs of ill-will and hostility towards and against h er Majesty's subjects in England ; nd to excite discontent and disaffection in the army ; and to cause large numbers of persons to meet together at different times, and at different places, for the unlawful Purpose of obtaining, by means of the intimidation to be ther eby created and by means of the exhibition and de. 3Zonstration of reat physical force at such meetings, ebange s and alterations in the Gov ernment, laws, and con- , atitution of this realm, as by law established ; and parti- Parly by n those means to b r i ng a b out and accomplish a !.dissolutioof the Legislative Union between Great Britain .nd Ireland ; and al so b y means of inflammatory and sedi- Iluus p u blications t o i nt i m i date parliament, and thereby 'ing about changes and alterations in the laws and consti tution of lnto this re a l m as now by law established, and to bring this and disrepute the tribunals established for the fog;.ne ,( 1 t la i n i k t r a t i o n of the law therein, and to assu me and usurp rot eroptive of t h e Crown in the establishm ent o f courts the administration of the law." Ile thought it would be conve n i ent rthat uvenient should and proper, bef ore h e opened the facts of the . Et he call attebtion to tie law of conspiracy, l.k , s to enable the jury to understand more distinctly the t 4. " s i 7 bai ts hearit,g , as he proceeded in the statement of w ould l l the law in the presence of the Court, the jury from hi m ea r in mind that they were not to take the law 1 nor from the counsel for the traversers, except ; so tar as it might meet with the concurrence and approval of their Lordships. A confederacy becomes an unlawful criminal conspiracy when two or more persons combine to do an unlawful act, or to effect a lawful act by unlawful means. It is not necessary that the purpose should be actually effected. Merely confederating, said Chief Jus tice Bushe, on the trial of the bottle rioters at the Dub lin Theatre in 1823, constitutes the crime, though the object be not effected. If, again, it appears that the ac tots have one object, and use similar means, that is, a conspiracy ; and though nothing be seen but one perform ing one part, and another another a part, acts, which by ' themselves might seem independent acts, yet if they tend to the same end, the jury is warranted in drawing as an inference from that tendency, that it is the result of a previous criminal concert. Again, if the parties have a common design, the acts of any one of them will be evi denc against the rest, though their concert with him in this particular act be not apparent, and this as well with , respect to some of his acts . before some of them have joined the conspiracy as afterwards; and he referred to the cases of the Cato-street conspirators as authority for his statement, that the party who joins in the design adopts and becomes responsible, as well far the acts done before he joined as afterwards. Again, if a plan be found in existence, which the jury may believe could only have existed in consequence of a conspiracy, that will justify them in finding that there was a previous conspiracy. The Attorney-General then referred to an indictment found against John Frost, and others, for conspiracy, but on which he was not tried, having been previously convicted of treason' but Vincent and Edwards were, and found guilty. The charge was, that "John Frost, and others, did conspire, &c., to excite discontent and disaffection in the minds of the liege subjects of her Majesty, and to ex cite the liege subjects of her Majesty to hatred and con tempt of the Goverment and constitution of this realm, and to unlawful and seditious opposition to such Govern. ment." The overt acts charged were—attendance at four meetings at Pontypool, where violent speeches were deliv ered to large bodies of persons. After referring to other cases, he came to a case arising out of the Manchester riots of 1819, for which Mr. Hunt was tried and punished. It was an action brought by one of the dispersed meeting against the captain who commanded the Yeomanry Caval ry, for an assault and wounding. On the trial before Mr. Justice Holroyd, he told the jury, in the words of Mr. Justice Bayley on the trial of Mr. Hunt, " that all per sons assembled to sow sedition, and bring into contempt the constitution, are in an unlawful assembly ; all persons assembled in furtherance of this object, are unlawfully assembled too." Fu r th er , J u d ge B a il ey sa id ,— " What are the objects of the leader—the person who occupies the chair—the person intending to take distinguished parts in the meeting? What are the objects of those who bear the flags or banners ? These are to be considered with refer ence to the inscriptions. What are the objects of those who have been drilled? If the object of the drilling is to secure the attention of the persons drilled to disaffected speeches, and give confidence by an appearance of strength to those willing to join them, that would be illegal ; or, if they were to say, we will have what we want, whether it is agreeable to law or not—a meeting for that purpose, how ever it may be masked, if it is really for a purpose of that kind, would be illegal." In consequence of this charge, in which Mr. Justice Holroyd adopted and reiterated the language of Mit" Justice Bayley, on the trial of Mr. Hunt, the captain of the Yeomanry Cavalry was acquitted. But the plaintiff was not satisfied ; he moved for a new trial on the ground that the Judge had misdirected the jury; and in giving judgement, refusing the motion, Lord Tenter den said, "that what was said by persons going, or preparing to go, to such a meeting was evidence, and most important evidence, against those assembled. Many persons would go from different motives, some from mere curiosity, others who would think there were public grievances which such a meeting might prevent, others might go me ditating mischief immediately, others again who meditated mischief at some future time, when those drilled, who up to this period had been without arms, might have arrived at a further stage in military discipline. Now I, said the Attorney-General, may be told that the meetings which were held dispersed peaceably and instantaneously on be ing desired to do so. But to me this is the most formida ble and aggravating feature of these meetings. The per sons assembled were told that " the hour of England's infirmity was the hour of Ireland's opportunity." " Will you come again when I shall call you?" " Wait; be quiet for the present ; our organization must be complete before the signal be given." Lord Tenterden further said— " When we consider that these country people came marching in this way through the town of Manchester, bearing flags and banners inscribed with mottos, not merely containing high-sounding words, but inscriptions of Corn-laws—Better live men than die like slaves,' and other expressions of defiance, it is manifest that there was an avowed intention to insult those who were intrusted with the administration of justice, and if possible, by a show of numbers to overawe and prevent them from in terfering with the object their leader might be supposed to have had." In the same case Judge Bayley says—" It appears by the evidence in the case, that the meeting was composed of a vast number of persons, a very large por tion, therefore, of physical strength ' • that there was an elevation fro m w hi c h speeches could be made, and that among those to speak there was one who had no particular connexion with the place, and he might give to that phy sical force a direction which might operate either in perfect innocence or with a great degree of danger to the public peace. After referring to