The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-30 00:00:00

IRELAND.

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Dentist, DLc. 29.
The subjoined particulars of an appalling ease of
shipwreck. which took plaw yesterday morning in
the Irish Channel, and which is still involved in
much mystery, are given in the Fretman of this
morning. It is to be feared, too, that there is some
truth in rumours thot hove reached us of other disas-
ters off this coast. The Freeman says:
14 accounts which here leeched Kingstown and Dublin
in the course of p sterday, we learn that a Martel sierra
raged iu the Irish Channel yesterday, continuirg to blow
with great violence until a late hour yesterday afternoon.
Rumours prevailed iv the city dutieg Tuesday of the total
loss of a large steamer off the Kish Dank, and we rectal
to have to state that the information we have t Mauled from
various sources tends rather to cenlirm these painful tidings.
It is at least certain that a large vessel, supoteem from her
peculiar rig to be a lirst-class screw steatite r, founders d at
sea yesterday morning between the hours of nine and ten
o'clock, and that all on board have perished, love some few
of the 'rata who were pi. Iced up from amongst the fl toting
spars of the wreck by • Dublin fishing bout (Trawler A.
No. 2). The Times screw steamer arrived last afternoon,
baying had to put back, and bear up fur Dublin, whilst
•on her passage from this port to Liverpool. Tile Times
i had progressed on her voyage over so tar as to be within
' about eight milts cif Ilulylieud, and enc,..hrering heavy
weather and a high sea, when a wave muck her, causing
serious damage to her machinery, tee erns of one of the
wheels of her engines betng broken. Fortunately the etssel
had yet • good offing, and the gale blew from a point suffi-
ciently to the eastward to enable her to ile her course under
661111116 alone fee Dublin Bay. Whilst this vessel was re-
turning to Dublin the crew and passengers could obseree,
when about id miles to seaward of the Kish Light, the
wreck of 0 large vessel, apparently barque rigged, at • con-
siderable astanee, and driving under fort topsail and jib.
She wos soon alter lost eight ef, and the crew consider
that she must have foundered. the Prince steamer, erupt
Livetpool, left that port at hall-past 12 a.m.' on yesterday
olorniag, bound for Dublin; she encountered the full fury
of the gale, but beicg a noble Pete boat, and having great
item power, managed to make safe weather of tt, and
reached Kingstown ut half-poet two hod afternoon, basing
lost nearly four hours in endeavouring to afford assistance
to a sinking ship, which we suppose to hi the seine as that
seen by the crew ut the Times. The accounts which have
reached ua of the gallant, though unsuccessful, a Warts of
Captain Pearl, the commander of the Prince, and of his
mates and crew, to allurd assistance to the sink-
ing vessel are litglily to their credit. the etatemied given
by Captain Dearl 16 to the following t ffect At nine
o'clock, a.m., Weencedity meriting, we seemed it large
vessel, atiparentiy in distress, bevies her ensign flying, the
Bailey Light-house bum west by nor;h, distance al ut
20 mites. Un seeing the ship I gave orders to bear down to
her, and we steered in her direction, steaming at full speed.
We thus proceeded, fur about live minutes, when we saw the
ship fouuder before our eye,. In ten minutes more we
ftache-1 the spot where the vessel had guile down. Our
hosts had been all got ready fur lowering. The first boat
for Ineering was the waist boat on the larboard vide, she
a a life boat; hut, unfortunately, owing to the high sea
running, our lite beat struck the sponsor in lowering her,
and the plank clefs carted, from her stern post, whett she
filled, but still fleeted. Two teen out of the three that
were in her got on board again by the tackling—the
third went adrift. The starboard quarter bloat was then
attempted to be lowered, but, from the heavy sea, she
itroke 'up in Meets alongside. A fishing•trawler (A
No. 2) had borne down to the allot where some of toe
survivors were clinging to the floating spars of the ills
f ded vessel, and the crew of tics smack contrived to pick up
Some sin men. With deep regret that our efforts were un-
successful, we lay to in the no ighbourheod of the ft 'sting
spars lest any survivor might still remain, and, at length,
after a strict search, we made tot Kingstown harbour, which
we reached at hole-past two o'clock, etre." Captain Dead
states that from the great length of the sinking vessel, and
the distance of her masts from each other, be was led to
emaider her a large screw steamer, but he could see no
chimney. She had Peek before he could get sufficiently near
to examine her. The prevailing supposition was that the
foundered vessel was a screw steamer of large tonnage,
bound foreign, from one of the Scotch ports—that she was
struck by a heavy sea, and filled immediately. The men
saw. d from the wreck by the fishing smack have been con-
veyed onshore ; three out of the six arc said to have died
since from the effects of cold and exhaustion.

