The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-25 00:00:00

IRELAND.
...-

Letters from Ireland, of a very recent date, pre-
sent the state of that country in v must melancholy
point of view. Most of the farmers are ruined in
consequence of their land being hell at the war
rents, which, from the extreme low price of provi-
sions, they are wholly unable to pay. The Mowing
are the prices in the country markets:—Beef and
mutton, prime pieces, 3d. per pound; pork, 255. per
cwt.; butter, 31. 103. to 41. per cwt. ; potatoes, one
penny per stone; fowls, Is. per couple ; turkeys, 3s.
4d. per couple ; geese, .2s. (id per ditto; wheat, 245.
the barrel ; barley, 9s. 641. ; oats, 10s. ; hay, from
20.. to 21 s. per ton. To this must be added, that
several of the small fanners arc bound by their
leases to furnish to their landlords, when required,
a certain number of what are called " duty horses
and men ;" that is to say, to work gratis, and also
a stipulated number of duty fowls, turkeys, or geese,
or in lieu thereof, an adequate emnpensatimi of
money Another most iniquitous measure is, that
the Rector of the parish (generally speaking) will
not take their tithes at the low price of the corn,
and many unfortunate wretches have been compelled
to sell the whole produce of their little films in
order to satisfy the demands of the rapacious Tithe
Proctor.

Ou Friday night, the Bth inst. about the hour of
nine o'clock, as Mr. Armstrong, attorney, was pro-
ceeding in u gig, on his way (mule to 13e1turbct,
from Coven (having travelled from Dublin in the
day coach), he observed, on the bog road, between
Butler's Bridge and Anna, three or four armed
men at each side of the road, apparently in a kneel-
ing position, upon which Mr. Armstrong, not think-
ing it safe to approach them, immediately turned,
and drove back to Butler's Bridge, which was dis-
tant about a quarter of a mile, but not until a
number of shots were fired after him by the armed
banditti, who followed him a considerable distance
—none of which, we are happy to say, took effect.
This is the first instance we have to record of a
similar nature in this peaceable part of the country
for a number of years; and we can now only at-
tribute it to the distressed state of the poor, which
is most deplorable indeed.
On the night of Friday the Bth inst. a formidable
band of miscreants, upwards of sixty in number.
entered the vicinity of Kilbeggan, in the county of
Westmeath. There chanced to be billetted in that
place at the time, on their route fioni Dublin to
their quarters at Athlone, a division of the 55 t h
regiment, being apprised of this circumstance, those
audacious villains immediately forced into a house
in which were lodged sonic of the soldiers, whom,
having effectually surprised, they stripped of five
stand of arms, and instantly decamped. Such cots,
so disgraceful to civilized society, must solely ema-
nate from the veriest dregs of mankind.
On Sunday night the 10th inst. a murder was
committed at Erke, in the county of Kilkenny, and
near the residence of Juhn Marton, Esq. a number
of whose cattle were recently killed. Four men,
three of them carrying lighted candles, and the
thumb a hammer, but without any disguise, entered
the house of G. Brophy, tytha proctor, residing at
that place, whom they knocked on the head with
the hammer, and when down, fired into his body,
which closed his existence. '(hey next pillaged the
unfiirtunate man's house, burned his tythe books,
papers, dm. and then dispersed.

A few days ago a covey of partridges, seven in
number, were very closely pursued by a hawk, into
the brewhouse yard of Samuel Wells, Esq. ut Big-
gleswi,de, and flew with such violence against one
of the railings, that !Our ut them fell dead upon the
spot, and were picked up by the men at work in the
yard; the other three were so stunned as to be
unable to escape, and were ti.:.en by another person
at a few yards distance. Their voracious pursuer
made his escape uninjured
An awful event happened on Saturday, the 16th
instant, in Stamford. Mr. Win. Ashby, an emineut
saddler (some years ago resident at Boston), was
thrown from his horse in the street called Scotgate,
and killed on die spot. He anti his son tvere rhiing
out for u morning airing ; the horse which the father
rode was tt spirited animal, and had vezed the rider
by his mettlesome tricks : gallopping into the town,
he stumbled opposite the Green NI an public house,
and threw Mr. Ashby with such three us to fiacture
his scull in a dreadful manlier. The unforttnene
man, covered with blend, was immediately taken
into the public house, but never spoke, and died in
two minutes. Mr. Ashby was a very animated
politician. '1 he day on which he met with the final
accident was to have been one of festivity among his
party, and the deceased had ordered the bells to be
rung at eleven o'clock; ut nine, however, he was
awfully called into another world.
The sea is making much rapid cm:to:aliments at
the Eastern extremiiy at Brighton, that it has been
deemed necessary to call a Special Sessions of the
Commissioners of the town to devise some, mode to
prevent the futere de:truLtive et tile wale:.

