The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-09-27 00:00:00

visicidity

It has been averred over and over again, that
Ireland's worst miseries are of her own creating.
And surely none not wilfully blind to facts of
periodical occurrence will impugn the nature of the
testimony. There are certain inflammable ele-
ments cognate with Irish nationality, which, how-
ever they may seem to smoulder for a while, only
require the gentlest breath of Bigotry to provoke
into a terrible conflagration. Of this we have
lately been furnished with a melancholy example.
We allude to the dreadful riot which occurred in
Lisburn on the night of Thursday last. An ac-
count of which mid& was supplied by our Dublin
Correspondent yesterday.
In good truth, it would seem as if Ireland's re-
peated warnings and bitter chastisements went
for nothing. The same narrow-minded prejudices—
the same petty animosities—the same detestable
politico-religious feuds, which for so long a period
have desolated and cursed her soil, again and again
manifest themselves in all their hideous deformity
and pristine horrors. Suffering, generally speak-
ing, has a beneficial tendency upon nations as
well as upon individuals. It unites the unfortu-
nate with the golden bond of sympathy, and softens
down asperities unaffected by aught else. " Miseris
sucurere disco," was the saying of one who had expe-
rienced, in his own person, its wholesome and
salutary teachings. But, unhappily, Ireland ap-
pears to be without the pale of its influence. She
stands as an isolated exception to all other coun-
tries on the face of the earth, of the omnipotent
sway Bigotry exercises over every sentiment of
nationality, patriotism, and religion.
When diseases are chronic, or when they interfere
with the vital organs, the remedy becomes more
difficult to effect, and the recovery less hopeful. We
should be sorry, however, to pronounce Irish evils
incurable. On the contrary, we do think that, with
an extensive and efficient system of Education, old
prejudices may, in time, be destroyed, and new ideas
become ingrafted in their stead, which would ulti-
mately work the regeneration of that country.
As it is, PANDORA'S box of evils have found a con-
genial resting place on Irish soil—but perhaps
HOPE, which is said to have remained at the bot-
tom of her casket, may operate as a counteracting
agent—and that Ireland may, ere long, like the
bird of fable, rise triumphantly from her long
prostration, ere the hearts of those regardful of
her interests sicken with despair.

THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, AND THE LATE STA-
TISTICAL CONFERENCE AT BRUSSELS.—III the pre-
sent complicated state of our relations with Russia,
and the intense interest which is felt in this coun-
try relative to the aggressive steps of that Power
against the independence of Turkey, a little in
cident, which oozed out during the proceedings of
the late statistical conference at Brussels, may not
be uninteresting. The straw thrown up in the
air is said to indicate the course of the tempest,
and many persons will infer from what we are
about to state that the governmental mind of Rus-
sia is so absorbed in schemes of conquest and ter-
ritorial aggrandizement, that the peaceful pursuits
of statistical science have ceased to possess charms
for it, and that so far as the Autocrat is concerned,
rather than encourage statistical science in his ex-
tensive dominions, he is ready, when he has ar-
ranged other and more important matters to his
own satisfaction, to avail himself of the knowledge
acquired by the labours of others, at the smallest
possible cost. There were 26 governments re-
presented at the conference at Brussels, com-
prising, the leading ones of Europe and America.
The representative of each government gave a
,description of the manner in which the statiratie_st of
his country were made up. Russia was not repre-
sented, and the absence of a representative for that
country formed the subject of conversation, and it
was elicited that a letter had been received from
the Russian government on the subject. This
excited an interest to ascertain the nature of the
contents, but a feeling of contempt soon occupied
the place of the former, when it became generally
known that the letter announced, that the statistics
of the Russian Empire were taken by, and for the
government; that they were not cognizant of any
defect in the present system in operation, and con-
cequently, they had no need to send a representa-
tive to Brussels. The letter, however, significantly
added, " that if, in the course of time, a defect was
experienced in the present system, nothing would
hinder the government afterwards purchasing a copy
of the proceedings of the conference." So much for
the desire of Russia to promote civilization and
science.