these and some further authori ties, for the purpose of acquainting the jury with the law applicable to the case they had to try, the Attorney-Gene ral proceeded to state the facts which he proposed to prove in support of it. He stated that the Association in Dub lin was the root of the conspiracy, whose branches over spread the country. He commenced with its origin soon after the Emancipation Act. He stated the proclamation of Lord Anglesey, in January, 1831, under the act then in force, enabling the Lord Lieutenant to disperse meetings he thought dangerous, and which made those guilty of a misdemeanour Rho continued assembled fifteen minutes after being ordered by a magistrate to disperse, or who met after the proclamation was issued. He read the ce lebrated declaration of Lord Althorp in the House of Commons in 1831, in which he said, he hoped those who called for a repeal of the union would not succeed, as if they did, it could be but by successful war. He argued that agitation carried on after this announcement of the intentions of government, could only mean an ultimate appeal to arms, however peaceable designs might be pro fessed or pretended. He cited the language of Mr. Justice Grove, " that men with rebellion in their hearts have often nothing but peace and benevolence on their lips,' and proceeded to state, that the effect of the de claration of Lord Grey's government was to check the agitation for a time, for when the temporary act expired on the dissolution of parliament in 1831, the agitation re commenced to such an extent that the King noticed it in his speech from the throne at the commencement of the session of 1833, and asked for additional powers " to con trol and punish the disturbers of the peace, and to pre. serve and strengthen the legislative union." He then re ferred to speeches of Lord John Russell and another member of government on the address, in which the one said O'Connell's object was,among other things, to con fiscate the property if all the English in Ireland, and the other, that, the result of successful agitation would be to set up a ferocious republic, in place of the British mo narchy, in Ireland. He then traced the history of the several associations which Mr. O'Connell had set on foot, all of which, under various names, had this one common object—to plunder the poor. He explained the system on which the " Loyal National Repeal Association" was organized, being composed of associates, members, and volunteers, to each of which classes a peculiar card was assigned, that served to evade the act against signs and pass-words, and accomplished all that act was meant to check and prevent. He produced the several cards, and dwelt with great minuteness in the description of their emblems, which appeared all to be significant of treason and rebellion. There were also repeal wardens, whom, in the language of one of the traverse's, "the people might follow as well as if they were called repeal ser geants." After reading very copious extracts from the speeches of Mr. O'Connell and others, delivered at vari ous monster meetings, and having coeimented on the manner in which the sentiments they contained were echoed by the Nation and other new papers, the Attor ney-General, in reference more particularly to Mr. O'Connell's celebrated speech at Mallow, in which he said, "They may trample on my body, but it will be my dead body," proceeded to say, was there ever heard such an attempt to create between fellow-subjects of the same empire the sting of indignation, to be excited against those who were called "our Saxon oppressors?" Was it to be tolerated, in a country where the law was in force, that a proceeding such as this should be permitted. Was this country to be handed over to such persons, whose objects were those of furious republicanism ? And now what was the assertion—the assertion made to the deluded people of this country, who bad been told from time to time by the late ministry and the present, and by the ma jority of parliament, that they would not listen to any step which would lead to the dismemberment of the em pire? They were told that her Majesty might issue writs for the summoning of an Irish parliament ; and they were told this by a gentleman standing eminently in his pro fession at the bar, and he was consequently in this posi tion—that either he did not think what he stated to the assembled thousands—and that being the case, what po sition was he in ? or if he did think it, would it be asserted now ? He would next advert to the act of union, for the purpose of ascertaining if this opinion was well founded. By the third article of the act, it was provided " that the said United Kingdom he represented in one and the same parliament, to be styled the parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." And in a por tion of the fourth article of the act it was provided, that when his Majesty, or his heirs or successors, should de. clare his pleasure for holdingthe parliament of the United Kingdom, a proclamation should issue ordering the re turn of the lords spiritual and temporal and the commons of Ireland, and also the commons of England, and that they should consist of the two houses of parliament of the United Kingdom. And after those several articles hav ing been recited, it goes on to recommend to parliament the consideration of them, " in order to give full effect and validity to the same," and it was subsequently pro vided that the act containing the articles so agreed upon should have effect and be in force from 1801. Thus they had those articles ratified and approved of by the parlia ment of Ireland, that the United Kingdom be represented in one and the same parliament : and in direct opposition to this legislative enactment of the king•, and the lords and commons of this country, and confirmed by an act of the English legislature uniting the parliaments of both countries for ever, they were told that it was part of the prerogative of the crown, without the assent of the parlia ment of the United Kingdom, to summon an Irish par liament in Ireland; and they were further told that no person could deny this who did not deny the Queen's title to the throne. Now, he asked, was there any coun sel on the other side who would say that this act of union is void ? Mr. O'Connell. —Yes. The Attorney-General.—Unless he said that the act was void, no language would declare that the prerogative of the crown was in existence to the extent it was thus stated to be. The learned gentleman then referred to the Donnybrook meeting, which he said was distinguished by the same degree of physical force as the other monster meetings. At the Donnybrook meeting, Mr. O'Connell had adverted to certain moneys received from America, and accordingly on the 4th of July it was handed in from these sympathizing Americans, with the statement that it was given in on that day, because it was the anniversary of American independence. The learned gentleman then read the speech of Mr. O'Connell in handing in this mo ney, wherein he stated the principal events which led to the American revolution, with the means by which it was effected, and concluded by expressing a hope, after refer ring to the condition of Ireland, that England had im proved in wisdom since then. Having commented on a few other repeal meetings, and the proceedings thereof, the learned gentleman sat down at a quarter before five o'clock, promising to resume his statement at ten o'clock to-morrow morning. When the jury were about retiring, The Chief Justice, after a conversation with the Attor ney-General and Mr. Moore, agreed to allow the jury to return home every night after the trial. The court was opened on Wednesday morning at ten o'clock, and as soon as the Judges had taken