The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-27 00:00:00

O'DONOROE'S GREAT LECTURE.

A correspondent of the Philadelphia Sun, writing
from Baltimore, gives the following description of the
lecture delivered by Mr. O'Donohoe, the "celebrated
Irish exile."

"At about half-put wen o'clock. the Patriot, with a
committee of the Irish Benevolent and Social Society, en.
tend the hall amid cheers and applause, the Blues' Band
playing a beautiful Irish melody, in their accustomed ex-
Mien% manner. After the conclusion of the music, Mr. I
O'Donoltee was escorted (or rather led) to the rostrum by
James J. Lawn, E.q , President of the Web Immigrant
and Benevolent SocietT, auxther Mend holding Mr. 01).
up by the other arm. rhe exile is a stout man, about five
feet eight inches in height, of uncouth visage, with a
shock of fiery hair.
" Mr. Lawn introduedi him to the audience as ' P.
O'Domehee, keg., the Ilsoinguired Irish patriot sad err,
let* semped her Vim Dirmsn's Land.' Mr. O'Demeirse
Welled Ids lterrehe by swieedag that Mr. Lawn was the
man who had bat United him on his landing on the
abase of Asserts% sal esatisteed for about five minutes in
a strain of the seer asessmehal and sickening adorers
that was wee Vetersii to by seartal ears. After Ws he he-
gar his 'arum eseasseasieg with his trial is inglated and
transporters. to Yost Dienten's Land. He rereated the
hardships he sad his estarades endured, and erred so im-
pressed with the horrors he had undo that, me preaerve
himself from bating at their recoil Mid of
the table, steggering rather closer to the edge.:fildite plat-
form than was wished for by the sedienee mem' the
platform. Fier this time he commemeed • series of gyre-
, tiara with the table, now to the right, now to the left, now
backward, mew forward, so that every beholder was
insteatky impeessed with the feeliag and sensitive heart
that hest within his bore, at the same time that they
were domed with the elegance and chastener of his
laafiedfic
"Bat to return to the lecture. Mr. O'Douohoe asserted,
that, is his opinion, the Governor of Australia was a rascal,
and that be wee a (modesty prevents us going farther).
All the time his jargon was unmeaning and senseless, and
such ea estrageons defiance of decency was exhibited, that
an Mohnen arose from his site and eaclainsed—. Mr.
O'Demehes, you are the worst specimen of an Irishman 1
'Tot

a liar, you dirty blackguard villain,' exclaimed
Mr. OlDasoboo. This is not the first time I have been
iaternigered by hired British emissaries.'
"After calling Fraseis Meagher, Esq., • traitor, &e.,
Mr. Lawn advanced to the front of the stage, and remarked
to the 'indiums' that Mr. O'Donohoe was too much excited
for the lecture to proceed, and he hoped, therefore, that
they would quietly disperse, for the honour of the society.
Bat Mr. O'Dootfitso was not to be put off is that maser;
he emu there to spook, and was determined to have his
my oat, mad ' You are a liar, and a villain,
Le.,i=;Timgisege albs lowest Billinpgate order,
sad then the audience—' If the men won't hear
me, the gain w .' At this juncture, Mr. O'Brien an
odosr of the moiety, cams to the front and advised' the
audience to disperse quietly, and also to leave the vicinity
of the hall es sass as possible. All this time Mr. O'Donohoe
was abasing the president and officers of the society with
most bitter oaths, and the Blues' bead were requested to
play one of their meil-stirring strains, so as to drown his
voice, and pelmet the audience from having their ears
shocked by his blasphemies."

OUTRAGEOUS TAX ON FIRE POLlClES.—Notwith-
standing the manifest advantage and crying necessity for
protection against the evils which await alike upon the cot-
tog. and the place, sot one-half of the homes of Great
Britain are lamed at all. Considering the benefits de-
rived from this system, and the prompt restitution and re-
dress Abided by all insurance companies in eases of
this fast Is astounding as it is aeries!: ; and as
there is no principle of provident forethought
which ought to be more encouraged, so the go-
versant should foster the tendesey, sad rather give
• premium to the practice then impose as excessive
impost upos it. Instead of this, however, theta: levied on
fire insurance policies is just 200 per met. or Is. in the 1001. !
just double the charge of the (Ace which guarantees the
risk ! The impolicy of this fiscal impost is eo manifest, that
it needs no remark, further than this, that but for that in-
ordinate and extortionate levy, nearly every mansion and
cottage in the kingdom would be guarded against the dread
visitation. A million • year is doubtless an item not to be
lightly given up by a Chancellor of the Exchequer, but is
there no national loss in the destitution annually canoed by
the destruction of sainsured property 1 To tax provident
precaution is to tax virtue ; but to exact so inordinate an
amount as doable the charge made by offices for the 'bac-
lute risks is a cruelty and a crime. Seeing that the abate-
' meat of an tarravagant impost is invariably followed by en
increased revs... on that item—it would be wise as well as
beneficent (or the legislature at once to reduce the duty on
policies by at least one-half if not two-thirds: the increased
numbers, if not entirely rem ire the first year, would
soon make up the deficiency, and the extensive national
advantages resulting from a gvneralisel system of security
would more than repay the loss to the Exchequer.—The
Builder.

SELECTING A HORSE AT BUENOS ATRES.—The
neat morning we rode out before sunrise, and found the
horses collected in the middle of the plain—a drove of
about fourteen hundred, stallions, mares, and foals, all
together The owner was there ; and two of his men, by
riding round the bones, easily kept them together. They
did not attempt to break away, but now and then thirty sr
forty would rue round in a body disturbing the rest, and
mien* a cloud of dust. The owner said he did not know how
many he had, but that he hag a great many. These befog
all unbroken, non. of them would suit us, so he said that
he would have a small lot of good broken horses
driven in from another place. We returned to his house,
and in a abort time saw the horses approaching, looking at
a distance like a long black streak on the plain. There was
a good deal of mirage floating about, and sometimes they
appeared to be skirting a large lake; sAmetimes the plain
seemed bounded by steep cliffs, es fleeted in the water ; then
all would change again and vanish. At last the horses
arrived, and were driven into the corral. There were about
two hundred of them, mostly black and brown. We chose
three tall black horses, and they were soon lassoed and sent
to Buenos Ayres. Ihe cost, 51. each, was considered a high
prim —A S.Ulelsor's Tour Round Ow World.