The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-28 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, JULY 27.
The 41st report of the Inspectors-General of pri-
sons (Mr. J. Corry Connellan and Mr. John Len-
taigne), which has just been issued, contains some
interesting statistics. Although on the Ist of Janu-
ary, 1863, the number of prisoners of all classes
exceeded those in charge on the corresponding days
of the four years imn..ediately preceding, they did
not amount to one-third of the aggregate number
confined on the Ist of January, 1851. In 1862 there
was an increase over 1861 of 2,344 male and 365
female prisoners. The daily average number of
prisoners presents an increase of 252 males and 12

females.
The convictions of 1862 exceeded those of 1861 by
1,818, being 27,266 against 25,448. While the con-
victions of females at both assizes and quarter ses-
sions increased by only 8 per cent., the conviction
of males increased 17 per cent.; of the males 22
per cent. had undergone more than one imprison-
ment, and of the females 37 per cent. had been
more than once committed to gaol. Sentences of
death and penal servitude were passed in 1861 upon
353, and in 1862 upon 595. Of six sentenced to
death two had their sentences commuted. More
than a third or those who endured the punishment
of penal servitude were sentenced for three years
and under. Only three were sentenced for life.
Four-fifths of the whole number sentenced to
terms of imprisonmene were for periods not
exceeding a month, affording but an average
duration of detention for each prisoner of 11 days
and seven hours. The religious professions of pri-
soners were found to be nearly what they had been
the previous year—that is, Church Pretestants,
10.39 per cent. ; Presbyterians, 2.61 per cent. ;
Roman Catholics, 83.3 per cent. ; " not ascer-
tained," 0.7 per cent.

The gaols have been generally healthy, and the
inmates free from contagious disease. The total
expenditure on gaols in 1861 was £77,714, and in
1862, £84,229. The profit on works reduced these
amounts about £2,500 in the former year, and about
£3,000 in the latter. The average cost per annum
of each prisoner was £26 18s. 61c1.—rather less than
the previous year, the difference being caused by the
increase in the number of prisoners.
The inspectors state that every one of the abuses
with regard to the treatment of lunatics detailed in
their last report is still in force. They are still
brought to gaols tied down with ropes on cars, and
among the numbers committed from Union work-
houses sometimes very distressing cases occur.
The prosecution for slander against Mr. John
Rea by Mr. Lytle, late mayor of Belfast, commenced.
on Saturday, Mr. Rea pleaded his own cause, and
he began by objecting to the judge, Mr. Justice
Hayes, as disqualified for trying the case, in conse-
quence of something which he did as Solicitor-
General years ago. Mr. Brewster, Q C., protested
against the course adopted by- Mr. Rea, and the
judge disallowed the objection. The case is still pro-
ceeding, and will probably last for several days.
A very remarkable libel case was tried at Nenagh
last week before Baron Hughes and a special jury.
The action was brought by Mr. Spring Rice, to
recover damages for an alleged libel published in
the Limerick Reporter by the Rev. Thomas Ryan,
P.P. It appeared in the form of a letter signed
" One of the People." It stated that an investi.
gation had been held at Mr. Rice's house, when the
following astounding particulars came out :—A
threatening letter had been found on his premises
warning him to prepare for death in consequence
of evicting a family. He sent for the police,
and seemed greatly alarmed. But it was stated
in the libel that the letter was written to Mr.
Rice, at his own instigation, by Bridget Dunne,
his parlourmaid. It was to repel this foul charge
the action was brought. The maid was produced
on the trial, and deposed that she did write the
letter under her master's direction, as stated in
the libel, and also a letter to herself, as if from a
lover in Kilkee. The latter was intended to cor-
roborate a statement which he desired her to make
the family back to Kilkee. Mr. Rice was
—that she wrote the first in the hope of fright-
eexn
examined, and positively contradicted her evidence
He was corroborated by Mrs. Rice.

Baron Hughes charged the jury to the follow-
ing effect:—" The Rev. Mr. Ryan had undertaken
to satisfy 12 gentlemen upon their oaths that the
charge he preferred against Mr. Spring Rice, by
his letter of the 19th of July, 1862, was true.
What evidence had been given to establish his jus-
tification ? None, in point of fact, with one ex-
ception ; and yet they were asked by defendant's
counsel to affirm the truth of the charges made
against Mr. Rice upon the sole evidence of Bridget
Dunne. Her own counsel were obliged to admit
that she was a clever and an artful girl. She was
admittedly the author and composer of those docu-
ments, which the jury could take into their box
and most carefully consider. The first was a
threatening letter, the second a love-letter, pur-
porting to have been written from Kilkee, and the
third a confession, It would be the duty of the
jury to look into the contents of these documents,
ahannerddecfaroponmascidittehyre,
demeanour
se say,
from o f
the dissimilarity of the handwriting
in the love-letter from ,the other papers written by
this girl. They would form their own opinion of
da
been examined during the trial, where the truth
lay.
His lordship added, in reference to the ques-
tion of
accountm
h that while the jury would take
into
serious nature of the libel, they
would also bear
a gaten whattthe
had
witnesses taken
wii plc l
had
e d,
ca
in mind that the defendant was
only a palish
priest, and the incomes of parish
priests were usually small."
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, with
£2O d
p,
thetam asgaems ,e ana 613
i6z de
B. cpohs
Philip H
ayes was tried be-
foreanuliralrry. JluBs6t3i c. emOr Bsroine
ens for, p
is a resident magis-
trate who i
ooting at Mr. Gore
2d of
Jones, with intent to murders
of long standing, detailed him,he coinrcuthmest
of the case, and identified the prisoner as one of two
men whom he saw behind a ditch when a gun was
fired at him while riding along the road from
Thurles. He immediately pulled up and said,
" You scoundrels! I know you, and I'll make
Sou
pay for this." The men then ran away through
u
the fields, and he rode after them through a lane,
which ended in a bog. He was obliged to return,
and they escaped. Two holes, as if made by a bullet,
were visible in the loose Inverness cape which he
wore at the time. The witness was severely cross-
examined by Mr. Curtis. Other evidence having
been given, the jury retired. They were locked
up all night, and discharged the next day, not being
able to agree to a verdict.

At the Mayo Assizes Sohn M'Gregor was con-
victed of having acted as a ringleader in the riots
which occurred in the town of Castlebar on the
evening of the 10th of March, during the rejoicings