their seats on the bench, the traversers were called over. As it had been shoare: be, ri the :ecthne Attorney o t ern i e:utA m gr :aeon, observations ryohtbdone We reported yweree t o them that their recognizances would be estreated if they were not present when called upon, they were all punctual in their attendance in court, and seve rally answered to their names. o p en ing videc G aaokrtas e beli phoo n s p ewai e edie r r rseec, a vtcho l r es umed eem ll neendreosami,tt hinenbae:eei6Lbdsdtyohhf oet h fh i wA es individuals. au a msg d eu d ies r nt e t s , naaodtn positionngdß eu , aoimtt alterquot i ng no Let t t u to get sg downwet a ri wait a p ws e it l nh. the et patience ca r e e r f adpfgld o rl7rieeola r o9T:m:Svel a few months ; the time is nearer than we think. Ire land was trampled on ; but she shall be no longer tram pled on." Others had exclaimed--" We will turn out to a man, and we will fight for repeal." Another exclaimed —" We shall have repeal. This part of the country would die to a man ; but they are afraid of the sea-side fellows ; and Father Lawlor told us in the chapel that we would get it, but not without the shedding of blood." Some persons of the lower order declared that, in order to get the repeal, there should be no work done in Ire land ; and that the people would rise to a man. Others contradicted that, and said, " that they did not want to raise a disturbance ; that they wanted to have it by peace ; but if repeal were refused, they would strike the blow." This, said the learned gentleman, was the way in which the people were deluded by the Association ; and this was the way in which they understood those exhortations to peace, law, and order, when the organization should be completed, and when these repeal wardens were prepared to do their duty. He next quoted the speech of Mr. O'Connell, at the dinner after the meeting, exhorting the people to " pronounce,' as they had done in Spain. The following was one of the passages quoted :—" The revo lution in Spain was brought about by the military, but it was bloodless ; and the tyrant Espartero has been hurled from power by the party of the army and the nation. The sergeants, even of the Spanish army, are a fine class of men, and effected that revolution ; but in the British service they are the finest, the most intelligent, and the most trustworthy men that ever existed. In every other service the sergeants are made officers of, but in the Bri tish service they have not yet learned to do that act of justice ; but if our cause goes on we will do them this piece of service—that the government will alter their plan and appoint a great many of the sergeants to commissions, for fear they would pronounce, and I give them advice to do so from this spot." This, said the learned gentleman, was calculated to inflame the minds of non-commissioned officers against the government ; and they would find, when they came to the publications of the defendants connected with the army, that the common design of all these persona was a conspiracy to excite disaffection in the army, after having organized all the people of the country. He then quoted a long article from the Nation, of the 12th of August, entitled " The March of Nation ality," and representing the repeal as a thing certain of accomplishment. lie next adverted to the meeting at Tara, at which the Rev. Mr. Tierney, Mr. O'Connell, Mr. John O'Connell, the Rev. Mr. Tyrrel, Mr. Barrett, Mr. Steele, and Dr. Gray, were present. The highest calculation of the persons present was a million—the low est 180,000, but even the latter was a formidable number. He quoted largely from the speeches at the meeting and dinner, and in reference to the appointment of arbitration courts, w iich was one of the subjects introduced, ob served that he had not the slightest hesitation in saying that the appointment of such courts was illegal and a di rect infringement on the prerogatives of the Crown. He next adverted to the meeting at Roscommon, on the 24th of August, and afterwards to a meeting of the repeal As sociation, on the 22d of August, at which the " plan for the renewed action of the Irish Parliament," was read and approved, and also to a meeting of the Association on the 23d of August, at which Dr. Gray's report on the Ar bitration Courts was adopted. He next quoted an article from the Nation of the 25th of August, entitled,—" The crisis is upon us,"—and commencing again upon the de claration of Mr. Saurin in the Irish House of Commons there was every difference between an observation made before the passing of an act, and an observation made after it had become a law of the land. If any man conscientiously believed that any measure which was about passing into a law was not for the real benefit of the country, he was justifisd instating the grounds of that be lief; but he was not justified in the adoption of the same language, when that measure had become the law of the land. After quoting largely from the Nation, be adverted to a meeting of the Association on the 4th Sep., at which several contributions from America were received, and then to meetings on the 28th and 29th August, nt which Mr. O'Connell commented on the Queen's speech at the prorogation of Parliament, and proposed as a counter manifesto, his " Address to the Subjects of the British Crown," which the Learned Gentleman read. He next read an article from the Pilot of the 28th of August, en titled " The duty of a Soldier," the object of which, he said, was to corrupt the army, a proceeding which, like many other proceedings, were imitated by the Repeal Association from those which took place previous to the rebellion of 17,6. He next read letters published in the Pilot by a Mr. O'Callaghan, entitled " The Irish in the British Army," and quoted the observations of the editor upon them. He next noticed the proceedings of the meeting at Loughrea, and a meeting of the Association t s, e a r n dt i i long r e eport from roafy,SoenpttehneThAerrb, Arbitration n mani festo of Mr. O'Connell were read. After noticing the ohichCoaunrot ano ther he read a very violent an d inflammatory article proceedings of the Clifden meeting on the 17th of Sep tember,from the Pilot of the 25th of September, entitled, " The Army, the People. and the Government," noticed a pro clamation of the Repeal Association, signed T.M. Ray, for the holding of arbitration courts, as superseding all the courts of law and petty sessions throughout the coun try, %led then adverted at great length to the meeting on the Rath of Mullaghtnact, describing the whole proceed ings, and particularly the references to the massacre in former times on the spot, as tending to excite and foment hostility between her Majesty's English and Irish sub jects. He next adverted to subsequent meetings of the association, and alluding to the " Behemoth" speech of Mr. Steele, said it could be fully proved that that speech had been spoken, and published by three of the defend ants, although it was now denied that it had been spoken. He challenged the defendants to produce their own report ers to deny it if they could, hut he prophesied that they would not be called to contradict the charge. He next read the advertisement published in the Nation of the 30th of September, headed " Repeal Cavalry—Clontarf Meeting," and alluding to Mr, O'Connell's subsequent disavowal of this advertisement as merely " a good quiz," said that the Association had nevertheless adopted and published it, only substituting " groups " for " troops," and striking out other military allusions. He t} :en read from the Pilot of the 6th of October an article, headed " The Battle of Clontarf." They were aware that the intended meeting at Clontarf, which was to have been followed by