The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-08 00:00:00

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

Outrages on property and person continue throughout the
south, though, happily, to-day the personal violence recorded
has not in any inst time terminated in loos of life. The
County bears its crop of these criminalities. A few
la,y• Lo pas Ly ..f .1.1•• ....-...ppusred brfOre
the residences of several gentlemen near Shinrone, in this
county, and demanded food or work. Amongst other per-
sons thus visited was Mr. French, of Caergort Park, an active
and improving landholder. He assured them he had as
many men employed as he could find work for, but he stated
he would endeavour to obtain admission for them into the
workhouse at the next meeting of the board. The men
were not satisfied at this, and proceeded to drive away thirty
of his sheep. A party of the police pursued them and they
abandoned the property. The drainage of the river Brusna,
in this county, which has been stopped by the recent freshes
has thrown a great many labourers out of employment. The
practice of sheep stealing, the local journal states, is very pre-
valent in many parts of this county. Arrests of accused and
suspected persons are frequent, and the gaol of the county
contains 94 prisoners.
In Limerick the same state of things continues. There
are two cases of conspiracy to murder mentioned in the
Limerick Chronicle. One was discovered by the ruffian
who was paid to commit the assassination—the fee was to
have been 31. 10s.—but who denounced the parties to a
magistrate, of course for a further fee. The intended victim
was a Mr. Boland, residing in Clare. to the second case
mentioned—that of Mr. Congreve, of Mount Congreve,
Waterford—he escaped, by withstanding an inducement
held out to him to place himself within r:ach of the assas-
sins. The arrests proceed with great rapidity, and while the
commission is proceeding, parties are being made amenable for
murder and other crimes. Two men have been arrested
in Limerick charged with the murder of Mr. Watson, who
was beaten to death sonic time since near Killaloe. Two
persons named Madden have been arrested for the robbery
of Mr. Coffey, payulerk. Meantime, the social duties are
not all in abeyance while justice is attended to, for the
Knight of Glin is employing 300 men daily under the land
improvement act in Limerick county; and in Clare, near the
city of Limerick, one gentleman has applied for 15,0001.,
under the same act, while the Board of Works has under-
taken to complete the works on the road between that city
and Ennis. The Limerick papers mention the cue of a mer-
cantile concern in Limerick which paid 3001. a year rent, now
let at 1501. a year without fine. There were shipped from
that port last week 14,300 quarters of oats and 8,880 guar-
ten Indian corn imported tar home consumption. A letter
in the Limerick paper announces that " the boys " are
piling their arms and transmitting them from the proclaimed
districts to friends in those places not under. the provisions
of the life preservation act.

SCOTLAND.

EDINBCROH, JAN. 6.

The following is a correct statement of the changes
consequent on the death of Sheriff Speirs. Mr. J.
Thomson Gordon becomes Sheriff of Edinburgh, Mr.
A. Davidson, Sheriff of Kincardine, is to succeed Mr.
cordon as Sheriff of Aberdeen, while Mr. J.Craufurd,
now an advocate-depute, is to be appointed Sheriff of
Kincardine.

A " navvie" riot, of rather formidable character, has
taken place at West Calder. The operations of the
Caledonian Railway, in that neighbourhood, having
been completed, an extensive discharge of workmen
took place, but, before leaving, the Irish portion re-
solved on inflicting punishment on the English and
Scottish labourers in the village. Accordingly the
belligerents, to the number of between 300 and 400,
entered West Calder and attacked the inhabitants in-
discriminately, but the latter, accustomed of late to
guerilla warfare, confronted the invaders, and
although with the aid of friendly " navvies," the de-
fensive was only half of the opposing force, the
assailants were repelled, and retired with the view of
renewing the charge at night, with a reinforcement
of the undischarged, who would then be off work.
But in the interim a detachment of cavalry was pro-
cured from Edinburgh, and peace restored.
Some controversy has been excited in the north
about Lord Ward's refusal of free church sites. As
extenuating his ordehip's conduct, one party asserts
that " there are only SI free adherents on his pro-
perty." Another rejoins that " when the established
clergyman last preached at Glengarry, his audience,
including all the elders and schoolmasters, amounted
only to 13." It is also stated, in a letter to the
Inverness Courier, that " the Rev. Mr. Chisholm
(Roman catholic) has frequently made application for
a site whereon to build a chapel for the convenience
of his flock in Glengarry, bat his exertions on this
bead have proved hitherto as unsuccessful as those of
the free-church missionary." The town council of
Perth have, by a majority of 14 to 4, resolved to peti-
tion parliament in favour of granting sites. At the
last meeting of the free presbytery of Edinburgh
notice was given of the following overture :

‘• It is humbly overtured by the Presbytery of Edinburgh
that the General Assembly while prosecuting her own educa-
tion scheme, shall use every effort to render u efficient and
as generally available as possible, the existing public provi-
sion for education in Scotland, whether in colleges or schools,
by endeavouring to procure the amendment or abolition of
those acts of parliament which, In consequence of a:perver-
Rion of their original design, are understood to give an exclu-
sive control over the colleges and parish schools of Scotland
to the existing church establishment; as also to secure such
other reforms of the existing system, especially in regard to
the branches taught, the mode of appointing teachers, and
their suitable remuneration and government, as are not only
proper is themselves, but manifestly required by the altered
circumstances of the counll7."
The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce has agreed
to petition for road reform. It was stated in the
course of the discussion, that one miller in the imme-
diate vicinity of Edinburgh paid 130/. a year for tolls
on corn sent for grinding. 800,000/. per annum was
also stated as the expenses of toll collection in Eng-
land and Wales. The chamber further resolved to
take vigorous steps for equal privileges with Glasgow
in regard to the post transmission from the west of
England, Glasgow being 24 hours earlier than Edin-
burgh. The lesser postal exigencies of the capital is
the reason assigned for this differential accommoda-
tion,
_but from returns obtained it has been ascer-
tained that about 12,000 'more letters per month are
delivered in Edinburgh than Glasgow, but how the two
places stand in regard to intercourse with the west of
England has not been stated.

