The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-05 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

THIS DAY.

OLD (MORT.
Bosom Ms. Ames

E. Smioh, 30, tailor, was indicted for arson.
Mr. ltohinson prosecuted.
The prisoner, a strange-looking man, dressed in the prison
clothes, upon being called upon to plead, took no notice of
the question, but kept staring wildly about him, seemingly
counterfeiting in-amity.
Mr. M'Munlo and Mr. Cope were both examined as to
the prisoner's conduct since his committal, and both those
' gentlemen said that when he was first sent to Newstate
there did not appear anything strange in his manner ; but
that, after he hail been a day or two, his manners had been
strange, and he would not speak to any one, but that, in
their opinion, he was only counterfeiting insanity.
The ease was then proceeded with ; and it was shown that
about a quarter before five on the afternoon of the 31st of
January, the prisoner was seen to enter a field at Bedfont,
belonging to a Mr. Francis Sherborne, where there were eight
ricks; not any one else was in the field; after a short
time prisoner was seen coming nut of the gate, and at
that time one of the ricks, an oat one, was seen on
fire, and was subsequently destroyed—the others being
with the greatest difficulty saved. Two boys who were
bird-keeping in the held, sad saw the prisoner go out of
the field, told him that he had Fred the rick, and Major
Reed, who was pio“ing at the time, rode after him, and
stopped him until the police came up, and he was secured,
when, being taken from the magistrates' offices after com-
mittal, he told the policeman that the devil had tempted
him, said wanted to know what would be done with him.
The jury found him guilty.
The learned Judge said he should postpone the sentence.
• The prisoner, W1)11 11111 not seem to pay any attention to
the proceedings, was removed front the dock.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, MARCH 4.

The Evening Mail states that since the failure of
Lord Stanley to form an administration, the Lord-
Lieutenant has countermanded the orders for pre-
paration to leave Ireland to-day; that all remains in
static quo at the Castle; and that there is no truth
in the rumour that his Excellency has received any
instructions to proceed immediately to London. It
was generally understood that his Excellency would
have sailed from Kingstown this morning.
As the agitation against the Ecclesiastical Titles
Bill has been directed not so much against the de-
tails of the bill, as against the very principle of the
measure, we may expect,
now that it is definitively
understood that that measure is to be proceeded
with, although in some modified shape, that the out-
cry against it in Ireland will be raised with re-
doubled vigour and animosity. At a meeting held
in Kells on Sunday last, to petition against the
Anti-Pa,
_,bal Bill, the Very Rev. I h.. M‘Evoy addressed
a crowded audience in such inflammatory terms as
the following :

Does not, he asked, every high and holy consideration—
,l
does not the accumulated blood of your forefathers—does
not every spot of your green isle, stained with the Misfit
of some Irish conti•ssor—(cheery)—do not the scaffold and
the prison, and the dungeon where your forefathers
expired—do they not one and all call upon you to rally
round the liberties, the rights, the privileges, the freedont,
and the independence of the catholic church? (Loud
cheers.) Will you not so rally ? (Cheers.) Yes, you
will, unit as becomes Irishmen and catholic, and more
especially Irish catholic', you will unite in one serried
phalanx to rally round the freedom of the church, which
the invader found hcfore in the land, hut which, thank
lleaven, in vain he attempted to destroy. (Cheers.)

The opinion of counsel against the Ecclesiastical
Titles Bill has at length seen the light. In this opi-
nion Mr. ('Hagan says :
The existing archbishoprics, bishoprics, and deaneries of
the protestant church in Ireland am, neither in number or
in name, identical with the archbishoprics, bishoprics, anit
deaneries of the Roman catholic church ; and, in my judg-
ment, the measure which threatens all the catholic prelates
with punishment for the use of any local episcopal designa-
' tion (whether it be or be not appropriated by the protestant
establishment), is not a declaratory measure. It is a new
penal law, creating a new disability of u very serious nature,
out only as it may affect the position of the bishops, person
ally, but, also, us it may atfcct the charitable institutions
and estates of the Roman catholic community, of which
those bishops, as such, may be now trustees. In my
opinion, if it become law, in its present shape, it may most
seriously interfere with the dispositions of Roman catholic
I property which have been already made.