Letters have been received in Dublin from Wil-
liam Smith O'Brien, dated from New Norfolk, on
the 18th September, that is, three days later than
the date assigned for his escape, from which we may
conclude that that unfortunate gentleman's reported
escape was destitute of foundation.
The snow fell at intervals during yesterday, and
last night there was a severe frost. Several of the
country mails were late this morning, owing to the
depth of snow on the reads, or the slippery state of
the rails. The Be fast News Letter says:
During the night of Monday and morning sf yesterday
a very weighty and unexpected full of snow took place in
the northern part of the county. On Monday evening
there was no indication whatever of a change of weather
up to about eight o'clock, when a slight shower of snow
took place, which, however, seemed to be of little conse-
quence, and passed over in a abort Lime. In the morning
it had (alien to a deptli;iii some places, of live inches, and
rendered the roads so obstructive to conveyances that the
Derry mail was delayed considerably beyond its time, and
:1w Coleraine and Ballymena morning coach was more than
an hour and a half late in its arrival at the latter place.
The letter of sympathy addressed by Archbishop
M'Hale to the Archbishop of Friburg appears in
Latin and English in the Freeman's Journal. The
following is a specimen of the English version :
Nor is it a matter of surprise that we especially, born in
Ireland, and familiarised to trials trim cur cradles, should
look with a tort of kindred affection upon those intrepid
champions, who, lighting the good fight in the preservation
of theit faith, are neither conquered nor fatigued. Fur our
church in Ireland, after it bad acquired strength and vigour,
seems to share the lot, which the holy founder of the so-
ciety of Jesus appears to have desired for his children, when
he expressed his fears of prosperity rather than pets: cutioa.
Hence, perhaps, the singular and unwearied zeal of the one
and the other to preserve the ancient faith sincere and una-
dulterated. Hence on our threshing floor the good grain is
generally kept apart through those gusts of persecution by
which the challis bluwn away. Hence, too, those diseases are
unknown, or battle ed under the severe discipline of per-
secution, which are found to beset those who lanauisti in
case and indolence. And heirce, in fine, that amidst all its
calamities ou: troubled church is an utter stranger to that
must bitter bitterness of which the prophet assures us peace
is so often productive. Although the persecution has re-
lazed, it is still telt is, a variety of forms, but particularly
against the old catholic inhabitants, who often, from a ha-
tred of their religion, are forced into banishment from the
land of their fathers. The trials by which their faith is
proved are truly afflicting. But our consolation is derived
from a deep-seated confidence that Oud is faithful, who will
not suffer them to be tempted beyond their strength, but
will give them courage to surmount all those calamities.

VICEREGAL COURT.—Their Excellencies enter-
tained the fallowing at dinner at the Viceregal Lodge, on
Monday, the 26.6 :—The Countess (Dowager) ot Donough-
more, and Lady Katherine Hutchinson, the Earl and
Countt sa of Beefier, Mr. and Lady Fenny Lambert, Mr.
and Lady Virginia Sanders, Miss Julia Ponsonby, Mr.
Granville Vernon, M.P., Lord Eliot,',Dlejor Ponsonby, Mr.
Burton. Captain the Hon. Granville Eliot, Aide-de-Camp-
in Waiting.