The Express.
London, England, 1847-10-14 00:00:00

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

KTERVAN BOARD OF GUARDIAN6.—At the last meeting
of the board,Colonel Vandeleur in the chair, the following
memorial to Lad John Russell was adopted
That we approxb your lordship with the liveliest feeling., of ap-
prehension for the safety of our unfortunate poverty.crieken court.
in men during the ensuing year. That having learned by the fatal
het rt. rembng experience of last year, the absolute neceseity of making
a state provision for an apprehended famine, we implore of your lord-
ship not to leave the lives of millions of our countrymen depanaling on
mercantile caprice for subsistence. That we hold it to be the bounden
duty of a paternal fostering government to repudiate ad private In.
terated motives, and by a wise, prudent, protective policy to uphold the
principle admitted by all nations, that the safety of the people is the
first law. That we recorded our unequivocal onto'on thatall the money
in the imperial treasury is valuelese compared to the thousands of
lives lost in Ireland last year by starvation, that could have been
easily prevented by a liberal policy on the part of her Majosty's govern-
ment That if " Ireland" be consid ,real by your lordship whit British
statesmen assert it to be, " an integral portion of the British empire,"
we respectfully claim, as a matter of right, what our more fa-
voured fellow-aubjects, citizens of England, Waive, or Scot-
land would, under eircurnstautees like ours, Ina. upon
that supplies of food on a large and sufficient sale be
provided by the government to secure the lives of her Majesty's sub-
jects against a defklency of provision, or the exorbitant proem in-
sisted on by mercantile speculators. That the experience of last year
clearly demonstrates the imperial policy of " government non deter.
ference with mercantile speculators and =newer*, by the plain un-
deniable fact that unrelated speculation has effected ruin on both
speculater and consumers. That we implore of your lordship,
the head of her Majesty's government, to take a lesson front the me-
lancholy experience of last your in Iceland—no longer leave the In-
habitants of this devoted country depending on chance eubsistenee--
let not the never-to-he-forgotten scene of starvitiun and cruelty of
that memorable era, be renewed during the emitting year.
BELFAST, OCT. 9. RESISTANCE TO PuOR-RATES.
" Tobtxr DOWNSUIRE."—There is evidently hot work eat
out for the authorities of this part during the winter, in re-
ference to the collection of poor rater ; and, most certainly in
some cues, it appears as if the people had reason to feel op-
pressed. In the !Lumen union, which extends over a very
large tract of country, extending into the county of Down
nearly half way from Lurgen to Banbridge, and in the
county Armagh to Portadown, and round by &Igoe, pla-
cards have been issued by the guardians, under the direr.
Von of the commissioner,, requiring the exorbitant ran of
five shillings in the pound to be levied off certain districts,
for sustaining the out-door relief system. This enormous
per eeutage is peremptorily demanded from the Tullyli,h
electoral division, which comprises four of the poorest
townlands, and yet the most populous in the county
Down. The district referred to includes that of the famous
rendezvous for aotinnythingism, called the " Shane hill."
My correspondent, a most trustworthy and intelligent man
(Mr. William Anderson, of Gifford), writes to me, that " the
i few parties residing in the localities specified, who could pay
the rates alluded to, and who might be disposed to do so, dare
not, being held in terror by the proclamation of the redoubt-
able ' Tommy Downshire,' whose satellites would not scruple
to use the torch or the bullet against thou who might disobey
his orders." He draws a fearful picture of the poverty of
that district—a picture which I have personal means of
knowing not to be at all over-coloured. Tommy Downshire,
to whom reference is made, is a distinctive appellation for a
body of men, who either have, or conceive they have, griev-
ances to redress, and bean the same relation to the class that
Captain Rock does in the south, or Molly Maguire in the
west of Ireland. The extent to which resistance to the heavy
rata has gone in that quarter may be deduced from the fol-
lowing proclamation, of which my correspondent sends me a
copy ; it has ben posted throughout the division, and is
written in a good hand
Tommy Downahire.--Brethren,—Oppreseioa calls me once more
among you. Having heard of the dreadful high poor rates imposed
upon you, I warn you not to pay any more than led. in the pound.
Any man giving more, I will order him to be burned to the ground.
Let them go to the landlords for the rest. I will go through the
townlanda shortly. Be firm and nue, and I will mind what the land-
lords are doing when I come—Your treaty friend and brother,
Tors Y.—Dattal at stume-hill, Oct., IMP. ffid. Let no one dare to
tear this notice down.
The combination of which " Tommy " is chief his been
at work at various periods in that locality; at one time re-
sisting high rents, and at another insisting upon higher
wages for labour. In almost every cue when he has ap-
peared he has succeeded in his object, for be really bad jut
grounds for complaint. Whether he will coerce the govern-
. went remains to be soon, formidable though he is.
OPPOSITION TO Rerre.—The house of Mr. John Carson,
of Roakeran, county Fermanagh, has been maliciously
burned. Previous to this outrage Mr. Carson had suffered
a number of petty annoyances, hit windows having been

broken. his crops injured in the fi Id, and attempts made to
" hough" hi, cattle. The supposed cause of setting his house
in flames is, that a short time before, hi had seised and auc-
tioned some property for the payment of arrears of rent. It
appears from all acc-unto that, in the county Fermanagh,
Molly klaguire's influence u becoming paramount, fed that
the feeling of opposition w rents is spreading like lightning
through the county.

ACCIDENT tN TOE COUNTY LONOPOILD.—(FD7IO a pri-
vate letter dated on Sunday, the 10th inst.)—Yesterday we
had an awful ea lesion here near the lodge of New Castle.
Just as Mr. and Mrs. Harman were in their carriage, on
their way to Rockingham, a slate I house by the road side,
used as en office and a store for the men working on the
river, was blown to atoms. The walls, with the exception of
one gable, were torn from their foundation. The check
clerk, Mr. Richard !Sutler, was blown through the door,
and miserably scorched and cut. A man of the name of
Lones and his wife were also dreadfully hurt, and their
infant; but no lives lost. Poor Butler's clothes were
torn to rags. There were on the loft eighteen barrels of
gunpowder, containing twenty-five pounds each. Had it
Even placed on the grow d floor it is supposed that the
gamekeeper's lodge (a very pretty one) would have been de-
stroytd. It occurred about one o'clock. I heard the re-
port, and being accustomed to hear the blasting at the river
works said, "There goes a had shot—no officers." Mr.
H.'s steward told me he was standing at the hal, door of
New Castle House atter the carriage had rolled off, and
that he thought it was a door which had clapped. Drs.
M'Morris and Bracken were shortly after on the spot, and
Mr. Lewis, the house-steward, having supplied them with
oil and cotton wadding, the sufferers were immediately at-
tended to. How the accident recurred I cannot form an
opinion ; there was no staircase leading to the loft. They
put a band-!farrow against the wall when they wanted to
climb to the loft.