The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-07 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Aram .5 .
Society is in a most singular state in this country ;
the elements of confusion abound on every side, hap-
pily without the turbulence which would so fearfully
point: the disorganisation, and aggravate the dis-
order. Crowds repairing to ilia fields are met by
crowds making fur the sea-coast; landlords, farmer-,
labourers, all am bewildered—less about the present
than the future. " What u ill come of it ?" is the ques-
tion. Meanwhile, great ciforts are being made
to recover lost ground. The better class of farmers
are everywhere carrying on the spring work with
unusual activity. In the beet-fared districts the
spring wheat, of which much is not sown, and nuts,
are laid down weeks ago. The mill patches,
which are always a late sowing in the south
and west, are the great source of appre-
hension. Of these, more thnn one-half, I have
heard, will not be tilted, partly from inability, and
partly from a foolish cunning, which, like ambition,
will " o'erleap itself."
Government and the relief commission have
been freely censured for tha delay in giving effect to
the Temporary Relief Act. A machinery so cum-
brous and minutely composed mild only be put in
working order after much preliminary preparation.
It is not, however, fair to cast all the blame upon the
public authorities, for the local authorities have not
discharged their portion of the duty with very be-
coming zeal. In Dublin, the north and south unions
will be the first in Ireland to afford relief
under the act. In Cork, where the mass of destitu-
tion is so enormous, and where a moment should not
be lost in affording relief, the government inspector
has found it necessary to stimulate the attention of
the relief committee of the city to a more active
discharge of their duties. Captain Broughton states
that inasmuch as another reduction will very shortly
follow the 20 per cent. reduction, confusion and dis-
tress will fellow the change, unless the relief commit-
tees are prepared to afford effectual aid to destitution.
Ho adds that no advances can be made by the relief
commissioners until the forms required by the act are
complied with ; and these allege they depend on the
zeal and energy of the local bodies.
All the accounts yet published of early planted
potatoes in Ireland, and more particularly in the
south, are most favourable. There have been uo
traces of disease in the stalk or the tuber.

In a War-office circular of the 31st of March, a
statement is given of the daily rates of allowance in
lieu of forage to general and other staff officers of
infantry- regiments in Ireland, from the Ist of last
October to the 31st of March. From this it appears
that for 17 counties the rate was Is. 11d. a day, and
for 7 counties Is. 10d. In the remaining 8 counties
the allowance varied. The highest are .Meath and
Tyrone, where the rate was 2s. 2d. ; and the lowest
Mayo, where the rate was Is. 9d.
M. Boyer has to-day undertaken to afford a de-
monstration of the capabilities of his patent soup
kitchen, as erected at the esplanade at the Royal
Barracks. The Lord-Lieutenant and his household,
the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, the relief com-
imissioners, the poor-law commissioners, the chair-
men of the boards of guardians and temporary relief
committees, some gentlemen connected with the metro-
politan newspapers, and many of the heads of the
various public departments, were present to-day by
invitation from the great chef de euiline, at three
o'clock p.m. The several departments of the patent
kitchen were passe% in review, and the various opera-
tions witnessed with great satisfaction by all those
personages, who complimented the artiste upon his
success. The soup, it is said, gave great satisfaction
to those who partook of it. I have been given to
understand that from this kitchen M. Sayer under-
takes to produce sufficient soup for rations for both
relief districts of Dublin, which, as the number of
destitute amounts to 40,000, would be a labour one
would think of no light kind.