five or six other monster meetings announced by Mr. O'Connell, did not take place ; and his belief was, that it did not take place because the promoters of it were conscious of its illegality. On the following day, however, the 9th of October, a meeting took place in Calvert's Theatre, at which Mr. O'Connell, Mr. J. O'Connell, Mr. Ray, Dr. Gray, Mr. Steele, the Rev. Mr. Tyrrel, and other repeal ers, were present, and at which a resolution. moved by the Rev. Mr. Tyrrel, declaring that no power on earth ought, of right, to make laws to bind this kingdom, save the Queen, Lords, and Commons of Ireland," (which was intended to have been proposed at the Clontarf meet ing,) was passed, and follow e d b y a d eclaration of confi dence in Mr. O'Connell. The learned gentleman again maintained that there was no analogy between the state of Ireland in 1782 and at the present period. and, there fore, impeached the resolution as illegal. He recapitu lated the charge against the traversers, and asked whe ther, if he could prove what he had read to them, there could be any doubt on the minds of .he jury that the de fendants had conspired to excite discontent and d'saffec tion amongst the different classes of society in these king doms, observing, that if he could establish this to their satisfaction, it would be their bounden duty to find the traversers guilty. To render the meetings illegal, it was not necessary to suppose that any i mme di a t e apprehension was to be entertained from them, if the ulti ma t e o bj ect were to complete the organization, so that, at length, in the language of Mr. Barrett, Ireland would only have to stamp her foot and repeal must be granted ; and whether it was the intention of the defendants, by inflammatory speeches and publications, to produce an actual outbreak or not afterwards, was not material to the subject. They were indicted for a misdemeanor, which subjected them to fine and imprisonment ; and if the meetings were held for the purpose of overawing the legislature —not to get the repeal of the union by means of the constituted tri bunals of the country—then they were illegal ; for it would he impossible to carry on the government of the country if alterations were to be made in the law of the land, not by the representatives of the people, but by the people themselves. and by the means of physical force. They had all rea s o n to rejoice that ther e h a d b een no outbreak from thi s ag it a tion ; hut that circ umstance did not take away from the illegality of the proceedings, or affect the charge in the indictment, that of seeking to effect an alteration in the law by unconstitutional means. With respect to the arbitration courts, it was not neces sary, for the purpose of a verdict of guilty, that they should all come to the conclusion that the defendants were guilty o f every por ti on of it. It was snfticient if they should he o f opinion that they were got y of any part of it ; and though he b e li eve d t h a t he should he abl e , on the pa r t o f the crown, to prove even' portion o f i t, yet that was n o t ah , :olutely necessary. The yarned gentle man cm , ellided his opening speech by coroing an address of Chief Justiee Burton, to the effect that all parties concerned t,ms t o o n their duty firmly and temperately ; and that every charge onellt to he investigated, so as to secure the punishment of the guilty and the acquittal of every man who was innocent. or of whose guilt there was no proof. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD The Solicitor-General then intimated that the exarni ne.ion of the first witness would occupy a considerable time, and the court adjourned to ten o'clock on Tuursday morning. The court sat precisely at ten o'clock on Thursday. The traversers were in punctual attendance. The jury having been called over, and having answered to their names, the clerk of the crown directed the crier to call Frederick Bond Hughes. Mr. Hughes entered the court with a large bundle of papers under his arm, and ascended the table. His ap pearance in court excited much curiosity. Having been sworn by the clerk of the crown, he proceeded to give evidence. Solicitor-General,—What is your name ? Witness. — Frederick Bond Hughes. You area short-hand writer? Yes, I am. You have been constantly in the habit of reporting ? Yes, I have been reporting for the last 17 or 18 years. Upon different occasions? Yes, upon different occa sions. Do you remember having come over to this country in September last? Yes, I do. On what day did you arrive ? On the 29th of Septem ber : on the 30th, I mean. Mr. Hughes then went on to state, that he had attend ed the meeting at Mullaghmast, on the Ist of October. Re read from his note-book descriptions of the meeting , the mottoes on the banners, and the speeches of Mr. O'Connell and others, who had addressed the assembled multitude on that occasion. When he came to a parti cular passage in the speech of Mr. O'Connell, the Chief Justice desired him to read it over again, which he did, as follows :—" I admit that the union has the force of law, because it is supported by the policeman's trun cheon, the soldier's bayonet, and the horseman's sword ; but it is not supported by constitutional law." Chief Justice.—What is the number of that paper or page from which you are reading ? Witness.—Page five, my lord, from No. 1 book. The witness continued to read Mr. O'Connell's speech on taking the chair. When the witness had read as far as the passage, " and take it from me then that the union is void," The Solicitor-General said, if the traversers wished, they might examine him as to the other portions of the speech. Mr. Hatchell, Q.C., said it would be better to read the whole of it, as there were portions of it still unread which might be important on the cross-examination. Witness.—The whole of the speech ! Mr. Harchell.—Yes ; there are passages here and there interspersed that we think most material to the traversers. Witness then proceeded to read the remainder of Mr. O'Connell's speech at the meeting at Mullaghmast. I beard resolutions proposed at that meeting; the first re solution was proposed by Mr. Aylmer, see page 313 ; I heard the second resolution, which was proposed by Jos. Hacket, of Kilkenny, and seconded by Aid. Keshan ; it was as follows :—" We, the gentry, clergy, freeholders, and other inhabitants of the province of Leinster ' here assembled, do declare, in the face of heaven and our country, that no power on earth save the Queen, Lords, and Commons of Ireland, can raake laws for Ireland." That resolution was put from the chair, and carried. Solicitor-General.---Who was the chairman ? Mr. O'Connell was ; the resolution was carried ; after that, I saw some gentleman come forward and present Mr. O'Connell with a velvet cap ; it was a round velvet cap ; it was presented to Mr. O'Connell by Mr. O'Callaghan ; Mr. O'Callaghan said he was deputed by the committee, whose names were attached to the address, to present him (Mr. O'Connell) with the national cap; Mr. O'Calla• ghan also presented an address to Mr. O'Connell (witness read the address. Mr. O'Connell.—Who is that signed by ? By Mr. White, and other gentlemen. Solicitor-General.—What was done with the cap after that ? It was placed on the head of Mr. O'Connell. Did he then say anything? Yes; he said he accepted the gift with pride and pleasure; the witness went on to read the observations of Mr. O'Connell on the occasion. Witness continued to read from his notes the speech of Mr. O'Connell to the part " We had not one sovereign of her family who was not a decided enemy of Ireland. " Mr. Hatchell, Q.C.—You have omitted the reference to the Queen. Witness.