PROFESSOR SYME.—A public dinner is to be given to this
gentleman on the 4th of February, on the occasion of his
leaving Edinburgh for London. The chairman and croupier
are to be the presidents of the colleges of physicians and
surgeons.
MELANCHOLY DEATH.-011 Friday evening a young
woman residing in Charleston, Paisley, had dressed herself
for a bail, and was iu readiness, waiting the arrival of her
partner, when her mother wanted some member of the fa-
mily to go out on an errand. The young woman, notwith-
standing the entreaties of her friends, persisted in going,
and she was heard exclaiming, as she kit the house, that
she would be back in time to go with her lover to the ball.
The young man arrived, but waited in vain for her, and after
waiting for about an hour he left the house under the im-
pression that he had been deceived. All this time the pa-
rents of the young woman were in ■ state of considerable
anxiety, which waspainfully increased u the morning broke
without any intelligence of her. It occurred to some of the
friends, who by thu time had assembled, that, is her hurry
she might have taken a shorter road along the banks of the
Glasgow, Paisley, and Johnstone Canal, and the night being
dark, might have fallen into the water. Search was ac-
cordingly made in the canal, where the body of the unfor-
tunate young woman was found.

late a commission aent, at Manchester and Rochdale, but
who is a native of liradford, was charged with having, at
various times, forged bills of exchange.—Mr. J. Greenhalgh,
tinplate-worker, Drake-street, Rochdale, deposed, that in
the former put a the last year the prisoner called at his
shop, and ordered four cisterns to be made for his master,
who kept some chemical works, at Wakefield, and whose
name he represented to be Mr. John Fcarne Gee. The
order was completed at the latter end of March, and on the
9th of April Mr. Greenhalgh sent his account, which
amounted to 201. 3.. ; it was sent to Mr. Gee, at Wake-
field. On the 12th of April the prisoner called at Mr. Green-
balgh's house, and presented a bill of exchange, bearing
date 26th January, 1817, drawn by John Sedgwick, Bristol;
upon William Paamore, commission agent, fnr 281. 145.,
payable three mouths alter date, at Cuuliffe, Brooks, and
Co., bankers, London, bearing the st ye ral endorsements,
John Sedgewick, Bristol ; William Marsden, corn dealer,
Manchester ; J. F. Gee, and others, which he offered as pay-
ment for the cisterns, out of which he would want el. lle.
Mr. Greechslgh said he would rather be paid in Bank of
England notes; however, on loekiog over the names on the
bill, he observed William Marsden, Manchester, written
with red ink. The prisoner representt d him to be one of the
family of Marsden+, form: rly of Littleborongh, and to be
the person who married Mr. Hoyle's daughter, corn dealer,
Rochdale, and on that account he took the bill, paid the
difference, U. I is., allowing 3s. fur discount. The bill was
afterwards returned as bong a bad one, and Greenhalah
had paid the amount far it to the District Bank.—Mr.
Marsden, of Manchester, corn. deahr' being sworn,
said he had not signed the bill, the name was
not his handwriting, and he had never seen it until
the 20111 of Dr:ember last, when Mr. Greenhalgh pre-
sented it to him in Manchester. Mr. J. F. Ore, of
Wakefield, engaged the prisoner to he hie agent in Lanca-
shire, in September, 1848. He then resided in Rochdale,
but in January, 1847, he went to reside in Fog-lane, London-
road, Manchester, whore he confirmed for a short time, and
then absconded.—Mr. It 'bees, of the firm of Helgate and
Roberts, solicitors, said he had several tharges of a similar
nature against the prisoner, made by respectabie persons. It
appeared Mr. Roberts was not fully prepared to go into them,
sod the affair dropped fur the present.—Mr. Hunt, solicitor
defended the prisoner, and complained bitterly of parties
ioterfering.—After the durcesitions had been read over the
prisoner was folly committed for trial at the next
assizes.—Mr. Hunt said be should not apply for bail
fur the prisoner's appearance, because it had been
refused when he we; committed a fortnight ago.—
On particular inquiry, our reporter ands that the prisoner,
William Lonobottorn, bee tinged bills during the last e.ghtetni
months, on his late • mpl-sycra at Wakefield, to the amount
of 5001.; also paid Mr. Gee 19 forged bine, amounting to
1,2261. Its. Respectafie tradesmen at Cirencester, Glouces-
tershire, Bradford, Hochilsle, Manchester, and other pieces,
have also received hills from him, to a very lar.,e amount.
It is generally thought he was intending to abscond, but on
the lit of May last he (the pranuer) fell nut of his pig, and
sou so injured, that ho was taken to the Manchester In-
firmary; alter that he lett, and a reward was offered by
various tradesmen for his apprehinvion. He was first ap-
prehended at Bing] v, near tiretford, m Sepensher last, and
was committed to lerk assizes for trial. At the assizes he
was discharged, owing to a mistake in the dyne/hi seas or
indictment. It is said that there are about twenty other
charges to be brought against him.

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