The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-13 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DeBLIN, SEPT. 11.
There are two specks, one of which already lowers
above our horizon, and the other of which is just
rising, which promise to complicate the affairs of this
country in the coming winter to an extent which the
most sagacious cannot penetrate. The first is the
general disinclination to pay rates; the second is a
disinclination becoming manifest in various districts
to the payment of rents. With regard to the first,
the case seems to be this—the landlords, if they could
by any means avoid it, would not pay a single penny
of the advances for labour-rate or temporary relief.
Of course there are landlords who would pay, but
they are in " a glorious minority." The tenantry the
landlords easily imbue with their prejudice against
repayments—not but if they were left to themselves
they would not object to whatever went to relieve
their brethren : for be it remembered it was
this tenant class who have always hitherto main-
tained the poor. Of course this class would also be
gladly relieved from payment of their share if they
could help it, and hence they are more prepared to
listen to the reasoning of those who ought to afford
them wholesome advice. The tenant class, besides,
are heavily indebted to the landlords, either on
account of arrears of rent accruing in the previous
years or the past year. The landlords seem deter-
mined that these arrears, so far as practicable, shall be
paid this year, and they are already "in the field"
for that end throughout the country. The rent owing,
together with the rates, will, in most of the anions,
swallow up the whole produce, (and the farmers,
seeing nothing for themselves but ruin, cannot
but be prepared to adopt the recommendation of
withholding as much as they can. The public
are thus suffering in two ways from what can be
hardly judged of as other than a mistaken easiness
on the part of the government towards the landed
proprietors. The landlords now composing or com- '
mending a majority of all boards of guardians, post-
pone the collection of the rate, and will probably suc-
ceed in doing so until the rents are paid. Meantime
the government, which has put them into this strong
position, will be unable to have the advances repaid,
or placed in course of repayment, until the produce is
all swept away. The rate could be collected and the
public pocket protected, if the rate were in the first
instance collected from the landlords. The interests
of the poor and of the country will necessarily be
neglected while this state of things continues. With
regard to the non-payment of rents, I find by the
papers come to hand this morning that in Louth the
whole produce of a farm owing rent was swept off
in one day. In Cork they have gone farther, and
resisted payment. The facts of this case are, however,
special. The father of a poor family in the vicinity of
Cork died during the present year in England,
whither he had gone to seek work. This man held 13
acres of not over-productive land, at a rent of 51. per
annum. His family, consisting of a widow and eight
children, remained, of course, in possession. They
set the crops, but this harvest the widow and three of
the children were struck with fever, under which
they now his. The landlord distrained; a bodyof men
assembled and drove away the bailiffs. Police and
military were then applied for, and not until a force
was on the farm would the peasantry allow the corn
to be removed. The name of the landlord in this in-
stance was Bleazby, that of the tenant Barrett. We
hear of opposition of a more decided character to rent
payments in King's County and Tipperary, and I be-
lieve we are only in the commencement. A step
has been taken by the Mayo landlords which
would seem to indicate suspicion of some
such arising there. I am assured by a cor-
respondent from that county that the law passed,
last year which prevented the seizure of the growing
crops is ingeniously avoided, by the landlords sending
in their own men to reap, and immediately seizing the
crop when it is no longer standing. But the land-
lords are teaching the people a bad lesson when they
join with them to oppose a public impost, and the
people are beginning to think that rent means " sur-
plus "—that is, that they ought to help themselves
first.
Lord Moanteashel has made an inglorious retreat.
It is announced in the Cork papers that his lordship,
together with his countess and family, have left
Moore Park, his seat at the foot of the Kilwoth moun-
tains, for France. The Express has, I believe,
not a little contributed to this abandonment of a task
to which the noble lord appeared to have devoted

himself—the propagation of the principle of repu-
diation.

The total sum applied for, under the Land Improve-
ment (Ireland) Act, is 1,062,9161. 1 Is. 6d., although
the stun gazetted is only 404,0101. 3s. 2d.

