The Express.
London, England, 1847-06-09 00:00:00

IRELAND.

Keogh's
ATHLONE.--.otWit s ang r. " famous"
committee, with the Hon. Mr. Hancock at the head, the
present member—a long purse coming In aid of liberal prin-
ciples—will be the sitting member.
IDUDLIN GNIVEIWITY.—The friends of Messrs. Shaw and
Hamilton are stirring themielves aithin the walls, though
the principle of the " house list" does not tell there with
equal effect. It in likely Dr. Gifford will not "chow," not-
withstanding the " authority" of the Packet that so admir-
able a protestant and unswerving a conservative would evict
that most faithless of tory representatives, the recorder.
GALWAY City.—A London conservative paper says,
authoritatively, that the Solicitor-General will not contest
Galway. This may prove true in the contingency of his
promotion to the bench, but only in that, at present, impro-
bable
event. Mr. Monahan will stand for and be returned
for Galway without a contest.
Shtoo.—Mr. Somers is expected immediately to canvass
his constituents, ar.d with every prospect of brushing
through another parliament. The conservatives menace one
of the Wynne family, which possesses much local influence ;
but as yet the " ould member" looks like a walk ovir. Mr.
Somers is very popular with the Sligo folk.
TRALEE.—A Mr. Bateman, instigated by the county club,
once proposed a trial for supremacy with the present member.
The registry, however, seat aside all conservative pr.-ten sions.
Mr. O'Connell is quite certain of his election; and, if he
should withdraw from parliament, a liberal would decidedly
be elected.
SCOTLAND.

DI:IIBARTONSHIRE.—A recent report that Mr. &nollett
was to retire is unfounded.
EDINBCIIOII.—AII quiet. Sir Culling Smith to a certainty
will not again oonie f.rward, and Mr. Miall's standing is the ,
shadow of a " peradventure," his chance of success being of
the same consistency.
ELOIN Suaons.—Sir A. L. flay and Mr. Duff are busy
canvassing the different burghs, but their relative position
remains unaltered.
Gtaeoow.—All that yet can be said with any degree of
certainty is that Messrs. McGregor and Mastic will be put
up together, and that Messrs. Dennistoun and Dizon will
stand singly. That the conservatives will be onlookers it
were too much to say, as the broken state of the liberal ranks
presents a tempting opportunity for diversion.
ADDINGTON Buttons.—The liberals ere indignant at the
desertion of Lurd Melgand, and are casting about fora ntw
candidate, but have not yet succeeded in finding one.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Juwa Z.

The minute fragments of Irish faction are breaking
up into still smaller fractions. The " Council of the
Irish Confederation," with its half-a-dozen members,
is about to throw off a swarm of "three," to form the
centre of another grand party. The canoe of the die-
, sension is said to be the tone adopted by the Nation
on O'Connell's death. " If," say the fragments of the
frament, " your present panegyrics on Mr. O'Connell
be j gustified, then we cannot understand the reasons of
the secession. We have withdrawn from his allegi-
ance for the very faults in his conduct which you now
declare to have had no existence." Such are the
prospects and position of this " formidable" body, with
its vanity, presumption, and noise.
The accounts from the potato growing districts are
to-day of the most agreeable character, and are in-
deed such as to convince us that there can have been
little real ground for alarm up to the present time,
whatever may be in the future. The brown spotted
appearance on the leaves, so much dwelt upon, has
appeared in some districts, but it is an appearance
superinduced by the dry and harsh winds which very
generally prevailed until within the last fifteen or
sixteen days. An extensive cultivator related to
me a circumstance which may, perhaps, throw
some light upon the subject of this much talked
of potato blight. Two large farmers of Meath,
with whose names he acquainted me, are con-
signees each of a cargo of Imam corn, which
they hold at their own risk; and which have been
lying at our quays the last ten days. Now, those
gentlemen have been sedulously propagating a report
for several days, to the effect that the whole potato
crop in Meath is diseased, and must be valueless. He
informs me also that having returned from Meath not
later than Friday last, he can attest that the report is
utterly untrue, and that the crops of potatoes in that
county never were more promising. The papers from
the provinces, in other respects utterly barren, re-
ceived to-day, confirm what I have so frequently
stated as to the promise of the crops.

