The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-01 00:00:00

DUBLIN POIiCE.

The reign of haddock and herring has subsided, and the cheering
Easter, with all her train of enjoyments, has resumed her sway
over this religious metropolis. We know no season more pregnant
with happiness than Easter. Christmas has its delights, it must be
confessed ; but we still feel in the midst of its pleasures, the pre.
settee of the damp winter, and the chill certainty that it, cannot be
hastily concluded. Easter, on the contrary, comes like a harbinger
of happiness, midway in the delicious spring, turning from the
cold and dreary winter, and beckoning the coy summer to follow up
and complete the delights of the season over which she is called nn
to preside. Piscatory edibles are to be had below par; and the
Roman Catholic, emancipated from the thraldom of Lent, runs riot
in the richest articles of culinary delicacy. Scarcely have the city
bells announced the entrance of Easter, when pans and gridirons
are put in instant requisition ; the morning air, seduced from its
primitive sweetness, is redolent of beef steaks, lamb chops, and the
gross though savory odour of the anti-Judaic rasher, and the once
prohibited egg; and the first quarter after the solemn midnight of
an Irish Easter Saturday, peeps like a busy intruder Into the domi.
eile of all sect*, classes, and creeds, and finds them united on the
main point, rite enjoyment of happiness and social harmony.
Easter should be. and generally is, a time of peace. It should be
so just now. Crime is on the decrease; the pleasure of breaking
the head of an old friend, has lost its raciness ; and Ali. O'Connell
is in Kerry, which makes Dublin proportionably tranquil. But
there are, as George Colman says,
" Choice spirits,
Who lose man's regular estate a sun
By borrowing too largely from the moon ;"

a race of men, reckless of times or seasons, who have entered into a
solemn compact with themselves, to set every thing like a regular
stile of living at defiance, and do the most curious things without
entertaining the slightest feeling as to the consequences. Amongst
this class, we are obliged, as true narrators, to mention a very ath-
letic man, named Blake, who, as the stars would have it, had taken
up his abode with aAI r. Hogan. a man of mere milk-and-water ha-
bits in point of disposition, and very different from his co-lodger,
who was of a seducing exterior, and a Connaught man ; and who
partook of his country's partiality for a row, or a frolic, a love affair,
or a duel, as the thing turned out. In fact, he was a perfect sala-
mander, and appeared not only to live in tire himself, but contrived
to keep every one also in a blaze, wherever he was content to abide.
Hogan, on the contrary, was peaceable and led a sedentary lite,
being a tailor by trade, and bad taken to himself a wife, in his
foolish days; a woman of pleasing exterior; and just that sort of
person who was calculated to catch the eye of Blake, who was a va-
letudinarian in thstlpartirular. Hogan did not like the aspect of
things, but the dread of Blake's pistols kept him in perpetual awe :
and he
Let concealment, like the worm i' the bud,
Feed on his pallid cheek.

Easter. Saturday however arrived. Blake, as he was wont, sallied
out for a booze ; and Hogan went to some congenial souls of his
own trade to indulge in a alight refection, after the toils of the
week, and the privations of the Lent. both parties, although
they went to different stations, had the same objects in view, and
it is but justice to add, that they succeeded to the summit of
weir wishes, in getting "comfortable," or rather the contrary,
as appeared in the sequel. Blake staggered home after a few
seuffies with the watch, and other municipal officers ; and not being
at all particular, he perhaps, through the force of habit, made his
way into the bed-ritoorn of Hogan, and very leisurely deposited his
body on the bed Mrs. 11. bring at the time enjoying a raking pot
of tea with a female neighbour, in an adjoining apartment.) Ho.
gin appeared a short time afterwards, his head full of intoxication,
his heart brimming with loyalty, and King William the only words
be could with any degree of proper intimation, get out through the
articulative aperture in the front of his constitutional countenance.
Ilia thoughts, however, still ran on Mr. Blake, and the internal
spirit of revenge, which somehow or other is implanted in our frail
natures, was bubbling up in the mental fountain of the tailor's die.
position. This was rather an unlucky period for Blake and Hogan
to come into contact; but so it was, and on the latter endeavouring
to.lodge his body on its accustomed depository,found to his amaze-
ment that by far the largest portion was pre-occupied by some
person whom he wisely conjectured could not be his spouse, as she
rarely went to rest with a hat and surtout, and had never to his
knowledge cherished a large pair of whiskers on her countenance.
All his supposed wrongs rushed to his recollection—he thought of
Blake and his conduct, and forgetful of the peaceful season, lie
dischargad hie double-list on the Os Trona: of the sleeping Con.
naughtman, who answered the assault by a voice ofa mixed nature,
wiroewhat partaking of a yelp, a cackle, and a howl, followed up
by a hug, after the manner of an accomplished bear, and a few
huts on the visage of the irritated tailor. Excessive pain
creates a tendency to tears, as philopophera cunningly say, and
often ten inclination to roar, as was demonstrated by the conduct of
the tailor, who possemel a stentorian voice in the compass of a
very small body, and in a short period his spouse, backed by a
strong body of watchmen, appeared in.toe apartment, where
they found Hogan half strangled, and his opponent half mad at
the ignominious treatment he had received from the tailor. In those
cases a settlatient, in the first instance, is out of the question,
and the usual consequet.te is an appeal to the offended laws of the
realm, This of course took place, and the result was, that as both
parties appeared to be in error, they should be mutually bound
over to keep the peace. We do presume that Ilocan might have
adhered to this rule. but some terrors were entertained as to the
other party militant, his blood not appearing to be at all cooled by
the night's confinement, and his salamander-like disposition dis-
closing its secrets in various oddities of expression, such as mutter-
ed curses, and more titan half expressed threats as to his future
treatment of the ill-fated tailor. Time, however, cures many sores,
and the parties ultimately 'hook bands, wisely considering that as
cash was scarce, the expense of hail bonds would be bettor employ-
ed on a regale, and they therefore retired to • neighbouring ale-
house to ofier up to Bacchus the sum which had been imposed upon
them Fur their devotion at the shrine of Halloos.

A barbarous attempt was made, on Sunday, to murder
the clerk. whose name is Dyes, at the parish church of Feacle,
county clue, while op his way to the village. A villain on the
road struck him repeated blows with a spade, knocked him tree) his
horse, and it is believed fractured hi, skull. The unfortunate man
had otfert.tl the liTt.Ch no provocation whatever.
On Wednesday night last, Alfred Furlong, Esq. of the
Cas.le, and the ElMard OcraitY• Mt,distratett• with a lea of
the constables, and 'a party of the 22d Regiment, under Id Him
Fleming; proceeded from Newcastle, county Limerick, to a Louse
• near the mountain of Romka, in which a number of persons were
amembled at a wake, 'where they succeede.l in apprehending James
Enright' who Is charged with being a principal in the murder of
M ichaellhtihane. at ltutiertatown, in the month of May kat. 'fists
man Ma. from that period, eluded the continued searches of the
Megawatts and polico.—"PrmisoreaJornotat.