The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-09 00:00:00

STATE OF TUE COUNTRY.

The fated SClaull;ndgkiliberee;;;;nircue in the same de-
plorable condition. The captain of the Castleturn Mines
btitts that Dr. Swestman, dispensary physician of East
Sehull and Ballyilehole, estimates the deaths by disease,
fever, and dysentery, induced by starvation, at 2,000.
There remain in the district 16,000 souls, 15,000 of whom
are, he estimates, destitute. To add to the horrors of these
miserable people, the benevolent Dr. Trail, the amiable and
humane rector, has been struck with fever. The pay-clerk
of the district is also sick of the disea.c. Coder such cir-
cumstances, perhays we ought not to feel surprise
that there are in Cork such outrages occurring
as the following : —On Tuesday last, u two cars, employed
by the Rev. W. Alcock, ware returning from Inchy
near Timoleague, laden with Indian mad, for the purpose of
being sold at prime coat to the poor around, they were at-
tacked by a party of about forty persons on the road leading
to Shannonvale, and three of the sacks were plundered : and
yesterday, somewhere in the same locality, two ears, laden
with flour, the property of the MCRITi. Allin, gentlemen dis-
tinguished in this WS- Oil of calamity for their kindness and
liberality toward. the poor, were in like manner attacked
and despoiled of everything.

SCOTLAND.
EDINBURGH, APRIL 7.
The town council of Edinburgh, by a majority of
12 to 11, have approved of the government scheme of
education. The resolutions in its favour were moved
by tho Lord Prim-oat, who is a voluntary ; and they
were seconded by Bailie Mack, who is a churchman.
The other councillors, composing the majority, com-
prise men of all parties ; while, with one or two ex-
ceptions, the minority is made up of voluntaries op-
posed,
like Mr. 13aines, in all probability, to state
education in any shape. Another public meeting is
to be held in Glasgow on Friday, when, as discussion
is to be allowed, Mr. Baines and his .loctrines may ex-
pect rough handling. Matters are almost ripe for a
pro meeting in Edinburgh, but perhaps some difficulty
would be experienced in obtaining clerical speakers,
and custom has rendered them indispensable on a
platform.
The intemperate denunciation of the Marriage and
Registration Bills by the Established Church Courts,
has induced people to read those obnoxious docu-
ments, and the more they are read, the more are their
real properties discovered. Sober lieges reading in
one paper that a reverend divine proposes their con-
version into a fool's cap for the Lord Advocate's head
—that a second denounces them as an assassin stab
at the church—a tkird that they will open up the
flood-gates of vice and immorality—and that, in
short, on their passing, " red ruin will ride trium-
phantly"—lieges, we say, reading ouch things, have
been agreeably surprised to find that, after all, the
bills are consistent and necessary pieces of legislation.
To-day, the Witness defends them, and laughs at the
religious objections that have been made against
them. In the Edinburgh Town Council, the
Dean of Guild spoke in their favour, but
having given no previous notice of his in-
tention, the subject was postponed till next meet-
ing. The Town Council of Dundee is also to take
them up, and if that body takes its cue from the Pro-
vost's speech, the decision will be favourable. The
Dumfries Courier, which at first was rather against
the hill, has now veered round, and, quoting the
statistical account of Scotland, gives striking instances
of the defective character of the present system of
registration.
In the papers of to-day an Edinburgh bookseller
announces that D'Atibigne, the French ecclesiaatical
historian, is to publish a volume on Cromwell. The
title is, " The Protector ; a Vindication founded on
the latest documents."

The Roman Catholics of Edinburgh have concluded
the purchase of a large space of ground on the
Lotluan-road, for the erection of a magnificent cathe-
dral. At present they have two chapels, neither of
them possessing much architectural attraction.
Government has granted 3,000/. for the completion
of the buildings connected with the University of St.
Andrews.