The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

rtiant.

THE rnn upon the National Bank and its branches
in tho south has at last ceased.
Ms. HARRINGTON, arrested on the charge of the
murder of Mr. Little, has been dismissed, on exami-
nation, there being no case against him.

AN ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION had occurred fit
Clare. Mr. Galbrai►h Joynt, last Saturday evening,
while driving home on the Clonlara road, was fired at
and badly wounded by some villains from behind a
hedge. The reason assigned is that Mr. Joynt had
served notices o: eject►nent upon tenants who are to
be dispossessed in March. The police of Clonlara
have arrested four young men whose families are
amongst those noticed to quit.
THE INCOME-TAX QUESTION was discussed at
special meeting of the corporation, held in Dublin ou
the 24th instant. A resolution, proposed by Alder-
man Reynolds, to the effect that the continuance of
the tax at its present high rate was impolitic and
unjustifiable, and that a petition presented to
Parliament praying for its total abolition after the
sth April next, was passed men. dig.

srotlanb.

THE HON. A. KINNAIRD AT PERTH.

MR. KINNAIRD was this week entertained by his con-
stituents at a public dinner at Perth. Aeter the
usual loyal toasts had been drunk, Mr. Kinnaird's
health was proposed. In reply, he said :

I have watched—and I confess it with satisfaction—the
disappearance of those party landmarks which I have often
thought have been an impediment to the public good.
Liberal as I am—And I have never concealed my opinions—
I do look with satisfaction to the fact that the Government
of this country can no longer be confined to a few families
of one party or another. There is nothing now to prevent
any man from aspiring to the first offices of the State, even
although his only recommendation is his capacity and his
ability for the work. And this it is which gives the indepen-
dent party in the House of Commons increasing power ;
because we can both stimulate and clog the Government.
We can stimulate the Government when they propose good
and sound measures, by bringing to their support men who,
under the old and ordinaty system of party-government,
would have been ranged against them; and, on the other
hand, when the Government propounds measures which we
consider unsound or bad ;hen those who are in the habit of
acting with the Government can, by expressing their opinions,
give all the benefit to the Government of a vigorous oppo-
sition without that which I conceive to be a great evil—the
constant change of governments.

Mr. Kinnaird hoped that the Lord Advocate would
not tell these opinions to Mr. Hayter :
Because I believe that a Secretary of the Treasury looks
upon one of these independent creatures as one of the worst
kinds of animals which they have to deal with. It is
natural that they should like to have a perfect certainty of
a man voting either the one way or the other—that black is
white—but unfortunately the independent members don't
take the same view.

Mr. Kinnaird saw with great satisfaction the growing
determination of the country to have the right man
in the right place evinced in the support accorded to
Lord Palmerston :

It is on that account that I give her Majesty's Govern-
ment my cordial eupport ; for I believe that the noble lord
at th. 2 head of the Government is where he is because the
country thought him to be the right man in the right
place. And I have no hesitation in saying that Ido not
believe there is any man at this time who more tho-
roughly represents the general feeling of the country than
does the noble lord who is at the head of affairs. I have
watched his political career for a long while, and I do not
believe that there is a more able or patriotic statesman
than Lord Palmerston. He not only wishes to do well,
hut he has that courage which so many lack, to incur per-
sonal responsibility ; firm but not obstinate, bold but not
presumptuous, self relying vet open to conviction, he does
hot so muoh ask what it is safe as what it is right for him
tfdo 11 the Interest of England. Why, sir, to any who
have trayelle4 abroad, oven mous the remote °outdo!

.1111MobA.—