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

IRELAND.

Drente, Deo. 30.
We are at a stand still here, and in the provinces
they seem to be no better. Politics would appear to
be at en end; they are unheard of, forming neither
the topics of declamation nor the basis of contentious
disputation. Tue politics of the repeal joarnals are
confined to attacks upon Lord Clarendon and the
whigs—attacks almost all personal ; those of the
conservative press alternate between attacks upon
the whigs and the poor-law. Meantime, there
is among men of business a universal concurrence of
opinion that we have seen the worst. Indeed, there
is no longer any doubt of the gratifying fact that
business of all kinds has received an impulse for the
I better.
The appointment to the Clerkship of the Peace for
Dublin city is another proof of the economical policy
of Lord Clarendon—an economy which his excellency
is enforcing in every department here with an untir-
ing energy. Mr. Dickenson, now sole clerk of the
peace, was for many years joint occupant of the office
and sole discharger of the duties, as Mr. Archer was
long unable to do any duty, owing to ill health. The
appointment, therefore, although conferred on a
politics/ opponent, is worthily bestowed, and will
cause a saving of the several hundreds retiring allow-
ance to which Mr. Dickenson would be entitled. Of
course scores of expectant. are disappointed, and
the appointment is made the foundation of an attack
upon Lord Clarendon by the morning repeal journal.
The facts connected with it are these, and assuredly
are honourable to the government. Hitherto the
emoluments of the clerks of the peace—there have
always been two—arose front fees, with a small
grant from other funds. The fees amounted on
an average to 1,8001. to 2,0001. a year, which
were equally divided between Messrs. Archer
and Di.kenson. Now Lord Clarendon, while re-
membering the long experience and service of Mr.
Dickenson, did not torget the public. While, there-
fore, his Excellency did not proceed to the harsh
measure of ousting an occupant from office because
he might have done it, he stipulated directly that Mr.
Dickenson shall submit to whatever arrangemect
respecting salary parliament shall adopt. It is un-
derstood that the offfe will be paid in future by
salary, and that it still not exceed 8001. per annum.
Thus the fees remaining the same, a saving of 1,000/.
per annum will be effected, in addition to one of two
salaries formerly paid.
The vacant office of Clerk of the Crown will, it is
expected, be conlirrcd on Mr. Curry Connellan, pri-
vate secretary to Lord Clarendon.
The Duffy cause drags its slow length along. The
Attorney-General was heard to-day in support of his
indictnveit, and against Mr. Daffy's demurrer. He
is considered to have mule a very able argument.
When the learned gentleman had concluded, the court,
in cons! !erection of the importance of the question to
be decided, adiJurned until Tuesday next, when
judgment will be delivered. The public, of all par-
ties, regard the proceedings as a burlesque, but one
utterly devoid of interest.

Tun Ilr.v. Tito,t‘- Sr. GE"IIUE, incumbent of Ntw-
market.o.,-Feritus, Clare, dropped eadenly down to ddy
while wi.ll..ing in Nas.au,treet, and expired.