—" We had not a sovereign save herself who was not a decided enemy of Ireland." Mr. O'Connell,—Read correctly, Mr. Hughes. Wit ness continued.—" She was the first sovereign of the House of Brunswick that treated this unfortunate coun try with justice, and it is afflicting to think that her mi nistry are so base and perfidious, so paltry and selfish, as to endeavour to obtain advantages for themselves and their party, at the expense of the high and chivalrous feel ing of exalted allegiance which the people of Ireland bore, aye, and still bear, to their Queen." Mr. F. B. Hughes, in course of his cross-examination. stated that he was a short-hand writer, but that he had never bees a reporter for any newspaper. He had at tended meetings of the chartists at Carpenters' Hall, Manchester, and elsewhere, but had never been at an open air meeting. When asked if he had ever been pre sent at meetings in England, at which there were either banners or mottoes, he said he had never attended such meetings, except at the time of Queen Caroline. He had been engaged in England to come to Ireland as a govern ment reporter. The witness was ordered to withdraw ; and Mr. Lea tham, the assistant of Mr. Hughes, was then called, but did little more than substantiate the evidence of his prin- cipal. Mr. Charles Ross, a gentleman long connected with the London press, and who filled the somewhat a►ioma lous position of a newspaper correspondent and a govern ment reporter, f •flowed, but his evidence was scarcely more important than Mr. Leatham's. It related princi pally to the Donnybrook meeting; but Mr. Rose, in ac cordance with the fatality which seems to have attended every process connected with these trials, had mislaid his notes of Mr. O'Connell's speech, although, fortunately, he had preserved a transcript of them. In reference to other meetings which he had attended, his evidence was of the most general character ; and his examination having been concluded, the court adjourned. The Judges took their seats upon the bench on Friday at ten o'clock, when the case of the Queen v. O'Connell was resumed. Mr. O'Connell, attired in the bar-costume of a Queen's Counsel, entered court shortly before ten, and took his seat in the inner bar. The other traversers were, also, punctual in attendance. The whole of the day was occu pied by the examination of Mr. Ross. Mr. Ross gave evidence of the proceedings at a meeting of the Repeal Association, on the 28th August, at which Mr. O'Connell, Mr. John O'Connell, and Mr. Ray were present. After reading various portions of Mr. O'Con nell's speech, in reference to a plan, which he had intro duced at a previous meeting, for remodelling the Irish parliament, he was asked by Mr. Henn if he had taken full notes of what occurred ? He replied, that he had not a full note of all that occurred. Mr. Henn hereupon ob jected to his evidence being received unless the witness had taken full notes of all the speeches. A cross-fire of argument, interruption, and cross-examination here en sued, and it was at length stated by the witness, that he took full notes of all that he thought material, omitting what was, in his estimation, unimportant. The objection was overruled, and the examination proceeded. The wit ness read such passages as he had taken down of Mr. O'Connell's speeches at the several meetings of the Re peal Association, at the Loughrea, Clifton, and other meetings and dinners. He was then cross-examined at great length by Mr. Henn. He stated, that he came to Ireland in July, 1843; that he was a little frightened at first, but his apprehensions soon subsided ; that he came as reporter for the Standard, and was also employed by the government, and that he had received £4OO for his services up to the next session of parliament. The Court sat on Saturday punctually at ten o'clock, at which hour the jurors and traversers were all in attend ance. The same want of excitement was remarkable in the hall and neighbourhood of the court, as has been the case ever since the trial commenced. Mr. John Jackson was the first witness called. He was examined by Mr. Brewster, Q.C., and stated as fol lows :—I am connected with the press. My connection is with the London Morning Herald. I was its Irish correspondent in the course of the last summer and au tumn. I attended at the meetings of the Repeal Associa tion in Dublin, and I transmitted to London reports of what passed there regularly by post. The witness then proceeded to read his report of Mr. O'Connell's observa tions respecting the members of the Irish bar who had, about that time, joined the Repeal Association. He was next directed to refer to his report of the meeting of the Association on the 6th of June. Witness.—l perceive from page one, that Mr. O'Con nell was present at that meeting. The member for Kil kenny, Mr. John O'Connell, Mr. Barrett of the Pilot, and Mr. Steele, were also present. The witness then read some extracts from Mr. O'Connell's speech, referring to Saxon cruelty in Ireland, and then continued to read as follows :—" Mr. O'Connell then announced his intended meetings o f th e mont h . He was to be on June Bth, at Kilkenny ; on 11th, at Mallow ; 13th, at Murroe, Abing ton ; 15th, Ennis ; 18th, Athlone ; 21st, Enniskillen"— that is a mistake. (Laughter.) [The meeting that should have been inserted was probably Ennistymon.] " On the 25th, at Galway ; and on the 29th, at Dundalk." I have my report of the meeting of the association held on the 4th of July before me. I perceive from it that Mr. Daniel O'Connell, Mr. John O'Connell, Mr. Ray, the secretary, and Mr. Steele were present. Mr. Brewster.—Does the report state anything about American money being handed in ?—Yes ; it says there were sums of money handed in from America. Go to the meeting of the sth of July.-1 have it here. I see from Page one that Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Duffy of the Nation, and Mr. John O'Connell were there. Mr. O,Connell read " he wished to state that he had that morning re ceived a letter from Sligo enclosing a little from a dis charged soldier, stating that he was employed by Mr. O'Connell to drill the people. That letter could not then be produced, because Mr. Ray, the secretary was ill, and some of the clerks in the office had mislaid it." Mr. Brewster said he wanted that extract to show that Mr. O'Connell described Mr. Ray as secretary. The witness then continued to read hi s report of some observations made by Mr. ,O'Connell a t th e same meeting, respecting Ribbonism and Chartism, in the north of Ire land ; and also a sentence stating that th e secretary rea d the minutes of the last day's proceedings. The witness then read a motion by Mr. O'Connell, that the American letters should be entered on the American book of the association. Look to meeting the 18th of July. r. Brewster.—Do you find M r . O'Connell makine a speech at page three ?—flie witness replied in the affirma tive, and proceeded to read a speech of Mr. O'Connell's, eulogising the conduct of the Rev. Mr. AI urtagh, and stating that he would attend a meeting at Baltinglass on his birthday. It further mentioned, that newspapers had to be furnished free to persons who collected subscriptions to a certain amount. Spoke of money having been lodged in the funds, and £lOOO having been advanced towards the building of the " Conciliation Hall." Look to page 12, and see it Mr. Ray handed in money ?