The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-21 00:00:00

-.~~`t-~

as "convicts ; " and more circles of the Inferno than
Dante ever imagined were proclaimed to be in afore
for those recreants to their religion, and traitors to
their country. The women were eager in this tongue
warfare; and certain Roman Catholic priests were
espEcilly active and elcquent. One Dr. O'Connor
pointedtithough calmly, inquired, " Why the voters
did not vote for the Literals ?" Father Bourke—

ho came out for the day with the appropriate spi-
ritual weapons of " a horsewhip in one hand, and a
registry-book in the other"—preached a soothing
homily on the text,
"Fight, boys, for your religious'
Father
Clune, in more scriptural language, endea-
voured to kindle the reluctant spirits of his auditors:—
" You are standing here idle, doing nothing, and they
(the voters) are coming. Oh, what is this for?" By
the time an attempt was made to poll the party under
military protection, these animating homilies had
done their work. Stones flew in every direction ;
the voters were being pulls(' off the cars; some of the
soldiers were knocked down ; Father Bourke—fore-
most in the fray, though the first subsequently to
run—actually seized the muskets of the escort ; end
then—it is not clear whether by the express order
of the commanding officer—the soldiers fired, and six
men were slain. The military, it must be remarked
were accompanied by Mr. Delmege, a county magis-
trate ; but not the slightest evidence was offered that
he either ordered or sanctioned the firing. Contra-
dictory testimony was produced as to the amount of
violence and rioting on the part of the crowd ; and
and one witness, whose recollections must be singularly
bellicose, deposed that he bad never known so
peaceful an election. Father Bourke—though a
whole host of witnesses contradicted him—flatly
denied that he • bad stimulated the people
at all, though he owned to the whip and the
registry-hook. In short, the affair presented the
usual amount of contradictory evidence which cha-
racterises not only Irish inquiries, but all investiga-
tions into collisions between the military and a mob.
But the whole matter practically resolved itself into
the specific and single question—always, we admit, a
difficult and delicate one—which invariably recurs in
such cases. Was the amount of provocation offered
to the military such as to justify the commanding
officer in firing upon the mob, or were the lives of
the soldiers so far in peril that the necessities of mere
self-defence warranted them in falling back upon
their ordinary rights
orders ? For ourselves, we think that they were
seasssagens,•and in firing without
justified. If to be forcibly attacked by rioters, and
to be knocked down with stones, is not sufficient
provocation—if cutting reins and bridles, and de-
stroying firelocks, does not constitute a case of real
peril—the thing is impossible. But, admitting the
extreme difficulty of fixing, to a hair's breath the
line where risk of life begins—admitting also that
there was some evidence of an unnecessary second
firing on the part of the soldiers—it is at least
certain that the sole alternative left to the jury
was to decide between a verdict of justifiable homi-
cide and one of manslaughter. We should not have
been surprised at the latter. Irish juries seldom un-
derstand evidence, or recognise the true purpose for
which a jury meets. They are usually
tonal political sentiments; Ireland
it. They mostly look at a verdict, in such cases, as
that juries are merely a strong
strong verdicts
have been many
against the militar There is a constitutional jea-
of
lousy of soldiers. Z.O •
enly e°
very
e tnetosorprieiss
returniint g
otnhleiyni rciaon. incapable
n per
connected with riots, such
the present century there
inquests During
which, contrary to the evidence,
and at Peterloo, in
as those in St.
nce,thße troops have been
declared guilty of manslaughter.
charac-
teristic exaggeration, Ireland has ouiltiduto;aneewailtlhpreviou
has
performances—her own incluc*d
per-
verting justice. A verdict of wilful murderry
tually been returned against eight soldiers of thes3alcsi
—and, more scandalous still, against the magistrate,
Mr. Delmege. This preposterous decision seems to
have been suggested by an extemporaneous hint
which was thrown out by Mr. Counsellor Coffey,
when the Coroner bad concluded his charge. We
subjoin both the suggestion and the sensible reply
which it elicited :
" The CORONER then put to the jury the issues they
had to try, and said that it was for them to oonsider
whether their verdict should be one of manslaughter or
justifiable homicide.
" Mr. Coffey suggested that the verdict of murder'
was within the range of their consideration.
" The CORONER—With respect to murder,' the cir-
cumstances of the case, and the provocation received,
whatever it was, must do away with that. The provoca-
tion has been admitted."

In spite, however, of this distinct intimation of the
law of the case, the jury—by a majority of twelve
out of seventeen—returned a verdict of wilful mur-
der. A more outrageous and disgraceful exhibition
of party prejudice and religious rancour it would be
impossible to contrive.