And again he tams:
As I understand the discipline of the Roman catholic
church in Ireland, the provisions of this bill, if rigidly car-
ried into execution, would lie wholly inconsistent with the
free action and practical existence of the catholic hierarchy.
It forbids the " assumption or use of the name, style, or
title of archbishop, or bishop, or dean of any city, town, or
place, or of any territory or district (ender any designation
or description whatever) in the United Kingdom," by any
other persons than the archbishops, bishops, and deans of
the established church, and proposes to inflict on the person
offending, by such use or assumption, a penalty of 100!.
Now, the catholic prelates of Ireland are not bishops barge-
tilms—are not vicars apostolic—but members of an rinses.
pate, regulated by the settled law of the Roman catholic
church, which requires that each bishop should
be the bishop of a particular ace in Ireland, and
have a peculiar local jurisdiction. According to that
discipline, each of them has his own local title, and
must tete it in discharging the functions of his office. If
the contemplated enactment take effect, he cannot discharge
those functions as his predecessors hare ever discharged
them, and as the constitution of his order requires them to
be discharged. When he is consecrated as an Irish catholic
bishop, he assumes a local title—when he ordains a priest ho
assumes a local title ; when he appoints to a parish he as-
sumes a local title ; and these assumptions he makes, in
simple accordance with the ordinary discipline of his religion.
With that discipline this measure directly conflicts, and its
policy cannot prevail, unless the system of ecclesiastical
government which has subsisted for ages in the catholic
church of Ireland, he essentially changed, and its hier-
archy undergo a virtual abolition. The second clause
annuls all deeds or writings made, signed, or executed by
Roman catholic archbishop, bishop, or dean, under any
name, style or title which the law forbids him to tussume.
According to the usage of the Irish Roman catholic church,
many episcopal acts arc completed by writing, and this
clause must operate to nullify such acts in law. Thus, ap-
pointments to parishes are commonly so made; and the
effect of the clause will be, to destroy the legal solidity- of
such appoiutmenta. If there should arise a conflict, after
the passing of the act, as to the person entitled to office or
property in the character of parish priest of a particular
parish, and if the appointment of the person really so enti-
tled should appear to havo been in writing signed by a
bishop of his church, a court of justice would require the
production of that writing, as the proper evidence of the
appointment; and if, on the production of it, it should
appear to have been executed by the bishop, describing
himself as bishop of a see in Ireland, its whole effect would
be destroyed, and the prelate would be made liable to the
penalty of 1001.

- -
He winds up by describing the measure as—
Conflicting with the discipline of the catholic church in
Ireland—incompatible, if effectually enforced, with the
maintenance of the Irish catholic hierarchy in its old integ-
rity and freedom, according to that discipline—and inter.
fering injudiciously not only with catholic trusts and
charities hereafter to be created, but also with those which
already have existence.

WIIITEBALL, Fes. 22.—The Queen has been
pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under
the Great Seal, granting the dignity of a Baron of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto
Arthur Baron de Freyne, and the heirs male of his
body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of
Baron de Freyne, of Coolasin, in the county of Sligo, with
remainder, in default of such heirs male, to his brother,
Fitzstephen French, Esq. and the heirs male of his body,
lawfully begotten.—From last night'. London Gazette.

REFORMATION IN Du BLIN.—On Sunday four persons
renounced and abjured the errors of popery, under the spi-
ritual direction of the Rev. Thomas Scott, and subsequently
received the holy communion, in St. Thomas's Church.
One of the converts had been a student for the Romish
priesthood in St. Jarluth's College, Tusm, under the
auspices of the Most Hes. Dr. Millet and is now a postu-
lant for admission to the care of the Priests' Protection So-
ciety.—Diiblin Evening Mall.
' -

AFFAIR or HONOUR.—A hostile meeting took
place at Merville, near Sligo, on the 27th ult., between the
Mayor of Sligo, E. H. Version, Esq., and Charles A. liedley,
Esq., solicitor, cousin to Colonel Sedley, 2nd West India
Regiment, in which the former was attended by a profes-
sional gentleman, and the latter by his brother. After an
exchange of shot; the parties were, with much difficulty,
taken off the ground. The duel originated in an article in-
serted in the Champion newspaper, of which the Mayor is
proprietor.
B E LEAST, MONDAY MORNING.— LINENS.— The
Armagh market was dull, and rough browns were lower by
4d., which, on so low-priced an article, is a considerable re-
duction. Goods for bleaching were not lower. In Bally-
mena, goods were steady at the last prices; and yarns, being
still high, there is no immediate prospect of a reduction,
though, generally speaking, this has not hitherto proved
a good criterion, as, at some times, when yarns were very
high, goods were at their lowest figure ; but the weather
being fair for seed-time, and a number of weavers leaving
their looms for the fields, will reduce the quantity brought
to market considerably, which will tend to keep up prices,
especially so there are no stocks anywhere to be found.
YAIINII.—We can scarcely mention any change since our
last report, soil the demand for the middle numbers—from
4.5 to 75—is still very good. Stocks are small. Flax and
tow having advanced considerably, spinners will make every
effort to keep up prices; indeed, their profits cannot be so
large last year, when flex wa-, much lower in proportion
to the yarn prices. The lowest wefts in market arc now
4s. 91 to 6s. without discount, and nothing of • medium
quality can be had under 4s. 10.1 d. in 64-.. 6-3 line. Tows
keep at the old prices.—Belfast News-Leitsr.