—The witness e receivedf r o from m iuvarious Fitzgibbon, p then referr e d to several other meetings of the Association at which mon e y and addresses were acknowledged to have be l aces n i n t America. heco urs e of which The witness was th en su b jected to a severe cross examination nat stated that he w as not a stenographer; and as he refused to swear positively th at he took down at the time what Mr. O'Connell stated at t h e various meetings, Mr. Fitz gihhon applied to have his evidence struck out ; but the Chief Justice said that was not the proper time to make the application. John Brown, a printer, Proved that Mr. Ray was the Secretary of the Association, that be had printed " Re ports" of the Association, Instructions for the Repeal Wardens, Rules for the Arbitrators, placards, &c. , which he had been ordered to execut e , somet i mes by letter, sometimes verbally. Some of the documents which he produced were signed Daniel O'Connell. Mr. Whi.eside submitted to the court that the docu ments proved by the last witness should not be received as evidence against the traversers in the present case. He admitted that, if a person gave to another a document, that document became evidence against that particular person only. Now it was sought to give in evidence against several traversers a series of documents handed by some one at the Repeal Association to a printer. Surely not une of these could be taken in evidence against Mr. Duffy. Mr. Justice P e rrin called the attention of couns e l t o the charge in the indictme nt, that of conspiracy, which was to be sustained by certain documents prepared and printed by some or one of the traversers. If proved to be printed by one of the parties, surely it should be received in evidence against the one. Mr. Fi•zgibbon said that there was no evidence that ' these documents were printed within the year 1843. The Chief Justice. —What you mean to say of the one under the date of October, 1843 ? F f l•2 being that underit a datea p r d h printed t e 0 ct t ob e e o r, 1843, ni—l sufficient proofmight t have been ant e d a t e d f or a iis s n ot a t l g : l h s b u a b t ffi °- non t par ticular purpose. Mr. BREWSTnR. — AII the documents proved by the last witness were printed within the present year. Mr. M`Donough, on the part of Mr. Barrett, applied to the court not to receive the documents produced by Mr. Browne, inasmuch as they were not included in the bill of particulars or set forth in the indictment. The Attorney-General contended that, in a case like the present, the prosecutor was not bound to supply to the accused the nature of the evidence against him. After a discussion of an hour and a half the court de cided unanimously on admitting the document " Instruc tions to Repeal Wardens signed by Mr. O'Connell. Mr. M'Donough intimated his intention to take a bill of exc ptions against this decision. The court adjourned till Monday (yesterday). has SIMULTANEOU S M EETINGS IN IRELAND.--The Dub linvin. I D -I u u g b h l i S n t , o , w n e el 1 0 , f o f t wNolaannenhuesatle sermonsr, Post says that thi s movement has become general. to The e a ß c hin aid of the Association for the Relief of Distressed Pro testants. ANTI-REPEAL PILLS.—On Tuesday five drays, laden with ammunition, arrived at Westmeath from Dublin, under an officer's guard of the 31th regiment. The con tents were safely .odged in the magazine at the barracks. Complaints are general about Cnrk of an apprehended scarcity in the potatoe crop. In some places they are said to be skort, while in others they have rotted in the pits ; and fears are entertained of a rise in this useful esculent. Twenty-seven repealers were last week lodged in Lon donderry gaol, pursuant to sentence passed at the Maghe rafelt quarter sessions, for a riotous assemblage at Cas tledawson, and assaulting the police while in the discharge of their duty, endeavouring to disperse them. A few Sundays ago the priest of a Roman Catholic chapel, near Fermanagh, indignantly shut the doors of his chapel in the face of one of his congregation, because 1 he had not contribu ed to the Repeal rent according to his reverence's tariff. POPISH PILOPAGANDA.—Recent returns in the Irish popish prints show the steady income of the Paopaganda from Ireland to be upwards of £7,000 per annum, not withstanding the Repeal year and extra tribute to O'Connell. There is a rumour prevalent, that, in the event of Mr. O'Connell being convicted, it is the intention of govern ment to confine him at Carrickfergus. Apartments are at present fitting up in the castle, but for what purpose has not transpired.—Down Recorder. On Thursday, Miss Bourke, sister to the Rev. William swd ß euin o nrs u idin r bo k gre e uh c hffi u ere r rt r a yi t tn e ff ieg o trh f rhoa ß inign a ldi l I brain l tr o mn. having j o vvn e eia , nr:g w at nhhdri beenl3; a s i bh u retora a kskeeeinfn bu fromyp paroxysmt,hne fall. She continues in a very hopeless state.— Westmeath paper. ORANGE INSTITUTION.—On the Ist instant the old lodge No. 329 mustered at Lisnaskea in strong force, and was visited by a number of respectable gentlemen. A spirit of loyal enthusiasm pervaded every breast. A number of resolutions were passed indicative of thtir loyal determination to support the Queen and constitution, and their readiness to aga i n co - operate with their Enniskillen brethren against traitors at Boyne or Bloody Pass.—En niskillen Reporter. MELTING OF ROMAN CATHOLICS.—At a public meeting of the Roman Catholics of Glasgow, held on Monday evening last, bishop Murdoch in the chair, reso lutions denouncing the omission and striking off of Ca ' tholics duly qualified by the Dublin law of f icers " as an act of glaring partiality and degrading wrong—a reckless and galling insult to the whole body of Irish Catholics, and a partial repeal of Catholic emancipation"—and that such conduct " was a gross insult to the Irish people, and to all Catholics i n genera l"— were unan i mously agreed to. STATE ON DUBLIN DURING THE TRIALS.—It may be gratifying to our distant friends to learn, that the city is perfectly tranquil. There is no excitement whatever in the streets —no mobs—no processions —no riots. Ex cepting in the Court of Queen's Bench itself, there is no appearance even of a crowd; and the Hall, with all its purlieux and approaches, both inside and out, presents the ordinary appearance of our every-day life. The tra versers come to court and return from it without the slightest popular attention.—Dublin Mail. WHISKEY.—On Saturday whiskey advanced in price threepence per gallon, owing, it is stated, to a rise in bar ley, and the sale at that price is brisk, with every appear ance of demand continuing. The increase in the sale of whiskey this year considerably exceeds that of the former, and, as an instance, we may state that one eminent house, which had 300 puncheons on hand this time twelve month, had not one this week ; another house of charac ter disposed on Saturday of 3,000 gallons at the advance. Should barley continue to rise, it is more than probable there will be another advance on whiskey of three-pence per gallon.—Cork Paper. HORRID MURDER.—An appalling murder was com mitted on Sunday night at Rathfarnham, in the house of the Rev. Mr. Roche, the parish priest. The rev. gentle man found on returning home, that his residence had been forcibly entered, and on closer examination he dis covered that a female domestic, Margaret M`Loughlin, aged about fifty years, had been barbarously murdered. The body was found in the coalhole, the throat being cut, with three wounds on the forehead, and her jaw bone bro ken. A bloody knife was also found at the back of the coalhole. About 410 were abstracted by the assassin, but £lO of this sum was subsequently found in the house, supposed to have been accidentally dropped by the mur derers. THE CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION ACT.