The Express.
London, England, 1848-09-13 00:00:00

IRELAND.

Dennis, Szer.l2.
It appears that the loss to the depositors by the
default of the actuary of the Mallow Savings Bank
will be comparatively trifling. Tie whole of the de-
posits in this particular bank did not at any time
exceed 1,6001., and at the period of the defalcation
had diminished to 8501. or thereabout.. There is
1301. to the credit of the trustees in the Provincial
Bark, besides 141. interest, and the defaulter, Mr.
Mahony, has, it seems, some property valued at 5501.
or thereabouts. Thus the ultimate loss to the deposi-
tors, if the trustees are not liable, will be small.
Some anecdotes of the late sham rebellion now and
then creep out. One of them has recently here re-
lived, for which I believe there is some foundation.
Um er present circumstances I shall not mention names.
Soon after the "chiefs of the insurrection" h:id
reacned Slievenamon, one of them, who held a more
prominent position than the others, called to a subor-
dinate to prepare for special duty. "Go "
said he, " take four men with you, and
bring me in the judges. They shall be re-
tained as hostages." Four men !" said the
party addressed—your readers will recollect that
about this period the judges were concluding the
circuit—" why, sir, the judges travel under the pro-
tection of a troop of cavalry and some mounted con-
stabulary. Four men, sir, on such a service, would
be useless. Give me a hundred, and I'm off." " No,
no," said the first in command, " four will do; raise
the country as you go." To this it was objected that
raising the country would take time, whereas
rapidity was indispensable to such a move ;
and if " the country " were asked to engage
in such an act, the eclat of the action would
effectually prevent its accomplishment. Number
one, indignant that his orders should be questioned,
directed that number two should be at once placed in
arrest, and removed behind the next ditch, that " he
might be shot for insubordination." A recommenda-
tion was added, that " no unnecessary pain should be
inflicted." I need not add that number two yet lives,
and that that night and thence the judges slept in
peace. And these m n have been tor years the idols
of our people !
An intelligent and observant friend, who has just
returned from the south of Ireland, has communicated
to me the result of considerable investigation of the
circumstances of the country during a visit of ten
days to Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Waterford. And,
first, as respects the potato :and the loss of the
crop. The quantity of planting this year, he concurs
withall accounts, to have been very considerably over
an average, but he thinks very little beyond the plant-
ing of 1846, which was p Asps the largest ever made
before. But there is this difference—a most material
one when we oome to estimate the loss. In 1848 the
greater proportion of the planting was made by cot.
uer tenants on con-acre land. The blight of
that year, sad the results as well as the cir-
cumstances of 1847 have entirely removed that
class from the social ranks of Ireland. There has
been very little, if any, con-acre setting this year.
The small farmers have sown potatoes very largely—
so have the farmers holding more land, but not so the
, other tenants. The deduction from this circumstance
is that the logs of the potato crop this year will fall
upon a class comparatively better able to bear it—a
class which, in losing the potato, has not lost every-
thing. The farmers have realised good prices for the
last two years, and though the loss of the potato crop
in 1846 and 1847 has cramped their means to a con-
siderable extent, yet with some forbearance and con-
sideration from landlords in the collection
of rents, the case is far from hopeless.
As to the loss of the potato crop, my
informant estimates that in the three counties named
it has reached already to one-half the produce. The
ravages of the disease are by no means arrested.
Wheat is not a good crop, nor is tie grain of the
usual quality. By some unhappy choice a large
breadth of white, or Lemmas, wheat has been sown
this year, and but little steel or red wheat. In ordi-
nary years the cultivation of the latter exceeded the
former in the proportion of 4to 1. This white wheat
I. much more susceptible of injury from the efficts of
our variable climate. The red wheat has turned
out quite souk(' and good, and of the
ordinary quality and average yield. There
is another circumstance which will account to 'ours
extent for the absence of the usual return from the
wheat lands this year. It is found—at least all our
farmers are convinced of it —that wheat never produces
so largely in any soil as when sown after a p tato
crop Neither turnip land nor rape soil is supposed
to be at all equally adapted foe it. Now, there has
been very little wheat sown this year in potato roil,
for there was a very !tinkled extent of potato plant-
ing last year. A considerable breadth of wheat has
been sown on immured stubble land, and here there
is surely an intelligible cause for a light produce.
However, my friend states that he did not see is
his whole journey any wheat crop which he
would not sorely estimate at ei barrels to the Irish
acre. And six years since, before our agriculture
somewhat improved, this certainly would be deemed
a passable crop. As respects oats, the crop is healthy,
and will be above the average. Barley still better.
The green crops are excellent—a fact giatifying first
because of the loss on potatoes and wheat ; secondly,
because it will encourage the more general cultivation
of them. Thus you see, with considerate and mutual
good feeling between landlord and tenant, thingu are
nut so alarming as they would seem upon • leesclose
szumisatice.