MONUMENT TO THE LATE Mit. O'Connett..—Requisi-
tions are pouring in from the several provinces of Ireland to
the Lord Mayor of Dublin, calling upon him to convene a
national meeting to take into consideration the most appro-
priate means by which the memory of O'Connell could lee
perpetuated in a monument. These requisitiots ate
extremely numerously signed, end by men of eV, peak,
more especially by the clam which being I;:ttral were not
adherents of the policy of the o,,,oeued. In coin.
pliance with these requisitions, the Lord Mayor has
called a meeting for the porno'," indicated, to assemble on
the day following that oit.nhich the cheecnies shall have
taken place. What the day will be is not yet ascertained,
Prevailing :pinion is, that the remains of the distin-
guished the
ni,t
i.d
iekder cannot possibly reach Ireland at an
earlier Per.od than the close of the month of July.
FB:surni ON RELIEF FUND6.—A circular has been issued
Foss the relief-office to the several inspecting officers which
Indicates the existence of shameful frauds. The relief com-
missioners state that various abuse. exist, " some involvin
a moat unjustifiable expenditure of the relief funds, amount-
ing to fraud ;" and others to "an abstraction of the food
provided as the resource of families that are entirely desti-
tute." The inspectors are recommended to endeavour So
fix the culpability on individuals, that they may be punished
or exposed, to presentee opinion gaining ground that such
practices acquire en impunity front being common in the

iOIIIy.
THE H 7
REPEAL ASSOCIATION.—Tiere wu a meeting of
Win body, to-day, in C, -ihation-hall, Alderman Delahunty,
Mr. Maurice O'Connell, M.P

of Waterford, in 'the chair. —r.
elde4 sen of Mr. O'Connell, deceased, and Mr. John
O'Connell, were present. The most important business

transacted was the reading of 'tetra documents, being ad•
dresses and resolutions from various bodies of the Roman
catholic clergy, from several corporations, and other public
bodies, proclaiming adhesion to the political conduct and
teachings of the Late Mr. O'Connell, and promising that
they would confide in his son, Mr. John O'Connell, as the
expounder of that conduct and policy. Mr. John O'Connell
received those testimonial with manifestations of deep &eller
and indications of extreme grief. After thanking the parties
for their sentiments, he stated that he would not presume to
accept of any leadenthip, but that, with the advantage of
his brother's (Anise' and experience, he would endeavour
to with in the paths his father would approve. it would
seem, therefore, from this, as well as from some expressions
of Mr. Maurice O'Connell, who undertook, as " head of
the family," to reply to an address of condolence to the
family, that the two brothers will, for the present at least,
assume to guide the movement of the repeaters. In this
course they will be assisted by a council of their father's ad-
herents. Already the funds of the association have been
placed in the guardianship of trustees, that of Aldermen
M'l.oghlin and Kahan. The rent acknowledged was nearly
501. The head-pacificator, Mr. Tom Steele, addressed the
meeting in a long speech, which was a kind of autobiography
of his own political life, and declared that it was his list ap-
pearance in Conciliation Hall, or at any public political
meeting. He said he was enthusiastically attached to Mr.
O'Connell during his life, and he was as deeply attached to
him in death. He would never forget the principles which
that great man instilled into his mind, but believing, as he
did, that Ireland had proved herself ungrateful to him—
that he fell a victim to that ingratitude—be (Mr. Steele)
would never again take part in teals politica. The
whole of the committee appeared to-day in deep
mourning, and many of the ladies present at the proceed-
ings wore mourning also.—Mr. O'Connell, in the course of
the proceedings, recd the following letter which he said had
been prepared for presentatioa to the Chief Secretary for
Ireland from the Roman Catholic members of parliament,
relative to the charge made by Captain Norris against the
Roman Catholic clergy of the diocese of Cashel:—" To the
Right Hon. the Chief Secretary fur Ireland.—Sir,—We, the
undersigned Catholic members of parliament, earnestly re-
quest of you to reconsider your determination in the case of
the attack made by Captain Norris upon the characters of a
large portion of the much-respected clergy of the Catholic
archdiocese of Cashel. You have not made public his ex-
planation, on which you hold him exculpated. We, there-
fore, who venerate our clergy, and must feel es an insult to
ourselves any attack or slight thrown upon them, have no
means of judging if the reparation be sufficient. And declining
altogether to enter into particulars, you, to use the words of
the remonstrance of the Cashel clergy, ' take on yourself to
say that the charges Captain Norris did make were partly
deserved.' You must pardon us for saying that this course
does not seem consistent with the commonest fair play. If
the charges were not to be established, they should not have
beat made; as they have been made, it is due
to the respected parties assailed, clergymen held in
the highest veneration by their flocks, and by the
Catholic community generally, that they should be con-
fronted with their reckless accuser and given the opportunity
of vindicating themelves. If you persevere in refusing, we
are bound to say that you, in a manner, proclaim to the
Catholic people of Ireland that their clergy may be insulted
with impunity by every petty official ; and that no redress,
but on the contrary, an adoption of the insult, is to be ex-
, ported from the government —We are, sir, your very obe•
dient servants."

