The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-11 00:00:00

SPECIAL COMMISSION.

COUNTY OF LIMERICK.
(PROM OUR OWN REPORTER.)
LIMERICK, SATURDAY.
In consequence of the &ha, nce (from illness) of the Lord
Chief Justice, the convict Dee was not brought up for sen-
tence at the sitting of the court, as ordered when the trial
was concluded.
ROBBERY AND AFPZARINO tee ARAM— Michael Col-
lins, Ifrillians Duggan, and John Noonan, were placed at
the bar charged with having robbed the house of Thomas
Mitchell, at Ballioahinch, of bank promissory notes of the
value of 401., and of one gun, his property, on Sunday the
24th October. The robbery took place at mid-day, when the
prosecutor was absent at enapel, and the case for the crown
rested wholly on the evidence of a little boy and girl, who
were in the house at the time, and who were clear as to the
identification of all the prisoners. Several witnesses were
produced to prove the good character of the prisoners, and the
Lord Chief Baron having briefly summed up the evidence,
the jury, after a short deliberation, returned • verdict of
Guilty.—Sentence deferred.
At half-put eleven o'clock the Lord Chief Justice took his
seat on the bench.
SENTENCE OF DEATH ON ANDREW DER.—The prisoner
Dea, convicted yesterday of the murder of Edmund Murphy,
was brought up for sentence. The calmness and apparent
unconcern so remarkably exhibited during the trial and after
conviction characterised the demeanour of the unfortunate
man throughout the still more trying and awful solemnity of
passing sentence. The face was much flushed, but otherwise
neither in feature nor voice was there the slightest trace of
excitement observable. The cleric of the arraigns read the
record of conviction, and then put the usual question if the
prisoner had anything to say why sentence of death and
execution should not be passed on him according to law.—
The prisoner, after a considerable delay, and a repetition of
the question, replied," I ask mercy of your lordships all, for
my lather and mother's sake."—The judges then put on their
black caps, and
The Lord Chief Baron passed sentence as follows : Andrew
Dee, you have been found guilty of the awful crime of wilful
murder. It is dreadful to reflect upon the guilt into which
one so young as sou appear to be have fallen. The circum-
stances which led to the murder, as they appeared upon your
trial, show, that young as you are in years, you had full op-
portuuity of considering what you were about to do, and I
fear that it must be taken from all that appeared on your
trial that it was • transaction the result not only of delibe-
ration, but of a deliberation—a determination—formed some
time previous to the transaction which terminated in the
death of your victim. His lordship recapitulated the lead-
ing features of the transaction as they appeared on the
trial, and then proceeded Can it be pouibie to conceive an
act of atrocity more daring than this ? In the middle of
the day upon the public road— exposed to °beery*.
lion, you and your brother prepared to make this
murderous assault. Upon testimony clear beyond
the possibility of doubt you have been found guilty
by the jury. Your crime is one for which your life is a for-
feit to the laws of your country, and I hays to announce to
you that that life must be taken as • penalty for the life that
you have taken, and that upon this side the grave there re-
mains no hope for you. Let me then conjure you to spend
the short penod, that yet remains, in that repentance and in
those exercises of devotion which may obtain fur you that
forgiveness from God which you cannot obtain from the
laws. Turn your heart to that quarter whence mercy was
never denied, and take the benefit of that assistance which
will be afforded during your preparation for the dreadful
scene which awaits you after you shall have suffered the awful
sentence of the law. It now becomes my duty to pronounce
upon you that sentence. His lordship then pronounced
sentence of death in the usual form, fixing the day of etc
nation as Monday, Feb. 7.
John Collins was indicted and found guilty for highway
robbery. No feature of interest appeared in the course of
the trial.
Several ether cases of a like character were disposedo)
in all of which the prisoners were found guilty.
It is a remarkable feature in the present commission, and
one almost wholly unknown in the history of criminal pro-
ceedings in this county, that now the filth day has elapsed
without a single cue of acquittal, and that there has been
only one case in which the jury retired to their room to
consider the verdict.

Beaux, JAN. 9.
