The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-14 00:00:00

IRELAND.

D17131.TX. Maaca 13.
The accounts from the assizes corroborate the intel-
ligence we have been receiving about the utterly
suseralle state of the lower classes. In the Irish press
there is no journal so little prone to exaggeration as
Sander's News, and the nature of the calendar at
Tipperary, as deserilx by one of its correspondents, its
mournful in iti details :
Clonmsl, Saturday Evening.—Tice grand jury during the
day found a great number of bil t, bin 'linen all were for
arenas of a minor clue, and Judge Jackson proceeded to
dispose of those cases first, in order to clear the gaol, so much
over-crowded. If any one required to see the melancholy
petition to which the country is reduced, he would
find an index to it in the class of criminals that
crowded the dock. Hitherto almost every man brought
to the bar was decently if roughly clad, most of athletic
frames, and in rude health, and offences for the sake
of plunder were the exception, not the rule. On the
present occasion the contrast was a striking one—famine
tracing its outlines on the feature, of the accused, drawing
its converging furrows to the mouth, and giving to the roue-
tenamcs a kind of half idiotic, half I, offish expression. Tilers
was arraigned the whose head scarcely reached the
iron bar which the murderer had so often convulsively
grasped, es the jury were coming cut to deliver their verdict,
and that child who when asked said he did not know if he
had a father or a mother, was tried for stealing some toiling
article in order to convert It into food. Then came the mother
accused of robbing some straw to make a bed for her children,
who hcped to sleep away their hunger, or taking some po-
tatoes, which in happier years charity would have bestowed
without being asked for ; and in marked contrast to child-
hood, age was trembling between Ito weakness incident
to such a period of life, and the privations which they had
endured ; and the prisonhouse and the cell had, instead of
any tenon, bets me the object of attraction to those miser-
able creatures; it afforded them a supply of the food which
they wanted ; and in many inttauees the humanity of
the learned judge. in inflicting a light sentence, instead of
being regarded as a boon, was considered in the light of a
punishment. A number of persons pleaded guilty to haying
carried off the clothing which they got in the Cashel
workhouse; and William Dwyer, the spokesman, stated in
answer to questions from the court, that be did not get
enough to eat in the poorhouse, and that he much preferred
the gaol, tininess the food there was sufficient ; and a gentle-
man present added, that the shilikeepers were greatly
annoyed and injured by having thee windows broken by
the houselen and homeless vagrants wanting to be committed
foe any offence.
The Tuam Herald statea that Sir Thomas J. Burke,
barn, M.P ,of Marble Hill, is ill of fever. The same
journal al.o mentions that Mr. Dillon Browne is
about to ask for the Chltern Hundreds, and that the
vacant teat for Mayo will be contested by Metiers.
O. Higgins, and J. M. M.Donuell, of Doo Castle.
One of the most noticeable signs of the social revo-
lution now going on is the enormous quantity of
second-hand plate offered for tale at a very low figure
by the chief jewellers of this city. Never before was
so mu, h plate to be sold, end the price is extremely
low. For furniture and equipages of every kind, the
price at auc ions is ridiculously smalL At a sale of
various effects, a handsome state carriage, little used,
was litcly knocked down for 381.
There seems now to be a %cry general feeling in
the north in favour of the Mimes M'Vcagb, whose
courage was so unhandsomely denied for party pur-
poses. They have recently been presented with a
very handsome silver teapot, given to them by some
of their English admirers,. There is on the tea-pot a
short and suitable inscription, and on the lid is a
clamed representation of a gun and a bayonet meeting
at a point. It is a very remarkable fact that since
the resistance given 4 the Misses APVesgh there has
been a cessation of incendiary fires, jusaying the
remark of Chief Justice Bush, "that the shooting of
one assailmt in gallant self-defence has more effect
upon the ill-disposed than a dozen capitalexecations."
The Mail of last night ridteules the idea of Mr.
D:sraeli being a lit leader for the protectionists.
The honourable gentleman has very few supporters in
this country.
At the Limerick Assizes, the care of Mr. Stern;was
again gone into. It will be recollected that he was
tried before, for having adulterated io the year 1847
the Indian oorn, which he bad sold to one of the re-
lief committees in Limerick. On the firmer trial the
jury could not agree, and in the present instance they
have been locked up for some time without coming to
a verdict. Whatever their decision may be (if they
come to one) will be of considerable consequence.
The case has attracted much attention.

DIA= or COLONIL Silt ROBERT SKAW, BART,—The
Dublin &ening; Wail moor& the decease of the above
venerable baronet. He died on the night of the 10th, at his
seat, Bushy-park, In the county Dublin. in the 76th year of
his age. For more than half • century Sir Robert Shaw had
filled a useful place in public lire and society; he sat in
the Irish parliament; he had been returned by Lord Ely,
but when Lord Ely gave in his adherence to the measure of
the union, Sir Robert (than Mr.) Shaw resigned his seat,
purchased an independent one (continues our Irish authority)
for himself, and voted against the union. He represented
Dublin in the imperial parliament from 180! to 1826; and
for above 53 years constantly acted as a magistrate and
grand juror for the county of Dublin. He Is succeeded in
his title and principal estates by his eldest ann, Lisut
Robert Shaw ; and a portion of the county Dublin estates,
the propery of the late Lady Shaw, devolve on the Right
Hon. Frederick Shaw, as her second son.
A BAND DIABTLit FIRED AT.—Die band-master of the
Queen's Hussars was fir d at by one of the band boys, on
Saturday afternoon, in Dublin, after parade. The BIM prs-
videntially took no effect. The culprit is in custody await-
ing a court.martial.