The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-01-19 00:00:00

frelant.

THE IRISH ELEMENT IN THE BRITISH ARMY.--"he
Banner of Uleber—a paper often well informed upon
military affairs—contains the following statement :—" It
appears that a considerable portion of the stock in trade
of some Southern Irish papers, as well as of several in
the region of romance west of the Shannon—not to
speak of a leading print or two in Dublin, which should
know better—consists in the idea that the majority of
the British army is composed of true-born Milenans and
faithful Romaniste. This fancy is prominently thrust
forward whenever a return of killed and wounded is
published after an engagement, and that with the object
of putting in a claim for Ireland to a larger share than
her sister countries to patriotic, Indian, and other pub-
lic funds, towards which Catholic Ireland contributes so
sparingly and ungraciously. There is no doubt that a
due proportion of Irishmen have the glory of fighting
Britain's battles, and the misfortune of getting knocked '
on the head, in COMM,' with Englishmen and Scotch-
men; but every military statist knows from returns of
indubitable authenticity that the number of natives of
Ireland in all branches of the military service is no
more than 366 to the 1,000. We have in Belfast gar-
rison, at this moment, portions of no fewer than four
regiments—the 40th, 58th, and 65th Foot, and the For-
farshire and Kincardineshire Militia—amounting in all
to upwards of 1,000 rank and file. Of this whole force
not more, we are assured, than one-fifth of the privates
are Irish. In two of the &We the proportion is still
less, and in the third it falls below one-tenth of the
strength."
THZ TIPPERARY BANIC.—A meeting was held on
Saturday to submit for the sanction of the master,
offers of compromise which have been made by certain
shareholders of the bank, and which were approved by
the official manager, and by the representatives of the
shareholders. Mr. Francis :Scully, who held 175 shares,
proposed to pay £2,000 in full discharge of his liabilities
to the bank. The proposition was opposed on behalf of
the Newcastle Bank; but the master having looked
over Mr. Scully's statement of his property, said that he
thought any further litigation in the case of that gentle-
man would not be judicious. The net income of his
estate was £2OO a year, which had been calculated at
ten years' purchase. He (the muter) thought the
creditors were very fortunate in getting the £2.000. He
thought he should accept the offer. The English share-
holders offered £5,000 by way of compromise; but, after
some discussion the consideration of their case was post-
poner'. The next offers were £lO,OOO by Mr. Vincent
Scully and £5,500 by Mr. T. Hone. The master also
postponed his decision in these cases, observing at the
same time that, under all the circumstances, he thought
it would be better to accept the offers.
Ravin° MAD—The Dublin Nation, though it la-
ments the death of Havelock, exults in Windham's
reverse, and says:—" We shall probably hear, in a few
days, that amidst such a scene of exultation as Lucknow
has not witnessed since the days of Aliverdi Khan, the
royal standards once more wave proudly over the glit-
tering turrets of the Motee Mahal. From end to end
of all the emancipated land the news will ring out like
a shout of joy, and a great national jubilee celebrate the
day that saw the city of the King in the hands of his
victorious army. It means in foot that in Oude the
insurrection has been crowned with success. The chain
has, indeed, been "riven "it only remains to be seen
now whether the liberated people will let "tyranny
bind it again."