The special commission works on vigorously, and,
it is to be hoped, will produce the desired effect.
Stray ruffians, throughout the country, still carry on
the trade of intimidation, and even in the city of
Limerick, in the very presence of the authorithe, and
with the heavy sentences which the convicted had
brought upon their guilty deeds, still ringing in the
ears of the turbulent, an outrage was committed on an
artillery sergeant who was to give evidence in the
trial of Mr. Hill's murderers. But, generally, the
commission has had a tranquillising effect. The old
violence has died off, though the swell still continues.
The Limerick Chronicle states that there is no in-
validity in the sentence of Ryan, allusion to which
has been made. This is satisfactory, for the uncer-
taiuty of punishment, consequent on au appeal to the
twelve judges, would weaken the effect of the sen-
tence; crime, in fact, would hare a temporary
triumph over the law.
Ryan has been placed in a solitary cell, and
commended to the spiritual care of the prison
chaplain.
Bills of indictment are ready for the grand jury
to-morrow. On Monday the high commissioners
proceed to Ennis, from whence, after the period
allowed for Clare, they will again return to Limerick,
and complete the trials in which bills have been
found.
Preparations are going on in Nenagh for a visit
from the new tribunal. Mr. Kemmis, crown soli-
citor, is at present in that town, busy in framing in-
dictments.
Unusually heavy sentences have been passed at
several of the quarter sessions by the assistant bar-
risters. In Killarney 14 were sentenced to transpor-
tation, and in Galway the large number of 47 to
transportation for life. Serious larcenies were the
chief crimes in Galway. Serjeant Howley, who
deals with enormously weighty calendars, has one
especially weighty at present in the " City of Kings."
There are 150 crown prosecutions in Cashel.
The pecuniary consequences of the late act begin to
be appreciated by the rate-payers. A petition, very
numerously signed, has been presented to Lord SCOTLAND.
Clarendon from Roscommon, praying that the act EDINBURGH. JAN. 8.
might not be put in three, as an additional police-tax Another " navvie" riot has occurred at Stonehaven,
would not suit the circumstances of the farmers. where in addition to much destruction of property,
The Waterford guardians are pressing the rate- one if not two lives were sacrificed. Part of the ring-
payers to afford employment to the able-bodied deed- leaders had been lodged in gaol, from whence it was
Lute, under threats of out-door relief, which is now feared they might be released, and under this appre-
become necessary. To arrest the calamity, the rate- hcnsion a military detachment had been ordered from
payers arc invited immediately to adopt measures for Aberdeen (distant about 16 miles), but up to the
employment in their respective divisions. The plan latest accounts the soldiers had not arrived.
proposed is, that a number of labourers should be The discussion of the trigonometrical survey of
assigned to each landholder the proprietor paying Scotland has been revived. The county of Kincar-
one half and the occupier one half. This system dine has despatched a petition on the subject, of
works well in a neighbouring union, and dispenses which the following is a condensed version :
with the necessity of out-door relief. This national undertaking was commenced so long ago as
Dr. Maginn, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Derry, the year 1809, now nearly 40 years ago. It was Macon-
hsa addressed a second elaborate letter to Lord nutted during the three fol.owing years ; but was re.com.