REPEAL ASAOCIATION.—The usual weekly ascienifil Sr was
held to-day.—Mr. J. O'Connell r‘ neweil his overtures to the
" Young Icelanders " to re-enter the association ; and re •
pasted his readiness to apologise for anything personally
Larsh he might have said during the bitterness of the con-
test. Ile would do anything for reconciliation save surrender
principle—he would even, if that could facilitate union,
retire altogether front the association.—Mr. J. H. Dunne
renewed those invitations, and apologised on his
part fur any personal offence he might have given.
Mr. Stritch counselled the seceders te return. They must
now see that whatever support Ciey obtained in the first
buret of the secession, was from the enemies of repeal and
the enemies of O'Connell. Thors had now given them up,
as the mischief was done, and the secession could be no
further useful against Ireland. Perseverance in the seces-
sion could only perpetuate mischief, PA the seceders could do
nothing of themselves. Let them, therefore, return.—Mr.
John O'Connell spoke on the state of the country ; and Mr.
Ray read some lengthy reports upon the best means of em-
Tloying the people of the country in industrial pursuits.—
he repeal rent was 211.
STAYS OP VIZ COUNTRY.—The condition of the country
remains just as we had reason to anticipate. Destitution and
disease make terrible inroads upon the population in the dis-
tant country districts where no energetic middle class or
humane landlords reside. Take Sligo as an example, as we
have to-day accounts from thence in the rhnmpion, local
paper. The fever hospital—a subsidiary oee—which was
opined in the town a few days since, capable of accommo-
dating
ninety patients, was filled in thet e days ; in one small
perish in the vicinity the mortality reaches twenty daily.
and it is said that several of the diemissed labourers have
already fallen victims to famine, as the Temporary Relief Art
is not in operation. and Shensi. no ad er, nate amount of private
labour otieri:g. This statement will at once convince you
that there in no considerable amount of tillage in progress in
that county ; but I am glad to state, upon tilt, authority of a
private letter of a Rom in Catholic clergyman of Mayo, that
In the district of Balls, in that county, hithi rho much dis-
tressed, the general aspect of things Is easier, and that
tillage is in progress, though not to such an extent as might
be desires:a.

SCOTLAND.

EDINBURGH. APRIL 6.

The Kelso presbytery of the Established Church
has avowed its leaning to the governmer.t scheme
of education. At the last meeting of that court,
one of the members moved that the presbytery
petition in its favour, two others spoke in its
praise, but it was resolved to defer the question
till another meeting. Synods and presbyteries
act independently of each other, so that if their
decisions are contradictory, the real voice of the
church can only be known from the deliverance of the
general assembly, the representative and supreme
court of the church, which meats annually in May.
Of course, unless its commission be specially con-
vened, it can emit no declaration in time for the parlia-
mentary discussion. Hence, the value of this or that
presbytery or synod being for or against, must not be
hastily assumed. The supposed inclination of the
ministry towards the Free Church, together with the
Marriage and Registration Bills, may make the church
lukewarm towards the government scheme; but ge-
nerally, it may be held as being favourably disposed
towards it, although its opinion may not, for a time,
be distinctly announced. In its measured oppo-
sition to the scheme, the Scotsman is deserted
by its contemporaries of the philosophic liberal
school in Scotland ; thus the Cilargow Argue,
Citizen, and Aberdeen Herald warmly espouse
the scheme; and, till within a few weeks, the shadow
of a shade of differenee intim political and theological
creeds of the four was not distinguishable. The mid-
channel course of the Scotsman is bitterly resented by
the Voluntaries, who threaten a rival journal, and will
probably carry their threat into caeca ion. The
Scotch conservative papers, such as the Edintnnyh
Courant, so far as they have spoken out, are favour-
able. The section which may hereon:len as " Whig
and something more," is divided; thus, the Glasgow
Post is against, and the Edinburgh Re!•;:.,r for.
The spirit-dealers in Scotland arc ri-;ng in arms
against the resolutions of the Select C oomittee of
Inquiry of the House of Ceinmor.s into t ce: licensing
system of Scotland. The animas of their objections
may be gathered from the following resolution:
That it is the oOnion of this meeting that If that pa tins of the sug-
gestions embodied la the resolutions of the wised comet ttse of the
!louse of Commons, which has been approved of by tlin meting,
were introduced into the law by winch the licensing tteou is regu-
lated, a great improvement would be made. But if that portion of
said suggestions which this meeting disapproves of ar, atteepted to
be enacted into low. they ought and will moot strenomnly is. opposed,
more especially those parts having reference to nn indiscriminate re-
duction in 'Mutation of the number of properly conducted lkeneed
bon's, or making rent • criterion for grunting certificates, or
milking final the &ninon of wy panne empowered to grant or refine
certificates.
An influential society, composed of the magistrates
and leading citizens, has been formed in Glasgow for
the purpose of proctuing suitable lodging-houses for