The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-01 00:00:00

SERIOUS RIOTING IN iILKENA'Y.

On Monday a serious riot took place in Kilkenny, great
excitement prevailing between the friends of Messrs,
Devereux and Sullivan, the two candidates for the repro.
sentation. The _Kilkenny Moderator says : —Throughout
the day voters from the Liberties were -being brought in
for the purpose of giving their adhesion to the candidates at
their r-snective committee rooms, which, being situated in
close proximity, was a cause of
.keeping up perpetual
excitement and elatnour amongst the crowds of ,gutter
agents who guarded the doors and approaches on either
hand. However, during the forenoon no demonstration of
actual violence was made, and it was not till near one
o'clock that the event occurred which ha I nearly led to
fatal results. It appears that 'the inhabitants of Upper
John street—or as they themselves love to designate their
region, " the Continent"—are unanimously in the Sullivan
interest. A gratuitous distribution of four gallons of
whiskey is said to have taken place amongst them in
honour of the approaching. election ; but be this-as it
may, whether they were treated by others or, treated
themselves too freely to the alcohol, a number of the
J din street men in a very unequivocal state of excited
1 and exuberant spirits crossed the bridge in a body of some
twenty men, half of whom were armed with very
suggestive looking " alpeans," and paraded, through
Ross inn street and High street to Coal market, shouting
loudly and defiantly. Mr. Smith wick's men sallied out in
force from the brewery, armed with malt shovels and such
like fearful weapovs, and the opposing parties immediately
met in a most determined and deadly encounter, in
which neither mercy nor quarter was given on
either hand ; t John street men, however, were
unable to mak. more than a momentary stand
against such a terrific and overwhelming
onslaught, and they soon broke and took to flight,
streaming with blOod and covered with bruises, and hotly
pursued for some distance by their vanquishers. One of
the Continent force, a shoemaker, named Comerford,
received a blow on the head which raptured the temporal
artery, and the blood gushed from the wound so fast that
in a few moments he was literally covered with gore ; he
was conveyed to the county infirmary, where he received
immediate medical assistance. On the other hand a young
man in Mr. Smithwick's employ, named Neary, residing
in Canice's well street, was struck down—it is said by a
blow of a malt shovel inflicted on him in a mistake by
one of his own friends—and rendered senseless for a times
giving rise to the impression that he was dead. He soon,
however, was restored to animation.

PAPER MANUFACTURE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
According to a Parlamentary return, moved for by Mr..
Milner Gibson, before the dissolution, of the number of
paper mills at work in the United Kingdom, in every year
from 1836 to 1856 inclusive, it appears that in every year
during that period there has been a gradual and progressive
decrease in the number of manufactories at work in
England, Wales, and Ireland. The number in Scotland
shows a slight increase. In 1838, there were 416 mills at
work in England and \Vales, 60 in Ireland, and 49 in
Scotland ; in all 525. After the lapse of ten years, the
numbers were—in 1848, 354 in England and Wales, 49 in
Scotland, and 44 in Ireland—total, 147; showinga decrease
of 76. In 1856, the numbers were, in England and Wales,
3'4 ; in Scotland, 51 ; and in Ireland, 28--total, 393 ;
showing a total decrease of 132, about one fourth of the
original number in 1838.
MERCHANTS' HALL.—Last night Mr. Vandenhoff gave
bis first reading or interpretation of Shakspere, front
" Hamlet." He was welcomed by every mark of respect
his great acquirements and high professional nerve
merited. The immortal page of Shakspere was rsTidered
by him as only one with Mr. Vandonhoff's cnaosvments
and attainments could render it, and that after a lifetime
devoted to it in studious thought and artistic expression.
It may seem strange the exnression " Interpreter of
Shakspere ;" but Mr. Vandenhoff is to Shakspere what
Shakspere is to nature. He is a grand living exponent of
the wondrous dramatic bard. All that is lofty and
profound in thought, and varied and universal in feeling,
is to be found in the verse of Avon's proeigy ; and it is
not so much the rule of art, as the congeniality of spirit
with the great original, for which Mr, Vandenhoff excels
all tragedian i ail the British stage, in delineating by tone,
and look, 111. it action, the innumerable beauties and
sublimities, emotions and passions, of the creations of th'e
world's dramatist. We trust our citizens will take
advantage of those readings, in true classic style, which
are interspersed with criticism, new, striking, and
impressive. The subject of Friday's reading is " Julius
Gear."—Glasgow Paper.