—When George [V. was being strongly importuned by the Duke of Wel ington to give his consent to a measure, which he was old the urgent necessity of the times, and the social con dition of mendemanded, and must have ; the sick monarch, ill at ease, weary of importunity, and vanquished by ar gument, gave his reluctant acquiescence ; and he was in formed that he had saved his dominions from the horrors of civil war. " War !" said the king ; " and how many years' peace do you guarantee to England after emancipa tion is granted ?" " Fifteen !" was the ready reply of the minister. This pledge of a triple lustre of tranquility was made in January, 1829 ; and the fifteen years of the promised duration of peace expired on the first day of Mr. O'Connell's trial ! DESPERATE ATTEMPT AT MURDER.—On last Sunday evening Mr. Malley and his wife were proceeding from Roscommon to their residence, and when within a mile of Four-mile House, they were twice fired upon from behind a wall. Providentially neither of the shots took effect, and the murderous ruffians were frustrated in their design upon the life of an innocent man. The only rea son assigned for this outrage is, that Mr. Malley had taken some land from which tenants were evicted in con sequence of their not having paid any rent for years. Some short time since we noticed the destruction of 200 sheep, the property of this gentleman. The throats of the poor animals were cut, and the carcases left in the field. Threatening letters respecting the letting of lands have been received by several gentlemen in that neigh bourhood.—Boyle Gazelle. TIIE REPEAL ASSOCIATION.—Yesterday week, the usual weekly meeting of the conspirators was held in Conciliation Hall, notwithstanding the state trials. The only affair worthy of noting was the appearance of a re peal town councillor, Mr. Reilly, in his corporation robes. The repealers seem resolved to prove in every way, as well as by Alderman Roe's motion, the perfect identifi cation of the municipal corporations with the political views of the repealers. So much the better. So much the more clear will be the demonstration, that every con cession to political popery—every breach in the old con stitution—every jot and tittle of power yielded to them, will be used to subvert the empire. The rent of the week, including nearly £3OO from America, amounted to £904 19s. sd. This is an increase on the Irish contri butions compared with late returns. THE DUBLIN JURY Lisr.—As so much has been made by the repealers of the omission of ce r t a i n names from this list, it may be as well to give the real facts of the case. There can be no doubt—indeed, it is admitted on whether by desi gn or accident) omitted all hands—" that a number of perso ns , amount i ng to sixty-five, were on the special jury list.Fifieen of th ose were R oman d e ly erotestant s . I f the omission was the crown, it was a most clumsy designed in and favour vohir of by which the fo r t y - e i ght names were to be and useless fraud; for it in nowise v ar i e d t h e c h ances o f drawn, tiba inasmuch as the proportion of Roman Catholics and Protestants on the revised list is exactly the same, whether the sixty-five be included or not : that is to say, one Roman Catholic qualified to sit on special juries to thrre Protestants of the same grade. This was the ratio on the list of 717, from which the panel was drawn—this is the ratio (as near as possible) between fifteen and fifth'. We therefore look upon the whole affair as the result of an accident, which by no means affected either side of the question. DOMESTIC. RE-ESTABLISIIMENT OF THE LANCASTER HUNT. — We understand that there is every prospect of the Lan caster Hunt being re-established. The matter has bees taken up most spiritedly by a number of the leading, sportsmen in Lancaster. An offer has teen made to pur chase the celebrated harriers the property of the late Upton, Esq., of Ingmire-hall. A Cum)) FOR SALE.—The following extraordinary letter was received a short time ago by a gentleman in the neighbourhood of Tewkesbury, from a person residing here. The letter is dated from a certain court in this town, but we omit the precise locality and the writer's name, hoping that, without pursuing the exposure to that extent, it will be sufficient to teach him that natural affec tion is not to be made a matter of bargain and sale, and that it is the duty of a parent himself to cherish the ch Id which he has been the means of bringing into the world: " Sir,—Having heard that you expressed a wish to have a child and did not mind to give a sum of money as an in ducement i flatter myself that I have it in my power to furnish you with one to answer your purpose in every respect it is a boy 2 years old a good looking healthy spi rited child and sound wind and limb and you will never sT b ci e r,ieb tr erb u j b e l c ed concerning the child afterwards so that roe can rair him up to suit your inclination you can send word by the bearer and appoint aney time to inspect the child. —Worcester Chronicle. ni ne r D L. t r oi s oo r nd u ot a bn sr,s lastt E h o e rwNleaesbkE:bufrro. labour. It w t temi protectionE N p r . o — po A s proposed that t f tintegs each a w fc a eh s u heldsub scriber esb goods manufactured( chi (children's re n b ' y s clothest be oomai nominees sw of shallt r o e f ce th iv e e t s o oe t i l e ,e ty a i m s o to u fi a nd of w h or ius k ns f d O u r b a sc s r M ip a ti n o y nt O itt f f m t e tle s societ er the unemployed as possible. to insure them a fair remu -gtaorbmeens) dis tributed by the subscribers among deserving y pOor. It is further propos ,, d, " That the amount of each person's earnings shall not exceed 9s. per week ; that no middle woman or job master be employed, so that the actual la bour may not exceed 12 hours per diem—thus, serving two parties at the same time, viz., the needlewomen so employed. and the destitute poor, who, from the hands of the humane, receive those comforts so desirable at this inclement season." One of the ladies present stated on her own knowledge a case where two young woman were paid Is for making 10 shirts. (Hear.) She also knew a case where a poor woman who had been confined to her bed for a considerable time was making trousers at ld. a pair. FLY FISHING.—MILDNESS OR THE SEASON.—A gentleman resident in this neighbourhood, who has been for the last few months on a sporting tour in Wales, has been induced lately, from the unprecedented mildness of the temperature, occasionally to exchange his gun for his fishing-rod, and has succeeded in killing with a fly, during the last fortnight, no less than four or five fine dishes of trout, consisting of from ten to twelve brace each. They awe in beautiful conhition, bespangled, as in May, with their splendid crimson studs and golden dress, and very plump. It is a vulgar error to suppose that this fish will not rise to the fly during the winter months, the fact be ing quite the reverse, as it it more ravenous and hungry at this period than any other, and espec i a ll y so a f ter i t has spawned, when it rspidly gets into condition and rises rapid freely as the fly, which latter only appears on the surface The of t hfiensetnreesasmo'f wtpieensetahseonterlapsecroantturriebtlistepdartoticthuelarr,liyp ad vance of the spawning process; and has contributed, at the sam e ti me , greatly to the easy supply of food, whi c h combined, have thus advanced the fish to th e con di t i on spoken of.