PROPOWED MEETING OP ALL Till IRISH MEMBERS TN
I DUBLIN.—In accordance with the sumeons of Mr. John
O'Connell, there was a meeting of the " Conciliation-hall"
repeal members yesterday at ltadley's Hotel. There were
only seven members present. The business done at this
meeting, which was only a preliminary one. may be Teri
briefly stated. A form of circular to the whole body of Irish
members was agreed to, informing them that at that meeting
• a resolution bad been adopted that it was expedient an as-
tiembly of all the Irish members should be held, and solicit- '
ing their signatures to a requisition for that end forwarded
with the circular, and which is in these terms :
We, the undersigned, ocasidaring the distremerletateof thecountry,
end the gloomy peospects of the coming winter, are of (mini. that it
desirable the Irian members stasuld meet together in Dublin at an
early period in November, to madder the alarming state of public
alTAirs, and take counsel together 44 to the remedial measures which
it may be our duty to press upon the attention of the government.
Mr. John O'Connell acted as secretary ; no other member
of his family was present.
STATE OP Till COONTRT.—Leitrim appears to be sorely
afflicted with fever; " multitudes," a local paper states, are
sick of that disease in the poor but highly-populated district
of Fearnath. There is a horrible tale told of a poor man
burned to death in a fever shed, he being left alone by his
nurse-tender, and unable to escape, though he crawled to
the door.—ln the union of Nenagh, the advances for tem-
porary relief are nearly 25,0001. The guardians, who uy :hey
have not as much money in-hands as would purchase a hun-
dredweight of oatmeal, anti who are heavily in deist, have
struck a rate of 18,0001., which would include about one-
half the relief advances ; and even this, they say, " cannot
and will not be paid." Under these circumstances, anl not-
withstanding some protests from the more humane against
abandoning the poor to starvation, the vast majority has de-
cided that the Relief Commissioners should be applied to, is
remit prompt payment, the union consenting to pay interest.
In Carrickmacross the guardians have preferred giving
out-door relief in money instead of food, and they have
arranged that eel, per week be given to adults, and persons
over nine years of age, anal 4d. per week to persons tinder
I that. The workhouse of this union is full. In Limerick
they have room for 600 inmates over the present number.
The Dublin Gloss Company, one of those attempts at enter-
prise which sprung up during the mania of the joint-stock
companies two years since, was yesterday dissolved by
unanimous consent of the proprietary. There has been a
food riot at [Lentz', the persona struck off the relief lists at
the final stoppage, presenting themselves en masse at the
workhouse, were refused. They attempted to tear up some
potatoes planted near the bowie, but were prevented by the
military, and retired without further violence.
His. O'Coreatzta.'a GILIDIHON.—On Thursday the sale of
the furniture of the late Mr. O'Connell was c...enmenced at
his house in Merrion-square, Dublin. The pictures and
books were not included in the sale. The auctioneer opened
the sale in the kitchen, and the first article put up was a
gridiron, which sold for 3s. 6d. The broker who bought it
valued it at a shilling, but said he held an order to secure it
at any reasonable price, as a " relic." It was supposed that
the sale would not be concluded before Saturday evening.
Deem.—A meeting took place on Thursday last at Long-
ford, between Mr. Jessop, high sheriff of the county, and
Mr. Boynton, cornet in the luniskillen Dragoons, in none.
queues of a misunderstanding at a ball given by Captain
Hill on the previous evening. Mr. Jesup having, in the
course of the evening, addressed himself to Mr. Boynton in
terms expressive of his opinion that the latter gentleman
had been too marked in his attentions to Mrs. Jessop, high
words ensued. The consequence was a demand for satisfac-
tion on the part of Mr. Boynton, and ultimately the meeting
that we have already referred to. The conclusion of the
affair was an exchange of shots, by one of which Mr. Boyn-
ton was bit in the left shoulder, while the other passed
through the hat of Mr. Jessop. Mr. Boynton's wound is
not, as we understand, likely to involve any serious
consequences.