GUERNSEY.—List summer a pedlar, known by
the name of Welsh Tom, while strolling on this
island picked up a piece of native copper ore ; the
casualty led to inquiry, and the result is, a discovery
of a productive mine of this valuable metal. The
piece of ore was left at a pot-house at St. Pierre, by
the wretched pedlar, who had fortunately scratched
On it, in ill-flamed characters, the words " Thomas
Roberts. The metal has been examined by a very
able chemist, who pronounces its specific gravity,
8.9999 to 1.0000, almost equal to Japan copper,and
when treated with the sulphuric acid, he finds 100
parts of the sulphate of copper produced, to contain
30 parts of copper, 22 of acid, and 28 parts of water
of crystalization.

Cstrrtost.—A fellow is travelling the country
defrauding tradesmen, innkeepers, and others, under
the following circumstances:—lle takes lodgings (or,
if near the metropolis, visits the town) fin. about a
week,during which time he makes himself acquainted
with those he may have a design on by purchasing
gamic, exchanging country hank notes, aw. and when
he suppost.s the parties sufficiently satisfied as to his
respectabili.y, h.; offers thcm a check on the house of
11'1141119re taunt Co. drawn by a man of the name of
Edward Smith B. It is his method to get about
half the change, with which he decamps, the check
not being worth a farthing. The above rascal is
about 5 acct 7 inches high, very stout, fair com-
plexion, about years of age ; wears a blue coitt,
yellow waLteoat, drab coloured pantaloons; calls
hims,:lf Mr. Fox, and pretend.; to be connected with
the house of Jones, Fox, and Co. bankers, Manches-
er. Ile is charged with felony. E. Smith, the
drawer of the check, is supposed to lire at Oxford.
High price of Butchers' lieut.—Great complaints
are made in the metropolis of the price of blucher's
meat, which is stated to be nearly as high as it was
five years ago, although the price of cattle, &c. has
been most materially reduced. The same complaints
are made with great reason in many parts of the
country. It is plain that the public are very little
benefitted by the 1411 in cattle; some graziers are
actually slaughtering their own beasts.
Fute.—Wednesday morning, about two o'clock,
a fire broke out in one of the houses adjacent to
Kensington Palace, adjoining to that in wnich Mr.
Sicard resides ; the flames were got under by the
arrival of the engines from London ; but the roots
of' two houses, that of Mr. Sicard's and the one
adjoining, were col pl,:tely destroyed.
A map has been received at the Admiralty of the
Coast o!' the Island diKovered by the Captain and
crew of a vessel driven in by a tremeadtms storm
to the South of Cape Florn. An immense number
of seals and porpoises lined the shores, but the man-
ners del nut land. and tile ves.el suffered match in
the gale. Intelligence having lieen coinmunirated
to Admiral *I the fact, he dispatched an
intelligent Lieutenant with a schooner, to make fur-
t r di,eoverics,witose report is waited fitr with much
anxiety, us it is not known whether this newly dis-
covered island is inhabited or nut.

On Friday last, Mr. Joseph Allemon, who died in
the Vith year of his age, in the Goldsmiths Com-
pany's alms houses at Acton, wits buried in Acton
clutch yard; he was thlbiwed to the grave by his
son and live daughters, and their husbands. On their
return home from the funeral they tinted his wife
(about the same age), who was in good health when
they went out, lying un her Led, and she died the
slime night.

Such has been the peculiar mildness of the season
for mime time past in the neighliourinuid of Plymouth,
that primroses and violets in many places may be
seen ready to burst into flower.
Sir E. B. Satolys, Bart. digit Sheriff of Glot-
cesterhire, has refused to calla County Meeting to
consider the propriety of addressing the King on the
illegal and unconstitutional measures pursued by his
Majesty's ministers, in the late Parliamentary pro.
ceedings. The requisition was numerously and
most respectably signed. Lords Ducie and 6114;i--
bourne were at the head of the list of signatures.—
The I 1 igh Sheriff of Beaks has also ri fused to call a
county meeting fin• the like pu:pis.... Eleven acting
magistrates in the county, including Lord Folke-
stone, have invittd the geniry, clergy,
freeholders, and other inhabitants :if the FA county,
to meet them at the Crown Inn. Reading, on Mon.
the Sth nay of Jantlaity IteXt, to consider of the
objeits specified in the requisition to the Titan
Sheriff; and also of an address of congratulation to
the Queen.

The Camelcon, Capt. Mingny, sailed from We‘d.
wick on Tuesday, with u precious cargo on board,
consisting of 11111d:tine Dumont, sui-di.valii COUIItUSS
I,f Co!ombier, Theodore A.ajocci, and several other
threigners of the Millie rank and character. The
(*thdc/cats preeteds to the %linen-Anew), anti will
land the eiiriAo on the coast of it:4ly. Thus these
wretches have a King's ship to curry them Inane,
while the Queen of England was left to wake her I
way to England in a common packet-boat ! The
Canuleon was one of the little squadron attendant
upon Lite Lintz, 014 his late aquatic usLutsivii.