PROVINCIAL.
_

The Ctleltee fIY Altetre AT LIVERPOOL.—On
Wednesday and Fridey the examination of Mr. W. C.
lemaine we+ continued before the magistrate, Mr. Rush-
ton, and on Saturday the accused was ordered to be
eroueht up the' the depeetions might be read over prepara-
tory to his committal for the!. The additional evidence ad
duced was as follows : Mr. erGew an proved cautioning the
witness absut an accumulation of paper shavings he had wit
reseed, and said he saw a hole which had been boren in the
floor fora hell wire. Julius Fogg, one of the prisoner's ap-
prentices, stated that shortly after the fire, the prisoner told
him to go home, and not to go near the shop, as the pe
would be asking him about the fire. The following day the
prisoner paid him his wages, and asked him if he hail Peen the
fire, to which he replied that he had. J. Blundell, unother
apprentice, stated that when Fogg found a roll of wire lying
near theshavings, the prisoner said it had fallen out of his coat
pocket, and he knew all about it ; and then he sent the ap-
prentices to the farthest end of the workshop. Subsequently,
the prisoner threw a hsndtu! of shavings nearthe stove, and
put a light to them. Witneu ran to put them out, but the
prisoner said—" never mind—l was seeing what they would
do." Ile then put them out by stamping his foot on them,
observing at the game time that if the place were to cetch
fire it would flare up. Thomas Powell, the prisoner's
errand boy, proved that there west no bell attached to the
wire. N. G. Webster stated that as he went out on the
evating of the fire, he had a difficulty in shutting the deer,
in consequence, he believed, of the wire • from the Vi0:012C0
he used, it was his impression that he hid broken it. The
witness stated that our the fire, the prisouer told him " to
go home—that he should be paid his wages—that he mast
say nothing about the origin of the fire to anybody—and that
be should either work as a journeyman or be set up in busi-
ness for himself, which, ver he pleased." Witness said he would
consider about the off:r made, but that he believed the
place had been set on fire by the wale for that be had traced
it up stairs to the shop. The prisoner promised to pay him
151. in three instalments for holding his tongue. The wit
neas set up business in Slater-court, was promised a large Lt
of pens by the prisoner if he behaved himself and held his
noise, and flintily revealed all ho knew to the Yorkshire In-
surance Office. After the examination of three other imma-
terial witnesses, the case was remanded till Friday. On that
day, at the adjourned examination, Mr. Groom, agent for
tne Yorkshire Fire and Life Insurance Company, deposed to
a policy of insurance issuing to the prisoner for 6001., upon
property insured in the building in Swift's-court. Subse-
quent to the tire, the prisoner brought him a written claim
upon the company, which amounted to 6761. 6,. 7al.—Mr.
Williams, who had been employed by Mr. Groom to estimate
the value of the property destroyed, stated it at 2261. its. 4d.,
but was of opinion that the salvage did net show one-balk
of what had been consumed. Mr. Smithery, surveyor of the
Yorkshire Fire Insurance Company, deposed that he visited
Liverpool by the instructions of the directors of the com-
pany, to investegate into the circumstances of the fire. Upon
visiting Bwift's-court, on the day after the fire, he met with
Tomlinson and Webster, but neither of them stated anything
relative to the cri,,in of the fire. In the course of the day,
he met the prisoner at Mr. Groom's shop, and in answer to
inquiries, he said he could not conceive how the fire had oc-
curred, unless it originated in consequence of a cigar which
he had been smoking in the shop falling into the shavings
if it had not happeari thee, there was but one other
way—that the stove fire had been left on during
the night. On the Ist inst., the priamer called upon
him at his hotel, in Clayton-square. He (witness)
'eked prisoner if he had taken stock, aid he replied he
had; that he had done so in consequence of the fire at
Mr. Howell's, but t...at he had not added the items up.
Witness asked him how it was that in hi. bill of charges to
the company, he valued the paging machine at 651., when
he bad offered previously to sell it at 301. ? The prisoner
appeared to be surprised that the witness should be ac-
quainted with this, and, in explanation, said the machine
had been recently repaired. The prisoner then, without
witness referring to the subject of the wire, made a voluntary
statement to the effect that on leaving the shop one night, he
and others came in contact with a wire, and on the following
morning he discovered that the slates were partly pulled
over the lights, as though some one had been on the pre-
mises; that he traced the wire along the joist to a nail, and
the other end of it terminated amongst the shavings ; that he
had pulled the wire away on Friday night before tee fire,
and had not seen it afterwards. Witness asked the pri-
soner why he had told him anything about the wire ?
and be reviled that he thought it might have been put up
and oonn-ected with the stove. Witness asked him
why he had not mentioned this at the time of the converse-
tion relative tv the cigar, and he said he did not think of it.
Upea the 2-id ult. the prisoner again coiled upon hinge
and witness asked him if he had any suspicion who placed
the wire up. The prisoner said he had not. He (witness)
asked him why he had not instituted an inquiry relative to
it, and the prisoner said he bad been curious to know to
where the wire led, and had been several times in the loft
for that purpose.—L. Kehee, of the detective force, deposed
to apprehending the prisoner in Grove-street on the 22nd
ult. The prisoner showed to him some wire, of which he
was constructing a riddle. This wire exactly resembled that
taken from the shop of the prisoner. Witness
waited while the prisoner changed his dress, and whilst
doing so, he pointed to a wire running up the wail of
the room, and said he had placed it there for the pur-
pose el ringing a bell to call up his servant. That
when he put it there, he borrowed a gimlet from Mr. Hard-
ing's, and had sent the boy with it back, but he had ne.
glected to take it; that it had been left its the shop, and be
(the prisoner) had no doubt that this gimlet had been used
for the purpose of fitting nri_the wire found in the shrp.
The prisoner tusked him, " What is it—transportation or
imprisonment for setting fire ? " Witness said he did not
know, and the prisoner replied, "O, yes yen do, well."
Witness then said, " I think it is transportation for a dwell'
ing-house," sad prisoner said, " Ye., or for anytlffog ew
t/
but I never did it—the boys threatened me before.' . .seeee.e
police office the prisoner was told the charge
apnrilsonheer, underreplied, '
an I hestvir. of hii attorney,ennothingtoseeeeeinryea L
i itThi:
defence.