SCOTLAND.
EDINBURGH, Jules 7.
With the sermons of yesterday the funeral obse-
quies of Dr. Claimers may be said to have cloned.
Public ilisoonrses were dehvered in the hall of the
'free Church Assembly, at Morningside, where the
doctor was a member, and at the West Port Cowgate,
which was his last and favourite experiment in church
extension. In the other free churches, in almost all
the dissenting places of worship, and in many of
those of the establishment, his death was the sole or
leading theme of pulpit disquisition. The mourning
habiliments of the inhabitants were as general as in
the case of a royal death. Various projects are on
foot regarding a monument to his memory, but except
a statue by Steel, for the new college, which was pre-
viously in preparation, none of them have taken any
definite shape.
Contradictory opinions arc prevalent here as to
whether the education minutes be or be not applicable
to Scotland ; and it would prevent confusion were an
authoritative declaration made on the subject. There
is also some cariosity to know the exact object of a
committee said to be appointed to inquire into the
state of the Scotch schoolmasters, and understood to
have been instituted on the motion of the Duke of

Bumleach.
The feeling in favour of national instead of paro-
chial assessment is gaining ground, especially in dis-
tricts where the local rates arc high. At an inter-
view which the Provost of Paisley had with Sir G.
Grey, the latter declined giving any remedy for the
unequal taxation system prevailing in Paisley, on the
ground that isolated peculiarities should be included
in some general scheme of revision. At a late elec-
tion of sub-inspectors for Glasgow fifty-six candi-
dates came forward for three vacancies, curiously
showing that the danger of casualty from fever is not
reckoned higher than the advantage of settled income.

THE TITLE OF LORD PROVOBT.—The Court of Seihion
(says the Aberdeen Herald) have recently perpetrated
a solemn piece of trilling. In an action, arising out
of the deed constituting the Milne Bequest, the Pro-
vast of Aberdien, aa one of the trustees, was designated in '
the pleadings " Lord Provost." This title was objected
to by the Lord Justice Clerk, and, on bin wiggestion, the in-
terlocutor in the COW commenced by gravely pronouncing
that " The lords having considered thin reclaiming note, in
which the said Thomas Blaikie is designed as • Lord Provos.
of the city of Aberdeen,' ordain that the word ' lord' be
delete in the process copy of the said reclaiming note, and in
the littler papers in this saute."—We believe that the only
"lordly " provosts in Scotland are those in Edinburgh, Glas-
gow, and Perth. The last city had a sore battle to fight be-
fore it could establish its right ; but some old chart:r ren-
dered it indisputable.