—Cheltenham Exam i ner. The usual ironmasters quarterly mee ti ngs h ave taken ton, and un s, Br t place during the present week at W a l sa ll, W o l ver h amp _ nurmingh e ham. The assemblage in Bi rm i ng h am w great majority of the most extensive ironmasters from the surrounding districts and many from Wales being present, and, as a matter of course, taking great interest in the business proceedings of the meeting. During the last week it was reported that an attempt would be made to effect a reduction in the price of iron and on Wednesday, at an adjourned meeting of masters held at Wolverhampton, in accordance with this predic tion, a gentleman from London, largely interested in the iron trade, moved that bar iron be reduced at the rate of 10s. per ton. The motion found a seconder, and that was all—for upon its being put to the meeting, the proposed resolution was, with the exception of its authors, rejected by the entire assembly. The prices, therefore, remain the same as last quarter—bar i r o n f rom £5 10s. t o £6 per ton ; pigs, according to their quality, from £2 158. to £3 ss. ; hoops, £6 10s. ; and sheets. £7 to £7 10s. Many of the most extensive works are in full employ, and alto gether the trade presents a more cheering appeara nce than was anticipated about a month ago. A BLACK HOLE IN BIRMINGHAM —A case of no common interest was tried before the Recorder, at the Borough Sessions, on Saturday last. Two poor debtors. named James Smith and John Taylor, who had been prisoners in that filthy and horrible hole called the Court of Requests Prison, were arraigned on a charge of vio lently assaulting William Buckerfield, a police constable. Mr. Mellor stated the case to the jury, which, he said, was an assault upon a police constable named Buckerfield, and took place at the Court of Requests Prison in Bir mingham. From what he had heard, that prison was a disgrace to any country and any age. Il e knew of nothing analogous to it except the hold of a slave ship. It was, he had been assured, a confined, ill-ventilated hole, underground, made out of the cellar of an old house, and that the stench therefrom was intolerable. It was impos sible to use language too strong in describing it, or in cal ling public attention to it. It appeared from the evidence of one of the witnesses that there was a practice there called " chumming up." When a new prisoner goes in, he is welcomed by the prisoners who in the prison, and beat round with the chumming instruments—old swords and staves. They generally have a fife, and the prisoners put on masks. After this ceremony is over, the prison ers demand from their new brother 2s. 6d., and if he can not pay the half-crown they take his coat and waitcoat of him.—The prisoners were convicted, and sentenced to balance K a tl n r e c ri el As brought i o s ; u E instanth' s t f D o v c rxd s 1 , 012. 17 : el n . a three months imprisonment in Warwick gaol. as w et- a e S r d a T i t . O the half-yearly meeting of this company was held. The 5 1 . n Jan uary, Tuesda y T 8 i n e 3 was £121,184 19s. 9d. ; and the like balance b rought for: he earnings during the past year had been, therefure, less than in the year preceding, although the official returns upon the table showed that the business transacted in the docks during the last year, both as retarded goods and shipping, had, upon the whole, exceeded that of the year 1812. The falling off in the amount of earnings was not, therefore, attributable to a diminution in the extent of business, but arose from :accidental circumstances, the description of goods landed having been of a less costly character, and the rates consequently not so productive. The dividend for the half year was declared to be 2} per cent. There was in 1843 an excess of 46 ships entered the docks over 1842, and an excess of aggregate tonnage of 4,956 tons. The statement of the foreign trade of the port of London showed a numerical decrease in 1843 of 208 British ships with c arg oe s , b u t an i n c r e a se in the ton nage of 16,330, and in like manner of 1918 tons of foreign shipping, although in number a decrease of 35 ; making a total decrease in the number of loaded ships of 243, but an increase in the tonnage of 18,248 register tons. The returns indicated a material increase in the trade with distant countries, seeing that the importation of corn from European ports into London during last year had greatly diminished. Of wheat alone 542,249 quarters had been less landed in 1843—a falling off equal in amount to 100,000 of ships' tonnage, SUDDEN DEATH OF MR. RUFFORD, THE RANKER.— On Wednesday an inquest was held at Birmingham, on the body of Mr. Francis Rufford, banker, of Stourbridge, who suddenly fell down dead in the office of Mrs. Harri son's office for servants, in Anne-street, Birmingham, The deceased was a county magistrate, and highly re spected in Worcestershire, of which county he had been recently appointed high sheriff for the ensuing year. He left Stourbridge early on Tuesday, and during the morn ing was actively engaged in transacting business in various houses in Birmingham. Mrs. Harrison deposed: About half-past twelve the deceased gentleman came to my house on the subject of hiring a servant. He said, " I must communicate with Mrs. Rufford, and she will com municate with you." He wrote the address of " Mr. Francis Rufford, of Prescott, near Stourbridge," during the first part of our conversation, and in about ten minutes afterwards said, " I will add House,' as there are two Prescotts, one near Liverpool." He stooped down to the table in the front parlour, to add the word ' house,' and I left the room to fetch my card to give Mr. Rufford, but 2 had not gone more than three yards, the door being open, when my servant, Sarah Averill, ex claimed, " Why, the gentleman lies on the floor." On turning round I saw the deceased lying on his left side, between the table and the fireplace, with his hand upon his temple, as if in the act of taking off his spectacles. The evidence of the medical man who had made the post mortem examination, went to show that the cause of death was ossification of the heart ; and the jury re turned a verdict, " Died by the visitation of God." HORRIBLE ATTEMPT OF A MAN TO MURDER HIS WIFE.—On Thursday, James Lee, a bricklayer's la bourer, residing in New-street, near Hope-square. Altrincham, Cheshire, attempted to cut his wife's throat, to whom he had only been married some four months. It appeared that they had frequent disagreements, and on the day in question, when he came in to his dinner, finding nothing prepared, in consequence of his wife's illness, he went to a pantry and got some bread and butter, and left the house without making any remark. In a few minutes he returned, opened a drawer where he kept his razors, and, after looking out of the window a short time, went behind hie wife, who was seated near the fire-place, and had no sus picion of what he was about, and seizing hold of her, at tempted to cut her throat. He inflicted a severe wound, but she prevented its being a fatal one by partly covering her throat with her left hand, the thumb and finger of which were cut. She then sprung from the chair on which she was seated, screaming out " Murder ; " but he knocked her down on the floor, and held her there with her face downwards, while she was bleeding profusely from the wound he had inflicted ; he afterwards kicked her in the side, but was at length interrupted by some of the neighbours, who had been alarmed by the poor woman's cries, coming to the window. She then escaped into the yard, where assistance was rendered her, and she was removed into a neighbour's house. Mr. Pownall. surgeon, was speedily in attendance, and sewed up the wound, and by his skill she is placed in a fair way of re covery. The man remained in the house, and boldly stated to those near him that the woman inflicted the wound on herself, and endeavoured to explain the blood on his fingers and clothes by alleging that they had been. caused in the attempt which he had made to prevent her effecting her purpose, in struggling to do which she fell, and he fell upon her. On the following day he was brought before the magistrates, and committed for tria at the next Chester assizes.—Chester Courant. 4 1 Afrv, 1