The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-18 00:00:00

IRELAND.

THE JUDGMENT ON O'BRIEN AND OTHERS.
Dream, .4N. 17.
You would never have supposed, from the perfect
quiet of our city here, that yesterday the Jadgee of
the Queen's Bench were to deliver judgment in the
ease of the "Queen against O'Bnen and others."
Halts-dome mounted police rode outside on the Qua
opposite the court, and a few constables were
about the hall. The Court of Queen's Benc was
elemily Wed, the bar mustering very numerously to
bear the Judges deliver their decisions seriatim.
Whenever in any case of importance Chief Justice
Blackburn is to deliver judgment, the court is
crowded by the profession, as be has an admirable
mode of traversing much ground in little time.
Yesterday his judgment was listened to in profound
silence, and it was marked by his usual ability.
The state prisoners, Messrs. W. S. O'Brien, T. F.
Meagher, T. B. *Manus, and Patrick O'Donohoe
having been conducted to the side bar,
The Chief Justice remarked that in these several

causes writs of error had been brought to convictions
obtained at a special commission held in the county of
Tipperary. He then proceeded to state the grounds
upon which those writs of error had been raised, with
rupeet to the caption and the appointment of the
three judges who presided at the commission, the par-
ticulars of which have already so often appeared in
your columns. He declared that the first objection
raised, as to the caption, could not be sustained, and
affirmed that be. as the legal depositary of that
commission, was bound to say that the judges who
presided thre had been rightly and legally appointed
to hear and determine, and, therefore, the first objec-
tion was not valid. The second objection he decided
to be *holly insupportable, and he undertook to
pronounce his judgment upon the plea of Mr. O'Brien
on the question of his right to have notice of trial
served ten days before he was called upon to plead,
and that copies of the indictment should have been
supplied him, with the list of witnesses for the
crown endorsed thereon, within the same ten days,
before he should be called upon to plead. The laws
under which the prisoner in error had been tried
were still in force in Ireland, and the acts of 23th
of Edward 111., and the acts of 7th and Bth of Wil-
liam 111., and of Queen Anne, entitled prisoners
accused of high treason to have copies of the indict-
ment ten days before trial ; but these provisions did
not apply to Ireland, and the Irish acts, which bore
upon the question, enacted that prisoners so charged
were entitled to have copies of the indictment only
five days before they should be called upon to plead;
and therefore on these and several other grounds he
declared that the third objection had not been sus-
tained. The last objection was that named on the
oileettteu, as to why the question had not been put to
the prisoner why sentence of death and execution
should not be pronounced upon him, which the learned
judge also declared to be unsustainable. Judgeeramp-
ton next delivered judgment, and proceeded to review
the same grounds gone over by the Chief Justice,
on each and all of which he declared himself of
the same opinion, and pronounced it as his opinion
that the writ of error in all its bearings should be dis-
allowed. Judges Perrin and Moore followed, agree-
ing in opinion with the preceding judges. The
court were unanimous in overruling the errors as-
signed, and confirming the judgment of the court
below.
This is a fair abstract of the proceedings, which I
refrain from reporting at length, being .eaured
that your readers have heard too much of the matter
already to feel any desire to wade through three
columns of technical law. Neither does the matter
rest here. The cause has yet to come on in the House
of Lords on a writ of error.

Mr. John O'Connell has, if possible, plunged deeper
into the mire. He has now written a most abject
apology to the "state prisoners" for the terms of
contumely which he applied to them in a recent
lengthy letter. lie might rately plead in mitigation,
that very few people read his letters, or remember
them when read.
Dein Coll, the parish priest of Newcastle, has
written to Sir Edward Blakeney about the conduct of
Mr. Dunbar, an officer who marched the soldiers out
of chapel, when Dian Coll made an elaborate harangue
against the new coilegee, and what he calls "the
proselytising schemes of protestants."

ACCIDENT ON THE WATENFOIED, W EXFON.Io, AND WICK-'
LoW Ratt.way.—An seckleut took place on DI •nd y which
nearly pruned fatal to three of the workmen employed in
blaring some of the rocks en this line of railway. It ap-
pears that at Bray Head there were three holes charged with
powder, two only of which . aploded. The unfortunate men
thinking all had been discharged returned to their work,
when the third hole went off blowing the men in different
directions. One pour tallow, the tither of a large family.
was blown about seven perches off, anal fell abort thirty feet
down the precipios to the brink of the sea. It is not ex-
pected he can recover. The other men are net seriously
injured.