The Express.
London, England, 1847-11-09 00:00:00

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

On Monday night • poor widow, named Kearns, was
murdered near Borrisoleigh, Tipperary. No cause was
assigned for the infamous deed. She had • few acres
of land, and was to have been married a few days
after the murder had been perpetrated.—On Wednes-
day armed men entered the house of a men named Gal-
braith, in the same county, and carried off his gun.—ln
Kilcullen, Kildare, a highway robbery was committed
on the public road, and at • short distance from
this locality, the dwelling-house of a r►te-collector
was fired, and the cottages of some farmers burned to the
ground. A female who absconded is suspected. In Tippe-
eery also the dwelling of a protestant clergyman, the Rev.
Mr. Curry, who had only been a few weeks in the parish,
was attacked. One of the offenders presented a pistol at Mrs.
Curry, who retreated. The ruffian took nothing by his mo-
tion. In the same county, on Tuesday night, a turnip field
of a Mr. Carter, was surprised by plunderers armed with
pistols, and a new species of instrument of safety called
" skull craeliere." The care takers arrived shortly atter and
were ferociously beaten. The Ballyehannon Herold saysthe
condition of the peasantry in that district is most distressing,
while the Northern Starsdord announces a strong opposition
to the payment of poor rates in the county of Monaghan.
The deputation from Clara, which recently was hoc cured
by an interview with Lord Clarendon on the subject of the
! unfinished public works, were advised, your readers will re-
I member, to instruct the surveyor of the county to prepare an
estimate of the same which would be necessary to complete
the works left unfinished at the time of the termination of
the operations under the Labour Kate Act. The estimate
has just been published, and amounts to 118,4272, being
classified under three distinct heals, viz., completion of old
roads, 32,79,31.; important new roads, 31,6001.: useful new
roads, .54,0321. From this estimate for one county, one may form
some conclu-ion as to the probable amount necessary fur c.,ra-
pie ing all the roads throughout Ireland, remembering, how-
ever, that in Clare those works were particularly heavy.—
, From the south we have intelligence which affords promise
of a better time in the coming year, as regards those districts
which now present at once features of great destitution and
great turbulence. Ploughing and harrowing were never
more actively in progress throughout at this period of the
winter season than at present, the farmers being energeti-
cally preparing for forward crops of corn next year, when, in
addition to the usual breadth of corn on the ordinary soils,
the whole, or almost all, those lands sown this year with
green crops will next year grow rereala. I may state myself,
that in a recent visit to the south-east of Ireland, I taw
several fields of wheat very fully grown. Seventy-four vete
sets, laden with corn and other provisions, left Limerick
harbour last week for various English and Sooteh ports.
From Limerick and Clue the accounts of outrage to-day are
as numerous as usual. In one instance, come stacks of corn,
the property of a civil bill process-aerver, were consumed in
Limerick. Personal violence was dealt upon another of the
same class of persons in Clare. An outrage of a like nature
occurred in Cork—the two latter caused by the service of
" law papers," to use the phrase of the local journal. Lord
Guillamore's steward, in the west of Limerick, was attacked,
his son beaten, and his house plundered of arms ; as have
also other houses, and in several instances barns, dairies, and
other premises, have been plundered of provisions and pro-
perty.

SCOTLAND.

EDINBURGH, Nov. 6.

Since Lord John Russell cannot find time for in-
stallation Colonel Mare, the conservative member for
Renfrew:hire is, according to the Courier, about to be
proposed u rector of Glasgow University for the en-
suing year. It is possible that a liberal candidate
may be set up against him.
Sir D. Brewster has published the deliverance in
his case pronounced by the general assembly of the
established church in 1845, to the effect that he is
disqualified to hold his office as Principal of St.
Andrew's, although the church deemed it inexpedient
to take any step at the time. The disqualification is
grounded on Sir David having subscribed some of the
official papers of the free church—which he denies
lhaving done. This, however, is a mere technicality;
as there is no doubt of his having become a non-
coufoimist.
It is understood that Lord Dalhousie is to retain
ihis two Scotch offices of Clerk Register and Signet
IKeeper, " but," says the Scotsman, 'he intends, so
long as he is Governor of India, to pay the salaries
into the Exchequer." Now, it is so customary for
parties receiving important appointments to have
their salaries for previous and less important offices
suspended during the enjoyment of the larger living,
that the wonder would have been if Lord Dalhousie
should or would have been allowed to act differently.
But, apart from this, it may suggest doubts as to the
necessity for offices worth 2,3001. per annum, when
the duties can be performed during the indefinite
absence of the principal in another hemisphere.
The Privy Council has intimated to the Glasgow
parochial board, that it has no power to regulate
according to tonnage the proportion of passengers
brought in steamers and other vessels from Irish ports
to the Clyde. Tho board is to agitate for a bill for
this purpose being brought in, as the Irish steamers
still continue to be dangerously and disgustingly
overcrowded. . .

The new sanitary measure for Edinburgh will meet
a determined foe in St. Cuthbert's perish, but the
battle must be fought, otherwise farewell to sanitary
progress. St. Cuthbert's, a century or two ago, was
then essentially a rural district, bearing crops of corn,
turnips, and potatoes. As Edinburgh extends, the
beritors of St. Cuthbert's find that crops of houses
will pay better than crops of victuals, and tenements
are run up, vertically to the height of many stories,
and horizontally till they meet the domiciles of
Edinburgh proper at every point of boundary.
Edinburgh propere, so does St. Cuthbert's; F.din-
burgh groans under taxation, so does not St. Cuth-
bert's ; Edinburgh wishes sanitary improvement, but
St. Cuthbert's will have none of it, mikes it is
allowed to be sanitary is its own way, and within
its own domains. The annexation will test St.
Cuthbert's about one per cent. of taxation more
than it pays at present; but as St. Cuthbert's
has already lost so much by sowing bricks and
mortar instead of carrots and potatoes, it cannot
afford this augmentation of impost. And so
far as reasoning is concerned nothing but the anni-
hilation of the Edinburgh royalty woald convince
St. Cuthbert's of its helplessness without the city it
repudiates; but as this experiment would be too ex-
pensive, the annexation must be pressed, leaving
after-experience to show the wisdom of the step.'
Decision is of some importance, as almost every city
and town has its St. Cuthbert's disposed to take its
stand on its " parochial" independence, and other-
wise play its fantastic tricks, and so delay the sani-
tary movement.
We lately referred to a united presbyterian church-
ball as the scene of a soirée of composite character:
we have more pleasure in referring to the conversion
of a similar apartment into a Sunday evening ragged-
school. The hall in question is situated below Erskine
Church, Glasgow, and was formerly let as a store, but
with commendable benevolence has been opened for
the above purpose. The proceedings of the first day
of the winter session of the High Court of Justiciary,
yesterday, affords melancholy testimony of the need
of such appliances. The criminals tried were ten in
number, and nine transported for periods of from
seven to ten years, the charges all being theft, were
for purloining the following articles: No. 1, three
printers' composing sticks ; No. 2, a pair of shoes;
No. 3, three cotton shirts; No. 4, robbing a little girl
of 4d. ; No. 5, cotton shirt, &c. ; No. 6, jewellery
No. 7, handkerchief; No. 8,391 b. of lead ; No. 9,41 b.
of pig-iron. As mentioned, the lowest sentence was
seven years, the highest ten—the severity arising
from previous conviction, and indicating on the part
of the authorities a persuasion that the parties sys-
tematically lived by plunder.