THE FIRE ON BOARD THE SEVERN.
The committee appointed by the Court of Directors
of the Royal West India Mail Company to inquire
into the circumstances connected with the fire on
board the Severn steam-ship on her last homeward
voyage made their report of the result of the investi-
gation yesterday, which was submitted, as requested,
to the Lords of the Admiralty.
It may be proper to add that the following cor-
respondence preceded the holding of the investiga-
tion :

" Admiralty, Aug. 13.
_1852,

Gentlemen,-1 am commanded by my Lords Corn-
missioners of the Admiralty to transmit to you the copy
or a letter from the Admiralty agent attached to the
Severn contract steamer respecting a fire having oc-
curred on board, and to acquaint you that my Lords
would be glad to be furnizhed with the result of the in-
quiry which they conclude will be immediately instituted
into the case.

" I am, gentlemen, your most obedient servant,
" W. B. HAMILTON.
"To the Directors of the Royal West India Mail
Steam-packet Company."
"Royal West India Mail Packet Company's-office,
Moorgate-street, Aug. 14, 1852.
" Sir,—ln reply to your letter of yesterday's date, I
have the honour to inform you, that an inquiry is to be
instituted at Southampton on Tuesday next, the 17th
inst., respecting the fire which occurred on board the
Severn contract steamer, and so soon as the same is con-
cluded a full report will be made to you for the infor-
mation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.
" I am, moreover, to add, that should their Lordships
desire to have Captain Austin, Lieutenant loglis, or any
other Liuvertitneot ~theor present on the occasion, it will
give the Court of Directors a great ss.thfaetion to ,Fordrc,
them eve, y facility for the fullest inquiry into the matter
in gut ttion.—
" Sir, your moss obedient servant,.LL.
C.lpta "E. CHAPPEin W. B. 11,1ruilion.
•
" RFPO4T ON THE CIRCUM,TANCES ATTFADANT ON A
THE 7TH OF AU-
FIRE ON BOARD THE SEVERN, ON T

GUST, 1852.
We, the undersigned, having been ordered by
the Court of Directors of the RoPre Weft India Mail
„„i into and report
Stearn-packet Company to 'To, upon a fire occur-
upon the circumstances atAt,eantn.ih
p,
i on her passage
rug on board the ScvaerLnis.btor,
and being assisted, at
between Madeira and .--), ay Captain Austin, R.N ,
of Steam-packeta at
the company's suggestnioent
Admiralty ined personally the master,
Superinteexdain
Southampton, havinge,
second engineer, and a mid-
chief and third In t
tap only available witnesses who, it
Shipman, being ,thing of the matter, herewith
knew i
appeared,
went of the verbal and written evidence
submit a state the occasion, upon which we are of
adduced upon are no means whatever of ascer-
taininga that there
opinion
Or cause of such fire taking place ; that it
avery contracted space in the after run
ocaurrehdioin
w-hvere nothing was stowed but some tanks
0f the 81-0--i
'fresh water ; tbat tbere was no communi-
entail'
ccation between this place and the other parts of the
ship except by
the hatches and grating leading to it
from the principal saloon ; that the company's printed
regulations upon the prohibition of naked lights, the
extinguishment of cooking fires and of all lights at
fixed hours, for visitation of the ship every half-hour
duttng the night, for having a fire-station bill and
means prepared for extinguishing fires, appear to be
carefully drawn, and (in the case of the Severn) to
have been strictly executed, as is proved by the chief
officer having seen the fire-pumps got ready and the
water-hoses fixed at eight P.m., the master-at-arms
having seen all lights extinguished at eleven P.m., the
captain having remaim d walking on the up deck
till past midnight, and the subsequent half-hour visi-
tations and reports to the officer of the watch being
regularly made, and, above all, from the circumstance
that in a few minutes after the alarm was given the
pumps were pouring water on the fire, which was
quickly extinguished by the exertions of the captain,
officers, and crew, all of whom behaved with zeal and
activity, Captain Chapman having had two of his ribs
I broken by a fall on the occasion.
of the
" Our attention having been directed
efficiency
onnthe allega-
tions respecting the number and e
boats of the Severn, we made inquirycloce
subject, and found, upon testimonythtebe
Chapman, of Mr. Strutt, t
er
at
actual trials made by thehlna t ific yupon this
of Captain
chief officer, and by
Southampton, and
built the life. boats at
by Messrs. White,
Severn'swho sir beats were capable of
Cowes, that the
,10st
230 persons, being 30
carrying in safetyat ship bad on board during the
persons more than the
voyage.
,t it will be noticed,
might that (ason
~a perusal of the evidence,
be expected) various surmises were
the origin of the fire but these being
formed
as to
and founded confessedly upon mere
contradictory, a
feel justified
.
wo do not
conjecture',
any opinion.
Signed by Captain Lyot, ono of the directors; Cep-
tam, Chaeoell, R.N., joint maneger ;•
and Captain
Barton, R.N. ; , the company's k,uperintendent at
Southampton.

---
At a recent trial in Springfield, Mass., before a
committee appointed for that purpose, between the self-
raking machines of APeormick, Dinsmore, and Hassey, the
first premium was awarded to DiIISMOte% B.llcl the mood to
liamey'E.