Stanley. After painting Lords Brougham and menced in the year 1813. From that time to the year 1822,
Beaumont in colours more severe than truthful, Dr the work went en, but so slowly that its progress was hardly
Maginn justifies the theoryand practice of the conks- iiveerrce:ti.bldeneD. ninintrhtehyeefaorllircliingtre yzoaniz
was
ioth ia
gnfinw
pro-
sional at great length, citing modern and mediaeval- ceeded with ; but, out of the annual parliamentary grants
catholic and protestant-English and continental of 75.0001. for the survey of Greet Britain and Ireland, no
authorities with a learned exuberance. A third letter more than the small sum of 6,0001, was appropriated to-
will prove that both priests and people, " with the wards the surnvey4elif Scotlandu during each otased tothlotizofiollaownd-
exception of a few non-confessing murderers," do fine
their duty to society by the aid of the confessional. the „al
tn yerstenret.atlthaltBra3;e was comniiesnuled for three years' , M&lsing
sum during that time 30,0001. But although this
The Earl and Countess of Clarendon visited to-day sum was appropriated for the purposes of the Scottish
the water-colour exhibition of the Society of Irish survey, only a part of it, 14,0001., was actually expended,
Artists in College-street. the balance, it appears, having been applied to the
The parochial clergy of Dublin have adopted a pee surveyatioofn
OEII2-01and
r isFeuendlemrst Yeetei; hthavee fbeeremner
titian to parliament in favour of sanitary reform. They Pr. Prt
W these very limited and inadequate sums have
allege—as reasons for the extension of the content- been appropriated for the survey of Scot/and, the survey
plated measure to Dublin—the allocation of the poor of Ireland, although commenced after that of Scotland, has
in miserable rooms, bad sewerage, and an insufficient been completed at an expense of 750,0001, and a mum of not
supply of water,—facts too notorious to require EOM. less than 600,0001. has expended for the survey of
England. Under such circumstances it is not to be wou-
ment. The petition is numerously signed. dered at that the Scottish survey has made but little pro-
Mr. George Wyse, brother to Mr. Thomas Wyse, ens. Indeed, it may be said to have only commenced ;
late M.P. for Waterford, has been appointed to a feir, until the present year, it was confined to two counties,
police magistracy in our city. those of Wigton and Hirkcudbright,iand even during this
year, instead of being carried on in any of the important dis-
Yoevo IRELAND AND OLD.—An attempt was made this tricu of the country, its progress has been limited to a por-
week by the " Congregated Trades" of Limerick to effect a tion of one of the Western Isles—the Isle of Lewis—a Inca-
reconciliation between Conciliatien-hall and the confederates. lit', comparatively very unimportant in reference to the
For that purpose an interview was had with Mr. Smith national undertaking of a trigonometrical survey of Scot-
O'Brien. This hon. gentleman went over the whole dispute, land. These 6rcumscribed and dilatory proceeding+ become
and declared he would have no reconciliation till the Repeal the more vexatious at a time when agricultural improve-
Araveistion was dissolved, and the organisation remodelled. ment, especially draining under the late acts of parliament,
Pooa-chws.—Tun LABOUR MARKET.—Some days back which a complete trigonometrical survey would materially
I noticed in my communication an order issued by the Poor- facilitate, is so actively carried on ; and the loss of time is
law Commissioners to the guardians of the Union of Mul- not the only evil consequence, as no supervision, it is under.
linear, in which, permission having been given to the guar- ' stood, is exercised over the stations where the survey has
diens to administer out-door relief to the able-bodied, they , been commenced and abandoned, which must create great
suggest that it shall be in return for labour—the labour to be ; additional expense when the work shall be resumed after so
expended upon the breaking of stone. The latter part of long an interruption.
this order is manifestly suggested, as well in order to apply As indicationathat past calamities have not affected
to destitution a severe test, as that the labour market shall
not be interfered with. And the order, it has trsns ired, commercial interests in 1847 to the extent that might
was also intended to answer in the negative a suggestion have been anticipated, we have first to note that the
that able-bodied labourers receiving relief should be National Bank of Scotland has increased its dividend
employed in the cultivation of the land. The cont. from 6to 61 per cent., that the Edinburgh and Glair
rs will have to fight this plain question gow Bank is expected to make a similar ads
of economy, however, directly. For at a meeting of the
and lastly, that the customs revenue of Greenock
Board of Guardians in 'Nenagh on Thursday, a similar order 1846-7, and 8, have, ro-
of the Commissioners as that forwarded totdulliogar was for the years ending Jan. 5,
read, when it appeared from the minutes tha a represents- spectively, been 288,4151., 324,4771., and 407,0831.
tion of the " imurious effects" of employing the labourers Mr. Pacian's plan of road reform may now be called
relieved in stone-breaking was read, and also a reply from _ t fac..,,
esterday we mentioned that his townsmen
the commissioners, totally dissenting from that represents.-
tion. Upon this Mr. Sallies, a gentleman of respectable of the Cupar council had approved of it ; to-day we