DEATH BY DROWNING.-013 Sunday morning
about 9 o'clock, a police officer on duty at the Brunswick
Quay, saw a watchman named John Walker, struggling in
the water, close by a boat from which he seemed to have
fallen. The officer ran to his assistance, and succeeded in
getting Walker out of the dock, and had him conveyed to
the Southern Hospital, but when he reached that Institution,
he was found to be dead. The deceased was the sexton of
the Scotch kirk, in Mount Pleasant and was much respected
for his sobriety and general good conduct.

HORRIBLE-DEATH.—On the evening of Thursday
last, an accident of a horrible nature, which resulted in the
death of a young woman named Anne Grant, occurred at
No. 1, Houghton-street, a house of ill fame. During
Thursday Miss Grant appears to have been drinking some
wine, and about nine o'clock she went up stairs for.the pur-
pose of dressing, but in a few minutes afterwards came
rushing down stairs, screaming in the most alarming manner.
Startled by her cries, some of the inmates of the house
rushed out of the parlour, and beheld the unfortunate woman
at the bottom of the stairs enveloped in flames. She had no
dress on ; but her underclothes were in a blaze, the rapidity
with which she descended the stairs causing them to burn
with such fury, that when assistance was available,, every
thing had fallen a prey to the flames, except the bands of
the several articles of dress, which fastened close to the body.
The unfortunate woman's body was found to be severely
burned. A rug was at once thrown over her, and medical
assistance called in. The burns were dressed with oil, and
covered over with wool, and she was removed the infirmary,
where she died on Sunday evening. Before her death, in
reply to a question as to how her clothes took fire, she said
she was arranging her hair, and whilst doing so she stood
on some lucifer matches which were on the ground. One.of
those she supposed to have ignited and set some of her under.,
clothes on fire ; and the first intimation of danger she had
was when she saw the reflection in the looking-glass of the
flames creeping up her dress behind. The 111,-fated woman
was,inler 21st year.

ACClDENTS.—Yesterday morning Thomas Clancy,
passenger in the emigrant ship " Evan," bound for New
York, and lying in Fiupkisson's Dock, fell from the deck
into the hold of the vessel, thereby causing a concussion of
the brain, and fractured ribs. Thomas Wilson passenger on
board the Commodore steamer, when she was entering the
river on her voyage from Glasgow, on Sunday eveningit
during the gale, sustained a compound fracture of the leg,
by the slipping of some casks of oil. Edward Roche, 30,
Court Maguire-street, Ship-carpenter, working in Sand
Engraving Dock, yesterday afternoon, fell off the stage, into
the dock, thereby sustaining a fracture of his thigh, and a
compound fracture of the arm. Peter Kelly, Brook-street,
same afternoon, while drunk and fighting, was knocked
down and fractured his leg. Yesterday afternoon, John
Connor, I, Sand-street, labourer on board the Steamer
Telegraph, Nelson Dock, while carrying a sack of
flour, fell off the stage into the dock, and fractured his leg.
Yesterday evening, William Dickson, Ship-joiner, working
in Prince's Dock, fell into the hold of a ship. Yesterday
afternoon, Robert Walsh, Seaman, American Ship, Ondyuee,
outward bound in the river, whilst working aloft, furling
sails, was struck by a man whose name did not transpire,
nick-named Scotty, with a marline spike, inflicting a severe
scalp wound. The Captain had this man sent in irons on
shore.

FIRE EXTRAORDINARY AT MANCHESTER.—On.
Sunday morning about four o'clock, information reached the
Town's yard, Clarenec-street, that a strong smell of fire
pervaded George-street, and the neighbourhood. ➢Tr. Rose,
superintendent of the fire brigade, immediately dispatched
several firemen for the purpose of ascertaining whence the
unwelcome smell proeeeded. After diligent search they, in
conjunction with a private watchman and the policeman
on the beat, discovered smoke mysteriously issuing from one
of the groves in St. James's church yard. On further
examination it turned out that some alterations were being
made in the church, and that there had been thrown upon
the grave a quantity of shavings, which in some way or
other eecame ignited. The rain which fell heavily at the
time soon extinguished the flames.